Such a fun activity! So many waves, twists & turns, and loops. It was not as scary as I thought it…read morewould be- helps that you are able to control the speed; if it's reassuring, even kids have a great time here. Ambiance is awesome- lots of pretty scenery as you ride. Service is fast- we never had to wait long, but we did go on a Wednesday morning. We got the bundle, which is 3 rides per person- definitely suggest doing that (each ride passes by in no time). A registered check-in time is required to be guaranteed a time. The only negative is that for whatever reason my ride was not captured by their camera, so I didn't have any videos/photos of the experience to purchase. Lots of free parking available. 9/10 would recommend!

We had a blast riding the coaster! I'm glad I found this for the whole family to do while we were…read moreon vacation. It fills up quickly, so make sure to check in for an appointment before you go. They are dog friendly, but you will need someone to wait with your dog before you go on the coaster. They have seating by the coaster, as well as covered seating beneath by the coffee shop. Our three year old son was able to ride twice with his dad and his grandmother. There was a long wait to get on the coaster, and he definitely was fussy during the wait. But once he got on the coaster, he didn't want to get off! It was around $70 for myself, my husband, my mom, and my son to ride, with my son riding twice. They have a gift shop and ticket register, coffee shop, obstacle course, and are next door to the Pie Company, where they serve New Zealand style pies; make sure to order the apple pies. They have parking in front and beside the coaster. It was busy on a Friday mid afternoon in the summer. But if you are looking for something to do with the family while on vacation I highly recommend this.

Elk River Falls is an open recreation area. As such it is not developed and the path is not…read moremaintained. Nevertheless the road into the parking lot is safe and easily passable by typical cars SUVs cans or trucks with either two or four wheel drive. There are no rest rooms or food so you must bring your own food and water. The path is firm and slopes upward gently becoming rocky with prominent tree roots. The 65 foot high big falls is spectacular. It is not a straight fall down. Many deaths have occurred as visitors attempt to dive from the top of the falls. Elk falls ranks in the top 3 waterfall related deaths. The rocks surrounding the first pool are beautiful but have a slippery surface. This park recently reopened after extensive restoration following Hurricane Helene. On the first day it opened there was a fatality of a falls jumper. Despite these challenges this park is a great example of the outdoors in nearly natural and breathtaking state.

The falls are closed as of late April 2026. Road is blocked about 2 miles out from town.read more

I almost passed this spot entirely, and missing it would have been a real loss. Tucked across from…read morethe Ingles Market, a modest parking area and an understated sign conceal a striking series of cascading waterfalls. The path leading up the slope was carved out by volunteer firefighters, and while it is steep in places, it offers a rewarding climb with views that unfold as you ascend. It's medium difficulty. The park features a few picnic tables scattered near the base, inviting visitors to linger and enjoy the sound of rushing water. The falls themselves are double-tiered, flowing over rugged stone, and a natural rock bridge allows you to cross to the other side with reasonable footing. I had the place entirely to myself today, and despite the questionable wisdom of climbing solo, I made it up and back without incident. The experience was peaceful and memorable, and I left with a handful of beautiful photos and a sense of quiet satisfaction. Locally, the site is also known as Bobby McLean Memorial Park, named in tribute to a respected community figure whose legacy lives on in this serene corner of Newland. [Review 1222 of 2025 - 4407 in North Carolina - 24774 overall]

The waterfalls are beautiful. This is a park and walk up experience. Very private no one was there…read morewhen we went. It is so peaceful just sitting by the waterfall. A great place to sit journal or read a book.

DO NOT LISTEN TO BAD REVIEWS. This was the best horseback riding experience my family and I have…read moreever done. Mike and his parents are the kindest individuals we have met on our trip and practice social distancing and wear masks when necessary. The horses were well trained and followed the horse in front while still having control to maneuver around certain areas. Best time ever!!! Best views ever too!!

Worst ride I have ever had. I rode late June 2021.. no wonder the best reviews are much older. I've…read morebeen riding English for a year and western a year before that, and have a history of riding trails such as in the Colorado mountains, at home, and the difficult trail at Dutch creek. This was a supposed easy ride, trail wasn't very long, you ride the same stretch there and back. There were a few red flags right away. The horses, although very friendly, did not look to be in very good shape. One horse had Cushing's disease, a condition where they do not shed their winter coat as they should. This poor horse had to ride in full western thick gear with a full winter coat in the middle of summer, they didn't even shave his coat. All of the other horses had long hooves, they desperately needed a farrier out there to trim their hooves. A fair few of the horses also had spots where their coat was completely rubbed off and it was just their skin. The stables and the staff are next. No greeting from the staff, I couldn't tell who was staff and who was a rider, our trail guide seemed to have no interest in talking. The woman who signed us in was polite enough- just enough, not nice enough to comment on or rude enough to be mean about. The trail guide took the first horse in line aside from his own on a lead, which is the first time I have ever seen that on a trail, and frankly was very strange. Although they did multiple check on the girth, my saddle and my mothers saddle were leaning to the side and could not be fixed easily. Half of the staff was a seven and six year old, who did a better job than the other staff. Props to them, they held back tree limbs as we passed, and walked ahead and behind us as we rode the trail. The barn and main house were in poor condition. There were flies in the main house, and you could see through the barn where ceiling insulation was coming loose and the walls were disheveled. The barn where the horses stayed seemed unorganized, as when our trail lead got off, he let his horse run right into the barn, not lead to a stall or anything, still fully tacked up. Now, onto my personal ride. I had a panic attack. Keep in mind my riding experience here, I have NEVER cried on the back of a horse. Ever. From being thrown off to multiple almost heat strokes, I have never cried. But this horse, Sugar.. she broke me. She had the strangest step pattern I have ever ridden on. She'd step to the cliffs, right at the side of the trails, and run me STRAIGHT INTO THORN BUSHES. I had to pick thorns out of my thick riding pants and legs. The saddle was crooked the entire time, and it was very concerning. The trail was fairly easy, but very rocky. The staff said there were working on it, so I don't mind as much. There was one spot that had a very steep decline that you rode down and then back up, the horses seemed confident going up but very unsure going down. My horse constantly stepped off the path, but was so stubborn I could hardly move her, she didn't listen to leg or reign. She INSISTED on going through more difficult paths with no regard that I was on her back. She would be terrifying for a smaller child to ride, and this place advertises themselves as very kid friendly. The trail was just ride up then take the same way back, fairly simple, but because of the horse it was the worst ride I have ever been on. In conclusion, I would not recommend this place. The horses haven't been kept care of in the best way, the staff is just okay, my horse didn't listen and drove us into thorns and rocks, and the trail was just basic. The best staff there were around 7 years old.

This was our first time experiencing zip lining and our guides were amazing! They were so…read moresupportive and tried their best to teach us how to be safe with each course... (I challenged their abilities!) The course was so beautiful and the day was one we will never forget! If you go to Hawksnest zip line ask for Luke and Tristen!

We had a fantastic experience whitewater rafting for our party of 8. Most were first timers with 2…read moreunder 13. Our guides were knowledgeable and patient. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip! The next day we zip-lined with Eli and Parker. They were awesome and our group had a blast! Highly recommend both!

This has been on our bucket list since we moved to Nc 2 years ago! I wasn't sure what to expect but…read moreit was AMAZING. I definitely feel it's a must see at least once in your life. No detail was missed! We took the chairlift up to Oz and obviously back down. There was amazing views and scenery. Once we got to Oz there was plenty of spots for us to take pictures at and meet the characters. All characters did such a great job in their role! There is some hills and walking that you may need to wear good shoes or take a rest. I saw older people resting quite a bit as some parts can be difficult, I mean you are on a mountain! I'm very overweight and I did fine with resting 2 times after a killer hill. We also did the scenic view trail (extra fee) beautiful! Such a neat place and glad we finally made it out!

Honestly, I went in with fairly low expectations, and I left surprised at how much fun we had! We…read morearrived at the Beech Mountain Resort parking lot at 9:15am for our 10am time slot. There was plenty to do at the resort, including buying snack foods and shopping at Oz-themed booths. Around 9:30am we boarded the shuttle and then shortly after we left for the Land of Oz; we got there right at 10am. Without giving anything away, I was surprised at how coordinated the event was, and how we followed a pre-planned path, but we never felt like we were being hurried to the next event. I was concerned our tween boys would think the whole thing was hokey, but they had a blast too. All of the actors gave it their all, and I never saw anyone break character, which was impressive considering the amount of improv and crowd work they did. We zoomed through most everything, and we were done by a little after noon. If we had taken our time and gotten food at the Emerald City, we easily could have spent 1-2 more hours. It was an exciting event, and I'm so glad we went. There were lots of people in our time slot (1 shuttle and two school buses full), but everything was so well paced that it didn't feel overcrowded. Bit of advice: bring water and snacks in a backpack unless you are ready to pay a premium to buy them at the Land of Oz.

This was an easy hike. As with many waterfall hikes, Otter Falls trail was basically all downhill…read moreuntil you get to the falls, but then it's all uphill on the return walk. But the falls themselves were beautiful and there were a lot of large rocks to walk around on and explore along the water. This would be another great spot to spend time on a hot day with kids, enjoy a picnic, hike down and then back up, or just relax by the water for a while.

It's not a huge hiking trail (maybe a mile total) but the terrain is very hills and technical. We…read morewent when the ground was a little snowy/icy, so I would recommend hiking boots for the excursion. The views and scenery are fabulous. There are waterfalls and streams and tons of rocks to climb for fun photos. My only wish was to have a picnic area near the parking area so that we could enjoy a picnic and then a family walk together.

I've been meaning to come back here to update my review, as the only photos that were taken of our…read moreexpedition by the owners wouldn't be released to us until we showed the owners we'd posted 5-star Yelp reviews of their company. As a condition for releasing the snapshots to us, they compelled everyone in our group to open up our phones and write a favorable post on Yelp while they looked over our shoulders and confirmed we submitted our posts. Not cool! Even when some of us said our phones were inside the car way out in the parking lot, they said, "go get them if you all want your pictures!" We were extremely tired, hungry, and muddy and just wanted to leave, but had to trek to our cars to retrieve our phones to write damn Yelp reviews on the spot. When we started the trip, the owner said, "Don't worry about getting your cameras dirty. We will get pictures for you and give them to you afterwards. Then we finish the trip and they put a ransom on our pictures, knowing that we relied on their word. Extremely unethical and unprofessional. Speaking of muddy, MAKE SURE to bring your own rain ponchos (or even a trash bag with a hole cut out for your head) because ponchos will NOT be furnished by the owners unless you pay an overpriced premium for them: $10 each for the same paper thin poncho that you'd get at the drugstore for 99 cents! How disgraceful. We declined and spent 2 days cleaning all of the mud off our shoes and clothes.

We were lucky enough to get the business founder, 24 year old Carson Gordon, as our driver. The…read morethrilling ride around the mountain ridges in his Polaris UTV was like being in Space Mountain. Two other families drove their UTVs. It was entertaining enough that our 16 year old athletic son had fun, and so did the elementary kids with their parents driving. Highly recommend Carson and Mountain Warriors UTV.., Carson's dog Lincoln knows the word "goldfish", as in cookie

Don't let the name fool you. It's not really a swinging bridge - but it does creak. And those…read moresounds are a bit alarming as you're hiking up Grandfather Mountain. Admission to the mountain is $25/person. And it's highly recommended you pre-pay online, especially during tourist season when spots fill up. To get to Mile High Swinging Bridge, you pay the admission and can park in the various areas. The top of the mountain does have a parking lot, a gift shop, and restrooms; but the top parking lot fills up. So we parked farther down and did the 20-30 minute hike up. Take a lot of pics during your nervous walk across the bridge. Great views as you're 5,280 feet above sea level. Also, do not wear flip flops! I see a lot of people, even little kids, running around the top of the mountain with flip flops. What in the world?!

So totally worth it. The town is wonderful. We enjoyed just the approach to the mountain…read more Grandfather Mountain is very cool with a legendary history. The swinging bridge was just another jewel in their crown of glory. I totally recommend it for young and Old the Vista points are stupendous. And there's a really wonderful video to watch and a nature center, and even some animals to catch up with.

Worth It 10 Times Over $30.42…read more Grandfather Mountain was the highlight of my trip to the North Carolina mountains and worth every penny. The experience starts the moment you arrive. The staff is organized, friendly, and efficient. They provide a map and a self-guided audio tour that plugs right into your car, making it easy to learn about the mountain as you drive from stop to stop. My advice: arrive before 11 a.m. and check Blue Ridge Parkway closures before you leave. There are still detours and road closures that can add significant time to your drive, and you don't want to miss your entry time. I headed straight to the top for the Mile High Swinging Bridge. The weather was classic mountain weather--cool temperatures in the 50s and 60s with fog drifting across the peaks. Even with the clouds rolling through, the views were absolutely stunning. If stairs are a concern, there's an elevator that takes visitors up to the bridge level. Afterward, I worked my way down the mountain, stopping at Split Rock before exploring the Wildlife Habitats. This area exceeded my expectations. I saw black bears, elk, a cougar, bald eagles, river otters, and plenty of butterflies. The botanical gardens were beautiful and everything was clearly marked and easy to navigate. The entire property is exceptionally well maintained. Clean restrooms at both the summit and wildlife center were an added bonus. I arrived around 10:30 a.m. and left shortly after noon, which gave me plenty of time to see everything at a comfortable pace. You could easily spend longer if you enjoy hiking or lingering at the exhibits. As someone escaping the summer heat in Charlotte, the cool mountain air alone was worth the drive. If you're visiting western North Carolina, put Grandfather Mountain on your bucket list. The scenery, wildlife, organization, and educational experience make it one of the best attractions in the region. There's a big world out there to explore. This is one place that's absolutely worth the trip.

Nice park and mountain, but $37 PER PERSON? With NO…read moresignage/pricing posted anywhere ... yikes I could understand for something like Yosemite or Yellowstone, but just a state park ...tough pill to swallow especially when it's not posted anywhere. I was planning to hike with some friends and we were going to start at one of the other lots but the roads were closed leaving us no choice but to enter the park. I really just wish the pricing/fees were posted somewhere-anywhere- because they weren't online or on the park signs out front. Had to pull up to the gate/window and even then the park ranger seemed to want to withhold that information as long as possible. The actual park is beautiful and well maintained- and you do get an audio guide plus map upon entry. But the lack of transparency here is a hard no for me. @azfitfoodfun