The High Country Host Blog

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!

Pepper’s was established in 1975, serving the High Country its first taste of sumptuous, “deli style” sandwiches.

In addition, we were one of the first restaurants in Boone to recycle all of our cardboard, glass, plastic, tin and aluminum. We have also cleaned up our own environment by becoming a 100% smoke-free establishment.

Our goal at Pepper’s is to serve the freshest, highest quality food available. We hope you have a pleasant dining experience here at Pepper’s.

A recent review from TripAdvisor.com:

“My family lives in Boone, and it’s the one place I have to go everytime we visit. The Jean Lawson w/ steak fries, and a Mud Pie at the end is the way to go. For the money, the food service and atmosphere is awesome. The only downside to the place is when you have to sit at one of the central tables, I feel a bit in the way. Othwerwise, it’s one of my favorite places to go hang out and eat!”

For more info, visit: http://www.peppers-restaurant.com

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

Stay Connected!

Professional Blogger and Social Media Expert in The High Country to hold second round of Social Media Workshops for area businesses!

Sarah Pinnix, founder of HighCountryMomSquad.com, WiiMommies.com and RealLifeBlog.net is gearing up for a second round of “Talk of the Town” Social Media Workshops…to be held once again at The Broyhill Inn & Conference Center on the campus of Appalachian State University.

The new series begins on Tuesday, March 2nd and will be held on the first Tuesday of every month moving forward.

The first round was a huge success and consisted of 6 sessions where local area businesses could come to the workshop and learn how to effectively use social media to promote their products and services.

Doug Uzelac, General Manager of The Broyhill Inn & Conference Center and host of the workshop series states, “Social Media Marketing is such a fast growing segment and it is the Broyhill Inn’s pleasure to be to be able to host these very informative sessions.  I would greatly recommend folks that have an interest in increasing their social media knowledge to attend.”

Vicki Stevens, Marketing Manager for the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System adds, “The Talk of the Town series provided phenomenal insight to the world of social media and assisted our organization in establishing a new presence with our audience. I highly recommend the series!”

Julie Hayes from the NC Christmas Tree Association also adds, “The Talk of the Town workshops showed us what Social Media is, gave helpful hints, and provided resources to get us started.”

Mast General Store also comments, “The Talk of the Town Series helped us understand the power of social media and how we might use it to start a conversation with our customers. We found the interaction with Sarah, Boomer, and Scott to be informative and refreshing and also enjoyed brainstorming ideas with our fellow classmates. Our Facebook page has grown by leaps and bounds – surpassing all of our expectations, and it is a ready resource to convey timely happenings.”

These workshops cover such hot-button topics as Website Design & Development, Search Engines, Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Analytics and much more.

Success stories abound as attendee, Mast General Store has nearly 5,500 Facebook fans. Also, The NC Christmas Tree Association is experiencing online traffic growth on their site and the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System is setting up multiple Facebook pages, writing social media policies and growing followers on Twitter.

Learn more about Sarah Pinnix and her team of coaches and speakers at the workshop series. Visit: http://www.talkofthetownworkshop.com/speakers-and-coaches

For more information and to register for the upcoming sessions, please visit: http://talkofthetownworkshop.com

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

Stay Connected!
 

Our 20 Lane Snow Tubing Park has four different areas to snow tube; lanes are 400 – 1000 feet long.

Our 2 conveyor lifts take our snow tubers back to the top for more rides.

Hawksnest has 100% snow making and lighting on all lanes to provide the best possible conditions and fun for the whole family.

Snow tubing is a great outdoor activity for large groups of family, friends, students or church groups. Hawksnest has four different areas of snow tubing with different rollers and pitch. No experience or special skills are required. Please check out our list of “Things to Keep in Mind” which will give you ideas on clothing and weather related precautions. Reservations for groups are required for group discounts.

Also, don’t forget to enjoy our Coffee Bar, Carolina BBQ and Pizza before, during and after your tubing sessions!

Sessions are 1 hour and 45 minutes. Children must be 3 years old to snow tube. Holidays are December 21st to January 1st, January 17 & 18 & February 14 & 15. A liability waiver must be signed for each adult 18 and over.

For more, visit http://www.skihawk.com!

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

Stay Connected!
 

Each year, for over 50 years, guests come from all over the world and the United States to visit Mystery Hill. They are all compelled to come for various reasons; “My mother came here as a child,” “I remember coming here with my Grandfather,” “I drove by this place and just had to come and see what the mystery really was,” “I just can’t get this place out of my mind.”

No matter what the reason, they come back time and time again, bringing relatives and friends to experience the mystery of our “crooked house.” People do remember the remarkable defiance of gravity, where you can see a ball roll uphill, and where folks are pulled from an upright position to an uncanny standing angle of nearly 45°.

This strange phenomenon has been amusing and puzzling visitors to Mystery Hill for generations. Since there is a variety of things to see and do, no one leaves disappointed. Mystery is a family oriented “edutainment” center that offers fun for children ages 2 to 102. We welcome you to join us at any time of the year.

For more, visit http://mysteryhill-nc.com

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

Stay Connected!

The Talk of the Town Social Media Workshop Series conducted once a month at The Broyhill Inn in Boone has made an impact in The High Country.

The Mast General Store, one of the attendees, has grabbed the bull by the horns and has exploded onto the social media scene.

With over 4,500 fans on Facebook and followers growing quickly on Twitter, the store is a great example of how social media is having a profound influence on consumer behavior and how people process information.

Because of the Facebook presence, they now have the ability to have an ongoing relationship with their past and potential customers, making it more likely they will keep coming back.  They are going where the people are: the web, and drawing them into a  two-way give and take.

Check out the Mast General Store on Facebook: CLICK HERE
Follow the Mast General Store on Twitter: CLICK HERE

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

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

Stay Connected!

Blowing Rock’s 12th annual Winterfest is Jan. 28-31. This four-day celebration of everything winter is packed with activities and events for day-trippers and overnight guests alike.

Winterfest begins Thursday evening with “WinterFeast,” hosted by The Manor House Restaurant at Chetola Resort. Culinary delights abound as the area’s fine restaurants come together for this once-a-year dining showcase. There are seatings at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

Friday and Saturday activities include “shop ’till you drop” at downtown shops and the Tanger Outlet Shoppes on the Parkway, a charity wine auction & tasting, afternoon hayrides and a bonfire at dusk. There’s also a silent auction with items ranging from weekend stays at local hotels to clothing, dinners and jewelry.

he highlight of Winterfest is the Polar Plunge on Saturday morning. It features a contest of brave souls who jump into the icy waters of Chetola Lake while dressed in wacky costumes. Contestants vie for the coveted Golden Plunger Award, while spectators marvel at their lack of good sense.www.blowingrockwinterfest.com or call (877) 750-4636.

Other Winterfest activities include: an ice carving competition, chili cookoff, live music, pancake breakfast and a pet show.

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

Stay Connected!

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!
   

Winter sports enthusiasts are invited to ring in 2010 on the slopes in the High Country of North Carolina. Each of the three High Country ski resorts offers a fireworks extravaganza this New Year’s Eve.
 
The festivities begin with a 10:30 p.m. fireworks show at Beech Mountain Resort, while Appalachian Ski Mountain and Sugar Mountain Resort light the skies at midnight.
 
Beech Mountain Resort provides night skiing until 10 p.m., followed by ice skating from 10 p.m. to midnight. Folks can watch the 10:30 p.m. fireworks display from the Viewhaus restaurant or anywhere in the Alpine village at the base of the slopes. There will also be live music in the Beech Tree Bar & Grill from Chasing Edison, a Charlotte-based rock band.

Sugar Mountain Resort has skiing, tubing and ice skating until 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. At midnight, the public is invited to a combined torch light parade and fireworks show, while the Terry Batson Band provides live beach music and oldies in the lodge.
 
Appalachian Ski Mountain’s alcohol-free celebration begins with night skiing at 6 p.m., followed by moonlight ice skating at 10 p.m. A torch light parade takes place at 11:45 p.m., with fireworks at the stroke of midnight. Breakfast is also available from 9 p.m. to midnight.
 
“We’ve provided fireworks on New Year’s Eve since 1992. It’s one of our best nights of the year,” said general manager Brad Moretz. “They shoot them off on the slopes and people watch from the deck, or on the base of the slopes or the front porch.”

For info on these three celebrations, call High Country Host at (800) 438-7500, or visit the website for each resort: www.appskimtn.com, www.skisugar.com and www.skibeech.com.

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

Stay Connected!
   

With over a foot of snow expected when it’s all said and done up here in The High Country, NC ski resorts are gearing up for what could be the best ski season in years.

The weeks around Christmas and New Year’s are some of the busiest of the whole year and the current winter storm (still pounding us as we type this) is putting the ski slopes in prime condition.

Make your plans and come on up!

Visit our new NC Ski website: http://skithehighcountry.com

Sugar Mountain: http://skisugar.com/conditions

Beech Mountain: http://www.skibeech.com

Appalachian Ski Mountain: http://www.appskimtn.com

Ski Hawksnest: http://www.hawksnest-resort.com

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

Stay Connected!