It's Fall Y'All!!

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year :) From stoking up a campfire to enjoy the crackling flames to relaxing and enjoying the spectacular colors of our surrounding mountains, there is something for everyone with Fall in the High Country. 

Colors start to change at the higher elevations first, so plan your leaf viewing accordingly! Late September to the beginning of October will see color changes in elevations that are 5,000 feet above sea level and higher. 

Grandfather Mountain with its' Mile High Swinging Bridge, located in Linville has breathtaking views, some great hiking, and a wonderful nature museum. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway is always a great choice for breathtaking vistas and a scenic drive through the Fall colors. It offers a variety of hiking trails and picnic spots. 

Linville Falls located at milepost 316.3 on the Blue Ridge Parkway is the perfect area for hiking, enjoying the scenic views and hiking to the stunning falls. The Falls have two different hiking trails. An easy trail leading to the upper Falls area and a more difficult trail leading to the larger lower Falls area. 

Kick off Fall in style with the Ashe County Museum of History - Autumn Leaf Festival - on Saturday, September 28th at the Museum. There will be historic demonstrations, children's activities, food, music, dancing and more! The Festival is free and open to everyone from 10 am to 2 pm. 

West Jefferson Antiques Fair this weekend!

For us the West Jefferson Antiques Fair marks the beginning of fall. This charming festival takes over downtown West Jefferson as it runs down the center of main street and into the surrounding side streets. 

With a wide variety of offerings this is an outdoor antiques fair featuring numerous vendors of antiques (old and modern), collectibles, primitives and rare hard to find relics. There is also live music and several food vendors.  

The festival is Friday the 20th from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday the 21st from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stroll through downtown West Jefferson and enjoy!

Whats happening this weekend near West Jefferson!

After another week of wonderful weather, we have some fun and interesting activities coming up over the weekend. 

Did you know that the Mountains to Sea Trail stretches almost 1200 miles across North Carolina? The trail system is celebrating its 42 birthday over the weekend and will be offering hikes guided by NC State Park Ranger at Jeffress Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday, September 7th at 10 am. 

Our guests really enjoy shopping in West Jefferson and exploring the variety of shops, art galleries, restaurants and breweries.  The West Jefferson Business Association is sponsoring the annual Scarecrow Contest. Scarecrows will be up by September 20th and stay up through November. Stroll around and pick your favorite!

In mentioning West Jefferson, we would be remiss if we didn't mention a new restaurant downtown - stop by Craft Bistro led by Chef Jared Yelton and and savor some of their wonderful menu items.  Their scrumptious menu is here. 

Whats on your Fall bucket list?

Fall is on it's way! The air is a bit cooler and the leaves are starting to change. I love this time of the year, just the promise of the glorious fall colors that are on their way and the fresh mountain air. 

What is on your wish list for Fall?? 

Apple pie is one of my favorite desserts, along with a cup of fresh hot apple cider, or even better - some locally grown / locally made "hard" cider!. Stop by Molly Chompers Cidery and taste some of their wonderful hard ciders. Available by the glass or by the bottler, taste some today! This time of the year, they are open Wednesday & Thursdays from 2 pm to 8 pm and Friday through Sunday from 1 pm to 9 pm. 

Take a relaxing drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway - the Fall colors should be at their peak in October, but the leaves change first on the highest peaks and conclude at the lower elevations. The Parkway varies in elevation from just under 650 at James River in Virginia to over 6,000 feet south of Mt. Pisgah in North Carolina. 

The Parkway offers spectacular mountain views, rolling pastures and some wonderful trails. Try the Jumping Off Rock Trail (milepost 260.3), Thompkins Knob Trail (milepost 272.5) and the Lump Trail (milepost 264.4).  Blue Ridge Parkway hiking trail info can be found here. 

 

Another of our favorite things to do this time of the year, is to just relax around a crackling  fire! Here at the Cabins at Healing Springs, we offer several cabins with fireplace and we also have outdoor fire pits, stocked with wood for your use, with comfy Adirondack chairs. Grab a beverage of your choice and the marshmallows and toast some s'mores! We look forward to seeing you!

Ashe County Studio Tour, Soap Making Demonstrations and Open House!

We are very much looking forward to being on the Ashe County Studio Tour August 3rd and 4th! 

















Join us on Saturday between 10 am and 6 pm or on Sunday between Noon and 5 pm. 

We will be offering soap making demonstrations, come to visit Healing Springs and learn about the history behind our property, get free water from the Healing Spring, stroll around our property, or just sit a bit and enjoy the sounds of nature. 

 


I started making soap back in 2014 as a way to utilize the water from Healing Springs. My soap making has evolved a bit over the years and I am very proud of the wonderful vegan soaps that I now make. These are an olive oil based soap, full of skin loving ingredients. Unlike your typical grocery store soap, my soaps are made with only natural ingredients. There are no fillers or chemicals in my soaps, just pure skin loving oils, Healing Springs water and lye. Some of my soaps have fragrances and colors added for fun, but we also make a pure Bastille soap which has no colors or fragrances added. Try some of our Healing Springs soaps today!


I will be demonstrating how to make soap on both Saturday and Sunday, stop by, ask questions, hang out for a bit, we might even have fresh baked cookies to share!

We are always happy to answer questions about soaps, soap making, the Healing Spring waters, etc. 

We look forward to seeing you this weekend! 

Murals in West Jefferson

If you have been to West Jefferson, you will have seen the variety of murals decorating the sides of the buildings downtown. The mural project began in 1996 and was part of an Arts in Education Residency Grant funded by the North Carolina Arts Council. Additional funding was provided by Handmade in America with the West Jefferson Community Partnership and the Ashe County Arts Council. 

Today the thriving downtown area is dotted with a number of unique works of public art that showcases the history, culture and beauty of our High Country mountain region. 

One of my favorite is the "Angel Wall" next to the Hotel Tavern on the BackStreet. Painted by Raney Rogers. Visitors and locals both enjoy photographing themselves in front of the wall. 

Located on the side of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce is a mural titled "New River Traditions" and painted by Marianne DiNapoli Mylet in October of 1998.  Also painted by the same artist is the mural titled "Unity in Diversity" 

This mural located on the side of Boondocks Brew Haus and was done in the summer of 2006 with students from Ashe Middle School. They wanted to create a mural that reflects the landscape of Ashe County, the music and people who live and work here. The mural was painted on fabric panels that were adhered to the wall with a special adhesive. 

Painted by Robert Johnson and located on S. Jefferson Avenue is "Spring Wildflowers on Mount Jefferson" 

"Cut at the Devils Stairs" painted by Stephen Shoemaker is located on the Dollar Building at E. 2nd Street. This mural is reminiscent of the time that the railroad was a vital part of Ashe County. 

In 2004 with collaboration from Ashe County High School and artists Earle Klutz Thompson and Raines Thompson painted "Wings and Things" on the wall of the Ashe County Cheese Plant with help from over 125 students and community volunteers. 

Local Ashe County artist Whitney Landwehrmann has recently added the "Tree of Appalachia" to the side of the Third Day Market and her new mural is drawing a lot of attention. 

More information on some of the murals located in the county can be found on the Ashe Arts Council website https://ashecountyarts.org/murals.php 

Take a walk through the West Jefferson downtown area, which mural is your favorite? 

Fun on the New River!

Looking for a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours or a day? Float down the New River! You can kayak, canoe or tube down this slow moving, relaxing river.  We have 26 miles of the New River here in Ashe County. The New River is a designated National Wild & Scenic river.

The New River is believed to be the second oldest river in the world. With a gentle, free flowing current and mild rapids, it is perfect for even the inexperienced. Located near West Jefferson and Jefferson and conveniently flowing past New River State Park. Access points to the New River are just a short drive from the Cabins at Healing Springs, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Boone or Sparta, it is the perfect way to spend a lazy day. 

At the Cabins at Healing Springs, we are lucky to be located near two wonderful river outfitters - Riverside Canoe and New River Outfitters. Both of them offer canoe, kayak and tube rentals. They will transport you to / from your put - in or take - out point and will provide you with everything you need to float or paddle down the river. 

With a variety of trip lengths available, from a short trip that lasts 2 to 3 hours to longer 5 or 6 hour trips to overnight trips, you choose how much time you would like to be on the river. 

We suggest that you wear comfortable clothes and wear shoes with a good gripping sole, such as a tennis shoe or water shoes. Our weather can be unpredictable, expect hot sun and the possible occasional shower. We strongly recommend that you bring sun screen. Bring a small cooler to hold your lunch and drinks an just enjoy the day. 

We are looking forward to seeing you on the New River soon!