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Riverwatch Bar & Grill

@riverwatchgrill

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🌊 Waterfront Bar & Grill
🍔 Unique Burgers & More
❤️ Family-Owned
🏆 #1 in Chimney Rock Since ’98
☕️ @riverwatchcoffeegifts

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It’s been a great summer here at RiverWatch! ☀️🍔🍹

Our first full summer back after Helene, and now officially more than one full year since reopening! Thank you to everyone who came by and spent part of it with us. ❤️

Have a favorite photo from RiverWatch this summer? Add it in the comments below! ⬇️ We’d love to see it! 📸 taken in Chimney Rock, North Carolina by @riverwatchgrill

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2 months ago

Ahhh.. It’s finally the WEEKEND! Time to join us in @chimneyrockvillage & enjoy one of our 31 different burgers to choose from… Pictured is our Classic RiverWatch Cheeseburger. 🤤🍔😍 taken in Riverwatch Grill by @riverwatchgrill

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4 years ago

Hurricane Helene Before, During, and After in Chimney Rock, NC taken in Riverwatch Grill by @riverwatchgrill

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2 years ago

Phew! 😮‍💨 The storm has passed, leaving us with beautiful blue skies and a gorgeous day! ☀️ We’ll open at 12 PM today to give our staff extra time to travel in safely. Please note ⬇️
⚠️ NOTICE: Hwy 74A/64/9 between downtown Chimney Rock Village and Bat Cave is temporarily closed due to high water. NCDOT and Wright Brothers Construction are on the scene checking for damage. The Village is open with access from the east through Lake Lure. taken in Chimney Rock, North Carolina by @riverwatchgrill

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19 hours ago

Hey guys! With more rain expected throughout the evening, we’ve decided to close at 7 PM tonight to give everyone a little extra time to get home safely. Thank you all for your hard work today and for being flexible with the weather! Please be careful on your way home and stay safe! 🤍 by @riverwatchgrill

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2 days ago

Even SpongeBob heard about the Best Burgers in the Blue Ridge! 🍔😉 Now he’s helping on the grill at RiverWatch!

Our Scarecrow is #7 in the Scarecrow Contest!! Stop by and scan his QR code to cast your vote! 🎃 taken in The Krusty Krab by @riverwatchgrill

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3 days ago

October at RiverWatch 🎃🎶

Save the dates for live music all month long, and keep an eye on that October 31st date. 👀 We’ve got more Halloween fun to share soon! 👻 taken in Chimney Rock, North Carolina by @riverwatchgrill

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8 days ago

** correction, videos are from 2024 and 2026!

Two years ago today, Hurricane Helene changed Chimney Rock and Western North Carolina forever ❤️‍🩹

The flood tore through this tiny mountain village, destroying homes, businesses, roads, and pieces of a place generations of people loved.

But this is about what came after ♥️

Two years of rebuilding. Two years of local businesses fighting to reopen. Two years of neighbors, volunteers, workers, and visitors showing up again and again.

There are still scars. There is still work to do. But Chimney Rock is here. The village is alive again. Businesses are open. Visitors are back. And seeing these 2024 → 2026 comparisons makes just how far this community has come feel impossible to put into words.

If you visit Western North Carolina this fall, visit Chimney Rock 🫶 Shop small. Eat local. Spend the day here.

Because one of the most meaningful ways we can continue supporting our mountain communities is simply to keep showing up.

Two years later, Chimney Rock is still rebuilding and still welcoming us back ❤️‍🩹

#ChimneyRock #HurricaneHelene #WesternNorthCarolina #WNC #LakeLure taken in Blue Ridge Mountains by @riverwatchgrill

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14 days ago

Two years ago today, our world changed forever.

On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated Chimney Rock. In a matter of hours, so much of the place we love was changed, damaged, or gone.

But when we look back on these last two years, we don’t want that day or the storm to be the defining chapter of our story.

Our story isn’t the hurricane. It’s how this community came back.

It’s the neighbors who showed up for neighbors. The first responders who were there for it all. The volunteers who came from near and far. The crews who worked tirelessly. The people who donated, prayed, visited, shopped, ate, shared our story, and reminded us over and over again that Chimney Rock was worth fighting for.

There was never a question of if we would come back. We knew we would. We just didn’t know exactly what that road would look like. And over the last two years, that road has been filled with more kindness, hard work, and support than we ever could have imagined.

Two years later, businesses have reopened, visitors are back, and our little village is alive again. And we aren’t finished.

Through the Raise the Rock Action Plan, we have the opportunity not only to rebuild what was lost, but to create a stronger, more resilient Chimney Rock for generations to come.

There is still work ahead, but there is so so much to be proud of and even more to look forward to.

Two years later, we’re still here, and we’re just getting started. We are stronger than the storm. ⛰️❤️ by @riverwatchgrill

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14 days ago

A pretty special Saturday in Chimney Rock! As we approach the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene tomorrow, we were honored to welcome Governor Josh Stein and some of his team to RiverWatch today and share a little bit of our story, our community, and just how far Chimney Rock has come.

We’re incredibly proud of our community and so grateful for everyone who has continued to show up, support us, and believe in Western North Carolina. ⛰️ taken in Chimney Rock, North Carolina by @riverwatchgrill

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15 days ago

You guysssss!!! 🤯🍔🏆 We are SO excited to announce that RiverWatch Grill has officially been voted BEST BURGER in the Best of Blue Ridge Community’s Choice Awards!

We are incredibly proud of this one! A HUGE thank you to everyone who voted for us, to our amazing team, and to all of you who continue to support our family business.

After everything our little community has been through, getting to celebrate a win like this feels extra special. 🥹

BEST BURGER IN THE BLUE RIDGE!!! 🍔⛰️ Come see us in Chimney Rock and try it for yourself! ❤️ taken in Riverwatch Grill by @riverwatchgrill

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23 days ago

🇺🇸 9/11/2001. Never Forget.

A letter from our owner, Matt Banz—

Every year on September 11, I think back to where I was and what I was doing that day. Today, it’s hard to believe that was 25 years ago.

At the time, I was a volunteer firefighter in Chimney Rock. Watching the events of 9/11 unfold was devastating for everyone, but being a firefighter made the loss of 343 fellow firefighters especially difficult to comprehend.

I remember feeling like I needed to do something.

I designed a memorial magnet honoring the firefighters we lost that day and started selling them at the Arcade Building in Lake Lure. People from our little community bought the magnets and supported the cause, and we sent the money we raised to New York to help the firefighters and their families.

I still have one of those magnets today, and so does Chimney Rock firefighter Ronnie Wood, who still proudly displays his on his truck 25 years later.

When I look at that magnet, it reminds me of more than just that terrible day. It reminds me of what happened afterward.

People came together. Communities helped one another. American flags were everywhere. For a while, it didn’t matter where you came from or what you believed, we were simply Americans standing together.

I’m proud that our small community in Western North Carolina was able to do something, even if it was small, to let the firefighters and families in New York know that people hundreds of miles away were thinking about them.

Today, 25 years later, I remember the 343 firefighters who answered their final call, every innocent person who lost their life, and all the families who were forever changed.

I’m also grateful for the firefighters who continue to answer the call today, especially those right here at the Chimney Rock Volunteer Fire Department. It means a great deal to know that our community continues to have men and women willing to serve, protect, and be there when their neighbors need them most.

May we never forget them, and may we never forget how united we once were. 🇺🇸🚒

— Matt Banz taken in Chimney Rock, North Carolina by @riverwatchgrill

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