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Travel


High Country Leaf And Festival Season Begins Sept. 27 In North Carolina

Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - by Candice Cook

The spectacular fall leaf colors of the High Country of Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, West Jefferson, Wilkesboro and Beech Mountain North Carolina will be on display as cooler weather and shorter days approach in September. In addition, fall brings a colorful parade of harvest festivals to North Carolina's High Country. Kicking things off is Tweetsie's Ghost Train Festival beginning Friday, Sept. 27, and running every Friday and Saturday night through Nov. 2, as the ghouls come out to play and thrills and chills await you at every corner.  

On Oct. 5 and 6, you can walk the Yellow Brick Road and meet your favorite Oz characters. Visit Auntie Em's farm and hide from the tornado in the basement, at the Autumn at Oz Party on Beech Mountain.

The streets of downtown North Wilkesboro are filled with over 425 arts and crafts, 100 food concessions and four music stages for the Brushy Mountain Apple Festival on Oct. 5. Cloggers, folk dancers, rope skippers, and square dancers provide additional entertainment venues. Local apple growers set up throughout the festival selling their apples, apple cider, and dried apples.

The old railroad town of Todd celebrates its heritage and the music of the mountains at the Todd New River Festival on Oct. 12. Several different bands will perform and at least 30 craft and food vendors will display their creations. Young and old can view the antique tractors, steam engines and a working grist mill grinding corn and making corn meal on the festival grounds.

On Oct. 12, join reenactors, artists, craftspeople, historians, musicians, storytellers and great cooks for the Boone Heritage Festival, an event celebrating Appalachian heritage. The festival will be held outdoors in the beautiful wooded setting of the Hickory Ridge Living History Museum.

Named for that peerless predictor of winter weather, the 36th Annual Woolly Worm Festivaltakes place in Banner Elk on Oct. 19 and 20. More than 23,000 people will be welcomed to the community to make family memories and also to win the prestigious title of predicting the High Country weather and taking home the $1000 bounty.

Concurrent with (Oct. 19 only), and just across the mountain from, the Wooly Worm Festival, is the Valle Country Fair. The fair  is an overgrown church bazaar set in the center of one of the most picturesque valleys in the North Carolina mountains at the peak of the fall color season.

For more info on leaf color and traveling to the High Country, contact the High Country Host Visitors Information Center at 800 438-7500 or click to www.MountainsofNC.com



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