By Dathan Kazsuk
Sometimes date night needs to last longer than dinner.
And if your idea of romance involves crisp air, a mountain cabin, a bottle of wine, and absolutely no reason to set an alarm the next morning, Beech Mountain looks pretty good this time of year.
At 5,506 feet, Beech Mountain is the highest town in the eastern United States, which also means fall tends to show up there before it does back here in the Triangle. Color can begin appearing by late September, with peak conditions typically arriving around early October.
In other words: pack a sweater.
This feels like one of those trips where the place you stay matters.
Skip the standard hotel-room mentality and look for a chalet, condo, or private mountain home with a deck, fireplace, or hot tub. Beech Mountain has everything from inns to rental homes scattered around the mountain. Then leave a little room in the schedule to actually enjoy it.
Coffee on the deck in the morning. Wine by the fire at night. That counts as an activity.
When you’re ready to earn that second glass of wine, Beech Mountain has 27 miles of maintained hiking and biking trails, ranging from easy walks to more challenging routes through forest, along ridgelines and around the mountain’s lakes.
You don’t necessarily need to turn this into an Appalachian expedition, either. Pick a manageable trail, find some fall color and take your time.
This is a date, not Survivor.
Birdwatchers can also head toward the Buckeye Lake area, while couples looking for a view can work a few scenic overlooks into an afternoon drive.
And definitely build in sunset. Beech Mountain has the elevation to make even pulling the car over and staring toward the Blue Ridge feel like you planned something elaborate.
Now we’re speaking our language.
The nearby Boone Area Wine Trail currently connects four stops: Grandfather Vineyard & Winery, Linville Falls Winery, Banner Elk Winery, and the new Mill Camp Wines & Ciders.
You don’t need to hit all four.
For a relaxed date-day, we’d pick one or two and make the drive part of the experience.
Grandfather Vineyard sits along the Watauga River beneath Grandfather Mountain, while Banner Elk Winery offers plenty of mountain scenery on your drive.
Hike. Wine. Scenic drive.
We’re already doing pretty well here.
Back on Beech Mountain, Alpen Restaurant is the obvious choice if you want dinner to feel like date night, with elevated dining and a covered deck overlooking the mountain scenery.
Want something considerably more casual? Holy Smokes BBQ serves pulled pork, smoked sausage, and its signature apple-butter barbecue sauce. Or settle into Whistle Pig Pub for cocktails, wine, beer, and a cozy mountain-pub atmosphere.
Then head back to the cabin, open whatever bottle followed you home from the winery, and turn on the fireplace.
Because sometimes the best fall date night isn’t really a night at all.
It’s a couple of days.
And a mountain.
