The Beauty of Blowing Rock, NC
I can’t get over this town, y’all.
Last August, we had the opportunity to return to our beloved North Carolina mountains on an end-of-summer trip with family. We usually stay in the Beech Mountain area, and it had been on my list for awhile to explore the town of Blowing Rock, NC. We finally did it! And I’ve been dreaming about it ever since.
Steven and I recently recorded a podcast episode of everything we love about 4 mountain towns in western North Carolina that all start with B. So listen to that here! But I wanted to give you more visuals of what I experienced in the town of Blowing Rock specifically.
One of the main reasons I wanted to visit is because it was the inspiration for the Mitford novels by Jan Karon. These became popular in the late 90s, and over the last year, I re-read all 14 of the Mitford novels! Author Jan Karon lived in Blowing Rock while she wrote many of the novels, and everyone believes Blowing Rock is Mitford.
Someone needs to give the garden club of Blowing Rock a medal - I have never seen this many perennial flowers flourishing all throughout a town center - it was a pollinator paradise! I felt like I was walking through an arboretum.
I read this Mitford novel while I was in the NC mountains last summer, and it turned out to be my favorite of all the Mitford books. It’s so perfect that I ended up reading it while gazing at the Blue Ridge Mountains myself.
But back to the real Blowing Rock…one of the flowers I fell in love with there was this yellow dahlia with dark, almost black leaves and stem. I had never seen a dahlia like this. I used my trusty Seek app to identify it and discovered it’s a Mystic Illusion dahlia. I ordered a plant and will now be growing it here on the farm this year. I can’t wait!
On the day we were visiting Blowing Rock, their adorable local library happened to be having a book sale! I mean, c’mon.
I, of course, stocked up on some used picture books, and we took some time with Steven’s sister and her kids to browse and sit and read.
One of the key settings in all of the Mitford novels is The Lord’s Chapel, where the main character Father Tim is a priest. St. Mary’s of the Hills Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock is said to be the inspiration for Lord’s Chapel. It was just a short walk down Main Street to the church - how lovely is this?! It’s just how I pictured Lord’s Chapel in the books, with tons of gardens and a lush lawn.
We went to a sweet Kilwin’s on Main Street and then to one of the most community-friendly parks I’ve seen - Memorial Park. Right in the heart of downtown, it was built in a circular shape with side walks shooting out from the center in different directions like spokes on a wheel. The playground was INCREDIBLE with nature-themed climbing structures like mushrooms, acorns, wooden stumps. So fun.
There is also the actual “Blowing Rock” - a spot you can visit overlooking the mountains, but we didn’t get there this time.
Just LOVED this town! Here’s the road leaving Blowing Rock…see you again soon. :)
