A Fun Family Escape to the Mountains of Boone
Boone, North Carolina is a beautiful mountain town with plenty to do with kids and for all ages to enjoy.
With family scattered all over the United States, there was some debate on where we should meet up for our first-ever cousins’ reunion. Luckily, someone took charge and we ended up in Boone, North Carolina.
Most of us flew in, and we either flew to Asheville or Charlotte. My family flew from Tampa to Charlotte where we rented a car and drove approximately 2 hours to Boone. Asheville is about the same distance away.
My kids were almost 2 and 3.5 on our trip to Boone. I recommend all of these activities for children of all ages. There were 3 generations on this trip.
Keep reading to hear more about what to do with kids in Boone, North Carolina.
Echota on the Ridge
One cousin owns a condo on a mountain at Echota on the Ridge, so most of us wanted to stay there as well. The company has a website to rent out condos, but I managed to find one cheaper via VRBO.
To save money, my family decided to share a 3 bedroom condo with my brother’s family. The pictures of our condo did not match the pictures of the one that we purchased through VRBO. It is clear that many of these condos are similar and are rented out as vacation homes. Thankfully, our place was even nicer than the photos and came with an extra bathroom.
Our condo was perfect for a shared accommodation with multiple kids. Besides the balcony with gorgeous views of the mountain, we had 2 stories, which means stairs. The kids were so excited to be able to climb the stairs. My bedroom was upstairs (because we arrived a night early, we claimed the master bedroom). The other bedrooms were downstairs. There was a kid’s room complete with a pull-out bed and bunk beds. I am pretty sure my kids would still be living in our condo in Boone if we let them.
Other Accommodations and How to Choose What Works For You
My sister’s family chose to stay at the bottom of the mountain, in a hotel. My sister gets migraines and the altitude doesn’t help. We are used to being at sea level.
There are many types of accommodation in Boone, so figure out which is best for you and your family.
I liked staying on top of a mountain for the views, but it is more convenient to stay downtown if you want to go out at night. We went into town for dinner some nights, but on others, we all met up in the condos.
Also, with little kids, it was easiest to go to the grocery store and have breakfast at the condo.
I am calling our accommodation a condo because that is what they are called in the listings. I would consider them to be townhouses. They are in a row, and multiple stories high.
Grandfather Mountain
We got to Grandfather Mountain early and learned that is preferable because a line will form.
Grandfather Mountain has 11 trails of varying difficulty. One group of cousins got up early and went on one of the harder hikes. The rest of us started at Mile High Swinging Bridge.
The bridge gets its name as it is located 1 mile above sea level.
My kids loved walking over the swinging bridge and climbing the rocks on the other side. It was extremely windy up there.
There are talks, animal encounters, and other daily programs that you can sign up for. My kids were too young for the junior ranger program, but I know they would love it now.
Of course, you can bring your own food and have a picnic, or you can eat at Mildred’s Grill in the park.
We were supposed to meet up for a picnic, but the phone reception on Grandfather Mountain was terrible and I was not able to connect with anyone in our group. My family went off on our own for a while and missed the picnic lunch. Lucky for us we found Mildred’s Grill and Grandfather Mountain Fudge Shop.
I recommend making a plan before separating. Had I used my head, we would have driven to the picnic area around 12.
Gem Mining
Those of us with little kids went gem mining at Foggy Mountain Gem Mine.
We purchased a bucket of dirt to share between my kids and nieces, which was plenty.
They sell 2-gallon buckets for $30 up to a wheelbarrow (33 gallons) for $325. All buckets are guaranteed to have gems inside.
Each kid got a sieve to put in the stream of water to catch the gems. All 5 kids (my littlest was asleep) collected a bag of gems. Ours is currently in a jar at home and my kids take them out to play with or organize.
If you want, you can have a gem made into jewelry at their shop. Had my daughter been older, I probably would have gotten one of the amethysts made into a necklace for her, because her favorite color is purple and also amethyst is her birthstone. I think a necklace is a great souvenir. The gems were a good size, not too small.
Depending on how many gems you want to be cut, and which type of gem, they vary in price from $10-$70 each.
Gem mining is probably what my kids remember most about Boone.
Wineries
There are a few wineries in the area.
My family went to Banner Elk Winery, which is beautiful and has a large area for the kids to run around.
I met up with extended family at Grandfather Vineyard Winery, which was the closest to our accommodation. Grandfather Winery was much busier than Banner Elk, but we found a table outside by the stream.
I didn’t bring the kids to Grandfather Vineyard, but there were other families there. Between the 2, I am glad that I took the kids to Banner Elk as there is more space for them to run around.
Fishing
The kids have a Berenstain Bears book where the cubs go fishing and they were begging to fish on our trip to Boone.
Grandfather Trout Farm is a lake filled with trout, but that does not mean they are easy to catch!
We let the kids try and in the end, between 3 families, we caught 1 fish.
The kids were just happy to be there and to be able to try to fish while we were in Boone.
Hiking with Kids
We drove through part of the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped to enjoy the view and take a small hike or two. We had driven through part of the Blue Ridge Parkway on our move from New York to Florida and it was nice to go back and explore more.
Volunteer at a Community Center
One thing we don’t usually do on vacation is volunteer. My cousin went to college in Boone and often volunteered at Hunger and Health Coalition. She asked us to come in one morning, and our assignment was to organize a closet.
The kids (along with a few adults) made cards while the rest of us organized.
My kids like to clean up litter and have volunteered through our temple and various organizations. It is something that I have not thought about doing on vacation before.
It only took a few hours, and we all enjoyed volunteering. It was a great way to help the community in the area that we were visiting while spending time together as a family.
Linville Falls and Linville Cavern
Linville is about 45 minutes away from Boone.
Our kids had never been in a cave before, so we took them to Linville Cavern. Of course, they both fell asleep on the way.
I could not have done this trip without my carrier. My kids would never go back to the condo to nap, but they (especially Z) will fall asleep in the car or when being worn.
Thankfully we had 2 carriers so we each wore a kid and started the 30-minute tour. Tickets are $10/$8, under 5 free.
The kids were surprised to wake up in a cave.
Trails to Linville Falls are on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and are worth a visit. There is no swimming allowed at the falls.
Price Lake Canoeing and Picnic
You can rent a kayak, canoe, or SUP at Price Lake Boat Rentals, from $10-18/hour.
The views were spectacular and it was neat to see the giant tadpoles in the water.
Once again, I had a sleeping child, so Mark took Maisie while I stayed on land.
Other family members rented canoes as well, and then we headed out for a hike, picnic, and playing in the stream.
Daniel Boone Inn
On our last night, everyone went out for dinner at Daniel Boone Inn.
My family ate here when I was a kid and it was fun to go back with my kids.
Daniel Boone Inn serves southern meals family-style. The price depends on your age ($21.95 for adults, $12.95 ages 11-12, $10.95 ages 8-10, $7.95 ages 5-7, $5.95 ages 3-4, 2 and under are free). They do have banquet pricing available for large groups.
Daniel Boone also serves breakfast, with adult meals costing $13.95. Looking at the menu, I want to go back for breakfast and try the glazed cinnamon biscuits!
Their dinner menu includes fried chicken, biscuits, stewed apples, green beans, and mashed potatoes, among many other items.
Meals are served family-style, and they will refill the serving plates as needed.
Prices include unlimited (included) drinks like sweet tea.
Desserts are handed out individually at the end of the meal.
Meals in Boone
With such a large group, it is hard to eat out a lot.
We had a welcome dinner out as a group and then the other meals that we all attended were back at the condos or in a park.
To make it easy, one of my cousins took charge and ordered drinks, snacks, and a lot of food to store at her condo to share with everyone.
One night we had a pot luck, and sometimes one person would pick up sandwiches and salads for a picnic.
There were a few nights when we split up into groups.
I was part of the “middle” cousins group, basically 18-mid 40s. My mom had the honor of watching her 6 grandchildren (ages 1-6) while we went to The Tapp Room for dinner.
Downtown Boone has lots of nice shops and restaurants, and I would like to go back and explore more. We enjoyed every meal that we had in Boone.
Appalachian State University
My family loves to explore colleges, so one day we headed over to Appalachian State University. It is definitely a beautiful campus to walk around.
My mom bought the kids App State cheerleading outfits/t-shirts. These are their souvenirs for this vacation.
Blowing Rock
My family had planned to stay in North Carolina for 2 extra days after the reunion. My first plan was to go to Charlotte, but we were enjoying the mountains so much that we decided to stay in Boone.
Blowing Rock is a town about 15 minutes away from Boone.
We went to The Blowing Rock which is North Carolina’s oldest travel attraction. The Blowing Rock costs $9/$3, under 5 free in the summer and $7/$2 in the winter.
The views are pretty and it takes about 15-20 minutes to walk through. The kids loved being able to climb on the rocks.
After visiting The Blowing Rock, we walked around the adorable town of Blowing Rock where we had lunch and visited the shops.
I am only now realizing that the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) is my maiden name.
The Children’s Playhouse
Our last day was rainy, so we took the kids to The Children’s Playhouse.
I don’t remember how many stories there were, but each had a different theme.
There were places to climb, read, and make music. The kids could make art, play games, and explore.
The Children’s Playhouse also has a play area outside. Thankfully the rain stopped and we were able to play outside for a while.