Great food, great fun, fantastic scenery and local flavor. Learn a little more about the Western NC Mountains Chef Christina proudly calls home.

 

NC Mountain Living

With countless things to do, vistas to see and places to go, the NC Mountains are a stimulating place to live, work, vacation and simply enjoy. Locally you’ll find communities like: Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and Valle Crusis among others that offer many amenities to the local community and visitors alike.  This is the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina.

The Blue Ridge Parkway also runs through the area with access points near most local cities.  You’re never too far away from excellent sight seeing; car, motorcycle and bicycle touring; hiking; overlooks and much more.  Grandfather Mountain in Linville is also a short trip and a lot of fun for the whole family.

There are many campgrounds, lakes, rivers and waterfalls around.  They’re great to simply relax or try your luck at fishing and fly fishing.

Boone, NC

Boone, NC, is home to ASU (Appalachian State University) and is the county seat of Watauga County.  Boone was named for Daniel Boone.  Near Boone, you’ll find

• Appalachian State University
• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Daniel Boone Native Gardens
• Horn in the West
• Howard’s Knob
• Watauga River

Blowing Rock, NC

Blowing Rock is a small town in NC with big things to offer.  Durning the summer months the town’s population quadruples with visitors looking for that special retreat in the cool mountains.  Blowing Rock gets its name from an unusual rock formation which rises over 1,500 feet above the John’s River gorge.  With the vast of the gorge and the shape of the surrounding mountainous rocks, the wind currents often blow vertically toward the sky causing light objects and debris to float weightless into the heavens.  According to the local lore, two Native American lovers (one from each Cherokee tribe and Catawba tribe who once fought over this area) were walking along this rock when the man received word his village was in battle and he must return.  When his lover urged him to stay, he became so distraught he jumped off. The woman prayed to the Great Spirit to return her love, and the Spirit replied.  Her lover was blown back atop the Blowing Rock mountain to safety by a gust of wind.

• Tweetsie Railroad
• Appalachian Ski Mountain
• Blue Ridge Parkway

Banner Elk, NC

Southwest from Blowing Rock and Boone in the NC Mountains is Banner Elk.  Banner Elk is the smallest of the three towns and is surrounded by the Elk River.  This area was once inhabited by the Cherokee Indians before western settlements in the area.  With no Cherokee settlements ever found, this area was determined to be their hunting and fishing grounds.  The first western settlement was established by Martin L. Banner in 1848.  His family grew to over 50 members and the area became known as Banner’s Elk, which was later shortened to Banner Elk in 1911 as the town was then incorporated.

• Sugar Mountain Ski Resort
• Elk River Falls
• Elk River
• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Linville Caverns
• Grandfather Mountain

Mountain Vistas of Blowing Rock

These local NC mountain towns were once served by the Western North Carolina Railroad, nicknamed “Tweetsie”.  This ran the tracks from 1916 to 1940 when a major flood washed away the tracks.  The old route of the train tracks became the modern road of today which is NC 105 constructed in 1956 running from Banner Elk to Boone.

Bright Copper Kettles is proud to call these mountains home and to server locals and vacationers with private chef services, dinner party food planning and preparation and personal chef services.

Chef Christina May
Personal Chef Services
Bright Copper Kettles proudly serves Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and Watauga, Ashe and Avery Counties.