Artsy Summers, Colorful Autumns & Snowy Winters
Editorial supplied by the Town of Banner Elk
No matter the season, visitors can experience an array of activities in the resort town of Banner Elk. This friendly, walkabout town has bounced back nicely from the effects of Hurricane Helene – to the point that visitors in 2025 will find very few traces of that unwanted intrusion last fall.
The arts have always played a key role in Banner Elk, and the town takes it up a notch in 2025 with the “Summer of Music.” Top-level regional and national acts take the stage at a variety of venues and festivals all summer long.
This includes Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Oates, who took six songs to No. 1 as a member of Hall & Oates, Country Music Hall of Famer Jimmy Fortune, formerly of the Statler Brothers, and Gary Morris, who has five No. 1 country songs in his career.
Several nationally renowned tribute bands will perform during the town’s FORUM music series and at the Village of Banner Elk’s summer series. Every Thursday night from June through August, the town amphitheater is the place to be for a free series of concerts from regional acts. Summer musicals from Lees-McRae Summer Theater draw large audiences each year to the auditorium at Lees-McRae College.
The restored 1930s rock school in Banner Elk returns to its role as an arts hub after serving as the main resource point for food, supplies, potable water and warm showers for hurricane victims last fall.
Art on the Greene takes over the school’s newly landscaped lawn for four shows featuring handmade treasures from local and regional artists. Those shows are May 24-25, July 5-6, Aug. 2-3 and Aug. 30-31. The school is also home to the B.E. Artists Gallery, featuring the works of 40 local artisans, as well as Ensemble Stage, which provides professional theater throughout the year in an intimate 99-seat theater.
Outdoor dining is a staple in the village-like downtown of Banner Elk from spring through fall, while the town is known year-round as the “Culinary Hot Spot of the High Country” for its surprisingly robust assortment of high-quality restaurants.
Two of the nicest wineries in the North Carolina mountains are rooted in Banner Elk. Enjoy outdoor tastings at Banner Elk Winery and Grandfather Vineyard & Winery through the warmer seasons, and cozy indoor tastings during High Country winters.
Few places in the NC mountains have the variety of leaf-viewing options of Banner Elk. Nestled at 3,701 feet above sea level, the town is surrounded by scenic peaks covered with native hardwoods, providing many vantage points to view autumn’s splendor.
The world focuses its attention on Banner Elk the third weekend of October, when the famed Woolly Worm Festival takes center stage. Founded in 1978, this festival celebrates the prognostication prowess of the woolly bear caterpillar. Legend says the color of the worms’ 13 fur bands foretell the weather for all 13 weeks of winter. Brown bands mean mild weeks and black bands equal cold, snowy weeks.
Because color patterns vary by worm, the festival holds a series of races to determine which worm gets to give the winter forecast. The big winner also receives $1,000.
Banner Elk transitions into North Carolina’s Ski Town in winter as it is the only town in the state within five miles of two ski resorts. Visitors enjoy skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing at Sugar Mountain Resort and Beech Mountain Resort, the two largest ski resorts in the Southeast.
A newer downhill activity is Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster. The coaster offers thrill rides year-round on a gravity-fed course that includes circles, twists and turns at speeds up to 27 miles per hour.
A variety of Banner Elk lodging options accommodate getaways of all sizes and styles. Complete details about lodging, restaurants and activities can be found at www.BannerElk.com
BANNER ELK EVENT NOT TO MISS
Concert with Jimmy Fortune and Darin & Brook Aldridge
June 6
Hayes Auditorium
828-898-8709
ElkRiverHelpingHands.org
Concert with John Oates and Jim Lauderdale
June 20
Hayes Auditorium
828-898-8709
ElkRiverHelpingHands.org
Star-Spangled Banner Elk Fourth
July 4
Main Street & Tate-Evans Park
828-898-8395
BannerElk.org
Art on the Greene
July 5-6
Historic Banner Elk School
828-898-5398
BannerElk.com
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games
July 10-13
MacRae Meadows at Grandfather Mtn.
828-733-1333
GMHG.org
Art on the Greene
Aug. 2-3
Historic Banner Elk School
828-898-5398
BannerElk.com
Concert with Gary Morris and Presley Barker
Aug. 8
Hayes Auditorium
828-898-8709
ElkRiverHelpingHands.org
Art on the Greene
Aug. 30-31
Historic Banner Elk School
828-898-5398
BannerElk.com
Oktoberfest at Sugar Mountain
Oct. 11-12
Sugar Mountain Resort
828-898-4521
SkiSugar.com
Woolly Worm Festival
Oct. 18-19
Historic Banner Elk School
828-898-5605
WoollyWorm.com
A Small Town Christmas
Dec. 5-7
Various locations
828-898-8395
BannerElk.org
