A Year-Round Guide to Franklin and Nantahala

What an outdoorsman (or woman) really wants at the end of a long day on the trail or the lake, Chris Phelps says, is a place to drink a beer

Rosemary and Goat Cheese Strata

What an outdoorsman (or woman) really wants at the end of a long day on the trail or the lake, Chris Phelps says, is a place to drink a beer

Rhythm & Brews in Lexington

What an outdoorsman (or woman) really wants at the end of a long day on the trail or the lake, Chris Phelps says, is a place to drink a beer or have a cup of coffee and talk about the day’s adventures. So when this avid outdoorsman revamped an old store on Main Street in Lexington and opened High Rock Outfitters, he knew the merchandise part of the business was just a means to an end.

He had no idea, though, that he’d have to get laws revoked and passed to get craft beer flowing behind the high bar plastered with bumper stickers and decals. Eventually, price tags and displays disappeared and bands were booked, but the name remains the same. On Tuesday nights, a group of beer-lovers gathers to discuss theology. Wednesday is trivia night. Weekends are for live music of every persuasion. Just look for the old-school backpacks, wicker camp chair, and BSA canteens in the window; amble on in; and talk about your trials. Er, trails.


High Rock Outfitters
13 South Main Street
Lexington, NC 27292
(336) 248-4444
facebook.com/highrockoutfitters

This story was published on Feb 27, 2018

Susan Stafford Kelly

Susan Stafford Kelly was raised in Rutherfordton. She attended UNC-Chapel Hill and earned a Master of Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College. She is the author of Carolina Classics, a collection of essays that have appeared in Our State, and five novels: How Close We Come, Even Now, The Last of Something, Now You Know, and By Accident. Susan has three grown children and lives in Greensboro with her husband, Sterling.