Updated October 26, 2026 · by your hosts
Mountain weather changes fast, and a rainy day in Boone can turn out to be the best day of the trip. Fog rolls through the valleys, the house gets quiet, and nobody feels guilty about reading all afternoon.
Head downtown
- Browse King Street. Downtown Boone is compact and walkable, with shops and cafés close together.
- Visit the Mast General Store. The Boone location is a classic, with old-fashioned candy barrels and outdoor gear. The original store is a short drive away in Valle Crucis.
- See some art. The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State has rotating exhibits.
- Catch a show. Check what's playing at the Appalachian Theatre on King Street.
Host tip[Add your favorite coffee shop for a rainy morning, and a bookstore guests shouldn't miss.]
Or stay in
Rain is the best excuse to use the house the way it was meant to be used:
- Take on a puzzle book. The Gödelian Puzzle Book will keep a table full of people busy for hours.
- Learn chess. Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is on the shelf for a reason.
- Pull out the comics. The shelves have a whole run of Calvin and Hobbes and all three volumes of The Complete Far Side, Volume One (1980–1984). Kids and adults both disappear into these.
- Read something gripping. A foggy afternoon is made for In Cold Blood.
- Plan the next trip. Flip through Atlas Obscura and argue about where to go next.
Watch the weather from the deck
When the rain lets up, step outside. Clouds often lift off the ridges after a storm, and the views can be the clearest of the whole stay.
Looking for a cozy place to wait out the weather? See the stays.
