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Banner Elk, NC: Escape, Unwind, Indulge

  • 1 day ago
  • 2 min read

Banner Elk, North Carolina is a charming small town (it only has one stoplight!) located in the Blue Ridge mountains. Their motto is “Escape. Unwind. Indulge,” and you can do that in so many ways - hiking, white water rafting, mountain biking, or you could spend a day visiting the town’s unique shops, boutiques, spas, and restaurants. With 15 minutes of their lone stoplight, you will find experiences that include fabulous dining, theater and the arts, family attractions like Grandfather Mountain, and the South’s two largest ski resorts: Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain.


A yellow house with white trim during a snowfall. The house has Christmas wreaths on the window and green garland with red bows on the porch railing. There are large trees behind it that are covered with snow. The streetlamp in the front has a red bow tied around it.

Banner Elk is the only town in North Carolina featuring two ski resorts. This unique location — between the state’s two largest ski mountains — makes Banner Elk the top skiing and snowboarding destination in North Carolina. You can head a few miles south to the slopes at Sugar Mountain Resort or a few miles north to the slopes at Beech Mountain Resort. These two ski areas provide Banner Elk visitors a total of 38 slopes, 17 lifts, 16 tubing lanes, two terrain parks, two ski schools and an ice skating rink.


Beech Mountain (5,506 feet) is the highest ski resort in Eastern America and has NC’s only mountain top ski bar. The alpine village at the base of Beech Mountain’s slopes provides a place to relax, grab a meal, warm up by a fire pit and get a coffee or check out the latest ski gear.


Sugar Mountain (5,300 feet) has the most skiable acres (125) in North Carolina and the state’s only double black diamond slope. Sugar also offers snowshoeing excursions and ice skating.


Picture of a ski slope covered with snow. A mountain is in the background and pine trees are in the foreground.
Sugar Mountain Resort Photo: Bannerelk.com

Banner Elk is also home to North Carolina’s only alpine coaster. Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster provides a different type of downhill experience; it can reach speeds of up to 27 miles per hour! It is open year-round, even in snowy conditions.


There are also options for short day trips, including North Carolina's famous mountain attractions like Grandfather Mountain, Linville Caverns, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Tweetsie Railroad, and the town of Blowing Rock.


A tree-lined street is covered in a light coating of snow. The streetlamp has a red bow on it and a decorative light shaped like a snowflake.

Banner Elk is a culinary hot spot of the NC High Country. There is an impressive collection of restaurants, from down-home to fine dining. Kettell Beerworks is a warm and inviting craft brewery on Main Street in Banner Elk. It carries anywhere from eight to 12 styles of beer on tap year-round. Just a few miles down the road from Kettell Beerworks is Banner Elk Winery, an award-winning winery and vineyard that was the first winery to establish itself in the North Carolina High Country. It's also part of the High Country Wine Trail. You also don't want to miss Grandfather Vineyard & Winery, with its fantastic tasting room beside the Watauga River, in the shadow of Grandfather Mountain.


With so many things to see, do, and eat, Banner Elk is a fantastic spot for a couples' getaway, family trips, and general adventure seekers. There is also food and lodging options for a variety of tastes and budgets.

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