The road that ribbons through the foothills rises and twists like the tail of a cat. As the elevation increases, the temperature drops about 5 degrees for every 1, feet. I grew up in Boone, North Carolina. Both sides of my family have lived in the high mountains and deep hollers of Watauga County for over years. I moved away decades ago, but it will always be the homeplace that beckons and recalibrates me.
Their questions implied I was missing out, so I figured it was high time for me to reacquaint myself with my hometown, a place that I was once so familiar with but hardly knew at all anymore. I love taking in the fall color, playing in the snow, and marveling at the spring blooms, but nothing beats the summer. There are hundreds of things to see in this part of northwest North Carolina, known as the High Country. But over my four-day trip, I stayed within the city limits , starting with a stroll through the downtown business district, which is about three square blocks and abuts the campus of Appalachian State University App State.
When I was a kid, Boone was a rural place with a small school. As businesses that appeal to locals have left the downtown area, restaurants and shops that attract scholars and sightseers have moved into original brick buildings featuring beautiful facadesβwith some structures dating to the late s and none more than two stories tall. About 20, university students, throngs of enthusiastic visiting alumni, and the bustling tourist traffic ensure Boone has no slow season.
A smart first stop on a self-guided or simply meandering poke around Boone is the Jones House community center, a welcoming source of information and brochures. Old pictures and maps that show the Boone of yore hang in the front parlor, serving as nostalgic reminders for those of us who still refer to streets and landmarks by what they were once called and also as helpful background for visitors.
History permeates all of Boone, where American pioneers first homesteaded in the s. Down the back stairs is the Candy Barrel, a room with toys and containers full of bulk sweets including old-timey kinds like Mary Janes and Ice Cubes to scoop into little paper sacks. Across the street and down a bit is the Appalachian Theatre, where I always begged to sit in the balcony.
