A gem of the North Carolina High Country, the town of Blowing Rock bills itself as an “upscale resort town,” and prides itself on its small-town charm.

“Blowing Rock really does have a village atmosphere,” says Amanda Fife, assistant director of the Blowing Rock Visitor Center. “Everything is here — you can walk from place to place, and there’s a park right downtown.”

Year-round, Blowing Rock is home to about 1,500 residents, but the town’s comfortable climate and village charm draw some semi-permanent residents during the summer months. Fife says the town’s summer population swells to about 8,500 as seasonal residents, many from Florida, come to escape the heat.

Long before Floridians started making their way to the town to cool off, though, the first groups to call the area home were Scotch-Irish settlers in the mid-eighteenth century. Later, other settlers, including farmers, hunters and trappers, made their way to the area through passes in the mountains from southern Virginia to Kentucky, eventually traveling south to the mountains of North Carolina.

Today, Blowing Rock continues to draw visitors from throughout the area. Tourism is the bread-and-butter of this small mountain village, according to Tracy Brown, executive director of the Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority.

“The bottom line is that tourism works for Blowing Rock,” Brown says.

And according to Fife, there are three main reasons visitors make their way to Blowing Rock: shopping, outdoor recreation and nearby attractions.

Shopping in Blowing Rock provides experiences at both ends of the retail spectrum. For those shoppers looking for a deal, Blowing Rock is home to Tanger Outlets. For a one-of-a-kind shopping adventure, Fife recommends the shops in downtown Blowing Rock. She says there aren’t many chain stores on Main Street; instead, a number of locally-owned shops offer everything from handmade pottery to stylish home accents.

Residents and visitors don’t have to go far from Main Street to find outdoor adventure, either, Fife says. Just off the beaten path is the Glen Burney Trail, which descends into John’s River Gorge and offers hikers views of three waterfalls.

In addition, the Blue Ridge Parkway winds its way through the area, and offers experiences for bikers, hikers and drivers. More adventurous travelers can find a guide and head out for a whitewater rafting, caving or rock climbing trip. When the weather turns cold, outdoor adventurers can still seek their thrills in Blowing Rock—at Appalachian Ski Mountain, which was the North Carolina High Country’s first ski area.

The town of Blowing Rock is also home to North Carolina’s oldest travel attraction, The Blowing Rock, which is just a few minutes from downtown. The Blowing Rock, a cliff (4,000 feet above sea level) hanging over Johns River Gorge, was named because of the way light objects thrown from the rock are returned by the northwest wind.

Another long-standing North Carolina attraction that calls Blowing Rock home is Tweetsie Railroad. Tweetsie, the historic train and Wild West theme park, has been operating in Blowing Rock since the summer of 1957.

Tourists and residents can also take advantage of attractions located just beyond the town limits of Blowing Rock. Famed Grandfather Mountain, with its Mile-High Swinging Bridge, is a short drive away, and Linville Caverns is just down the road.

As a vacation or a long-term destination, Blowing Rock offers the small-town charm of a mountain village combined with the attractions and location to help you enjoy all the High Country has to offer.