Things To Do In Boone, NC (A 24 Hour Itinerary)

Things To Do in Boone, North Carolina

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We’re starting our day at dinner time because there’s a very good chance that you’re traveling to Boone from somewhere else and will be traveling during the day.

Evening

Dinner

If you arrive in Boone hungry and you’re looking for something easy to eat, go to Come Back Shack (1521 Blowing Rock Rd).

Yes, it’s fast food. Well, it’s fast casual. And I generally try to stay away from food like this when I’m on vacation because I would rather eat at small, local restaurants that I don’t have at home. However, this is an exception.

You’re not able to have this chain at home because there are only four nationally — and two are in Boone.

Come Back Shack is a local favorite. When we went, I wasn’t even sure if there would be a table for us because it was packed.

I got a burger with a soft pretzel as my side. My cousin got chicken strips with fries as her side. And everything was good.

If you are a little bit tired from your drive and you need a little sugar to help you get through the evening, Come Back Shack serves really delicious milkshakes.

There are a bunch on the regular menu, like the Nutella shake, and seasonal offerings like pumpkin in the fall and peppermint in the winter.

Late night

Now that you are hopped up on sugar and your stomach is full, head to Appalachian Mountain Brewery (163 Boone Creek Drive).

It got popular a few years ago because its hard iced tea collaboration with Bojangles went viral. It was in and out of stores here so quickly. People were buying it up.

And actually, the craft brewery got so popular, it ended up opening a second location in Mills River, NC (where Sierra Nevada’s East Coast location is) between when we were in Boone and now.

But, that’s not the only reason to go there.

The brewery is really cute. There’s a ton of seating so you can go and enjoy some craft beer (I mean, the state is not called North Craftolina for nothing).

If you’re there on the weekend, there will most likely be live music. I’m not quite sure who the bar band was the night we were there, but they were really good, so you can definitely enjoy the rest of your evening here until you get tired.

By then, you should drive to the hotel (or take an Uber there if you were drinking because we want you to be safe and alive to enjoy the next day).

Bedtime

There is a Holiday Inn Express (1943 Blowing Rock Rd) centrally located in Boone. It’s a few minutes from downtown, but it’s not actually in downtown.

I love to look for Holiday Inn Express locations when I’m staying somewhere new. I don’t have any affiliation with the chain, but I always know that the hotel is going to be clean, there’s gonna be coffee in the lobby when I check in, and there will be a continental breakfast in the morning.

I’ve stayed in them in multiple states and in Puerto Rico and always felt safe and comfortable.

Morning

Breakfast

Part of why I really like the Holiday Inn Express, is because there is continental breakfast that’s included in your stay.

You can get yogurt and fruit, scrambled eggs and breakfast meats, the robot pancake maker is available, and there’s lots of juice and coffee.

You’re going to have a full day exploring Boone, so I definitely suggest that you don’t forget breakfast.

Late morning

If you’re in town on a Saturday between April and November, head to the Watauga County Farmers’ Market (591 Horn in the W Dr)

It’s typical farmers market with lots of vendors selling vegetables (which you probably don’t need because you’re on vacation) and souvenirs like candles that are named after Wizard of Oz characters (which you probably need because you’re on vacation).

What is actually really good about the farmers market, which has been operating since 1974, is the location. It’s located at the Daniel Boone Park, as is the Hickory Ridge History Museum (591 Horn in the W Dr).

So after you’re done with the farmers market, explore the museum.

It’s an outdoor museum, with six outdoor cabins that you can explore. They date back to between 1785 and 1805 (historically, not physically).

We went on a Saturday (like I said, after the farmers’ market) and Saturday has self-guided tours only. From Tuesday to Friday, there are guided tours and the museum volunteers are filled with a plethora of information about the time period and life in the area then.

If a guided tour fits into your schedule, I recommend that over the self-guided tour. We sort of just stuck our heads into the cabins, looked around, and moved on to the next.

If you’re visiting in July or August, you can catch a performance at the Horn in the West outdoor amphitheater.

Horn in the West is a performance of a play written by Dr. Kermit Hunter about Daniel Boone and the settlers of the Blue Ridge Mountains before and during the Revolutionary War.

It has been performed since 1952.

Fun fact: Hunter, a graduate of UNC, also wrote Unto These Hills, a similar (in performance type, not content) play that’s performed at an outdoor theater in Cherokee, NC, near the Oconaluftee Indian Village, a living museum similar to Horn in the West.

Also at Daniel Boone Park is Daniel Boone Native Gardens (651 Horn in the West Dr).

We have a pass to our local botanical garden, which is part of the American Horticultural Society reciprocal program, which means we get complementary entry into about 300 other national botanical gardens that are in the program.

So, whenever I’m planning a trip, I always look for local gardens because that’s generally something free that we can do.

I found the Daniel Boone Native Gardens, which are just free in general and very conveniently located, so I put it on our list.

We were there in September so there wasn’t that much in bloom or that much to look at, but we did find this tiny cabin sort of buried in the woods of the garden. It looks like it’s sort of like wandered off the property of Hickory Ridge History Museum or could just be associated with that.

We tried to peek inside the windows, but there wasn’t really any information and there was not a docent at the garden so if you stop to see it, you’re gonna have to kind of make up your own story about what’s going on there.

Afternoon

We’re gonna spend the rest of the afternoon in downtown Boone.

If you like the outdoors — and there’s a very good chance that you do because you’re in Boone, which is a very outdoorsy town — we suggest going to Howard Knob County Park (604 Howards Knob Rd).

The park, which is open from May to October, has a really short trail to hike, which is kind of all you have time for if you’re just in town for 24 hours.

But, I promise you, even though the hike is short, the views are breathtaking. You can see the entire downtown, plus all of Appalachian State University, from up there.

If you bought a snack at the farmers’ market or just took a piece of fruit from the breakfast at the hotel this morning, this is a really nice spot to just sit and enjoy it and appreciate the outdoors.

If you’re not in the mood to hike, that’s fine. Just head downtown and park anywhere along King Street, the main street in downtown Boone.

There are so many, really cute shops to look at, including Mast General Store (630 W King St).

The original Mast General Store is in Valle Cruces, which is a short a drive from downtown Boone. We went there and really enjoyed it, but if you just wanna say you were there, there is an location downtown.

If you’re feeling adventurous, there is a small climbing tower at Footsloggers Outfitters (139 Depot St), right across the street from Mast General Store.

The climbing tower is contained within a variety of stores, so people who are shopping can easily watch you go up to the top.

We saw it from the outside, but we didn’t actually see anybody climbing, so I don’t know how popular it is.

But if you’ve always wanted to try rock climbing, this would be good. for you.

It’s also close to a bunch of restaurants so if you’re starting to get hungry now it’s a good time to eat.

Lunch

I am a chocoholic. I give up chocolate every year for Lent because it’s the hardest sacrifice for me. Sure, it pales in comparison to Jesus‘ sacrifice, but still it’s very hard.

So when I saw a chocolate shop in Boone, I knew we had to go.

At Venture Chocolate and Wine (605 W King St), you can buy loose chocolates like bon-bons in the retail space upstairs, but if you go downstairs to the wine bar, there is a full seating area and you can buy a variety of chocolate infused items.

You can get sandwiches and salads, but if you are worried less about nutrition and more about experience, go with the chocolate charcuterie board.

It has an assortment of chocolate like chocolate discs and bon bons and a dipping chocolate, plus Manchego cheese and dried fruit (although it’s mostly chocolate).

My cousin and I split it and it was one of the best choices that we made in town.

If you’re looking for something more substantial for lunch and honestly, I don’t blame you, you can either try Stick Boy Kitchen (211 Boone Heights Drive), which is super popular and has really good breakfast and lunch sandwiches, plus soups, salads, and kids meals.

Just make sure you’re going to the right location. There’s also Sticky Boy Bread Co, which is the same company, but only has a bakery, not a full kitchen.

If you want something different, go to Dan’l Boone Inn (130 Hardin St), which has been in Boone for over 50 years.

It’s a family style restaurant serving fried chicken, country style steak, country ham biscuits, and other Southern comfort food favorites.

If your schedule permits, you can go to Appalachian State University (287 Rivers Street) and check out a sporting event. Football is really popular and there was a huge game going on when we were in town where App State almost beat a team it wasn’t supposed to.

That was actually really exciting. The whole town was buzzing after that.

Of course, the games are mostly attended by students, but since App State is really popular, there are a lot of locals and outsiders who do go to root on the Mountaineers.

If there’s not a game going on, you still have a couple options.

And, if you’re into craft breweries, and one yesterday wasn’t enough, you can stop by Lost Province Brewing Company (130 Depot St).

The original location is downtown, although the family owned and operated brewery has a taproom a little outside of downtown (289 Daniel Boone Dr, Suite B).

The downtown location is very close to SouthEnd Brewing Co. (747 W King St.). SouthEnd was actually started thanks to a brew class the owner took at App State, but the original location opened in Greensboro. Of course, though, he had to come back to where it started and open a taproom in Boone.

Before you head out of town, stop by Appalachia Cookie Company.

When we went, there was a woman who was waiting and I asked her if the cookies were really worth the 25 minute wait because, like I said, they bake them fresh to order.

She was there with her significant other and said that it had been 10 years since she had been to Boone last. Through that 10 years, she told her significant other about the cookies, so when they went back to the area, they had to go.

He had never tried one before, and she was really excited to share this experience with him.

If she was waiting 10 years, we could wait 25 minutes.

I ate my cookie a short while after it came out of the oven and it was amazing. I got a seasonal cookie, which was a blueberry lemon streusel cookie.

I’ve already told you I’m a chocoholic.

I usually don’t want dessert unless there’s chocolate involved and I especially gravitate away from anything that’s unnaturally blue. But something about this cookie sounded delicious so I tried it.

And let me tell you it changed my life. Two years later, I’m still thinking about it.

My cousin got a chocolate chip cookie because she decided if she was going to sit for 25 minutes with me she might as well get a cookie.

But she wasn’t in the mood for it at all so she didn’t even eat it until three days later. She called me immediately and said she regretted letting it sit for that long because she enjoyed it so much that she couldn’t even imagine how great it would’ve been if she had it fresh.

So order one or one dozen for when you head out of town.

And now, you have to head out of town because your 24 hour adventure in Boone is over. I don’t know where you’re going, but you can’t stay here.

Visitor’s Info:

A couple quick tips to help your trip even more enjoyable.

Boone is in the mountain, which means the weather can change drastically as you go up in elevation. That t-shirt that felt comfortable to start the day is not enough when you get higher up.

Plus, the weather can change drastically when you go up in elevation too.

So, we suggest dressing in layers and packing a jacket, even in the summer.

You also want to wear good sneakers, even if you’re not planning on hiking. The topography of Boone is pretty rugged in most of the touristy areas (since most tourist-related suggestions are outdoor activities), so you want to have proper footwear.

And, as far as transportation, having your own car is key. There is the AppalCART, Boone’s public transportation system, which is for both residents and visitors.

Some of the routes run every 10 minutes and some are every 30 minutes, so you may be waiting a while for the next bus. And the bus takes a while to get you where you’re going, so I preferred driving myself.

If you are driving, there’s ample parking downtown and at all of the attractions we mentioned. Once you park, walking around is easy. King St, especially, is really safe and well lit and it’s easy to walk between the shops and restaurants.

But, keep this in mind: The roads leading in and out of Boone are really windy, plus, you’re going up and down a mountain. Visibility is limited, so you want to be really careful when you drive.

We saw sections of guardrails in the area knocked out, presumably by people who weren’t paying attention.

Of course, we got around no problem and felt really safe, but if you’ve never driven in the mountains before, you need to be prepared.