Understand
Locals are not impressed by Prada or Kate Spade bags. Thatâs not to say theyâre judging, and most of them can hang with the high-falutinâ style, but it is just not necessary for a walk down Main Street or a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. To assimilate yourself, be approachable and friendly â sit down next to the man at the bar with calloused hands. He probably knows the best place to go and walk your dog. Speak to the woman in line in front of you at the grocery store; she might know the best place in town to get a chocolate-infused filet mignon.
With a population that jumps from 1,500 year-round to 8,000 in the summertime, people are used to making new friends. The beauty of Blowing Rock is the dichotomy between the elegant and the down-home. The affluent traveler may find pleasure in the abundance of fine dining and shopping the area has to offer, but walk just fifteen steps and theyâll find the opposite end of the spectrum â quintessential, good, honest, down home, small town charm. They can find it everywhere - from the wait staff and diners at the fifteen table âeverythingâ restaurant on Main Street, to the hikers en route the trail to Little Lost Cove.
If youâre looking for a seedy underbelly, youâre going to have to look pretty hard.Downtown Blowing Rock is about as âNorman Rockwell quaintâ as it gets. Children are free to roam in a safe and clean park, while their mothers can shop for antiques and designer clothes, and their fathers can sneak off to Kilwinâs Ice Cream Parlor for a free sample of fudge. A military band plays after the downtown Fourth of July parade every year. Winterfest in January brings ice-carvers and dog-sledders. Mitford Days in September celebrates Blowing Rockâs inspiration for Jan Karonâs book series. Year-round, a bubble machine from the Martin House pours soapy goodness into the air, surrounding you as you stroll. Knightâs on Main has fried oysters every Friday just try and fight the locals for a table. Canyons Restaurant even heats their building with recycled fryer oil, for crying out loud! This is clean livinâ.
