Banner Elk is located in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. It is located between two ski resorts, Sugar Mountain Resort in the south and Beech Mountain Resort in the north. The Banner House Museum is located in town and displays period furniture, tools, clothing, and other items in an 1861 home. Wildcat Lake also has a beach, and a pier. Grandfather Mountain, to the southeast, is home to a nature trail, a nature museum and the Mile High Swinging Bridge.