by Jeff Hamm | Sep 14, 2026 | Banner Elk Living Blog
There’s a running joke around here that you can get lost in Banner Elk, but only if you try really hard. We have exactly one stoplight. That’s it. And yet within about fifteen minutes of that single light, you can ride an alpine coaster, hike to a...
by Mary Peacock | Sep 14, 2026 | Banner Elk Living Blog
River views, open green space, and a community that has kept this place going one donation at a time. There are places you visit because they are beautiful, and places that feel special because of the people who keep them going. Valle Crucis Community Park is both,...
by Mary Peacock | Aug 31, 2026 | Banner Elk Living Blog
The dog days of summer have a whole different meaning up here. While the rest of the Southeast hides indoors, the High Country is handing out cool mornings, shady trails and creeks worth wading into, which makes it an easy place to bring your four-legged travel...
by Mary Peacock | Aug 10, 2026 | Banner Elk Living Blog
SIP. SAVOR. STAY AWHILE. Some call it the nectar of the gods, the way the ancient Greeks did when they raised a glass to Dionysus. Some, like the French, pair it with every meal as naturally as bread finds butter. Here in the High Country, we have our own approach:...
by Jeff Hamm | Jul 20, 2026 | Banner Elk Living Blog
There’s a certain kind of RV park most of us have quietly made peace with: gravel pads packed a little too close together, a bathhouse that’s seen better days, and Wi-Fi that gives up the exact moment you need it. The Barlow is not that place. Tucked into...
by Mary Peacock | Jul 19, 2026 | Banner Elk Living Blog
When Banner Elk starts creeping into the upper 80s, locals all seem to get the same idea: head for the water. Today, that means Elk River Falls. Just 10 miles from the Eagles Nest community, it’s one of those places that reminds you how simple a summer afternoon...
