You know how you keep going back to a favorite vacation destination because there’s always something new? It could be a restaurant, a new show at a favorite venue, a trail, or someone new in your life that you want to share your favorite things with. This year, Boone and the High Country have several spots that will fit this definition.
The compilation of this list was highly subjective and internally argumentative. Does this count as new or is it improved? Can it be new and improved? And what do you mean by undiscovered? The questions are real! But we think you’ll enjoy the result from firsthand research.
New
This one was easy because the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on April 17, 2026. The Rivers Park is located on Moretz Street, just off Rivers Street near Appalachian State University. The property was donated to the Town of Boone in 1998 with the stipulation that it be used for recreation, wildlife preservation, and historical purposes.
Rachel’s Loop winds .65 miles across the park’s 13 acres through a hardwood forest featuring Tulip Poplar, oak, and most impressively, Baby, a North Carolina Champion Big Tree. How big, you ask. BIG!! The sugar maple has a circumference of 170 inches. How’s that for a waistline? Its crown spreads 81 feet, and it reaches a height of 99+ feet – a truly impressive sight. She’s seen a few things, too, and is widely estimated to be at least 200 years old.
While walking the trail last week, we saw several Jack-in-the-Pulpit plants, some interesting colorful fungus, and listened to several choruses of birdsongs.
This is just the beginning for this site as it is part of a bigger, more ambitious trail system that will eventually link Boone with West Jefferson via the Northern Peaks Trail. The route will head up Howard Knob, out to Three Top in Todd, and terminate at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area.
Rivers Park is open dawn to dusk and has a small parking lot at its base. Restrooms are in the near future. Stop by the Daniel Boone Cabin Memorial on your way up or down the trail. Development of this park is through a partnership with the Town of Boone, Blue Ridge Conservancy, Downtown Boone Development Association, and the North Carolina Recreational Trails Program.
Also new is the performance stage at the Daniel Boone Native Gardens. The Native Gardens are a part of Daniel Boone Park, which is located in the center of Boone and is also home to the Hickory Ridge History Museum and the outdoor drama Horn in the West.
Dedicated on June 29, 1963, the Gardens is a place to study plants native to the Blue Ridge Eco Zone or to take an early morning stroll and listen to the birds. It is undergoing a multi-year project to “reclaim” the gardens from the local deer herd with planned plantings of perennials and shrubs that will provide blooms for us to enjoy and food for bees, insects, and birds.
The performance stage augments the stage that originally hosted music in the gardens with a larger covered performance area and the ability to host other community events. The first Roots in the Garden concert was May 29, but future dates include June 18 with MAMA, July 16 with Holler Choir, July 30 with DaShawn Hickman & Sacred Steel, and August 20 with TANASI. Showtime is 5:30 p.m. and admission is a donation of $5. You’ll find more information HERE.
Take some time to walk through the gardens during the concerts. The log cabin is named for Squire Boone, Daniel Boone’s father, and is representative of life here in the mountains in the time around the Revolutionary War. In the fern garden, you’ll see maidenhair ferns, interrupted ferns, and even a few Jacks in the Pulpit along the way. What’s flowering will be dependent on the time of year you visit, and many of the plants are identified with a label and QR code to get more information.
Improved
Howard Knob Park is re-opening this month (no specific date yet but looking at mid-June) with more amenities and a view for days! Overlooking Boone at an elevation of 4,396 feet, this geological feature is named for Benjamin Howard, a Tory, who fled to a cave in the heights of the mountain to escape Patriot forces during the Revolutionary War. The park itself is a resource that was established after the World’s Largest Windmill, which once sat perched on the mountain, was dismantled in the early 1980s. It’s truly hard to believe how big the windmill was (140-foot tower with a blade-span of 200 feet)!
Today’s Park is maintained by Watauga Parks and Recreation and features several picnicking spots, including a covered venue, and an overlook that’s breathtaking – from the view and from the sense of being suspended in air. One of the coolest new features of the park is its accessibility. The overlook and many of the picnic spots can be enjoyed by everyone!
Howard Knob Park joins a recently purchased 73-acre tract of land owned by the Blue Ridge Conservancy. This land will open up recreational opportunities for hiking and even more climbing in the near future. It was the culmination of a 30-year effort to protect the North and East sides of Howard Knob for future generations to enjoy. The land also connects land already held in conservation easement for the Boone United Trail, which starts at the Boone United Methodist Church off New Market Boulevard. Watch for even more news about the opening of this land and the official re-opening of Howard Knob Park.
This park is made possible through a partnership between Watauga County and Explore Boone.
The Middle Fork Greenway is a long-term project that will eventually connect Boone and the Boone Greenway to Blowing Rock via a path that will follow (roughly) the route traveled by Highway 321. Currently, about two miles of the 6.5-mile project is completed in various locations. Another 2.3 miles is in progress.
Some repair work and clearing had to take place after Helene, but taking a stroll from Birdie’s Coffee along 321 to Tweetsie over the weekend showed the resilience of the trail. We would categorize the walk as “moderate plus” because of the rolling nature of the terrain.
The scenery isn’t the only cool feature along the greenway. You need to check out the art! Thanks to a collaboration with the Watauga Arts Council, there will be sculptures, paintings, and mosaics in pocket parks and other places along the linear park. Zach Smith-Johnson and Fred Mead created the steel and glass sculpture entitled “Home” at the Highway 321 trailhead.
Headed along the greenway to the underpass near Tweetsie, you’ll encounter murals depicting native trout, birds, river otters, and other wildlife created by Whitney Landwehrmann. This project was completed and opened late last year. If you’re lucky, like we were on Saturday morning, you might see a river otter that emerged from the riprap and slithered briefly into the water before heading to its den.
Wendy Patoprsty, the project manager for the Middle Fork Greenway, commented that art is a big part of the project. “We are working with the Watauga Arts Council to have art all along the length of the trail,” said Wendy. “Right now, an artist is figuring out how to transform a beam from the Payne Branch dam into a piece of art to be displayed in the Boone Gorge Park. It will maintain a throughline tying together the history of that area.”
The Payne Branch dam was constructed in 1924 by Appalachian State University to produce electricity for the campus and town of Boone.
The Middle Fork Greenway is a collaboration between the Blue Ridge Conservancy, Town of Boone, Watauga County, Explore Boone (Watauga County Tourism Development Authority), and many other individuals and businesses that are contributing to the project.
Horn in the West is back for its 74th season just in time for the 250th celebration of the founding of our country. As the nation’s third oldest outdoor drama, the Horn shares the story of events leading up to the Battle of Kings Mountain and the challenges the intrepid settlers faced as they made their way into these mountains. You’ll meet Dan’l Boone, Nancy Ward, and Dragging Canoe and witness the conversations between Dr. Stuart (a loyalist) and his son Jack (a patriot) that surely must have played out among many families during that time. Cheer Jack as he battles Captain MacKenzie and celebrate his wedding to Mary.
While the story isn’t new, you will notice some new amenities in the amphitheater, including new restrooms. The show runs June 26-August 8; it starts at 7:30 p.m. Remember to take a jacket – nights in the mountains can get a little chilly.
Go a little early for a walk through the Hickory Ridge History Museum. Costumed interpreters share what life was like in the mountains during the mid to late 1700s – you might even get to help stir apple butter over an open fire, dip candles, or do a little fiber spinning. A new paved trail makes the cabins accessible to everyone. The Tatum Cabin, ca. 1785, is the oldest structure on site and once stood in the nearby community of Todd. Hickory Ridge is open Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. for guided tours. Self-guided tours are available on Saturdays. The museum is open from 4:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. for self-guided tours during the Horn in the West season.
Undiscovered
Strawberry Hill Arboretum is a part of Daniel Boone Park – where you also find Hickory Ridge, Horn in the West, Boone Jaycees Park, Watauga County Farmers Market (April-November), and Daniel Boone Native Gardens. It was one of the 15 sites across the state of North Carolina where trees were evaluated to develop an information database on the survival, performance, and limitations (disease, insect, and cultural problems) of a wide assortment of tree species and cultivars in North Carolina.
When the database was created in the 1990s, there were 37 trees identified for observation in the Strawberry Hill Arboretum. A .4-mile loop makes a nice walk around the arboretum. Dogs are welcome, but keep them on a leash and please pick up after them. This is a nice early to mid-morning walk with the T. K. Pease Overlook being a great spot to take a break, gather your thoughts, and enjoy a cup of coffee.
Residents and visitors have a lot to discover, rediscover, and explore this summer and throughout the year. And there is so much more coming with additions to the Middle Fork Greenway, the completion of the Howard Street project in Downtown Boone, new and expanding events, the kickoff for music events at the Jones House, High Country Jazz Festival, Boonerang, and more!