Visiting App State’s Walker College of Business in Boone, NC: What to Know

A visit to Appalachian State University's Walker College of Business might bring you to Boone for a lot of different reasons.

Maybe you're a prospective student touring campus with your family.

Maybe you're attending an MBA information session.

You could be an alum returning for an event, an employer interviewing students, a guest speaker visiting a classroom or a business professional collaborating with the university.

Whatever brings you to Walker College, one of the advantages of visiting App State's Boone campus is that you're not arriving at an isolated university complex.

You're also arriving in the middle of one of North Carolina's most distinctive mountain towns.

Walker College of Business is located in Peacock Hall near downtown Boone, putting visitors close to Appalachian State's campus, King Street restaurants and shops, and some of the best ways to experience the High Country.

Here's what to know before your visit.

Where Is the Walker College of Business at App State?

The Walker College of Business is located in Kenneth E. Peacock Hall at 416 Howard Street in Boone, North Carolina.

Peacock Hall serves as the primary home of the college and sits on Appalachian State University's Boone campus near downtown.

Walker College currently includes six academic departments:

• Accounting
• Computer Information Systems
• Economics
• Finance, Banking and Insurance
• Management
• Marketing & Supply Chain Management

It also houses resources including Business Career Services, the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center and the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship.

For visitors, that means Peacock Hall is much more than a building filled with classrooms.

It's one of App State's primary hubs for business education, professional development, recruiting and collaboration.

What Is App State's Walker College of Business Known For?

Walker College is one of Appalachian State University's largest academic colleges.

Its current Open House materials list more than 4,200 undergraduate business students across 11 majors, in addition to graduate students pursuing advanced business degrees.

Undergraduate options span areas including accounting, finance, marketing, management, computer information systems, cybersecurity, risk management and insurance, and supply chain management. The college also offers numerous business minors and online programs.

Graduate offerings include programs such as:

Master of Business Administration
Master of Science in Accounting
Master of Science in Applied Data Analytics

Walker College also continues to expand its professional and emerging-business offerings, including an AI in Business Certificate planned for Fall 2026.

That range of programs means visitors to Peacock Hall might include everyone from high school students considering App State to executives returning to campus decades after graduation.

Can Prospective Students Tour the Walker College of Business?

Yes.

App State offers campus visits for prospective students, and Walker College provides business-specific tours on select dates.

A typical university visit includes an information session followed by an approximately 90-minute walking tour of Appalachian State's Boone campus. Prospective business students can also watch for specific Walker College tour opportunities through the university's visit calendar.

During larger events such as Open House, visitors may have opportunities to meet faculty from Walker College departments, explore Peacock Hall and learn about programs including entrepreneurship, risk management, academic advising and Business Career Services.

If you're traveling to Boone specifically to decide whether App State is the right fit, we recommend giving yourself more than just the time required for the official tour.

Walk campus.

Spend some time on King Street.

Have lunch downtown.

See what Boone feels like when you aren't following a tour guide.

For many students, understanding the town surrounding the university can be just as important as seeing a classroom.

Peacock Hall Is Entering a Major New Chapter

Visitors to Walker College right now are also seeing a significant transformation underway.

Appalachian State is completing the first large-scale renovation and expansion of Peacock Hall in more than 30 years.

As of August 2026, construction on a four-story, approximately 70,000-square-foot addition had passed the halfway point, with the expanded facility scheduled to open in 2027.

Plans for the project include:

• Modern classrooms
• Interactive learning spaces
• Student collaboration areas
• Career and advising spaces
• Business labs
• Corporate engagement areas
• Event and presentation spaces

One planned fourth-floor space is designed to accommodate approximately 300 people for instruction, presentations and corporate engagement, further expanding the college's ability to host visitors and business partners.

It's a significant investment in the future of business education at App State—and another reason more professionals, employers, alumni and prospective students are likely to find themselves visiting Peacock Hall in the years ahead.

Why Do Business Professionals Visit Walker College?

Not every person walking into Peacock Hall is a student or parent.

Walker College maintains strong connections with employers, alumni and the broader business community.

Business Career Services works with students preparing for internships and careers. Employers visit campus to recruit and interview candidates. The college's centers connect students with industries ranging from entrepreneurship and technology to finance and risk management.

There are also graduate information sessions, professional education programs, presentations and events throughout the academic year.

So if work brings you to Boone for a meeting, recruiting event, presentation or collaboration with Walker College, your trip doesn't necessarily need to feel like a traditional business trip.

That's one of the benefits of doing business at App State.

When your meetings end, downtown Boone is right there.

What Can You Do After Visiting Walker College?

This is where Boone has an advantage over many college towns.

You don't have to drive 20 minutes away from campus to find something to do.

King Street sits directly alongside Appalachian State, with restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, bars, galleries and local businesses concentrated throughout downtown.

After a day at Peacock Hall, you can walk downtown for dinner, browse Mast General Store, grab a local beer or simply explore King Street.

If you're a prospective student and parent, it's a chance to see what everyday life around App State might actually feel like.

If you're here for business, it means you can transition from a meeting to dinner without spending the rest of the evening driving around Boone.

And if you're an alum?

There's a good chance you'll spend part of the evening pointing out everything that's changed since you were here.

Where Should You Stay When Visiting Walker College of Business?

If your trip centers around Walker College or Appalachian State University, staying downtown can make the entire visit easier.

The Horton Hotel is located at 611 West King Street in downtown Boone, within walking distance of Appalachian State University and surrounded by downtown restaurants, shopping and entertainment.

Instead of staying outside town and driving back and forth every time you need to get to campus, downtown gives you a much more convenient home base.

Check in.

Leave the car.

Walk to campus.

Attend your meeting or tour.

Walk downtown for dinner.

Then head back to your hotel.

For parents touring App State with a prospective student, it also gives you an opportunity to actually experience the relationship between the university and Boone.

You're not just visiting campus.

You're staying in the community your student could eventually call home.

A Different Kind of Business Trip

There's also something nice about finishing a business trip to Boone somewhere that doesn't feel very much like a business hotel.

After your meetings at Walker College, come back to King Street and head upstairs to The Horton Rooftop.

From there, you can look across downtown Boone toward Appalachian State University and the surrounding mountains.

The rooftop provides expansive views of downtown, App State and Howard's Knob and is one of the features that makes staying in the center of Boone particularly memorable.

Have a cocktail.

Talk through the day.

Or simply remind yourself that your meeting happened to be in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

There are worse places to travel for work.

Make More of Your Visit to Appalachian State

Whether you're visiting the Walker College of Business to choose a university, interview a future employee, attend an event, reconnect with your alma mater or explore graduate education, Boone is worth experiencing beyond the walls of Peacock Hall.

That's part of what makes Appalachian State different.

The university, downtown and mountains aren't separate destinations.

They're all part of the same place.

And from The Horton Hotel on King Street, you can experience all three.

Stay downtown.

Walk to App State.

Explore King Street when the meetings are over.

And before you leave Boone, take a moment to look back at campus from the rooftop.

Your trip to the Walker College of Business might be what brings you here.

Boone can take care of the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions About Walker College of Business

Where is App State's Walker College of Business?

The Walker College of Business is housed in Kenneth E. Peacock Hall at 416 Howard Street in Boone, North Carolina, on Appalachian State University's Boone campus.

What is Peacock Hall at Appalachian State?

Peacock Hall is the primary academic home of the Walker College of Business. It houses classrooms, academic departments, student resources, business centers and career services.

Can prospective students visit the Walker College of Business?

Yes. Prospective students can schedule an Appalachian State campus tour, and Walker College-specific tours are offered on selected dates.

What majors are offered by App State's Walker College of Business?

Walker College offers programs in areas including accounting, computer information systems, cybersecurity, economics, finance, risk management and insurance, management, marketing and supply chain management.

Does App State have an MBA program?

Yes. Walker College offers an MBA along with other graduate business programs, including master's programs in accounting and applied data analytics.

Is Peacock Hall being renovated?

Yes. Appalachian State is completing a major renovation and approximately 70,000-square-foot addition to Peacock Hall. As of August 2026, the project was more than halfway complete and the addition was scheduled to open in 2027.

Where should parents stay when visiting Appalachian State?

Downtown Boone is a convenient option because it places visitors close to campus as well as King Street restaurants and shopping. The Horton Hotel is located directly on West King Street within walking distance of Appalachian State University.

Where should business travelers stay when visiting Walker College of Business?

The Horton Hotel provides a downtown Boone option close to Appalachian State and Peacock Hall, with guest rooms, downtown parking, a fitness center, sauna, lounge and rooftop bar.

Are there hotels within walking distance of Appalachian State University?

Yes. The Horton Hotel is located directly on King Street in downtown Boone and is within walking distance of Appalachian State University's campus.

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