It opened in 1970 and stopped full-time operation in 1980. One of the most whimsical parts of the place is The Land of Oz theme park. That means there are stellar restaurants, shops, and accommodations. This is basically a town built around the Beech Mountain Resort, so everything is geared towards catering to tourists. In the summer, hiking, cycling, and fishing are huge. In the winter, Beech Mountain snow skiing, sledding, and snowboarding are the most popular pastimes.
Located near major tourist towns like Banner Elk (7 miles), Blowing Rock (25 miles), and Boone (25 miles), Beech Mountain has a lot to offer as a town as well.įor starters, this is the highest town east of the Mississippi, with an elevation of 5,506 feet.īeech Mountain is big on recreation. READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Banner Elk NC View Atop Beech Mountain, NC, photo courtesy 3. Located in the NC High Country, the mountain town is also less than 20 miles away from Boone and Blowing Rock. There are more than a dozen independent restaurants, as well as some great local wineries and breweries.īanner Elk is near Grandfather Mountain State Park, Otter Falls, and some of the best places for snow skiing in North Carolina, including Sugar Mountain and Beech Mountain. The town offers easy access to an array of excellent hiking trails, ski slopes, golf courses, and fishing holes. With a population of under 1,200 people, Historic Banner Elk certainly qualifies as one of the true small towns in the mountains of North Carolina. READ MORE: The 15 Best Hotels in Asheville NC to Visit Banner Elk NC, photo by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett 2. The city also has a cool collection of neighborhoods, such as the River Arts District and the Montford Area Historic District, that provide that welcoming small town feel. There’s rafting on the French Broad River, mountain biking in Pisgah Forest, and great hiking trails in every direction.Ĭommonly called “Beer City USA” for its world-class craft breweries, Asheville also has amazing restaurants, local wineries, and fantastic attractions like the Biltmore Estate, Grove Park Inn, and NC Arboretum. Outdoor adventure is a big priority for the Asheville crowd. It’s close to all three districts of the Pisgah National Forest, less than an hour from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and houses the headquarters for the Blue Ridge Parkway. But it also has the inclusive personality of the best mountain towns. With a population of nearly 100,000 residents, Asheville is big enough to have a lot going on, with multiple areas of interest. READ MORE: The 20 Best Places to Visit in North Carolina Busking Musicians in Asheville, photo by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett 1.
READ MORE: The Top 25 Blue Ridge Mountain Towns in GA & NC With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of our picks for the best North Carolina mountain towns to visit, including towns near Asheville, towns with great options for hiking and skiing, and more… There are so many cool small towns in the mountains of North Carolina (many of which are less than 20 miles apart), how can a person possibly choose which ones to visit? The largest city on the North Carolina mountains map– bustling Asheville– still has less than 100,000 residents in its metropolitan area.
In fact, there aren’t any towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina that rank among the Top 10 largest cities in NC. The North Carolina mountains are renowned for offering up a charming slice of small-town life and local culture, including everything from moonshine and bluegrass music to country cooking and historic log cabins. Winnowing down a list of the best mountain towns in NC is a difficult task, and it’s much less rewarding than actually visiting said towns.
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