Makotos Is Celebrating 30 Years!
MAKOTO’S Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar is Celebrating 30 Years!
Makoto’s has been serving the High Country since 1981 with traditional Japanese food and quality customer service. Come out and enjoy a fantastic dining experience.
Watch as expert chefs perform their tableside culinary magic. Filet Mignon, Scallops, Shrimp and Ribeye Steaks prepared in their own incomparable way.
The service at Makoto’s is quite unique. You are served by both a chef and a waiter. Your food is cooked right at your table and served in an enjoyable Japanese tradition.
Makoto’s offers a rare combination of exceptional food prepared by expert (and entertaining) chefs in a relaxing atmosphere, all at reasonable prices. Enjoy the experience of Makoto’s.
For more, visit www.makotos-boone.com!
For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.
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Winter Sports in The High Country!
North Carolina’s High Country, known as the Ski Capital of the South, is home to three premier resorts - Appalachian Ski Mtn, Beech Mtn Resort and Sugar Mtn Resort. All are located within a 30-mile radius, making the High Country a favorite destination of families, couples and adventure-seekers. North Carolina has the highest mountains east of the Rockies and caters to skiers of all abilities. Away from the slopes, there’s plenty to see and do in Boone, Blowing Rock and Banner Elk.
Visit: www.SkiTheHighCountry.com!
For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.
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High Country Host Holiday Open House!
High Country Host Visitor’s Center Holiday Open House!
Tuesday, December 7th from 10am - 4pm!
We are located at 1700 Blowing Rock Road, Boone, NC (Next to KFC)
Come and go and enjoy Holiday snacks with your High Country neighbors!
Please share in the Season of Giving by bringing an unwrapped child’s Christmas gift or a check made payable to Santa’s Toy Box!
No RSVP is required; all are welcome as 2010 comes to an end and we look forward to 2011 in the Beautiful High Country of North Carolina!
For more information contact The High Country Host at 1-828-264-1299!
For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.
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Win A High Country Get-Away!
Win a one-night stay at the Inn at Crestwood in Boone, NC and 2 tickets to the Mountain Home Music concert!
Be the 75th person to answer this question correctly and you will WIN! All answers need to be emailed to highcountrycontests@gmail.com to qualify!
Question: What North Carolina River located in the High Country is said to be named after an Indian princess who drowned herself after losing her lover?
The Winner gets a one-night stay at the Inn at Crestwood in Boone, NC and 2 tickets to the Mountain Home Music concert!
The Inn at Crestwood is nestled in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina. Crestwood is definitely a place to come and relax and get-a-way from the daily grind. Each guest room, suite and cottage at Crestwood is uniquely designed with the ultimate mountain experience in mind. They featuring private terraces, whirlpool baths, gas-log fireplaces; amenities such as afternoon wine & cheese, continental breakfast, turn down services and more. You can enjoy unforgettable panoramic views, distinctive dining, celebrated local art and relaxing spa services all in one harmonious setting. For more information about the Inn at Crestwood visit their website: www.crestwoodnc.com 
Mountain Home Music holds concerts throughout the year featuring the tradition sounds of the area! Musicians, dancers, storytellers and poets come together to delight you with sounds of Appalachian music. The Appalachian tradition includes Celtic, old-time, bluegrass, dulcimers and African American forms of artistic expression. When you attend a Mountain Home Music concert, fun can be had by people of all ages, couples or families. For more information about Mountain Home Music and upcoming events please visit their website: www.mountainhomemusic.com
Disclaimer: The Mountain Home Music concert tickets are through September 2011. You will need to call and make your reservation with Crestwood first to see if there is any availability for the evening of a Mountain Home Music Concert!
The Winner will be contacted via Email from High Country Host to get their contact information. The Winner will be mailed the Give-A-Way Package! Included in your package will be the Inn at Crestwood’s information and a Fall and Winter Schedule for the Mountain Home Music concerts!
For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.
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Mountain Aire Golf in West Jefferson
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.
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Appalachian Ski Mtn. Hosts Midnight Blast Weekends
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.
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Revamped Skiing Website Covers the NC High Country
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.
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Downtown Blowing Rock’s Christmas in the Park & 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.
READ MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BLOWING ROCK
For more info on The High Country of North Carolina, call (800) 438-7500, or visit www.MountainsofNC.com.
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N.C. High Country Host Launches Upgraded Website
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.
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Benefits of Joining The High Country Host
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.
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