SPRING greets you with cool mornings, air scented with heady freshness, and twilight evenings. Keeping watch, from their perch among the spring flowers, is a pair of chickadees. Chart your course ... what will it be today - fishing at Kerr Scott Dam, attending the Beech Mountain Storytelling Festival, or hiking one of the many trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway?

SUMMER brings many to say "hello" to Grandfather Mountain by walking the mile high swinging bridge. You can let the kid in you prevail by blowing dandelions to the wind and you will delight in watching butterflies dancing about in their exquisite costumes. Golfing at Hawksnest or attending the Highland Games in July will make your visit to Empty Pockets a memorable one.

AUTUMN and sweater days are here, as September and October offer the jeweled brilliance of color painted across the hills. A drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just minutes from Empty Pockets, will be long remembered. A visit to the Mast General Store, built in 1883, is a must! Enjoy Octoberfest at Beech Mountain, then return home to the beckoning glow of the fireplace.

WINTER comes quietly in the still and shadowy depths of the mountains. Snowflakes fall gently and gather on the tree branches. There is a decided nip in the air and today you may want to fly down the slope of Sugar, Appalachian Ski, Beech, or Hawksnest Mountains. Or, perhaps, ice skating in Blowing Rock, or attending the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Banner Elk. After your busy day, relax in Empty Pockets' Jacuzzi or hot tub, then snuggle between flannel sheets and under handmade quilts.