Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014 - 36

Download a Grandfather Mountain Trail
Map here: grandfather.com/wp-con
tent/uploads/2012/09/Trail-map.pdf.

grandfather mountain

Winter Hiking Ideas Across the
Region

Above: The mile-high swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain is a beauty in any season.
Facing page, from top: Holiday spirit runs year-round at the Inn at Christmas Place in
Pigeon Forge. Take a break from skiing at the 5506 Sky Bar at Beech Mountain. The winter
views from Grandfather Mountain go on forever. Admire elaborate decorations during a
Christmas home tour in Frederick, Maryland.
Winter BreWs

The search for Cold Mountain Winter
Ale, produced by Highland Brewing
Company in Asheville, is a tradition for
many beer lovers. The hype grew even
bigger last year when Paste Magazine
named Cold Mountain one of the 15
Best Winter Beers.
Vice President Leah Wong Ashburn
says it takes about three times longer
to produce Cold Mountain than
their other beers due to the blending
of the spices. "It creates a bottleneck
in production with our regular beers
and other seasonals," she says.
You'll see a frenzy of tweets and
Facebook posts as the word gets out that Cold
Mountain has been seen in the grocery store or on
tap at local bars and restaurants. This year's annual
release party for the beer is November 13, from 4 to
8 p.m. at the brewery. highlandbrewing.com
A sampling of other winter brews produced in our
region include:
Coffee Oatmeal Stout: created by Thomas Creek
Brewery in Greenville, South Carolina. It's available
N o v e m b e r t h r o u g h M a r c h . 8 % A B V,
thomascreekbeer.com
36 | BlueRidgeCountry.com

Gnutty Gnome: an English Brown Ale produced by
Heinzeimannchen Brewing in Sylva, North Carolina.
5.30% ABV, yourgnometownbrewery.com/
Winter Warmer: this winter seasonal at Smoky
Mountain Brewery in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is
crafted in the tradition of an English "Olde Ale."
6.30% ABV, smoky-mtn-brewery.com
Sample Many Different Brews:
The 8th Annual Winter Warmer Beer Festival at
the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville gives beer lovers
a chance to check out offerings from a wide variety
of breweries, including those mentioned above. It's
Saturday, January 24, 2015, from 3 to 7 p.m. Tickets
have sold out for the past five years, so grab yours
while you can. Or buy online: ashevillebeerfest.com.
Where to stay in Asheville: Your best bet is to pick a
hotel within walking distance of the U.S. Cellular
Center (formerly the Asheville Civic Center). The
Hotel Indigo fits the bill with its close proximity and
incredible views of Asheville. For the ultimate
experience, try out one of their 16 penthouse suites.
These rooms feature floor to ceiling glass windows
to give you ample opportunity to gaze at the Blue
Ridge Mountains as well as the downtown area. ihg.
com/hotelindigo -MHM

Hike to the Len Foote Hike Inn - located
in Dawsonville, Georgia, you'll have the
best of both worlds: a satisfying five-mile
hike through beautiful scenery with comforts of home at the end: a private guest
room, hot shower and a home-cooked meal.
Open year-round, check in at the Visitors
Center at Amicalola Falls State Park by 2
p.m. Reservations required. Hike-inn.com
Pine Mountain State Resort Park,
Pineville, Kentucky. parks.ky.gov/parks/
resortparks/pine-mountain/default.aspx
There are more than a dozen trails ranging from 0.5 mile to 1.75 miles. The Timber
Ridge Trail is a moderate one-mile hike that
can be accessed from the Rock Hotel trailhead or near the Chained Rock Parking Lot.
Features an elevation change of 350 feet.
Table Rock State Park, Pickens, South
Carolina.Built by the Civilian Conservation
Corps in the 1930s, Table Rock State Park
is one of the most popular in South
Carolina. An extensive system of hiking
trails leads past streams and waterfalls to the
top of Table Rock and Pinnacle Mountains.
Access a map of the area here: southcarolinaparks.com/files/State%20
Parks%20Files/Table%20Rock/
MapTableRock.pdf

Explore Park, Roanoke County,
Virginia. Located just off the Blue Ridge
Parkway at milepost 115, Explore Park
offers more than 14 miles of trails ranging
from easy to moderately difficult. Take
along your cameras and binoculars -
Explore Park is part of the Virginia Birding
and Wildlife Trail. roanokecountyva.
gov/index.aspx?nid=1468

Hitting the Slopes
Gil Adams, Beech Mountain Ski Resort
Manager (beechmountainresort.com), says
Thanksgiving has become a popular holiday for the ski industry. At Beech, they've
taken note of the people coming into the
area to cut a Christmas tree and know that
if they are open, many will combine that

http://www.grandfather.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Trail-map.pdf http://www.grandfather.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Trail-map.pdf http://www.Hike-inn.com http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/pine-mountain/default.aspx http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/pine-mountain/default.aspx http://www.yourgnometownbrewery.com/ http://southcarolinaparks.com/files/State%20Parks%20Files/Table%20Rock/MapTableRock.pdf http://southcarolinaparks.com/files/State%20Parks%20Files/Table%20Rock/MapTableRock.pdf http://www.smoky-mtn-brewery.com http://www.ashevillebeerfest.com http://roanokecountyva.gov/index.aspx?nid=1468 http://roanokecountyva.gov/index.aspx?nid=1468 http://www.highlandbrewing.com http://www.beechmountainresort.com http://www.thomascreekbeer.com http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com

Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2014