Question Around the Office

Can Establishments in Valle Crucis Serve Beer and Wine?

Researched by Sam Calhoun

One of our readers was apparently parched and needing a cold beer on a recent trip through Valle Crucis because he asked us to research whether or not restaurants and other establishments in the area were permitted to serve beer and wine. Although we were aware that Watauga County is a dry county and municipalities must vote on whether or not to serve alcohol, we couldn’t say with certainty that Valle Crucis establishments did not serve beer and wine. We called Special Agent in Charge Mark Senter of the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) Division to find out.

According to Senter, who is in charge of alcohol crime control in 13 Western North Carolina counties including Watauga, Valle Crucis restaurants and establishments are not permitted to sell beer and wine. Like residents of Beech Mountain, Blowing Rock, Seven Devils and Boone in Watauga County, Valle Crucis residents can opt to vote in beer and wine sales, but until they do, the town must adhere to county laws, which forbid the sale of alcohol, according to Senter.

Some readers may be calling foul, though, as they are aware that Mast Farm Inn, located in Valle Crucis, sells beer and wine. According to Senter, Mast Farm Inn received its beer and wine permits under N.C. Regulation of Alcoholic Beverages Statute 18B-101 (7a) – Historic ABC Establishment. To be considered a Historic ABC Establishment, Mast Farm Inn had to meet the following requirements: registration on the National Register of Historic Places; located on a state route and with a property line located within 1.5 miles of the intersection of a designated scenic byway; designated to attract local, state, national and international tourists; located within 15 miles of a national scenic highway; and located in a county in which the on-premise sale of malt beverages or unfortified wine is authorized in two or more cities.

Senter added that beer and wine permits can also be issued in a town such as Valle Crucis—a town that has not voted in alcohol sales and is located within a dry county—for sports clubs. According to Senter, if an establishment is designated a sports club, located in a town with a population less than 15,000 people and contains either an 18-hole golf course or two or more tennis courts, then it qualifies for an alcohol permit, even if the permit conflicts with local laws.