Probably the most influential family in this part of the Blue Ridge is that of Hugh MacRae who, in the late 1800’s bought & developed land in and around Grandfather Mountain. Following his death his family was instrumental in starting what is now one of the largest gathering of the Scottish clans in the world. The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games is a 4 day celebration, beginning July 7th, of music, food, sporting events and dancing. Make your plans to attend the games and make your reservations to stay at the Baird House, a Grandfather Mountain bed and breakfast, a 20 minute drive from the games.

Probably the most influential family in this part of the Blue Ridge is that of Hugh MacRae who, in the late 1800’s bought & developed land in and around Grandfather Mountain. Following his death his family was instrumental in starting what is now one of the largest gathering of the Scottish clans in the world. The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games is a 4 day celebration of music, food, sporting events and dancing in July of each year. Make your plans to attend the games and make your reservations to stay at the Baird House, a Grandfather Mountain bed and breakfast, a 20 minute drive from the games.

Before telling you about some of the FREE events & activities in the
area here’s a reminder that we offer bed and breakfast gift certificates. These make
great presents for Mother’s Day, Christmas, birthdays,anniversaries,
weddings, for pastors & their wives, employee appreciation, to some-
one for their help or friendship. We can customize a certificate for
you to provide a night or 2 during weekdays or weekends or it can be
based on a dollar amount. Feel free to call us to discuss what you
have in mind.1-800-297-1342.

LOTS OF FREE MUSIC EVENTS THIS SUMMER

Beginning  on Friday’s in  May  “Music in the Valle” begins.
Local musicians & bands perform FREE CONCERTS in the Valle Crucis
Park behind the Mast Store Annex starting at 6pm. Bring your own
chairs ( or you may use ours ) or a blanket and food if you like.
Some guests stop by the grocery store for cheese,breads,chips,
crackers wine or other adult beverages then go to the park to listen
to some good music prior to checking in.

Also, every Friday @ 5pm starting in June , at the Jones House in
downtown Boone, the FREE “Concert on the Lawn” series begins. Bring
a chair or a blanket. Visit joneshousecommunitycenter.org for more
info. Bring food & drink if you like or have your evening meal at
one of the many restaurants on King Street.

On Monday nights in Blowing Rock begins the FREE “Monday Night Concert Series” held at the gazebo in Broyhill Park off of Clark Street. Visit amymarieproductions.com for
more info. The Baird House is a Blowing Rock area bed and breakfast.

Always exciting is” Art in the Park” located in Blowing Rock.This is
a juried art & craft show featuring 100 artists starting in May
through October & held on Saturdays from 10 am ’til 5pm. Admission
is FREE & the shuttle service is FREE from the Tanger Outlet to
Blowing Rock. Visit blowingrock.com for more info.

Be sure to see the most recent Blue Ridge Parkway Wildflower Report
at virtualblueridge.com. The Baird House is a Blue Ridge Parkway bed and breakfast.

If you are on Facebook please become a fan of the Baird House at our
FB page ( you know how to do it .

Finally, please visit our Visitor Information/ blog at
bairdhouse.com where we recently posted a video about our ride down
the Virginia Creeper bike trail. Also, see photos & a brief write-up
of a recent tour of Raffaldini Winery at exit 267 at Hwy 421 near
the Hwy 421/I-77 interchange. That is a great place/way to spend 1-2
hours on your way here or home.

Stay tuned for video of us riding the new zipline at Seven Devils.

Favorite place #2 would be the dining tables where we serve a large hot breakfast daily. We really do try to serve a breakfast big enough so that guests won’t have to eat lunch somewhere. Not only are Deede’s breakfasts out of this world delicious but people genuinely enjoy meeting & socializing with others at the table(s).

The third favorite place ( during Spring, Summer & Fall ) are the porches  overlooking the pasture into the river or directly into the river. This is the only Boone bed and breakfast on the river. It is common for people to sit in the rockers or cushioned chairs to read, watch the river go by, look for deer beside/in/crossing the river right in front of the inn. Newly made friends from breakfast also gather for more socializing. It’s not uncommon for guests to enjoy their fav adult beverages there (porch medicine).

Next is the hammock, out front,in the shade,under the cedar trees. That says it all.

The #4 place is anywhere along the river  which actually is our front yard. Gabby, our 1/2 Golden Retreiver and 1/2 Yellow Lab, loves it when people throw rocks into the river … she jumps in and finds a rock then brings it up on the bank then waits,tail wagging, for another rock to be thrown in. This is the only Valle Crucis bed and breakfast on the river.

Finally, the firepit. We keep lots of firewood on hand and when guests request a fire we can get one blazing in 10 to 15 minutes. Nights are often cool in the summer and a lot of wood goes up in smoke during  June, July and August. Like moths to a flame are people to the firepit when we light it up. A good spot to close out the day, especially with a glass of wine.

We tell people that we can keep them as busy as they want to be or as relaxed as they want to be. These 6 places  definately fall under the “Relaxed” category.