New Discoveries in Blowing Rock, NC
Goodness, I love this town. I recently blogged about our first visit to Blowing Rock, NC after our family trip last summer. We couldn’t wait to visit again this summer!
This previously-scheduled trip occurred one week after losing my mom, ❤️🩹 and what I needed from this trip to the mountains was time to rest and process and reflect. To be surrounded by the beauty of nature. To be given the space to savor the moments with my family and appreciate all the goodness that life has to offer.
This time, we stayed in the Linville area which was only a 30-minute drive from Blowing Rock. The day we visited Blowing Rock, the mountain air was absolutely life-giving - slightly warm with a breeze and the clearest blue sky.
We had packed our own picnic lunches and ate them in Memorial Park in downtown Blowing Rock, which our girls (14 and 10) and their cousins (ages 4-12) all loved. They didn’t want to stop climbing and playing and running around for hours. I absolutely love seeing kids and even teenagers having the space and time to play outside without the need for screens at all.
When they were finally worn out, we walked down Main Street and and went inside some of the local shops and then found ourselves in Blue Deer on Main to get one of their incredible ice cream sandwiches. We had been to the Blue Deer in downtown Boone another time and were overjoyed to see that there was a new location in Blowing Rock! You choose both the ice cream flavor and cookie flavor, and they assemble it in front of you. I got their vanilla bean with gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. I mean, just look at this…I’m still dreaming about it.
On our last visit to Blowing Rock, I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a local bookshop - this town was just asking for one! But we looked again on Google Maps this time, and there was one on Sunset Drive, just off Main. FireLight Book & Candle is owned by a local family. One of the owners, Lucy, was working the register. I asked her what it was like to live in one of the most delightful tows in America and also own a bookshop?! She said they’d been in the area for 25 years and couldn’t imagine leaving. While they’ve been making candles for several years, their shop had only been open for a few months and had an excellent selection of popular fiction, nature-themed books for adults and kids, gift items, and - of course - their own candles. I purchased a copy of A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, which I’m excited to finally read for book club this fall. Yay for supporting local!
The gardens all over the downtown area were once again breathtaking. This whole afternoon reminded me of one of my favorite quotes…
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”
Can’t wait to return…
