A FREE Daily Visitor Guide for the North Carolina Mountains and 50+ NC Mountain Cities: Scottish heritage

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Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Father's Day Events: Scottish Heritage Festival this Weekend in Franklin NC

June 12 - 15, 2014 Scottish Heritage Festival Always held on Father's Day Weekend, this favorite event features Scottish Fun, Food, Fashion, Music, Dancers, Games, Clans, Border Collie Demonstrations, Crafters, Continuous Entertainment and Culture for the whole family. The event kicks off with a golf tournament.

Get links for more information about Franklin NC HERE.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

58th Annual Highlands Games and Gathering O' Scottish Clans on Grandfather Mountain

July 11-14 The 58th Annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and Gathering O' Scottish Clans Join 1000s of Scots in 85 clans decked out in their finest plaid for the annual celebration of Scottish heritage. Live Celtic music, tradition heritage events and Highlands games. New this year is a Saturday night Celtic Rock Concert.

The Gathering begins on Thursday with a picnic, sheep herding and Celtic music. At 7:30 PM The Bear: Assault on Grandfather, a five-mile footrace climbs 1,568 feet in elevation from the town of Linville to the summit of Grandfather Mountain. Over 800 runners will start up the Old Yonahlossee Road from Linville at 7 PM, circle the Highland Games track around 7:15, and head up the Grandfather Mountain summit road. The evening concludes with a torchlight ceremony.

Friday begins with a mountain bike race and continues with a Preliminary athletic competition, sheep herding, music/dancing exhibitions. Celtic Groves will be open and other activities will highlight the day. The official opening ceremony will be held.

Events throughout the weekend range from the Scottish Fiddling Workshop & Jam Session to Highland Wrestling to the Highland Dancing Atlantic International Championship, piping, drumming, Scottish athletic events, track and field events, Scottish country dancing, Scottish fiddling, and Scottish harp. Get a complete calendar of events online.

Get a link for the Highlands Games and find lodging near Grandfather Mountain on the Linville NC Visitor Guide, the Blowing Rock NC Visitor Guide or the Banner Elk NC Visitor Guide.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games this Week

July 12-15 The 57th Annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and Gathering O' Scottish Clans Join 1000s of Scots in 85 clans decked out in their finest plaid for the annual celebration of Scottish heritage. Live Celtic music, tradition heritage events and Highlands games. New this year is a Saturday night Celtic Rock Concert.

Opening day events include The Bear: Assault on Grandfather, a five-mile footrace climbing 1,568 feet in elevation from the town of Linville to the summit of Grandfather mountain. Over 800 runners will start up the Old Yonahlossee Road from Linville at 7 PM, circle the Highland Games track around 7:15, and head up the Grandfather Mountain summit road.

Throughout the weekend activities include: traditional Celtic music, sheep herding, athletic competitions, music and dance exhibits, History & Genealogy Studies, Children's Tent and Field Activities, harp workshops and more.

On Sunday there will be a 9 AM Scottish Worship Service Outside main gate. Bring a folding chair. The service ncludes Kirkin' of the Tartans. The day continues with the Children's Border Collie Demonstration on the main field and Celtic Grove Entertainment begins.

Guests of Honor and Distinguished Guests are introduced as all members of the sponsoring clans are invited to march in the Parade of Tartans behind the massed pipe bands. Additional events for the afternoon are: the Scottish Fiddling Competition and the Atlantic International Highland Dance Championship Competition.

Competitions take place throughout the Games for Scottish athletic events, sheep herding, kilted miles, children's events, Scottish country dancing, Scottish harps and Clan Tugs-of-War.

Get a link for the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and other things to do in the NC mountains on the NC Events Calendar

The Blue Ridge Parkway at 469 miles long is the nation's longest scenic rural parkway. Now 70 years old it is administered by the National Park Service and host to approximately 20 million visits annually. It connects the Shenandoah Valley National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Along the route are opportunities for lodging, dining, camping, hiking and simply enjoying breathtaking views from easily accessible overlooks and picnic areas. For additional information visit :The Blueridge Parkway Association

The River Arts District is open year around with the opportunity to meet artists in their studios. Schedules are available online. This unique area along the French Broad River is home to more than 165 artists with working studios located in 18 turn-of-the-century industrial buildings. The artists of the River Arts District welcome you into their studios to talk with them, see their latest artwork, watch demonstrations, and experience for yourself the magic hidden inside the time-worn factories and warehouses along the French Broad River.

Chimney Rock Park is named for a 500 million-year-old giant granite monolith overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge. Visitors are awed by the breathtaking view that spreads 1200 vertical feet beneath them and 75 miles across the Carolinas. The now state owned park encompasses 1,000 acres offers the best of the mountains in one place with spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, a variety of special events and much more. Chimney Rock NC

The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has provided funding for almost 1500 state and nationally designated byway projects in 48 states. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.

Tsali Recreation Area is an outdoors lover's paradise. Probably the most popular features of Tsali Recreation Area are the 39 miles of trails suited for mountain bikers and horse-back riders, as well as hikers. The 4-loop system offers a variety of landscapes. You can climb 1-foot wide rugged paths or travel flat, well-beaten roads. The four trails--Right, Left, Mouse Branch, and Thompson Loops--meander through mixed pine and hardwoods on a peninsula stretching into Fontana Lake. Near Bryson City NC and Robbinsville NC.