Paddle the Waters of New River State Parkĭaniel Boone Native Gardens, courtesy Explore Boone : Watauga TDA 1.READ MORE: The 15 Best Cabin Rentals in Boone NC Read on for our in-depth guide to the best things to do in Boone NC, from hiking trails and ski slopes to restaurants, museums, and other attractions. It’s got a lot of modern creature comforts, yet still maintains that pioneering spirit of old. The town of some 20,000 residents is deeply steeped in bluegrass music and other aspects of Appalachian culture and history.īoone is home to Appalachian State University, the headquarters of disaster relief NGO Samaritan’s Purse, and the Junalaska community, a free black community just north of downtown that has been in existence since before the Civil War.įor those seeking for a sort of Asheville feel, but with a closer connection to small town mountain roots, Boone might just be an ideal place to get away. This hub of North Carolina’s High Country is a slice of the Blue Ridge Mountains that’s choc-a-block with outdoor activities and other attractions.īoone was named for American pioneer/explorer Daniel Boone, who is said to have camped within what is now the city limits on several occasions. The company has railbikes in four other locations in the U.S: Las Vegas Newport, Rhode Island and in Cooperstown and the Catskills in New York.Located just a couple of hours north of downtown Asheville, the town of Boone NC is the county seat for Watauga County. Lu says they’re looking to immediately hire about 30 railbike guides. The rides will debut on July 21st, running Thursday through Monday through perhaps mid-November. “So when you go over that trestle bridge, you’ve got 160 feet below you and just this crazy, magic carpet ride across it.” “Yes it is, but it’s just a completely different experience because, imagine the dinner train with the lid off it and being one foot off the track - that’s what your experience is going to be,” Lu says. Rail Explorers is partnering with the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad and anyone who’s taken the Boone Dinner Train will be familiar with the stretch of track as it’s the same course. “I think with the motors, it makes pedaling effortless so people of all ages and ability really aren’t going to be troubled, so that everyone will be able to travel at a pretty constant, consistent speed.” “We’re allowing an hour-and-a-half to two hours depending on how long people are staying out there,” Lu says. ![]() Groups of about 20 railbikes will be leaving the depot in a group, with guides at the front and back, but with plenty of space in between. We have a hydraulic turntable on the track that lifts and turns them around, then you pedal back.” There are two- and four-seat railbikes with the costs averaging about $40 per person. ![]() “Then we turn the railbikes around because they each weigh 1,000 pounds so they’re pretty heavy. We have a little picnic area set up,” Lu says. “We disembark and guests can have a break by the banks of the Des Moines River. ![]() “One of them is the Bass Creek High Trestle and that is 900 feet long but 160 feet off the ground, which is really the complete thrill seeker’s moment of this ride.” The route will take riders about six-and-a-half miles from the depot where they’ll enjoy stunning views and might spot a few bald eagles fishing along the waterway. “We go over two magnificent bridges,” Lu says. Lu says railbike riders will start at the historic Boone Depot, pedaling across farmland into the Des Moines River valley. ![]() Mary Joy Lu is CEO of Rail Explorers which is launching service in Boone this month. Iowans will soon be able to ride the rails on what are known as “railbikes,” which resemble steel-framed go-carts that you pedal on railroad tracks with a battery assist like electric bicycles. Rail Explorers will take riders along the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad.
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