The High Country Host Blog » High Country Host

Check Out High Mountain Expeditions!

HighCountryHost — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 20:23:04 +0000

High Mountain Expeditions offers a variety of outdoor activities including whitewater rafting, hiking, and caving. At High Mountain Expeditions there is an activity for every member of your group or family!

The High Country of Western North Carolina is one of the most biologically and geographically diverse regions in North America. Carved by some of the world’s oldest rivers, the Blue Ridge Mountains provides the perfect backdrop for some of the East Coast’s best hiking, caving, mountain biking, kayaking and whitewater rafting.

Please browse their web site to see a detailed list and descriptions of all the outdoor activities we offer. They can help you plan the perfect outdoor experience, so contact by email or call and speak to one of their reservation specialists today!

The team at High Mountain Expeditions invites you to join us in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains on one of their many outdoor adventures.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

Stay Connected!

Mountain Aire Golf in West Jefferson

HighCountryHost — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:51:08 +0000

Located in West Jefferson and nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge, Mountain Aire is an established, public course offering 18 holes of well-maintained fairways, complimented by the natural, rugged beauty of the Appalachians.

In addition to offering a challenging round of mountain golf, Mountain Aire also “plays” the backdrop for a beautiful golf community called Fairway Ridge.

So whether you are simply interested in a great round of golf… or looking for a NC Golf Course Home, home site, townhome or Resort Living In Western North Carolina with spectacular views of the golf course and surrounding mountains, we invite you to browse our website to get more information. For tee times call the golf shop at (336) 877-4716 or book online.

For more information, visit: http://www.mountainaire.com

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

Stay Connected!

Appalachian Ski Mtn. Hosts Midnight Blast Weekends

HighCountryHost — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:14:47 +0000

Late night skiing is available this winter in the High Country. Appalachian Ski Mtn. in Blowing Rock hosts nine Midnight Blast Weekends from now through February 20th.

On Fridays and Saturdays of these special weekends, night skiing begins at its usual 6 p.m. time, but stays open an extra two hours until midnight. Best of all, these extended hours are offered at no additional cost.

“With challenging economic times, people looking for a good value will discover that this is the best ticket value that we offer, at a time that is actually convenient,” said Appalachian Ski Mtn. General Manager Brad Moretz.

Appalachian is the only ski area in the Southeast region offering late-night skiing this winter.

For info, visit www.AppSkiMtn.com or call (828) 295-7828.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

Stay Connected!

Revamped Skiing Website Covers the NC High Country

HighCountryHost — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:12:19 +0000

Complete information on skiing and winter sports in the North Carolina High Country is just a mouse click away thanks to the re-launch of SkiTheHighCountry.com.

The redesigned and upgraded website now features everything skiers need to know about the High Country’s three ski resorts – Appalachian Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain Resort and Sugar Mountain Resort – as well as key info on the snow tubing park at Hawksnest Resort.

Visitors to SkiTheHighCountry.com can access live webcams for real-time conditions, view trail maps, check rates and hours of operations, receive details on ice skating, and browse accommodations. There’s also a dining guide and an overview of activities away from the slopes.

Photo galleries of each resort, featuring the work of award-winning photographer Todd Bush of Banner Elk, are included.

The site was created by Big Boom Design of Asheville and is produced and maintained by North Carolina High Country Host.

High Country Host is a tourism marketing organization that promotes travel to North Carolina’s High Country, a five-county region anchored by the popular towns of: Banner Elk, Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, Boone, Linville, Sparta, West Jefferson and Wilkesboro.

To view the new site, go online to www.SkiTheHighCountry.com.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

Stay Connected!

Downtown Blowing Rock’s Christmas in the Park & Lighting of the Town

HighCountryHost — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:36:03 +0000

Friday, November 27th, 2009!

Christmas in the Park & Lighting of the Town

Location: Downtown Blowing Rock

Call 828.295.5222 for more details!

Join us for visits with Santa, caroling in the park, hot chocolate, and ceremonial Lighting of the Town.

Visit: http://www.blowingrock.com

Located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock offers an abundant array of adventure. From golf to horseback riding, whitewater rafting to canoeing, hiking, biking, rock climbing and fishing, there is something for every avid outdoor enthusiast.

Blowing Rock is also home to Appalachian Ski Mtn., a premiere ski resort in North Carolina, and to many popular spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway including Price Lake, Moses Cone Manor and more.

The History of Blowing Rock, NC

Before 1752, when Moravian Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg visited the Blowing Rock area, the windy cliffs of the area were home to the Cherokee and the Catawba Indian tribes, hostile to each other, and the basis for the story of “The “Blowing Rock”. Two star-crossed lovers, one from each tribe, were walking near The Rock when the reddening sky signaled to the brave that he must return to his tribal duty, and the maiden urged him to stay with her. His desperation in choosing between duty and love caused him to leap from the edge of the gorge toward the rocks below, while the maiden beseeched the Great Spirit to bring him back to her. The famous winds of the John’s River Gorge blew her lover back into her arms, and this legend about The Blowing Rock is still told today.

After the mid-eighteenth century, when the Scotch-Irish began to settle close to this area, the passes from southern Virginia into Kentucky attracted many colonists, farmers, hunters, and trappers who continued south to the mountains of North Carolina. The first family to settle in Blowing Rock were the Greenes who were established by the mid-1800’s on a site that would become the Green Park Hotel property. Other early settlers in Blowing Rock included the Hayes, Coffey, Bolick, Estes and Storie families. About this time, summer residents began to come up from Lenoir to enjoy the cool fresh air, magnificent mountain views and the wonders of nature.

As word traveled to other parts of the South about the merits of Blowing Rock, more visitors began to arrive, first camping out, and later taking rooms at boarding houses like the Hayes and Martin Houses on Main Street. When the space to accommodate guests proved too little, many homes turned into hotels, and the Watauga Hotel, built in 1884, added cottages in 1888; the Green Park Hotel opened in 1891 and was followed eight years later by the Blowing Rock Hotel. Walter Alexander touted the clean air and healthy environment of Blowing Rock, as he developed the Mayview area, opening the grand hotel, Mayview Manor in 1922.

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

Stay Connected!

N.C. High Country Host Launches Upgraded Website

HighCountryHost — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:53:23 +0000

Tourists interested in the North Carolina High Country have a dynamic new resource for visitor info thanks to a redesign and upgrade of High Country Host’s website, www.MountainsofNC.com.

The new site contains information on lodging, attractions, festivals, shopping, restaurants, heritage events and outdoors activities. There is also a blog, calendar of events, a section for specials & deals, High Country maps and a downloadable vacation planner.

“This new site pulls together all the key information visitors need to plan a trip to the High Country,” says Millie Barbee, executive director of High Country Host. “And, it is user-friendly. There are multiple ways to navigate the site to quickly find what you’re looking for.”

This new site was created by Big Boom Design of Asheville, using a Joomla platform. It incorporates the latest in website technology, including advanced search engine optimization.

“Our desire was to build a site that’s easy to navigate and brings as much information above the fold and to the surface as possible,” said Boomer Sassmann of Big Boom Design. “It’s a well organized second-generation website that also incorporates social media aspects such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.”

The look and feel of the website will change quarterly to match the four distinct seasons that draw visitors to the High Country.

“If this were a traditionally built website, we wouldn’t be able to do that,” Sassmann says, “but because of this Joomla content management system, it is easy to change the look without altering the content.”

To view the new site, go online to www.MountainsofNC.com.

Stay Connected!

Benefits of Joining The High Country Host

HighCountryHost — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:15:30 +0000

Don’t just take our word for it. Hear what others are saying about the benefits of joining The High Country Host…

“High Country Host does an excellent job of attracting visitors to our area through its marketing. Just as importantly, they do a great job of helping our visitors find lodging, shops, places to eat, and things to do to make their visit a success. Happy customers come back and they also tell their friends to come. All types of businesses need to be part of HCH’s marketing and service efforts.”
-Harris Prevost
Grandfather Mountain

“High Country Host’s ongoing efforts to attract visitors to our area has been remarkable. Through the creation and distribution of a resourceful guidebook, to the development of and continued achievements in the High Country Host website, to co-op advertising and joint marketing opportunities, Chetola enjoys the continued benefits of our marketing partnership with High Country Host.”
-Kent Tarbutton, Proprietor
Marcia Field, Marketing Director
Chetola Mountain Resort

“We are thoroughly satisfied members of High Country Host. Your organization far outshines any other similar service in Boone in promoting our bed & breakfast to visitors. As far as we’re concerned, we cannot afford NOT to be members! Thank you and your excellent staff for serving us since 1997.”
The Baird House
-Tom & Deede Hinson

For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

Stay Connected!

High Country Host on YouTube!

HighCountryHost — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:01:15 +0000

The High Country Host now has its own YouTube Channel!

To see more High Country Videos, please visit: youtube.com/nchighcountry

For info on The High Country Host, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

Stay Connected!

Barbee Returns to Executive Director Post at High Country Host

HighCountryHost — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:46:13 +0000

A familiar face has returned to the North Carolina High Country Host.

Millie Barbee, the Host’s executive director from 1994-2000, was named to that post for a second time on Oct. 1.

Barbee retired from the Hickory CVB three years ago and was residing in West Jefferson when this opportunity presented itself. She will continue living in West Jefferson as she assumes the role held most recently by Karin Moss, who is now executive director of the Dale Earnhardt Foundation in Mooresville.

“I love being back,” Barbee said. “I always stayed in close touch with the organization and I have a great love for the High Country.”

Barbee will work three days a week. Her main priority will be to guide the tourism marketing organization through a restructuring brought on by the economic downturn.

“It is wonderful to be able to turn to Millie as we navigate these tough times,” said Jerry Lamonds, president of High Country Host. “She has experience in the job and a history of building consensus among our members. This is positive news as we begin to shine the spotlight on High Country tourism for the coming year.”

Looking ahead, Barbee plans to continue many primary functions of the Host, including producing an annual visitors guide, maintaining a website for tourist information, operating the visitor center in Boone and working with area TDAs and chambers of commerce on advertising and marketing initiatives aimed at travelers. Barbee will also be involved with next year’s 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway and its marketing opportunities for the High Country.

“With the cooperation of the chambers and the TDAs, we have a wonderful opportunity to move forward in creative ways,” Barbee said. “There is such a wealth of knowledge in the tourism industry here. We have a lot of experience we can bring together to chart new directions.”

Barbee said it is important to promote all aspects of the High Country tourism industry, including: lodging, shopping, restaurants, attractions, festivals, events, retail and outdoor fun.

“We’re seeing the early signs of improvement in the industry,” she said. “I think we’re at a turning point, but marketing has to be continuous. Our competition is strong.”

For info on High Country Host, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.

Stay Connected!

Sugar Mountain’s Oktoberfest is October 10th & 11th!

HighCountryHost — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:08:28 +0000

Grab your beer stein, put on your lederhosen and head to Sugar Mountain Resort for the 19th annual Oktoberfest celebration Saturday & Sunday, October 10 & 11, 2009. The weekend is packed with activities from 10:00am until 5:00pm. Admission and parking are free!

Over 40 artisan’s and craftspeople open their stands at 10:00am each day. A sampling of this year’s vendors include: chair canning, wooden toys, oil paintings, stain glass, handmade furniture, dolls, copper art, ceramics, honey, beeswax candles, bird houses, and much more.

Enjoy the beautiful fall foliage and a panoramic view of the surrounding area from the mile and a half long chairlift ride to Sugar’s 5,300 ft peak. Everyone, even mountain bikers are welcome to ride the lift.

The children’s activity center, located in the Ski School Play Yard will keep the young ones entertained each day from noon until 4:00pm. A $7 fee per child/per day includes hay rides, a chance to meet Sugar Bear and Sweetie Bear and several Airwalk stations. Cotton candy, popcorn, caramel apples, homemade cookies and drinks are also available in the children’s activity center. All ages are welcome to participate.

An Oktoberfest isn’t complete without the sounds of an Oom Pah Band. From noon until 4:00pm both Saturday & Sunday the Harbour Towne Fest Band, guarantees to bring the sounds, dances and enthusiasm of Bavaria to Sugar Mountain. The 15 piece band will enthusiastically play the sounds of Germany’s Bavaria!

Bavarian cuisine, including Bratwurst, Knackwurst, German Potato Salad, Sauerkraut and pretzels will be available starting at 11:00am both Saturday & Sunday. To help wash it down, an ample supply of authentic Bavarian beverages will be flowing all weekend long. If Bavarian cuisine’s not your preference; hot dogs, hamburgers, soda, cotton candy, kettle corn, caramel apples, and other festive foods will be on hand.

Rain or shine, the festival will go on! For additional information, please call Sugar Mountain Resort’s administrative office at: (828) 898-4521.

ARTS & CRAFTS
Local artisans and craftsmen will show their wares at the ninteenth Sugar Mountain Oktoberfest, on the Sugar Mountain ski area grounds, October 10 & 11, 2009. A wide variety of items from food to ironworks will be available for purchase to the public. Vendors interested in obtaining a booth should contact the Sugar Mountain administration office at (828) 898-4521. The two-day fee for a 12′ by 12′ display area is $90. The festivities will run from 10:00am ’til 5:00pm Saturday & Sunday

Rain or shine, the festival will go on! For additional information, please call Sugar Mountain Resort’s administrative office at: (828) 898-4521.

ARTS & CRAFTS
Local artisans and craftsmen will show their wares at the ninteenth Sugar Mountain Oktoberfest, on the Sugar Mountain ski area grounds, October 10 & 11, 2009. A wide variety of items from food to ironworks will be available for purchase to the public. Vendors interested in obtaining a booth should contact the Sugar Mountain administration office at (828) 898-4521. The two-day fee for a 12′ by 12′ display area is $90. The festivities will run from 10:00am ’til 5:00pm Saturday & Sunday

For more information, please visit: http://www.skisugar.com/oktoberfest

For lodging and other travel information, contact North Carolina High Country Host at 800-438-7500 or visit: www.mountainsofnc.com.

Stay Connected!