My family recently spent a weekend on Beech Mountain. I had not been there in almost 17 years, back in my single days! As we wound up the mountain road and Beech Mountain came into view, a sense of familiarity took over as did my kids excitement to see snow. So far, a great start to a family get-away weekend.
We stayed at the Pinnacle Inn, a condo community that offers 1-3 bedroom options for your family. It is clean, comfortable and had everything we needed for our getaway. (The folks that work there are also very nice and accommodating) There is a pool that my kids loved and a shuttle to the Beech Mountain Resort. Beech Mountain has several options for overnight stays and you van begin your search by going to beechmtn.com/lodging.
A fun fact about Beech – It is Eastern America’s highest town at an elevation of 5,506 ft. This also means that it has the highest ski area that is celebrating 45 years of skiing. Who knew?! There are great dining options and live music in many of them. I do have to give a shout out to Famous Fast Eddie’s Chicago Style Hot Dogs and Deli. Hands down, a great hot dog!
We spent Saturday on the slopes at Beech Mountain Resort. Our girls had never skied so we enrolled them in The Youth Learning Center Ski School. They were grouped with other children their age and both had a great time. The package included slope pass, lessons, equipment and a hot lunch. Lessons began at 10:00am and we picked up at 3:30. By the end of the day, my 6 year old was able to zip around the learning area and my almost 9 year old was going up the lift and making runs down the slope. She let us know that she had found her new sport!
Our 12 year old son had skied before and wanted to try to snowboard. We were able to arrange a private lesson for him and after an hour he was off and shredding it (hope that is the right lingo). I also took an hour long lesson and not only was my instructor patient, he had a great personality and made this old lady feel young again!! The resort has several dining options, great rental programs for both equipment and apparel, top notch instructors and a great variety of lesson options for all age groups.
We met up with the rest of the family to enjoy a little ice skating before heading back to town for sledding on the Youth Sledding Hill. Open seven days a week, it offers free, daily sledding for kids 12 and under. Parents are able to ride with young children and I am not sure who had more fun, the kids or Robert and I riding along with the kids. There is safety personnel and music just to add to the enjoyment. Plastic sleds are required, you can purchase at many of the shops or even rent. It is open from 1-5pm on weekdays and 9-5pm on weekends.
Something I learned while at Beech was that it has really become a year round destination with the Mile High Kite Festival, July 4th Fireworks/Pig Roast, Brews and Views Beer Fest, street dances, a Sunset Concert Series and in the Fall the Autumn at Oz festival at the old Land of Oz. The ski resort also has miles of mountain biking and the town’s Emerald Outback trails for bikers, hikers and trail runners. The Beech Mountain Club has golf, tennis and swimming.
Beech Mountain is a jewel for our state. We had an incredible time and will definitely be heading back to the Beech soon. It is the perfect place for a getaway weekend and is only a short 2 hour drive from Charlotte. You can’t beat that for good mountain fun.
There are several Stay and Ski packages available now. Call the Visitor Information Center at (800) 468-5506 for details.
Thank you Beech Mountain and Beech Mountain Resort!
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You can’t forget Fred’s! It’s a family favorite for lunch and general store shopping. Autumn at Oz is my favorite festival – my kids still talk about it. Love Beech Mtn!