In the Spring of 2019, we visited an area of North Carolina we’d never been to before – Blowing Rock. The main reason for our visit was to experience the Savor Blowing Rock festival which isn’t happening in 2020. While we were there though, we found out that Blowing Rock is charming, interesting, and beautiful, with plenty of reasons to visit. In fact, we named it one of our Editor’s Pick destinations. And one of the best hotels in Blowing Rock was the Meadowbrook Inn, a boutique hotel in the Blue Ridge Mountains. At the time, they had just started their own rooftop apiary and had just set up educational gardens adjacent to their Duck Pond. Now that some time has passed to allow both projects to get a foothold, we wanted to check in and see how things are going. Here’s the update we got.

A pastoral scene of the Duck Pond at Meadowbrook Inn in Blowing Rock. Photo courtesy of Meadowbrook Inn.

The Apiary at Meadowbrook Inn:

The first to be approved in the Town of Blowing Rock, the rooftop apiary was created starting in the Spring of 2019 as part of the Inn’s long term goal of encouraging well-being of the environment and their community. It features two hives of Italian hybrid honey bees. The wildflower honey produced by them is harvested in partnership with Bee Kind Family Farm and is used by the Inn’s Executive Chef in certain signature dishes and sauces for catered events.

The reason they chose Italian Hybrid Bees is because they are considered to be very gentle and excellent pollinators that result in great honey production. They are being tended by Robb Cool of Bee Kind Family Farms. The bee keeper is also the head of facilities at Meadowbrook. He started beekeeping in 2010 with just three hives and now has 150.

Although guests can’t go up on the roof to see the bee operation in person, Meadowbook Inn is installing a rooftop camera for bee viewing soon.

Checking the hives in the rooftop apiary. Photo courtesy Meadowbrook Inn.

Busy bees in their rooftop hive. Photo courtesy Meadowbrook Inn.

Educational Heirloom Vegetable and Herb Gardens at Meadowbrook Inn:
During the spring and summer, the gardens, which are adjacent to the Inn’s Duck Pond, provides guests with the chance to see varietals that have been grown in the area for generations. The 2019 garden featured a wildflower bed along with vegetable varietals including Cherokee Purple Tomatoes, Scarlet Runner Beans, and Purple and Orange Bell Peppers. Herb varietals included Lavender, Lemon Sage, Purple Basil, and Rosemary.

The resident ducks will often join guests who have stopped to enjoy the garden which, despite being near the parking lot, is abundant with lush plantlife. Guests can sample various fruits and vegetables from the garden. And fresh flower arrangements in the Inn’s seating areas are cut from the garden too.

Growing gardens include fruit, vegetables, and flowers. Photo courtesy Meadowbrook Inn.

Growing heirloom varieties shows visitors from around the world what plants are native in this part of North Carolina. Photo courtesy Meadowbrook Inn.

Learn more about the Meadowbrook Inn on their website. Learn more about Blowing Rock, North Carolina on their Visitor’s Guide website. And make plans to visit with our affiliate, Booking.com. Blowing Rock has beautiful weather so we recommend packing a good sun hat, and sunglasses, and walking shoes.*

Hungry for more? Here are some of the other things we found to do, including restaurants to enjoy, when we were in Blowing Rock. While you’re in North Carolina, visit one of our other Editor’s Pick destinations, Winston-Salem. Honey fans will enjoy this article about a honey factory in Colorado and our podcast with the woman who runs an aviary in Washington state.

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