Blowing Rock Recommendations?

I'm taking the family up for a weekend.

Not a Ferrari jaunt, not car-related, just the wife and our girls in a cabin in the woods.

Would love to know where we can go get dinner, lunch, and dinner the next night that:

- is cool to bring kids (no 3 hour service in hushed rooms with linen tablecloths and mandatory reservations)
- I can still get a beer and decent food (lighting is not 120 watts everywhere, it takes longer than 28 minutes to get through everything, etc.)

Tons of places like this in Charlotte, but I don't know the mountains all that well.

I'm trying to avoid re-inventing the wheel on this one, and instead lean on my F-Chat brethren (and sistren).

 

Our kids like Psghettis or Woodlands BBQ, both on the n road that bypasses the downtown of Blowing Rock, and I like the Mellow Mushroom (pizza) in Boone. Personally I have had enough Blowing Rock for my lifetime. To me it is kind of like Disney. Lots of tourists, long lines, and better experiences available within a few hours if you know where to go. But have fun, the wife and kids will love it I'm sure!
The popular places along Main Street have not been fun for us and our kids, so I would avoid them unless you go really early to avoid the wait. An ice cream at Kilwin's is always a good way to end the walk along main street.

BT

 

There's a resort up there called Chetola that I've heard good things about, it has a couple restaurants. Can't vouch for them personally, but it might be worth checking out. www.chetola.com

 

Gamekeepers Rest. on Shulls Mill Road between Blowing Rock and Hound Ears Club.

 

I live 20 miles from there.

All three, Chetola, GameKeeper, and Hounds ear will be what I would consider fine dining and will take you more than 45 min to get through. Woodlands and pSgetties are excellent choices for the kids, as is the Mello Mushroom which is on Sunset neat the main drag in Blowing Rock.

For kids activities I would do Grand Father Mountain and depending on how old, Tweetsie RR. (Top age for Tweetsie is about 10yo)

It sucks I am headed to Asia on Sat, I would have loved to have met up and shown you around. There are some wonderful bouldering routs I know of right off the road and great for kids.

How old are the kids?

Oh and there are kids there, this pic was taken on main st. Let some kids sit in the car one day.
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Jeff,
For lunch I'd find something to picnic-take-out,then drive down the BlueRidgeParkway south from BR just a little past GrandfatherMountain to the Viaduct.Park at the visitor center there then take the food up the trail under the Viaduct,it's a short stroll really less than a mile maybe,up to a big rock right at the headwaters of WilsonCreek,it's signed. Do the picnic thing on a rock water-falling sounds in the background about 4800 ft elevation hopefully clear south-facing views...nothing like that in Charlotte,imho.
cheers,
RE

 

+1 on the Mellow Mushroom. Awesome pizzas and calzones.

 

One more thing. If Appalachian State is having a home game, avoid Boone for about two hours prior, all during,m and at least two hours after the game. It is pretty much gridlock throughout the downtown area during that time, in my experience. We refer to the Boone Mellow Mushroom as "Mister McFoggies" because the exhaust fan over the ovens can't keep up!
Really great pretzels and pizzas there.
A super hippy hangout...
As Lloyd Christmas says
"I like it, I like it alot."

BT

 

Thanks for all the recommendations.

My girls are 14, 7 and newborn. Yeah, we reproduce every 7 years, like locusts.

They're used to eating in urban hipster type places. No Chuck-E-Cheeses for this crew. The 7 year old always wants mussels or crab.

This is not an App. State home weekend - I checked before booking!

 

It was last weekend,but i didn't know it before hand and gridlock is right and forget about trying to find a parking spot.Finally found a place,hiked about a half mile (probably did me good) went to Kilwins for ice cream and just walked around.Really neat scenic old town but as i'm sure you know way overpriced,got a waffle cone gave the girl a $10 and got back $4.50! It was my favorite,cookie dough but not really worth $5.50.Enjoy your trip and bring along the platium card!
CH

PS AP State won the game last weekend over The Citadel!

 

7 will LOVE the train place. 14 will maybe be ok with it.

For the best Crab Cakes in the world!!!!, go to Twigs right on 321, next to the ABC store. Tell them JR sent you.

 

Jeff, Tweetsie Railroad has their Halloween Ghost Train running every Friday and Saturday night through 11/1. The park opens at 7:30, and tickets go fast... so book ahead of time if interested. My wife and I have gone for the past few years with our friends and their two daughters. It's always a blast. They have a top notch haunted house, and riding the train at night through the mountains is really fun. Lots of special effects, smoke, music, etc. They even lower the pitch of the train's steam whistle so it sounds like a wolf howling. They give out candy to the kids as well. Some of it may be a bit much for the new born, but the 7 and 14 year old will love it! Their web site can tell you more.

 

My 11 year old daughter and her 10 year old cousin went to Tweetsie this past summer and they loved it too. My wife said she was surprised at the size of the park and how much fun stuff there was to do.
So while I have never gone, I'd definitely recommend it.
BT