King Street is downtown Boone — about eight walkable blocks of brick storefronts, independent bookshops, breweries, and restaurants stretched along the highway that bisects the town. The west end is closer to the Appalachian State campus; the east end leans more local. Both halves are stuffed with student-friendly cafés, outfitters selling hiking gear, and music venues that range from listening-room folk to college-rock dives.
Park once and wander. Mast General Store at 630 West King is an institution: a sprawling outfitter and old-fashioned candy shop housed in a building that has been a merchant on the street in some form since 1913.