Adventure the 6th

A ‘Boone’-tiful mountain retreat-an excursion review

We meet again, adventurer. Today, we extol the many virtues of the mountain lands of North Carolina, specifically the area of Boone.

Jessica first traveled here one year ago with a very specific purpose: to attend a program called Panchakarma at the Art of Living Retreat Center. What the farrik is ‘Panchakarma’ you may ask? A good question…for another time. I myself do not understand the finer points as it is more her area of expertise than mine. For the purpose of this entry, I can describe it briefly as a week long personalized mind and body health cleanse rooted in the traditional Indian approach to wellness (Ayurveda).

Now, I had not been invited on her first trip to Boone but she later told me that it was a wildly beneficial and positive experience. Plans were made to return to the center for a 2nd Panchakarma. And this time, I came along. We arrived in the area several days early in order to explore and have adventures. And adventures we had!

In true Rebel fashion, the girl had not booked any kind of hotel reservation beforehand as she preferred to keep her options open. On prior trips, she confessed that she had explored some of the downtown area of Boone. There were a number of shops that I might have enjoyed seeing as well however after learning of the difficulty of finding free parking there, we decided to forego it. (The girl has rather a vendetta against paying to park as evidenced when we discovered a nearby ski lodge and drove up the mountain to the entrance, learned there was a fee to park, and then promptly turned around and drove back down the hill in defiance).

Instead, we charted new territory and turned our attention to the nearby town of Blowing Rock. Driving along, I spotted a hotel situated well above the road on a cliff: The Cliff Dwellers Inn. We decided to inquire after lodging and drove up the seemingly 90 degree angle lane to the office (yes, travelers be warned driving anywhere in these hills in the wintertime with snow and ice!).

What a happy surprise- a vacant room! A king-sized bed, a private balcony, and a mountain view with a lake below. And all for a most reasonable rate, a little over $100 with tax. We booked it for the night and liked it so much that we stayed another night though in a different room which was even larger- two stories with a fireplace and a jacuzzi for an even cheaper rate.

An older style inn, you will not find an abundance of rooms with the shiny, chic decor of a more upscale hotel. There is no breakfast served, there are actual keys instead of digital cards, and some areas are in need of a little repair from industrious Jawas. But we still found our accommodations comfortable, extremely spacious, and the staff warm and welcoming. Darren, our host, could not have been kinder and showed us our room options prior to booking and made numerous helpful suggestions for places to visit nearby. The inn is located close to the downtown area and probably an easy walk in pleasant weather. We would happily return here and recommend it for its location, lovely views, helpful staff, and reasonable rates.

Blowing Rock, literally described by a local as a “quintessential Hallmark town”, was quite pleasant and charming with a number of eateries and interesting shops-one which particularly attracted our attention sold beautifully sculpted candle creations that are crafted before your eyes in the shop. The majority of the locals we interacted with were incredibly friendly and warm and made me feel quite welcome. Being a somewhat small town, parking can be difficult to find later in the day however the girl was most pleased to discover that street parking, though limited, was free! Boone, please learn from this example…

As time was still plentiful, she and I decided to make the “short” drive to some nearby caverns. A “short” distance on the map perhaps, but a longer drive than anticipated going up and down the winding mountain roads. I believe Jessica fancied herself a podracer pilot at times as she took a few of those turns rather faster than strictly necessary and induced a mild amount of nausea in me by the end of the trip.

We arrived at Linville Caverns and paid a reasonable fee (she was $15, I was free!) to join the next guided tour. The cool cavern temperatures (around 50 degrees year round) brought back some memories of cold nights on the sands of Tatooine. Those times when he was in a fouler than usual mood, Jabba would banish me from the warmth of his belly folds out into the dark wasteland surrounding his palace. Having excellent night vision, I was able to scout out small crevices and hiding places where I could safely tuck myself away out of the frigid night winds until his ill humor had passed. These caverns were full of all sorts of nooks and crannies and I was tempted to go exploring and find a little burrow to call my own. Jessica was less eager for such an expedition and so I dutifully remained by her side with the rest of the group.

While we both enjoyed seeing some of the cave’s natural beauty and wildlife (1 bat spotted and 1 tiny fish in the underground stream), learning a few interesting factoids, and meeting new friends (hello Seth!), we do not feel any great desire to return for another visit. Should passersby be in the vicinity, it might be worth a stop however we would not necessarily recommend going out of the way to see it as it is not an overly large cavern to tour and there is little else to do onsite.

Our free time prior to the retreat program drew to a close. But what a wonderful 2 days filled with discoveries! We were told that Blowing Rock has many festivals and programs throughout the year and we are keen to visit again and partake of more local eateries and outdoor activities and enjoyable conversations with other travelers.

Adventures await you! Scurry along now and May the Force Be With You.

Excursion in question: mid March 2026

Date written: 4/29/26