Brandy Metzger
Winterfest
Blowing Rock is a quiet community nestled in the NC mountains. However, one weekend in the month of January the town rolls out the red carpet for guests by providing a lovely celebration known as WInterfest.
Winterfest is a wonderful celebration of the music, food and winter fun all set in the picturesque NC mountains. One highlight of the festival is the polar plunge in which residents and guests dress up and jump into the icy cold waters of Chetola Lake. The jumper with the best costume even wins a prize! Other events include concerts, food and wine tasting, kid’s activities, a bonfire, hayrides and ice carving.
This year my family and I attended Winterfest and were delighted with the activities which all took place in and around Blowing Rock. We stayed in a condominium at Royal Oaks, located in downtown Blowing Rock, making it a convenient location to almost all of the Winterfest activities. We enjoyed the convenience of being able to walk to everything.
The first event we attended was an evening concert on a Friday night. My husband and I took our 5 year old daughter to see the King Bees, a rockin’ blues band that provided a fantastic family-oriented show. The venue was the auditorium of the local school which made for an intimate setting.
As residents of the North Carolina coast we were delighted to wake up to beautiful snow showers Saturday morning. Therefore, we spent the morning enjoying the winter weather and then headed to the Chili Challenge around lunch time. The event, held in the gymnasium of Blowing Rock School, was packed with chili tasters. Everyone is given a tasting spoon and tickets upon entry. The spoon is used to taste a variety of chili made by restaurants, businesses and individuals. The tickets are used to vote for your favorite chili. At $7 a ticket for adults and $5 a ticket for children ages 6-12, this is an affordable and tasty meal option.
Our next stop was only a few blocks away at the Blowing Rock Parks and Recreation Center. There we found a group of Girl Scouts with several stations set up for kid’s crafts and activities. My five year old enjoyed the stations and interaction with other children.
After participating in the children’s activities we headed to Memorial Park, located in the center of town, to watch the US Army Special Forces Ice Carving Team turn blocks of ice into spectacular ice sculptures. This is an amazing art form and it was fun to watch the ice transform into beautiful works of art.
We concluded our day of fun by doing a little shopping and having a delicious meal at a local restaurant.
I would recommend that anyone interested in a family winter weekend get-a-way, plan to attend Winterfest in Blowing Rock next year. The community is so warm and welcoming and the activities are fun and affordable.
Resources to use when planning your trip to Blowing Rock:
