|
|
Asheville offers visitors year-round treasures
|
ATTRACTIONSHistoric Downtown Pick up an Asheville Urban Trail brochure to help map out a walking tour of historic downtown, a treasure trove of Art Deco architecture. The 1.6-mile loop highlights 27 historic "stations," including many buildings saved because the city was so devastated by the 1929 crash and Great Depression that for years could never afford the sort of "urban renewal" that razed historic buildings in more prosperous cities. A popular stop for visitors is the boyhood home of author Thomas Wolfe, the barely fictionalized "Dixieland" of Look Homeward Angel. The rambling, white frame house is open for tours. (704-253-8304.) Other notable sites downtown include the domed Catholic and Baptist churches, extravagant city hall, the YMI Cultural Center, Battery Park Arcade (now federal government offices) and the newly renovated S & W Cafeteria building. A recent addition is Pack Place (704-257-4500,) an arts, education and science center in a historic building on the square which now houses two museums, a theater, and The Health Adventure, a hands-on learning experience kids enjoy. Area historic sites Many consider touring the Biltmore Estate (800-543-2961) the prime reason to visit Asheville. The magnificent 255-room French Renaissance chateau built by George Washington Vanderbilt in 1895 is the largest private home in America, with more than four acres under one roof. The estate holds an annual holiday celebration in November and December, with lavish Christmas decorations and candlelight evening tours. In the spring and summer the 8,000-acre estate's magnificent gardens come to life. Year-round tours and tastings are offered at the estate's winery. Biltmore is still owned by descendants of Vanderbilt, so admission charges reflect a lack of government funding: daytime visits are $25.95 for adults, $19.75 for ages 10-15, under 9 free. (Effective April 12 prices will be $27.95 for adults and $21.00 for youth.) During the Festival of Flowers, April 12 to May 11, special evening tours will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays for $29.95 adult and $22.50 youth. Poet and biographer Carl Sandburg's 263-acre farm in nearby Flat Rock (704-693-4178,) where he lived from 1945 until his death in 1967, provides a cozy contrast to Vanderbilt's grand estate. Connemara, as Sandburg called his mountain home, looks like a comfortable place to curl up with a good book. (He had more than 10,000.) The house appears almost as if the family was just out taking a walk after lunch, with newspapers and magazines open, mail on the table and a box of tissues handy. For an even earlier historic perspective on mountain life, there's the Vance Homestead (704-645-6706,) a restored 18th-century farm near Weaverville. Visitors can get a taste of pioneer life at the scenic former home of Zebulon Vance, governor of North Carolina during the Civil War.
ACTIVITIESSightseeing A short drive from Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway gives visitors a glimpse of stunning mountain vistas. The Parkway is free and open year-round, weather permitting. Call 704-298-0398 to check access if planning a winter trip northward to Mt. Mitchell (highest peak east of the Rockies) or south to Mt. Pisgah. Hiking, biking Consider exploring the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest, which offers dozens of waterfalls and hiking trails. The forest has entrances from the Parkway and from NC 280 near Brevard. The Parkway is popular for cyclists year round, though there's far less car traffic in cooler months. Mountain biking has become hugely popular around Asheville, which has miles of excellent off-road riding. Rental bikes and trail information are available at local cycling shops. Shopping Asheville and nearby Black Mountain are meccas for antique and craft shopping. Antique stores are centered around Lexington Avenue in Asheville and Cherry Street in Black Mountain. The Southern Highland Handicraft Guild has a store in Asheville and operates the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a striking building that showcases craft demonstrations and changing exhibits.
In Biltmore Village look for New Morning Gallery, featuring "art for living"; the Early Music Shop, which sells dulcimers, other instruments and recorded music, and Bellagio, purveyor of handcrafted jewelry and clothing.
Restaurants, cafes and coffee houses are plentiful throughout the Asheville area. Local favorites downtown include: Blue Moon Bakery, Biltmore Avenue; The Laughing Seed, Wall Street; 23 Page, Haywood Avenue; The Market Place, Wall Street; Cafe on the Square, Biltmore Avenue; the Latin Quarter, Haywood Avenue; La Caterina Trattoria and BeanStreets Coffee.
Probably the most popular spot to hear homegrown talent and national acts on tour is Be Here Now, a no-smoking nightclub on Biltmore Avenue that draws a cross section of local residents and visitors. Pick up a free copy of Out 'n About, a local arts and entertainment guide, for current listings at clubs around town.
The Asheville area is particularly rich in small inns and bed & breakfasts, most located in historic homes. Each has its own ambience, from elegant city homes furnished with antiques to rustic mountain lodges. Many have fireplaces in guest rooms for those cool mountain evenings. Check with the inns if traveling with children -- many do not permit guests under 12.
South of town, The Cedar Crest Victorian Inn (800-252-0310) is filled with rich period furnishings, and from its perch on a hill next to Biltmore Village offers quick access to attractions.
Montford, a historic neighborhood adjoining downtown, is the site of several beautiful old homes converted to bed & breakfasts. A newer addition is Abbington Green (704-251-2454,) where names of London gardens and parks distinguish the doors of the eight guest rooms.
Tucked away in the neighborhoods of north Asheville are several popular lodging spots: The Bridle Path Inn (704-252-0035); Albemarle Inn (704-255-0027) and the antebellum Old Reynolds Mansion (704-254-0496.)
Numerous small inns are found east of Asheville in Black Mountain, where there are old favorites in town like the Red Rocker Inn (704-669-5991) and mountainside hideaways like Bed and Breakfast Over Yonder (704-669-6762.)
For lodging on a grand scale, one of the oldest and most famous hotels in the area is The Grove Park Inn (800-438-5800,) built in 1913 of boulders hewn from the mountain on which it stands overlooking Asheville.
The 510-room hotel houses the world's largest collection of furniture and fixtures from the Arts & Crafts era, custom made for the inn when it opened. The inn decorates lavishly for the holidays.
The Haywood Park Hotel (33 rooms, 800-228-2522) is also unique to Asheville, located downtown in a renovated historic building that once housed the city's premier department store.
For maps and information on attractions, events and a full listing of accommodations, stop at the Asheville Visitors Center, 151 Haywood St., just off exit 4-C of I-240. (8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. 704-258-6100.) For advance information, call 800-257-1300.
|
| |
contact us |