Wedding DJ at FireRock Station in Vilas, NC

The Space

On 29.5 acres near Sugar Grove sits FireRock Station, a family-owned venue run by Craig and Kelly Doughtry and their daughter Sam Benfield. The centerpiece is an event barn built with a full kitchen and bar on the first floor, four TVs and a projector, and two second-floor bunk rooms with 12 single bunk beds total plus two chaperone rooms, so a wedding party can stay on site rather than drive in the morning of.

Outside, the property adds two decks, a fire pit with lounge chairs, and a pavilion connected to an outdoor tent, giving couples a mix of covered and open-air space to work with. Luxury RV sites with electric and water hookups round out the grounds, a detail that points to a venue built for a full weekend of guests rather than a single afternoon event, and one worth knowing about for out of town family who would rather stay on site than book a hotel in Boone.

Capacity & Layout

FireRock Station seats up to 250 for a wedding and can hold 300 standing, numbers that put it in range for a mid-to-large celebration without needing to split guests across separate rooms. A 4,000 square foot tent, available from March through October, extends the barn’s footprint for the reception or dancing while keeping the kitchen and bar close at hand inside, so caterers and the bar team are not running food across open ground to reach a detached tent.

Separate dressing areas are available for both sides of the wedding party, useful on a property where getting ready and staying overnight often happen in the same building. Restrooms include a custom trailer in addition to the barn’s own facilities, sized for the tent’s 300 person capacity rather than the smaller barn interior alone, and the two second-floor bunk rooms with their 12 beds and two chaperone rooms mean a large wedding party can sleep over rather than caravan out after the reception ends.

Amenities

The barn’s kitchen and full bar mean drinks and prep space are already built in, and the venue also permits food trucks, giving couples a second catering option beyond a traditional plated dinner. A bridal suite with its own balcony gives the wedding party a dedicated space to get ready above the main floor, and the first floor’s four TVs and projector give a rehearsal dinner or a rainy-day gathering somewhere to settle in.

The fire pit and lounge chairs give guests a gathering spot once the dancing winds down, and wildflowers across the grounds add color without a florist’s help. Being roughly ten minutes from Boone, Valle Crucis and the Tennessee state line, the venue also works as a jumping-off point for a rehearsal dinner or a day-after brunch in town, and the two outdoor decks give guests a place to spread out during cocktail hour before the reception moves indoors.

Location & Getting There

FireRock Station sits in the mountains near Sugar Grove, close enough to Boone and Valle Crucis for guests to explore before or after the wedding, but private enough on its own 29.5 acres that the ceremony itself feels remote from any town.

With the reception able to move between the enclosed barn, the seasonal tent and the open pavilion, a DJ has real choices to make room by room: the barn’s kitchen and bar area calls for a contained indoor setup, while the tent and pavilion, open on the sides, need speakers angled to hold sound across a bigger, less enclosed space.