INSIDERS TIPS FOR VISITING GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN DURING THE HIGHLAND GAMES

“I promise you that the best time to visit Grandfather in the summer is during the Highland Games,” said Marketing Director Catherine Morton. “You’ll practically feel like you have the whole mountain to yourself.”

Most people assume that Grandfather Mountain will be covered under with visitors during the Highland Games, so most people try to avoid the travel attraction on the second weekend in July. But Morton insists that it is the perfect time to visit – for that very reason.

“Yes, there are thousands of people in town for the Games,” she said, “but they are all here for what is happening in the Meadows. They are not here to visit the attraction.

“And because other travelers are avoiding those crowds on that weekend, the Grandfather Mountain travel attraction - the Swinging Bridge and animal habitats - are not crowded at all.”

Morton offers a few tips for how to get the most out of a mid-July visit to Grandfather. First, she recommends this excursion to day-trippers.

“Although there won’t be a lot of people at the Swinging Bridge during the day, come nightfall area hotel rooms will be filled by all of the people in town for the Scottish festivities,” Morton said. “You won’t want to visit during the Highland Games unless you know where you are going to sleep that night.”

To avoid the traffic created by Games-goers getting to MacRae Meadows, Morton says to approach the Grandfather Mountain entrance from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

“The shuttle bus lots for the Games are down in Linville, so the traffic is slower coming from that direction. The Highway Patrol will flag you through downtown Linville if you tell them you are headed to the attraction, but it will be easier if you take the Parkway from Blowing Rock or Linville Falls. Just look for the US 221/Linville Exit at milepost 305 and you can get right to our front door.”

Another incentive for visiting Grandfather during the Highland Games, July 10-13, says Morton: the weather.

“The Scots always get great weather. I won’t say there won’t be an afternoon thunderstorm, but historically we have clear skies and temperatures in the 70s. That’s pretty special for the middle of July in the South!”

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