Banner Elk, NC

Banner Elk is a quaint mountain village between the Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain ski areas. It's home to Lees-McRae College, a beautiful historic campus at the highest elevation of any college east of the Mississippi (3,700 ft.).

While the town is only home to about 1,000 residents, it's a hub for the area and offers a nice selection of shopping and impressive line-up of great restaurants within a few blocks of the town clock tower. The Art Cellar Gallery (920 Shawneehaw Ave) celebrates its 25th season during 2017 with a schedule of exhibitions, artist talks, book signings and other special events from June through October. 

Woolly Worm Festival: Banner Elk's biggest event of the year celebrates the coming of the snow season with a Woolly Worm Festival on the third weekend of October. A contest determines which one worm will have the honor of predicting the severity of the coming winter. Enjoy a big selection of arts and crafts, food and live music. Read more.

Banner House Museum: Experience 19th-century life in the North Carolina mountains at the home of Samuel Henry Banner, one of Banner Elk's original settlers. Take daily guided tours mid-June through mid-October by volunteers.

Wineries

• Banner Elk Winery (photo above) is the most celebrated winery in the region, growing new French-American and American varieties of grapes. Banner Elk wines pay tribute to the rugged mountain landscape and capture the delicate nuance and subtle flavors. Stop in for a tasting year around from 12 Noon until 6 PM every day but Mondays. They also offer private tours and tastings with advance scheduling of at least one week. Located at 60 Deer Run Lane.
• Grandfather Vineyard & Winery is located on a mountainside at the base of Grandfather Mountain on the Watauga River. During a tasting, you will sample a variety of dry white and red wines. From Banner Elk take 184 south to 105 east toward Boone approximately four miles on your right.

Breweries

• Flat Top Brewing Company (567 Main Street East, Banner Elk) has about a dozen beers on tap. Their year-round brews include a pale ale, IPA, Kolsch and black-rye IPA. Seasonal beers and experimental small batches, as well as stouts, porters, saisons, hefeweizens and brown ales. 
• Blind Squirrel Brewery (4716 South US Hwy 19E, Plumtree) is in a small riverside community that's a 30 minute scenic drive from Banner Elk. The brewery combines craft beer, beautiful scenery, outdoor games and a popular restaurant. Try the light Backwoods Blonde and their iconic American Pale Ale. 
• Beech Mountain Brewing Company (1007 Beech Mountain Pkwy, Beech Mountain) is open during ski season and the summer months for bikers and hikers. They brew small batches in the Alpine Village. Their flagship beer is the 5,506’ Pale Ale, named after Beech Mountain’s elevation. 

Greenway: A fun way to explore Banner Elk is via the 1-mile greenway that begins near Flat Top Brewing Company and goes through Tate-Evans Park and pass Mill Pond on the college campus.

Lees-McRae College: Named for two women who founded in in 1907, Lees-McRae College is home to 700 undergrads. Visitors are welcome to explore the beautiful campus with historic buildings built of native stone. At the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (367 Mill Pond Road, 828-898-2568), learn about the area's wildlife with tours on Saturdays at 1 PM (plus Thursdays and Fridays in the summer). Or, stop by anytime to check out their rescued birds outside. It's a great place for performing arts with the Lees-McRae Summer Theatre, weekly summer FORUM series and other annual performances and concerts. 

Arts Center: The Historic Banner Elk School, built in 1939, is now the Cultural Arts Center. Ensemble Stage moved its professional theater productions to the Center in 2017. Art on the Greene is held on the front lawn on summer holiday weekends: Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day.

Zip lines: Experience a true canopy tour and zip line adventure on the Blind Squirrel course. See what it feels like to be a Flying Squirrel as you sail past trees with a beautiful squirrel's eye view of the farm retreat property and Isaacs Branch Creek!

Location: The scenic Blue Ridge Parkway is 12 miles from Banner Elk, near Linn Cove Viaduct and Grandfather Mountain. Banner Elk is about 75 miles north of Asheville.

See more of our Coolest NC Mountain Small Towns.