The Blowing Rock, crystal-studded and time weathered, juts out over the lush Appalachian valley below. No matter the season, no matter the hour, visitors to The Blowing Rock will experience a steady upward draft – a perpetual gust of wind so strong that in winter, the snow “falls” upside down.

Legend has it that the gust beneath The Blowing Rock is more than a meteorological phenomenon, born when a Cherokee hunter fell in love with a Chickasaw maiden from a warring tribe. For months, the lovers met secretly in the woods and mountains, until one evening a strange red glow appeared in the sky, beckoning them to the edge of a cliff where they watched the sky grow crimson, like the color of fresh blood. The Cherokee man saw it a sign and a warning that the Cherokee and Chickasaw nations were preparing for an epic battle. Unable to choose between duty to his people and his love for the maiden, the Cherokee hunter leapt off the rock to the valley below. Stricken, the maiden cried out to the gods of wind, who lifted her lover up and blew him back into her arms again. Reunited in love, they traveled to each other’s lands, using their story to inspire peace between their nations.

To this day, visitors and locals alike will affirm that the energy of Blowing Rock – and the surrounding Blue Ridge mountains is unlike anyplace else on earth. A place where the quiet contains multitudes and the wind speaks volumes, Blowing Rock finds its way into your heart and calls you back again and again.