Feeding a big group on vacation is half the fun and half the challenge. Valle View Retreat has a kitchen built for cooking for twenty, but you’ll want a few nights out too. These are the places we point guests to around Valle Crucis, Banner Elk and Boone.
Dan’l Boone Inn, Boone
If your group is big, Dan’l Boone Inn is the meal everyone remembers. It has served family-style Southern cooking in downtown Boone since 1959. There’s no ordering: platters of fried chicken, country-style steak and country ham come to the table with mashed potatoes, green beans, stewed apples and biscuits, and keep coming until you’re full. On weekends there’s a breakfast spread too. Reservations are only taken for groups of 15 or more, which works well when you’re traveling as a full house. Hours change through the year, so call ahead.
Pearl’s Kitchen + Tiny Market, Valle Crucis
For breakfast or lunch close to home, Pearl’s Kitchen is next to the Original Mast General Store, about 1.4 miles from the house. It serves coffee, pastries, soups, salads and sandwiches from 9am to 3pm daily, and its market has everything you need for a picnic.
Grandfather Vineyard & Winery
Grandfather Vineyard sits at 3,300 feet with a view of Grandfather Mountain and makes all its wine on site. Tastings are a flight of four pours, most seating is outdoors, and there’s live music and a food truck most days, weather permitting. Kids and dogs are welcome, and there’s no entrance fee or reservation needed.
Banner Elk Winery & Villa
Banner Elk Winery has been making wine near Banner Elk since 2005, including a blueberry wine from its own berries. Tastings run in the afternoon, but hours can change with the seasons, so call before you go.
Or stay in and let someone else cook
Some of the best meals happen at home. The dining room seats a full table and the back porch seats 16 or more under string lights. If nobody wants to be on kitchen duty, our partner yhangry can send a private chef to cook, serve and clean up, from a slow brunch to a celebration dinner.