Boone, NC

A casual craft-beer bar and grill near the Appalachian State campus, with a dozen rotating taps of domestic, import, and craft beer alongside a crowd-pleasing menu of burgers, wings, tacos, and fish and chips. Darts, billiards, and a pet-friendly patio make it an easygoing spot to land after a day in the mountains, and locals rate it among the best bar food in Boone.

Housed in a renovated 1920s stone cottage on Shulls Mill Road between Boone and Blowing Rock, Gamekeeper has built a decades-long reputation for wild-game and foraged mountain cuisine, with elk, bison, venison, and rabbit among the rotating preparations. The AAA Four Diamond dining room pairs the kitchen with a serious wine and cocktail program in an intimate log-and-stone setting.

Boone's go-to for a proper dinner out, where chef Sam Ratchford's creative American bistro cooking leans hard on local farms and the seasonal menu rotates to track what is ripe. The wine program, built around small producers, has earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, and it remains one of the most reliable kitchens in the High Country.

The anchor brewpub of Boone's craft-beer scene, just off King Street on Depot Street, pouring house beers alongside wood-fired Neapolitan pizza that has won Best Pizza in the Best of Boone poll multiple times. A rooftop level adds mountain views to what is already the most popular taproom in town.

A downtown King Street spot built around elevated Southern biscuits, house-made, laminated, and layered, with fillings that run from classic sawmill gravy to seasonal specials like the pimento-cheese biscuit and a fried-chicken biscuit. It earned Best New Restaurant honors in Boone and draws a morning line to match.

A downtown Boone institution since 1991, tucked on Howard Street a block off King Street. The kitchen turns out eclectic breakfast-and-lunch comfort food from scratch, from pimento cheese grits to Benedicts and Reubens, with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options in a genuinely local room that predates the college-town restaurant boom.

A 1950s-style retro diner on the NC-105 corridor south of downtown, with checkered floors, neon, and booth seating, and a repeat Best Breakfast winner in Boone's reader poll. Hearty American diner classics, generous portions, and all-day breakfast draw App State students and mountain regulars alike.

A longtime Boone original on South Depot Street, open since 2000, turning out oversized Southwest-style burritos, tacos, and quesadillas that students and locals rely on for a cheap, honest meal. A bar downstairs has long hosted live music on select nights.

The cafe arm of Stick Boy Bread Co., building sandwiches on bread baked fresh nearby and a Best Sandwich winner in the Best of Boone poll. Soups, salads, and coffee round out a solid, unpretentious lunch stop on Boone Heights Drive.

A plant-forward cafe above Neighborhood Yoga on West King Street, serving organic grain bowls, smoothie bowls, avocado toast, paninis, and chai in a bright, restorative space. It is the reliable stop for vegetarian and vegan visitors who find most High Country menus heavy on meat.

A longtime local coffee house just off King Street on Howard Street, roasting its own beans and pulling proper espresso for App State faculty and mountain residents alike. Two floors of plant-filled, laid-back seating make it a good place to read or work, and an evening wine-bar side has been added to the mix.

A quieter High Country classic: a roughly 3.8-mile out-and-back to the 5,520-foot summit of Elk Knob with about 1,000 feet of gain. AllTrails rates it 4.8 stars from thousands of reviews, and the summit views, including Grandfather Mountain filling the southern horizon, rival anything on the Blue Ridge Parkway without the crowds.

A short 0.6-mile walk from the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 305.5 to a quartzite rock overlook with sweeping views across Grandfather Mountain and the High Country. With only about 150 feet of gain, it is the most accessible Blue Ridge summit view in the Boone area and one of the most beloved.

A short but dramatic trail from the Rough Ridge parking area at Milepost 302.8 that climbs to open-rock views of Grandfather Mountain and the Linn Cove Viaduct, one of the most photographed sights in the Southeast. It is about 30 minutes from downtown Boone and packs a lot of scenery into roughly a mile and a half one way.

The serious ridge traverse along Grandfather Mountain's summit spine, with cable-assisted scrambles and ladders on near-vertical rock. At 5,946 feet, Calloway Peak is the highest point in the Blue Ridge, and the route is a full-day commitment that AllTrails rates 4.8 stars from thousands of reviews.

A long trail running alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway near Grandfather Mountain, but the section from Beacon Heights toward the Price Lake area (roughly six miles out-and-back) is the most rewarding day hike. It crosses boulderfields, forested creek drainages, and open meadows that feel nothing like the parkway just above it.

A beautifully restored 1938 Art Deco theater at the center of King Street, hosting nationally touring musicians, film screenings, comedy, and theatrical productions. The renovation completed in 2019 kept the original exterior while transforming the interior into a proper mid-size performance hall.

A historic house turned community arts center on King Street that anchors Boone's summer concert scene. The free Friday-evening Summer Concerts series (June through August) draws regional bluegrass, old-time, jazz, and folk acts to the front lawn, and the indoor galleries showcase local artists year-round.

Running since 1952, this is the nation's oldest Revolutionary War outdoor drama, staged in an open-air amphitheater in Daniel Boone Park each summer. The production dramatizes Daniel Boone and the Overmountain Men's fight for independence in the Appalachian backcountry, and it is deeply, authentically local rather than polished Broadway.

A beloved Wild West-themed amusement park built around an authentic 1917 steam locomotive that loops three miles through the mountains between Boone and Blowing Rock. The mix of the old-school train ride, live entertainment, gold panning, and a small zoo makes it an earnest family experience that has delighted kids and nostalgic adults for generations.

The gentle South Fork New River northeast of Boone is a High Country summer rite of passage, with mild class I-II water that is ideal for first-time paddlers plus a lazy tubing float. Boone outfitters High Mountain Expeditions and Wahoo's Adventures run guided tubing, rafting, and kayak trips through the warm months.

Appalachian State football is a genuine source of local pride, the program that stunned Michigan in 2007 and has a history of upsetting Power Five opponents since moving up to the FBS ranks. Home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium, known as The Rock, fill the mountain town with tens of thousands of fans, and the campus tailgate scene is a proper Appalachian football Saturday.

A cluster of authentic 18th-century log cabins in Daniel Boone Park, staffed by costumed interpreters who demonstrate blacksmithing, weaving, open-hearth cooking, and other mountain homestead crafts. Run by the Southern Appalachian Historical Association, the same grounds host the Horn in the West outdoor drama each summer.

One of the highest peaks in the Blue Ridge at 5,946 feet, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve crowned by the famous mile-high swinging bridge. The private attraction side off US-221 holds the bridge, nature museum, and animal habitats, while the surrounding state park protects the rugged backcountry hiking along the summit ridge. The mountain reopened after Hurricane Helene with only minor damage.

A quieter summit hike with panoramic views toward Grandfather Mountain to the south. At 5,520 feet, Elk Knob is one of the highest peaks in Watauga County, and the well-graded Summit Trail (about 3.8 miles round-trip with 1,000 feet of gain) is moderate and doable for most visitors.

The original 1883 Mast General Store in the village of Valle Crucis, a National Register landmark with creaky wood floors, cast-iron cookware, penny-candy barrels, and a potbelly stove. It is the store that launched the whole Mast General Store name, and it came through Hurricane Helene with only minimal damage.

The stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway nearest Boone strings together some of the range's best roadside views for almost no effort. The Rough Ridge Overlook and Beacon Heights sit within about 30 minutes of downtown and deliver the classic layered Blue Ridge panoramas that made the road famous. This section reopened after extensive Hurricane Helene repairs.

A tranquil nonprofit garden of native Appalachian plants tucked behind the outdoor-drama grounds in town, with more than 200 species blooming in sequence from spring through fall. It is one of the quietest green corners in Boone and easy to pair with the adjacent living-history museum.