High Country

Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail

Thomas Jefferson called the victory of American patriots over British Major Patrick Ferguson's army at King's Mountain in October, 1780, the battle that "turned the tide of success" in the Revolutionary War.

Many of the militia men who achieved this stunning victory were known as the "Overmountain Men," citizen soldiers who came from southwest Virginia, today's eastern Tennessee, the piedmont of North and South Carolina, and as far away as Georgia, all joining to form an army that defeated Ferguson and his force at Kings Mountain, South Carolina.

Old Wilkes Jail

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley...

Tom Dula, the subject of the well-known folksong, was one of many colorful characters to be incarcerated in the historic Old Wilkes Jail, in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Today, this North Carolina jail is one of the most authentically preserved 19th century buildings in the state.

The Museum of Ashe County History

Housed in the restored 1904 Courthouse building on Main Street in Jefferson, North Carolina, The Museum of Ashe County History illustrates the stories of Ashe County with things that put you in touch with the people who lived the stories. The tools, clothes, furniture and home wares that folks used every day to live their lives help us to understand the struggles and triumphs that built the community we live in now. Weapons, uniforms, personal gear and war souvenirs remind us of the service and sacrifice of Ashe County veterans. A beautiful HO-scale layout of a portion of the “Virginia C

Linville

The town of Linville, located near the Blue Ridge Parkway, has long been a resort community. Visitors can see the careful planning that went into its development by taking a stroll through the Linville Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Horn in the West

Horn in the West, the nation's oldest Revolutionary War drama, is performed in a beautiful outdoor theater in Boone, North Carolina.

Horn in the West pays tribute to the courage and determination of the early immigrant settlers who came to the Blue Ridge Mountains seeking freedom and escape from British tyranny, and the story tells of the lives of these mountain people during the turbulent years of the War for Independence. The most famous character portrayed in the drama is Daniel Boone, for whom the town is named.

Stone Mountain State Park

Roan Mountain

New River State Park

Mount Jefferson State Natural Area

Zephyr Lightning Bolts

Oldtime band

Elkin, NC (Wilkes County

The Zephyr Lightning Bolts play oldtime string band music at festivals, competitions, and dances in Western North Carolina. The group formed in the early 1980s with husband and wife Steve and Diane Bowen. Their son, Jacob, joined the band as fiddler in the 1990s to complete the core of the current lineup, which also includes guitar player Eddie Butcher.