Valle Crucis

Valle Crucis is an area of the High Country whose name comes from the Latin for “Vale of the Cross,” a reference to a valley in the area where three streams converge to form a shape similar to an archbishop’s cross. Valle Crucis is North Carolina’s first Rural Historic District. You will not find Valle Crucis as an address in the High Country unless you have a PO Box at the Original Mast Store. Most properties in this area have a Banner Elk or Vilas Address…but don’t be confused- Valle Crucis is more than just “an Area”. Here you can enjoy unique places to stay, curated art collections, fishing, tubing, and playing in the Watauga River, as well as historic destinations like the Original Mast General Store. Located only 8 miles from Boone, Valle Crucis draws folks from all over to its pastoral settings and old-time feel. You can also enjoy activities like hiking, horseback riding, shopping, and choose & cut trees.

The Valle Crucis Community Park is home to Music in the Valle, where music is played every Friday evening from May through September. In the fall is the Valle Crucis Fair, which draws more than 10,000 people each year and raises money for local charities. Valle Crucis is also home to The Original Mast General Store. Built-in 1883, The Original Mast Store location features mercantile items that you may remember from your grandma’s house like jams and jellies, real maple syrup, stoneground cornmeal, comfortable rocking chairs, sturdy hiking boots, comfortable casual shoes.

Valle Crucis is filled to the brim with beautiful settings for weddings and is home to a retreat center as well as The Apple Barn which is known for throwing some pretty amazing contra dances. The Mast Farm Inn, The Taylor House, and The Inn at Little Pond Farm are just three of the many amazing Bed and Breakfasts in the area. You can also stop in and eat at Over Yonder, a restaurant that prides itself on serving Appalachian cuisine, located in the former homestead of the Taylor Family, one of the founding families of Valle Crucis.

It is hard to believe that so much can be found in such a small space but that is what draws so many from all over and has for years. I believe this wonderful valley will continue to carve itself out as a “must-see” destination in Western North Carolina.