Etc.

North Carolina ski resort isn't one to be left out in the cold

Many American families who prefer the bracing mountain air to beach sand and palm trees will head off to traditional big-name Western resorts such as Lake Tahoe, Vail, and Aspen over the winter holidays. Others, meanwhile, will make plans to visit a far less predictable destination: Beech Mountain, N.C. The editors of two popular vacation rental websites, vacationhomes.com and vamoose.com, have rated Beech Mountain one of the top 10 holiday vacation destinations this coming winter. A Blue Ridge Mountain resort that became an incorporated town in 1981, Beech Mountain calls itself the highest ski area in eastern North America. The top winter holiday spots based on an analysis of website traffic, property inquiries, and page views by VacationHomes and Vamoose:

• 1. Lake Tahoe, Calif.
• 2. Breckenridge, Colo.
• 3. Beech Mountain, N.C.
• 4. Vail, Colo.
• 5. Catskill Mountains, N.Y.
• 6. Beaver Creek, Colo.
• 7. Winter Park, Colo.
• 8. Big Bear Lake, Calif.
• 9. Aspen, Colo.
• 10. Park City, Utah