I think it's finally safe to say that the warm weather is here to stay. After a relatively mild 
yet long winter I really appreciate every day as a gift. The trees are finally getting green as you look across the John's River Gorge, chirping birds wake you up in the morning, the air is warm but has just enough crispness to it to make you feel like you're really in the mountains. Everyone seems to breathe easier and relax into the beautiful six months of weather that we have ahead of us.
Appalachian State graduation was last weekend. That's right, the kids are out for the summer. I'm always surprised at how early the college kids get out of school, when the other sch
ools in the area still have another month. Boone is hardly a ghost town though. In addition to the students that decide to stay through the summer, it's the time of year where we trade out students for out- of-towners. The normal congestion in the Downtown area in Boone and Blowing Rock does a little repreve in the few transition weeks before the real "summer season" hits. So....the next month is one of the very best times to plan a visit to the High Country.
There is so much going on in the next few months, I'll touch on a few key activities now and then come back and post some more later.
The Watauga County farmers market is heating up. While it's not at full force yet there are still some local vendors with pre-season goods. Stock up on potted plants, herbs and seeds. Now's the time to plant them yourself and enjoy them for the rest of the summer. You can check out the market every Saturday morning at Horn in the West off of 105 ext. in Boone.
Load up the kids, Tweetsie is finally open. The wild west theme park opens full time on May 23rd and is open on weekends up until then. Younger children 
will be excited about a "Day Out With Thomas". If you're not familiar, Thomas is a train engine first made famous in children's books and later in an animated series. The event takes place May 30th-June 8th and features storytelling, a 25 minute long ride with Thomas and getting to meet Sir. Topham Hatt in person. Who could ask for anything more?
The last qui
ck thing I'll touch on is Boone's own Scream Time Zipline! I'm really excited about this. It's probably not a great idea seeing that I'm "expecting," but believe you me, come late Fall, I'll write a first hand account. I don't know of a better way to bag a thrill ride and a beautiful tour of the area in one punch. The check-in is out 421 towards Vilas. Click on the site for more specific directions. There are a variety of packages to choose from. The regular tour is 2 1/2 hours of zipline fun. Go to this link and check out the video to see what all of this is about.
That about wraps up my little teaser about some High Country happenings. There's so much more heating up that I'll have to get back to in later posts.
On a quick real estate note: The Boone - Blowing Rock real estate market held steady through the winter and is really starting to warm up as the sap rises. It's a great time to look whether you're looking for a vacation home, something for your child who's at school at ASU, or looking to relocate permanently to this amazing part of the world. There is so much on the market right now. Check out the Watauga, Avery, and Ashe County MLS SEARCH on my web site or contact me directly. I'd love to show you what's out there.
