Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center, Scaly Mountain

We came for snow tubing, which was $40 for two hours. The weekend we went was a holiday weekend so it took us 15 minutes in between trips so we were able to make 6 trips within our time. The logistics are, you sign a waiver, you pay for the number of people attending then they attach a tag with your time on your zipper. You then go grab your tube and ride the “magic carpet” up to the top. Once you get to the top, you choose one of 3 lanes to ride down. You can choose to record or take pictures but I’ll caution you, the speed is so fast that you are at risk for losing it. Borrow a Go Pro camera or something similar instead. There is a food cart/truck that sells snacks, hot chocolate, coffee, etc. however they only take cash. There is also a fire pit that they keep burning. Lastly, they have ice skating, as well as two small children area for playing, but since we didn’t have any little ones with us, I didn’t pay too much attention. There is also a really good barbecue restaurant with counter service that offers some nice food options and a large bar of barbecue sauces to use. In summary, prepare to spend 2 hours. Prepare to pay $40 per person and prepare to have fun.

Located in the NC mountains around 4k feet in elevation, Highlands is a nice day-trip escape for the family. The parking was easy, and no charge. The ticket counter folks were friendly. The waiver is filled out on an iPad screen. Their snow machines do a good job of making the slope deep with man-made snow. There is a people mover lift that takes you to the top where assistants at each lane can push you or twist you for the trip down. At the bottom, artificial turf slows you to a stop and a soft barrier is the final obstacle. There is a small mobile coffee shop with reasonable prices. Notably, there is a Dollar General across the street which can be handy for those on a long drive and need things for the trip home. The reason I didn’t give five stars is the high price. I think $50 is a bit steep for the attraction. The gift shop has some nice swag and clothing if need be. The ice skating rink is small, and there is a small slope to the rink, which is odd. There are supports to help those who are new to skating. The skates are ice hockey style.

Looking for some fun excitement this is your place. We did tubing and the screaming coaster. The coaster was so much fun and I highly recommend going there to do this. It is fun and zips around the corners. You do get to control the speed…I on the hand went full speed. This particular coaster opened in December of 2021 and it is the longest in the state of North Carolina. If this is the longest it is the only one I’d go to in NC. Go ride this coaster. We also did the snow tubing. The tubing itself was a blast, but the customer service on top was absolutely awful by the guys up there. We all understand you are busy and need to keep the lines moving, but there are nice ways of saying it. No excuse for their actions on how they spoke to women and kids. Upon entry the woman that took my $400+ for our admission snapped at us for not moving fast enough. We can only go as fast as she is, so no idea what her problem was. I do recommend going to this place as it is a blast, but don’t expect to get good customer service. Hopefully, they can learn how to be kinder to their guests. Ultimately it comes from the leadership above. They do provide food in the restaurant. The parking is pretty big. Bathrooms were clean. 3 stars for the poor customer service. Go there to have fun, but don’t go for service.

The tubing was fast and fun. The skating was really bad, but they had these little skate assists, which the kids had fun with. The kids liked skating even though the rink was bumpy and tiny. We ate lunch there. The burger was good.

We had a great time. The snow tubing was awesome. Everyone was really nice and patient. The prices were reasonable. I totally recommend this place. It's a great way to spend time with family.