Beautifully nestled off the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway near Blowing Rock, this historic facility…read moreis worth the visit. Unfortunately we did not check the newly updated times they are open to go inside. On this day they were closed. The setting, grounds and trails are breathtakingly beautiful. Some were picnicking under a tree near the Manor entrance. We saw cows in a nearby pasture. One person was on a horse. The property even includes an Apple Orchard. We will return again when the Museum is open and we can also see the crafts offered for sale.

Our visit came in June of 2021 with the accompanying restrictions imposed by the pandemic and…read moreshortage of staff. That means parts of the manor are roped off, construction work on the house is in progress and the craft shop is operating out of a somewhat cramped space. That said, it's well worth a visit here. The views are amazing, and the crafts are wonderfully diverse yet so attractive (everything from lamps to trays to blown glass) and they are nicely displayed, though we should mention that the Southern Folk Art Center closer to Asheville has much larger collections in its shop and museum. The people working here couldn't be more helpful to visitors. The manor is located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, and parking is easy if limited. There are hiking trails nearby and restrooms also. It makes for a delightful stop with lots of do and see.

I love this place. Everyone is so nice, and it is beautiful and chill. It is seasonal, so be sure…read moreto stop by when they are open.

Love this place!! Haven't been able to see a concert or attend a workshop yet but hoping to do so…read moreon my next visit! My recommendations from the gift shop include: the white chocolate lavender bars. I haven't been able to stop thinking of it since! The lavender face mist is perfect in the morning when I just get up to invigorate and calm me before I start my day or post workout to cool my face and neck. The lotion bar with pieces of lavender in it was given as a gift this past Christmas and I use it as cuticle and nail moisturizer. I had just removed my acrylic nails after months of nonstop applications and my nails were crumbling and jagged, falling off in pieces. This stuff saved me! I use it multiple times a day and carry a bar with me everywhere I go. I swear by the products made at the Lavender House and will definitely return when I need refills.

Super super cool activity to do with friends or family!! Went with three friends, we split the $100…read morefamily bucket between us and it was a really good deal for the insane amount of cool stuff we got from it. The whole experience is cool, especially at the end where the lady at the desk examines the gems you found. 100% recommend!!

What a fun experience! We got the $45 bucket and found all kinds of good stones. Very friendly,…read morehelpful staff. Definitely a must do.

We have visited numerous gem mining venues in NC and TN with very satisfactory results. These…read morepeople fill their buckets with gravel (not sand) and our experience was that less than 1/2 of 1% contained any rocks not considered gravel, so at 99.5% gravel they are making a lot more money than all the other gem mining operations. Our $129.99 "Gloryhole" bucket was junk literally and in reality. A word to all who read this: AVOID THIS JOINT!!!!!

I came here with my family and we got the big bucket, we got lots of great gems. The value was…read moregreat for the amount of gems we got. I can't wait to go back ! The service was amazing, the people up front were so nice.

Cute little shop. There is a lot more than soap and candles! We stopped in to bring some soap back…read morehome with us on our way out. A lot of soaps, lotions, bath bombs and of course candles! They have honey, ice cream, taffy and a lot more! I left with some goodies- soaps and lotions.

My husband's aunt recommended we visit while we were in Roan Mountain so we had to stop by with all…read morethe kids. Unfortunately we didn't know when candle making classes were but the owners were able to do a special class for us since we had 6 girls hoping to make candles. They told them about the history of Banner Ell which I found interesting (the kids didn't remember all of it) and some of the names of the scents. All of the ingredients (soy based wax and scents) were all natural and didn't bother my allergies or nose so that was a huge bonus. All the girls had fun, my youngest was SO excited they had an elephant vessel she could use to make a candle! We would definitely recommend stopping by to visit when you're in the area. Everyone was super nice and all the girls from ages 7-17 had fun! (Adults could also join in if they wanted of course, but we sat back and let the girls do it this time, FYI the prices seemed to range from $38-45 per person for the candles they made which included the class.) You do have to wait 2-3 hours for them to cool and set before you can take them home. I think the regular classes are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 11am so you can sign up (call or sign up online I believe), come make your candles and then go grab a leisurely lunch or go shopping and come back to pick them up. We can't wait to burn our candles!

We made a beautiful purchase from Kimberly while attending Art in the Park in Banner Elk over the…read more4th of July weekend. Her pieces of glass art are magnificent.

Super cute quilt shop. Stopped in while traveling to get a gift for a friend. Great selection and…read morefriendly staff.

Ladies were friendly but the selection of fabric was less than inspiring. Not sure I will go out of…read moremy way again.

High Country Candles is a lovely little store along the Main Street of Blowing Rock, and if it…read morehadn't been for my concern about how I'd pack an armload of candles into my carry-on luggage to fly back home? I would have spent WAY too much money here. The candles smell wonderful, come in a wide variety of scents, and are available in a breadth of sizes - as a matter of fact, their website states "We have 80 different wonderful fragrances we use to scent our handcrafted jar candles, pillars and votives." You can tell that the people here take pride in the craftmanship behind their candles, and they also offer various pottery selections - specifically, a wide variety of mugs, bowls, vases as well as candles trays - in the store. The staff is very welcoming as well - happy to answer any questions you have about what's available in the store. I just wish they shipped their wonderful candles!

As an avid candle lover, this place was heaven on earth! They offer an unbelievable amount of…read morescents and sizes. There's a scent for every season and taste. I was overwhelmed with the options. I ended up purchasing a large jar candle which was $30 and burns for 145 hours. The size just below this one was $28 and burns for 95 hours. The scent I decided on was a mango sangria of sorts. I forgot the exact title. It's also new so it's not on their website. But the website does have a complied list of all their scents! And they offer shipping! I also bought several of their little small candles that burn for 10 hours. Because I bought 6 of them, I got a free glass container! Ive burned my mango sangria candle and LOVE it! You've really gotta keep the wick trimmed because it burns super bright and big! But it burns evenly and after a few hours it doesn't even look like it's been burned. I can already tell I'll get my monies worth.