MerleFest is Back!

The annual MerleFest is taking place this weekend on the campus of Wilkesboro Community College, about 25 miles from West Jefferson. It's a music festival that draws thousands and thousands of folks each year. Areas like Ashe County and, indeed, the whole High Country benefit from MerleFest each year with people staying in our area, eating at our restaurants, and shopping at our excellent stores in between attending the Festival. Check it out at www.merlefest.org Come to MerleFest next year and enjoy four days of spectacular venues and musical delights! Doc

Antique Shopping in Ashe County??

I just wanted to share a personal experience about buying some antiques for my place in furnishing a new room. I spent quite a bit of time at Antiques on Main in West Jefferson, wandering around the store(s) and gazing at all the merchandise there. Of course, it's kind of an overload sometime, so many times I have to return and look again to see what I might have "missed" the first time around. But when I went to Antiques on Main, I found such friendly and helpful folks. And even now I can just stop in and see Woodie, the owner, and chat with him and/or his other local friends about our Ashe County, its history, or whatever. I don't have to buy anything! We have many businesses in Ashe County like that. Come visit us and see for yourself!!! Have a great week next week! Doc

Ever Heard of Bluff Mountain??

Ashe County is lucky to have within its borders a most interesting mountain, Bluff Mountain. Twenty five hundred acres on the moutain is owned by the Nature Conservency; they control the access to the summit and a large portion of the moutain. It is possible for guests to make a reservation and hike the moutain with a guide provided. There is a nominal fee. The hike is of medium difficulty and about 2 miles. The guide provides a most interesting opportunity to learn about the many, many types of flora there are on Bluff. There are 19 spots where the guide provides a talk and information. I am told that there are 11 distinct ecologies on the mountain---11! There is a 2 acre fen at the top of Bluff.
Soon, Bluff Mountain will be turning back to green and in the fall, orange and red and yellow and all those spectacular colors of autumn. Plan a trip to the area soon!
Take a moment to look up Bluff Moutain with your favorite search engine and you will see that this mountain is one of the most unique in the entire Appalachian chain. I can look at Bluff Mountain from my front porch! Doc

It's the Hospitality CAFE!

The Ashe Chamber of Commerce and its Tourism Development Committee hosted the first Hospitality CAFE on April 7. It was a great success! Designed to promote Ashe County, the CAFE's purpose was met. As a proud member of the Ashe Chamber, I am placing a link here to the information and some pictures of the event... Enjoy! Doc

http://www.ashechamber.com/enews232.htm

Springtime's Almost Here...

If you haven't had the chance to see our Ashe County springtime, you're missing something special. Today it's windy and cool, but the grass is green and some flowers are sprouting out of the ground. Our High County and Ashe County, once called "The Lost Province", is a great place to be spending some time. If you don't know much about Ashe County and would like to learn more, check these sites, www.ashecountydirectory.com, www.ashechamber.com, or www.visitashecounty.com. I use these sites all the time to learn more about the activities and happenings and special places in West Jefferson, Ashe County, and North Carolina's High County! Doc

My First Blog!

Hi everyone. I just returned from a Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) conference in Anaheim, California. During the conference it was suggested that we start a blog. I thought that it would be a good idea to blog my thoughts now and then on the High Country and the happenings in our area for all those who visit me here. So, stay tuned for more! It's going to be great to be a "blogger"! Doc