Travel

We are so appreciative of our guests choosing to travel to share our wedding day with us! There are quite a few ways you can choose to make your way to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in West Jefferson, North Carolina.

Directions

The Hemlock Barn is located at 1088 Lower Nettle Knob Rd, West Jefferson, NC. The venue is 10-15 minutes from downtown West Jefferson and 30 minutes from Boone. We recommend staying at the hotel listed below, as transportation to and from the venue and the hotel will be provided for you. Boone friends, you may also want to consider splitting a hotel room, or have a designated sober driver to take you home. We will have an open bar and will not permit anyone to drive intoxicated, and cars cannot be left at the venue.

For those of you who are traveling very far and prefer to fly, we recommend flying into the Charlotte airport. The Charlotte airport is 2 hours from West Jefferson. From Charlotte, you could rent a car, coordinate and ride with Charlotte family and friends, take the Hickory Hop shuttle, or take the Sunway Charters bus. Please let us know if you are concerned about travel and we will be happy to assist you in making that game plan.

Boone and the surrounding areas are highly sought after vacation destinations. We greatly encourage you to take advantage of this weekend to explore this beautiful area that we call home. Below, you will find some of our favorite and most recommended things to do in Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and West Jefferson.

There is very limited cell phone service at the venue, and in some areas of West Jefferson. If you plan to drive yourself to and from the venue, please pre-save directions or use a GPS that does not require cellular data. Boone, West Jefferson, and the surrounding areas have little to no access to Uber or Lyft, so we absolutely do not recommend relying on rideshare services.

Accommodations

The Holiday Inn Express West Jefferson, an IHG Hotel

203 Hampton Pl Ct, West Jefferson, NC 28694

We have a hotel room block at The Holiday Inn Express in West Jefferson for June 7th and 8th, 2024. This is the main hotel in West Jefferson, and we will have shuttles to and from the wedding for anyone staying at this hotel! To reserve your room, you can visit the link below, or call them at 336-846-4000 and tell them you would like to book a room with the "Cohen/McNeill Wedding." To reserve online, you must click on the link AND put in the dates of our block (check in date of 6/7/24 or 6/8/24, and a check out date of 6/9/24) for the negotiated rate to show up. If you choose a date outside of the room block (for example, if you want to come in a day early or check out one day later) the discounted rate will not show up and you will have to call the hotel to make your reservation. Rooms must be booked by May 10th, 2024 to get the special rate.

Things To Do

Food & Drink

The Tavern

203 E 1st St, West Jefferson, NC 28694

One of our favorites in West Jefferson! Easygoing American restaurant offering food ranging from burgers to steaks, plus a full bar & patio. Madeline loves their veggie burger.

Bohemia Coffee

5 N Jefferson Ave, West Jefferson, NC 28694

The cutest coffee shop in West Jefferson with a huge drink menu and yummy pastries.

Mint Indian Cuisine

203 Boone Heights Dr, Boone, NC 28607

Our favorite spot for date night! Yummy Indian food, good drinks, great service and almost never a wait.

Basil's

246 Wilson Dr # K, Boone, NC 28607

One of our go-to lunch spots! Sandwiches, pasta, salads and more with a selection of fine wine and craft beer.

The Pedalin' Pig

2968 NC-105 A, Boone, NC 28607

Ok, so you're visiting NC, which means you HAVE to get some bbq. This is our favorite spot. The sampler platters are our go-to, offering multiple meats and sides!

Appalachian Mountain Brewery

163 Boone Creek Dr, Boone, NC 28607

Our FAVORITE brewery. Great outdoor space and often has live music. Madeline's favorite beers are the Margarita Goses and Marshall's is the Fog Juice Hazy IPA. They also have a really yummy pizza food truck.

New River Brewing Smokehouse & Eatery

108 South 3rd Ave, West Jefferson, NC 28694

A great brewery in downtown West Jefferson! Beers are brewed locally, and they have great food too!

Booneshine Brewing Company

465 Industrial Park Dr, Boone, NC 28607

Booneshine Brewing Company is a destination brewery, tasting room, restaurant, and beer garden located in East Boone. The full-service restaurant/tasting room offers indoor and outdoor seating. The kitchen serves thoughtful American fare with options from snacks to dinner entrees. In addition, the largest outdoor beer garden in the High Country offers a great place to relax and enjoy a beer or a snack from the Booneshine food truck.

Shopping

Downtown West Jefferson

106 E Main St, West Jefferson, NC 28694

Downtown West Jefferson has tons of cute shops, from Christmas shops to clothing boutiques to the must-try Ashe County Cheese (the address listed above). There is also free parking!

Downtown Boone

West King St, Boone, NC 28607

Downtown Boone has great shopping. Some of our favorites include Anna Banana's, Appalachian Antiques, Doe Ridge Pottery, and Mast General Store.

Downtown Blowing Rock

Main Street, Blowing Rock, NC 28605

Blowing Rock offers so many great shops from boutiques, to household item stores, to toy stores! They also have a great candy shop!

Outdoor & Nature

Price Lake Boat Rentals

3636 Blue Ridge Pkwy, Blowing Rock, NC 28605

One of our favorite summer activities in the area is to rent kayaks, paddle boards, or a canoe at Price Lake off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Very affordable but can sometimes be busy on weekends!

Driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway

6570 Blue Ridge Pkwy, Blowing Rock , NC 28605

Some might say it's a right of passage for our area. Driving on the BRP is one of the most accessible ways to see the gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A great overlook to stop at is the Thunder Hill Overlook (you can see Charlotte on a clear day!). Some other must do's are to drive over the Linn Cove Viaduct and visit The Cone Manor (address listed above).

Rough Ridge Hike

3218 Blue Ridge Pkwy, Linville, NC 28646

The most classic Boone hike- Rough Ridge. It is a 1/3 mile uphill hike to gorgeous views and photo opportunities. Parking can get crazy so we recommend going early!

Linville Falls Trail

Easy to Moderate .9 mile out-and-back hike to beautiful falls! A must see in the area. Use GPS for directions (cell service may be limited once you arrive at the hike).

Camping!

Trying to save money on hotels? Or prefer sleeping under the stars? Some great campsites on the BRP are the Julian Price Campground and Linville Falls Campground (not to be confused with the RV park). Both require reservations via recreation.gov.

Mount Jefferson

Close to the venue and West Jefferson, Mount Jefferson offers beautiful views! You can hike or drive to viewpoints, making it very accessible.

Grandfather Mountain State Park

9872 Highway 105 South, Banner Elk, NC 28604

Grandfather Mountain is great for everyone! It offers hiking, the mile high swinging bridge, animal exhibits, and breathtaking views. It was also featured in the movie Forrest Gump during Forrest's run across America! Admission is $24 for adults and $10 for kids. It is recommended to buy tickets online in advance.