9 family-friendly trips to take to the NC mountains this spring, summer and fall | Travel

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Helene was a mighty storm, but the North Carolina mountain communities that have reemerged from the mud are proving they’re stronger.

Nearly all of the region that was affected by Helene has reopened and is welcoming tourists: a coffee shop that was washed out here, a barbecue joint that was flooded there, a hiking trail that, a few months ago, was impassable for a tangle of downed trees.

While not every business has been rebuilt — and some have relocated or temporarily downsized — there are plenty of places to stay, eat, shop and enjoy the mountain air. Owners and workers at these enterprises say they need visitors to come back.

A random check of hotel websites showed vacancies across the area as of mid-May; through the summer, when Raleigh and the Triangle are steamy and hot and the mountains are green and cool; into the fall, when the leaves splash color over the ancient hills; or the winter, when snowfall will softly beckon.

Here are 9 N.C. destinations from the northern mountains to the southern ones that can elevate your mood and help our tourism-dependent High Country neighbors recover from the physical and economic landslides the hurricane left behind.

Before you go:

▪ Check DriveNC.gov before you head out to get the most current information on road openings and closings, as repair work continues on routes throughout the mountains. Delays and detours are possible, but not insurmountable.

▪ A few sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina are open and can be found on the Parkway’s interactive map.

Boone

Flooding from Helene’s excessive rainfall was widespread in Watauga County and severe in some places, but the 175 or so businesses along and around King Street downtown are ready for visitors. Mast General Store has those Mallo Cups you remember from your childhood and Daniel & The Dog can sate your more grown-up cravings.

Want to stay in downtown Boone overnight? The Horton hotel has created 15 rooms from a 1920s-era Studebaker dealership on King Street and added a bar on the roof.

Banner Elk

About a half hour from Boone, Banner Elk has made progress in cleaning debris carried by the flooded Elk River, but visitors will see some of the damage Helene wrought.

They’ll also see handmade items at the Banner Elk Artists Gallery in the Historic Banner Elk School on Azalea Circle, where visitors also can sign up for art classes.

The town has put together a walking map to guide visitors to more than a dozen cafes and businesses, including the popular Banner Elk Cafe & Tavern and Louisiana Purchase Cajun cuisine.

Art on the Greene resumes with summer craft shows on Memorial Day weekend and has dates through Labor Day weekend.

Tired from eating and shopping? Spend a night at the Taylor House Inn in a 1911 farm house, or patronize the Best Western that took such great care of emergency crews who came to help after the storm.

Linville

The Old Hampton Store & BBQ on Ruffin Street is back serving chopped plates, collard greens and fried bologna. Pixie Produce on Mitchell Avenue in town has reopened after being washed away in the flood and is stocked with local and semi-local fresh fruits. They promise to have South Carolina peaches soon.

Helene destroyed the visitors’ center at Linville Falls, but the entrance to the falls from N.C. 105 reopened in May and two trails — the Chimney View Overlook and the Erwin View — are open. (The National Park Service campground at Linville Falls is still closed as of mid-May, and the Blue Ridge Parkway in that area is closed.)

Grandfather Mountain State Park nearby is open and most of the trails there are accessible. The Grandfather Mountain Nature Park and Mile-High Swinging Bridge, a private attraction, is open. Advance ticket purchase for the attraction is recommended.

The Pineola Inn in Linville at the intersection of U.S. 221 and N.C. 181 has rooms, cabins, camping and glamping.

Black Mountain

This town is on the mend, seeing the recovery of longtime businesses and the launching of new ones. The Black Mountain Center for the Arts gallery and gift shop are open and classes have resumed, though the center apologizes for visitors’ having to take the stairs to the building’s third floor because the elevator hasn’t worked since Helene. Also check out the N.C. Glass Center; Hell or High Water Restaurant, serving local meats; and Ma’s Chicken Salad Sandwiches at Beradu Specialty Market, which has outdoor seating.

The historic Red Rocker Inn bed and breakfast in a 19th-century Black Mountain home has reopened, though the restaurant is only open to guests at the inn for now.

Asheville

Flooding from the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers during Helene caused massive damage in Asheville, and the scars will be visible for a long while.

But even in the River Arts District, whose funky warehouse and industrial buildings were nearly obliterated by flooding, galleries and studios have reopened in the upper section and some classes have resumed. The upper section is on Roberts Street, Depot Street, Artful Way and Clingman Avenue.

Downtown Asheville came through the storm relatively unscathed, so its restaurants, bars and shops and open.

The Grand Bohemian Hotel near the Biltmore House has renovated and reopened since the flood. The Antique Tobacco Barn, also scoured by the river during Helene, is expected to be refilled with vendors’ merchandise and open this spring or early summer.

Lake Lure

The Town of Lake Lure is open, and visitors can sit in the sun on the public beach on the lake but as of May, it’s not yet safe to go in the water, which was filled with debris sent down from neighboring Chimney Rock via the flooded Rocky Broad River. Guests are welcome at the Lake Lure Inn and the flowering bridge, a favorite landmark, is open while volunteers continue replanting work.

Chimney Rock State Park has not yet reopened, but there are other places to hike and enjoy nature, including the former Lake Lure Golf Course that was turned into city greenspace.

Hendersonville

Most of the downed trees and highway washouts around this town 25 miles from Asheville have been cleared and repaired since Helene. Shops, restaurants and the Flat Rock Playhouse are up and running, and the town serves as a great base for hiking mountain trails and visiting waterfalls.

DuPont State Recreational Forest, 14 miles from Hendersonville, has reopened most of its hiking trails, but there still are a few closures. The Friends of DuPont Forest group keeps an updated list of closings.

After a day of hiking, horseback riding or fishing, rest easy at The Henderson historic hotel downtown, close to nearly 100 specialty shops and restaurants.

Bryson City

Island Park on the Tuckasegee River in Bryson City is an active stop on the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail. Curated by the N.C. Wildlife and Outdoor Recreation Foundation, it consists of sites in the state’s mountain rivers where, with a fee-to-use snorkel and mask, visitors can see what’s living under the water.

The town also hosts the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad excursion trains into the Nantahala River Gorge, and is home to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. The NOC is a destination for kayakers and white-water river runners and has a zip-line treetop tour. Stay in one of the NOC’s new bungalows, the hillside McKinley Edwards Inn in Bryson City or go 10 miles down the road to:

Cherokee

This town in the far southwestern corner of the state saw significant flooding and tree damage from Hurricane Helene. Cherokee is a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which has more than 800 miles of hiking trails ranging from easy jaunts through fields to clawing your way up rocky inclines. Plus, it has bears.

You could camp in the Smokies park or come back to a soft bed in Cherokee. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort offers deals on rooms so you can afford to try your luck at the gambling tables and whirring slot machines. Restaurants at the casino draw visitors who don’t even like to gamble.