The tiny town of Blowing Rock, N.C., has more than one claim to fame.
There’s “ ’s oldest travel attraction” — the 250-million-year-old cliff formation that gives this place its name, jutting over a deep gorge and affording sweeping views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. (The town is so tiny, you might meet Mayor Charlie Sellers while sightseeing the rock, as I did — he’s also the proprietor of the local attraction.) Then there’s the storybook setting, rumoured to be the real-life inspiration for the Mitford bestsellers by author Jan Karon.
And there are the accolades, with the latest bestowed by Southern Living magazine, which ranked the “best small town” in North Carolina this spring. The current population hovers around 1,000, but summer has long brought in the tourists — in the late 1800s, this was one of the South’s first resort towns, drawing well-to-do families. On a recent trip, I had an introduction to Blowing Rock’s charms, including rugged outdoorsy adventure by day, and comfy resort life by night.
Here’s how to experience the many sides of the mountain destination, about a two-hour road trip from Charlotte, N.C. A statue of painter Elliott Daingerfield near the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum.
Prolific landscape artist Elliott Daingerfield (1859-1932) was once a Blowing Rock local, and in 1995, the town held a celebration of his work. At the event, avid art collector Lamont Hudson declared, “It’s too bad Blowing Rock doesn’t have an.
