Dave gathers tons of suggestions for interesting and exciting activities you can participate in even if you haven’t yet reached your 21st birthday.

Transcript

Dave: Hello once again ladies and gentlemen, I am Dave Blanks back with another Dave by the Bell. On this edition of Dave by the Bell I'll be asking students for their tips on cool stuff to do in Boone when you're under 21. Let's find out what they have the say!

Voice 1: Going out hiking Rough Ridge. Going to all the different trails and waterfalls around here. Going to Linville is a constant weekend thing for us. But I mean I’m Chemistry major so I'm always studying so I really don't have that much time.

Dave: So studying?!

Voice 2: That's what we're doing right now.

Voice 3: Rough Ridge Overlook is like a beautiful overlook and then of course Grandfather Mountain.

Voice 4: Definitely the hiking is probably the most unique thing for Boone. Rough Ridge I like. That's the cliché one but it's a great hike.

Dave: No that's a lot of fun it's perfect. So have you taken a picture on the rock?

Voice 4: Yes

Dave: Yeah all right cool. Thanks for your answers. That was it. See that was painless.

Voice 4: That was not so bad.

Dave: You did great. All right thank you.

Dave: … And I've had five people in a row say Rough Ridge. So you can't say Rough Ridge…

Voice 5: uhhhhhhhhh hahaha

Voice 6: Well there's always ENO-ing. It's very fun to go ENO-ing. Everyone Enos around here. It's so much fun. Then, one of the main places I like to go is Howard's Knob. It's a beautiful view of campus. It helps you make perspective of the school and not be so stressed out over exams and stuff.

Voice 7: Well, get involved there's a lot of stuff you do on campus. I'm in SGA. I love it. I mean, if you can't find something to do you're not looking.

Voice 8: Going to the Parkway in the evenings and stargazing. I also like King Street there a lot of shops and restaurants to hang out at there.

Voice 9: Hiking, skootering…

Dave: Skootering?

Voice 9: Skootering.

Dave: What is skootering.

Voice 9: You know like Razor scooters man.

Dave: Oh okay.

Voice 9: Skateboards aren’t allowed so you kind of skooter around. I like kind of walking around town there are a lot of random places you can go downtown. It's pretty sick. Art galleries… I like that.

Voice 10: There's a lot of like live music here in Boone. It's really fun. You can find a lot of cool live shows just watch out for all the flyers. Try and catch some local bands like Rainbow Kitten Surprise is really awesome. There are a lot of people that come through Boone so it's a really cool town.

Voice 11: Dang! I don't know. Just hang out with your friends I guess? Go bowling.

Voice 12: There’s a lot of great hiking to do and there's some great rivers especially if you’re up here in the summer. The Watauga River and the New River are some great ones you can do some tubing, rafting and just hang out down there.

Voice 13: There's a lot of places to go hiking fishing and a lot of good waterfalls close by.

Dave: What are some places to go fishing?

Voice 13: There's a good spot off of 321 called Snakepit.

Dave: See, I've never been fishing there. I have been swimming there and tubing and stuff like that so people fish there to?

Voice 13: Yeah, right now if you go now there's probably a good 5 or 10 people there.

Dave: (singing) hiking…the students like their hiking.

Voice 14: Mostly just go around and the hiking and stuff like that. There are lots of good places to see…Lots of cool restaurants to go to like Macado’s and Capone’s. Pretty much anything on King Street if you got the money for it. There's a lot to do all in walking distance which is nice for me coming from a small town where there wasn't really much to do.

Dave: What’s some cool stuff to do in Boone when you’re under 21?

Voice 15: Uhhh go…

Dave: Don’t say the Parkway!!

Voice 15: hahaha uhhhh

Dave: Were you about to say the Parkway?

Voice 15: yeah…

Voice 16: You could go to the Turchin Center definitely. There’s an even for students about once a month on a Thursday called Art Bash. Free food and art only for students. I think it’s every third Thursday. We offer art classes during the week on Fridays especially. There’s an alcohol ink painting class which is really cool. I’ve been to that.

Dave: Do you have to be 21 for the alcohol ink?

Voice 16: It’s just the type of paint. It’s rubbing alcohol they use.

Voice 17: Uhhh Kayaking maybe?

Dave: Where do you go kayaking?

Voice 17: On the Watauga.

Dave: Where do you put in?

Voice 17: …

Dave: I’m putting you on the spot! Haha

Voice 17: I could get you there but I can’t tell you where it’s at.

Dave: All right. Do you have to own a kayak to go kayaking?

Voice 17: Not necessarily no. You can get them from the SRC from Outdoor Programs.

Dave: How much does that cost?

Voice 17: It’s free.

Dave: Free you say!??

Voice 17: Yeah haha for sure.

Voice 18: I like to just go out and take a drive on the Parkway and just look around. It’s really beautiful.

Dave: That was a good answer. Solid. I can use that.

Voice 18: Now I’m going to the library so I don’t fail.

Dave: Hey good luck, man.

Voice 19: They have Sea Kayaking classes in the SRC.

Dave: Sea Kayaking??

Voice 19: Yeah I think that’s what it’s called.

Dave: Random. Haha

Voice 19: Haha it is! It really is. And they have sea kayak water polo. That’s pretty cool to go and watch.

Voice 20: There is the rock-climbing wall at the SRC. So you could do that.

Dave: What’s the SRC for someone who might not know what that is?

Voice 20: The Student Recreation Center.

Voice 21: I usually go to Hebron Rock Colony. It’s about 20 minutes down the road on 321.

Voice 22: I’m part of the hula hoop club. I don’t really go to the club though. I just kind of hula hoop around and hoop dance.

Dave: There’s a club for hula hooping?

Voice 22: It’s a dance though! It’s a type of dancing.

Dave: Oh!

Voice 22: Yeah there is a good community for that here. People do fire hooping and fire practice…

Dave: Where!?

Voice 22: on Hippie Hill.

Dave: Oh okay.

Voice 22: On certain nights they have fire practice and people can fire hoop. If you like…

Dave: Have you fire hooped?

Voice 22: Yeah! It’s a lot of fun!

Dave: Did you get hurt?

Voice 22: Well you get burned and you get the arm hair just burned off but…well and it smells weird but it’s okay.

Dave: Haha That’s cool

Voice 22: It’s all fun and games.

Dave: So the answer…if you had to have one answer for, “What should you do in Boone when you’re under 21?” It would have to be hang out on the Blue Ridge Parkway! Sound advice. I’m Dave Blanks and this has been Dave by the Bell. I’ll see you next time.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Dave by the Bell

Sometimes fun, sometimes serious podcast of impromptu conversations with students and Appalachian State University’s own Dave Blanks.

Find more episodes

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.