Banner Elk NC 4K / Fall Colors in the Ski Capital of the South (DJI Mavic Air 3S Drone Footage)

Banner Elk is a town in Avery County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Banner Elk had a population of 1,049.[4] Banner Elk is home to Lees–McRae College. The area surrounding the Elk River was inhabited by the Cherokee before western settlement, although no evidence of a permanent Cherokee settlement has ever been found. It is likely the area was used for hunting and fishing. The first permanent settlement was established by Martin L. Banner in 1848. Although the Banner family originally came from Wales, Martin Banner moved from Forsyth County in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Eventually, the Banner family grew to 55 members, and the area where they lived became known as Banner's Elk. This name was later shortened to Banner Elk when the town was incorporated in 1911. The Banner Elk Hotel and Robert Chester and Elsie H. Lowe House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During summertime there is hiking, whitewater rafting, fishing, and other activities. The largest lake in the area, Watauga Lake, is a favorite spot just 30 minutes away for boating, fishing and wake boarding. In the winter the main activities are skiing and snowboarding. There are two slopes in the area: Beech Mountain and Sugar Mountain. There was formerly a third, but in the winter of 2008–2009, Hawks' Nest became an all-tubing park, the largest in the Eastern United States. There are several restaurants in Banner Elk in addition to a post office, bank, and many lodging choices. The town has hosted the Woolly Worm festival over the third weekend of October since 1978. In the 1970s, Beech Mountain was home to a theme park based on The Wizard of Oz, called The Land of Oz, but it closed after 10 years. The attraction was never fully removed, and there have been various attempts to revive it. Beech Mountain is a mountain in the North Carolina High Country and wholly in the Pisgah National Forest. Its elevation reaches 5,506 feet (1,657 m) and generates feeder streams for the Elk River. Nestled on the top is the Town of Beech Mountain. Beech Mountain offers skiing, snowboarding, and tubing in the winter months. In the summer, recreation includes hiking and mountain biking. Beech Mountain Resort runs chairlifts for downhill mountain biking. One of the more interesting walking areas is the defunct Land of Oz theme park, which existed briefly in the 1970s; remnants of the park can be visited today. ugar Mountain is a mountain in the North Carolina High Country and wholly in the Pisgah National Forest. Its elevation reaches 5,236 feet (1,596 m) and is split along the Eastern Continental Divide, generating feeder streams for the Linville, Elk, and North Toe rivers. On its north slope resides the Village of Sugar Mountain. Sugar Mountain has two golf courses, Sugar Mountain Country Club and Linville Ridge Country Club (on adjacent Flattop Mountain), which are open late spring to early fall. Walking and mountain bike trails are also open during the summer months on the mountain. In the Winter, the Sugar Mountain Ski Resort is open, and offers skiing, snowboarding, and tubing. Lees–McRae College is a private college in Banner Elk, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Lees–McRae College sits in the Appalachian Mountains at 3,720 feet (1,130 m) above sea level,[5] the highest elevation of any American college or university east of the Mississippi River.[6] It is one of the few colleges to be named after two women, Suzanna Lees and Elizabeth McRae. Lees–McRae College was founded in Banner Elk as an all-female high school in 1899 by the Reverend Edgar Tufts, a Presbyterian minister. He named the school "The Elizabeth McRae Institute" after a well-respected educator in 1900. The name of school benefactor Suzanna Lees was added in 1903, and the school became "The Lees–McRae Institute" when it was chartered by the state in 1907. Hope you enjoyed the views of this beautiful town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina! Hope you enjoyed the view from a Bird's Eye View! #bannerelk #northcarolinamountains #skiing #grandfathermountain #fall #fallcolors #autumn #autumncolors #travel #drone #dronephotography #dronefootage #appalachianmountains #blueridgemountains #northcarolina Music by: Henna (Imperss Music | Suno Remix)