Our Camping Weekend in Boone.
We got out camping for the first time THIS YEAR a couple weekends ago, and were so beyond surprised with how much we loved our van life weekend in Boone, North Carolina. A little under two hours outside of Asheville, Boone is a mountain town, home to Appalachian State University, and nearby Grandfather Mountain State Park. We spent a lot of our time at our campground, Flintlock Campground, about 10 minutes from downtown Boone, but what we did explore of the city we fell in love with. Andrew and I are both so excited to have another fun town for a getaway so close to home.
The high point of our trip was definitely our half day spent exploring most of what Grandfather Mountain State Park has to offer. Ticket prices are a little high at $22 a person, but they send you into the park with a CD to guide you through every cranny of the park, and there are lots of things to do from hiking to visiting their family of black bears. Andrew went way out of his comfort zone, and once again faced his fear of heights by crossing their mile high suspension bridge..TWICE. We packed lunches and enjoyed them with quite a view at one of the various picnic areas in the park; it was perfect.
Throughout the weekend we cooked a handful of meals over the fire (or packed) but we did venture out to enjoy a few local spots. We had dinner one night at The Cardinal, recommended by a friend and sold as having a Farm Burger vibe if you’re familiar with the Asheville spot. We shared two different types of burgers, enjoyed a house made cocktail and shared an order of chicken wings in their signature Cardinal Sauce, which is a sweet and tangy Dr. Pepper blend (we were both impressed with). Boone is home to a handful of breweries - we didn’t make it to Appalachian Mountain Brewery which makes one of my favorite, easy drinking ciders (Mystic Dragon) - but we did spend some time at Booneshine Brewing Co. post hike and it was a great way to spend the afternoon. Not only does Booneshine have a wide selection of beers they also have a full food menu, large patio and outdoor space equipped for playing frisbee. We snacked on their grilled carrots and kale and flash fried cauliflower and neither disappointed!
We only had time to explore downtown Boone for a bit, but next time we’re in town I would absolutely love to spend more time moseying in and out of the shops on King St. I was so happy to stumble upon Common Good Co. a collective I was already following on Instagram and didn’t even realize was so close to home! Such a beautiful space, divided into three stories featuring a boutique, of local and sustainable goods and a dreamy art gallery. I found a beautiful calf hair card holder and was so happy to discover they housed a selection of pieces from some of my favorite regional vintage resellers, Sifted Clothing.
Y’all know Andrew and I are big fans of a solid diner, so of course we had to hit Troy’s 105 Diner at some point during our visit. Even though neither of us tried a hotdog for the world wide wiener tour we both enjoyed our sandwiches and of course, the Belgium waffle we shared.
We hardly put a dent in everything Boone has to offer both outdoors and in the city, and with so many other great destinations like Linville Gorge so close by, you could really spend endless amounts of time exploring this part of Western North Carolina. Our whirlwind weekend was so relaxing, we’ll definitely be heading that way again.
