2017 Fall Festivals & Events in the NC High Country

Ghost Train at Tweetsie Railroad - September 22 - October 28

It’s the spookiest time of the year again at Tweetsie Railroad! The Ghost Train will return on Friday and Saturday nights from September 22 to October 28, 2017, transforming North Carolina’s first theme park into a delightfully frightful destination. Each year, visitors travel from all over the Southeast to enjoy this family-friendly Halloween celebration complete with thrills and chills for everyone. The highlight of each evening is a ride on Tweetsie Railroad’s star attraction, the spooky Ghost Train, which departs into the dark night every 30 minutes.

Boone Film Festival - September 27-28

Our High Country outdoor community is large, healthy, and vibrant. A few Boone locals decided it’s high time to create an opportunity to celebrate the stories of adventure, environment, and culture found in the Appalachian Region. The Second Boone Film Festival will take place during the last weekend in September. View locally created films showcasing Appalachian environment, culture, and adventure.

The Colors of Grandfather Guided Walks - October 1 - 22

Brushy Mountain Apple Festival - October 7

The Brushy Mountain Apple Festival is one of the largest arts and crafts festivals in the southeast. The streets of downtown North Wilkesboro, NC are filled with over 425 arts and crafts, 100 food concessions, 4 different music stages consisting of Blue Grass, Country, Folk, Gospel, and Appalachian Heritage. Cloggers, folk dancers, rope skippers, and square dancers provide additional entertainment venues for festival goers. Appalachian Heritage crafts are highlighted such as woodcarving, chair making, soap making, pottery throwing, and quilting.

Boone Heritage Festival - October 8

Celebrating Appalachian heritage with 18th century living history demonstrations, craft vendors, music jam sessions, children's activities, live music and storytelling, The Southern Appalachian Historical Association and the town of Boone will present the Boone Heritage Festival the second Sunday in October. The festival will be held outdoors in the beautiful wooded setting of the Hickory Ridge Living History Museum. The Boone Heritage Festival includes musical performances, storytellers, historical demonstrations from the colonial/Revolutionary time period, vendors, regional crafts, children's activities, food, and a raffle.

Oktoberfest at Sugar Mountain - October 14-15

Grab your beer stein, put on your lederhosen or dirndl, and head to Sugar Mountain for their annual Oktoberfest. Local artisans and craftsmen will show their wares, a variety of items from food to ironworks are available for purchase. Enter the Bavarian Costume Contest, or enjoy the Harbour Towne Fest Band, an authentic Oom Pah Band. Bring the whole family and enjoy a scenic lift ride when the fall colors are peaking on the mountain.

Valle Country Fair - October 21

What has grown into the largest church Bazaar in the area, the Valle Country Fair offers lots of distractions for every member of the family. There is an activity area where folks can play games, carve pumpkins and busy their hands with arts and crafts. Other diversions include visiting with live alpacas, face painting and laughing at the absurd yarns spun by old-time mountain storytellers. Enjoy food, purchase hand-made crafts, and listen to entertainment on one of the two stages set up for performances.

Woolly Worm Festival - October 21 & 22

Race your woolly worm to help predict the winter forecast according to the worm's stripes. The Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk is held the third weekend of October. Since 1978, the residents of this village at the foot of Beech Mountain have celebrated the coming of the snow season with the Woolly Worm Festival. They determine which one worm (out of 2,000!) will have the honor of predicting the severity of the coming winter; and they make that worm earn the honor by winning heat after heat of hard-fought races up a three-foot length of string. You can bring your own worm to race, or purchase one when you get there.

Grandfather Mountain Beary Scary Halloween - October 28

Join Grandfather Mountain, one of the premier attractions in the High Country, for a full day of nature programs about animals considered creepy and crawly! This fun-filled day includes an opportunity to create animal enrichments, as well as trick-or-treat through the animal habitats. Children in costume are admitted at half price!