# Asheville, NC  suggestions



## Gramma5 (May 2, 2009)

We are going to be in Asheville, NC for several days in mid May. We are wondering if anyone has any suggestions for restaurants and other things to to see besides the Biltmore. We will be in town for 3 days. Is it worth taking two days to see the Biltmore, or will one long day be plenty?  Do we need to take a guided tour or are the taped tours good?
I have wanted to see the Biltmore for years , so am excited for this visit. We are not timesharing until we get to Nashville...on the 17th.
Thanks for any suggestions!


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## btcctomtb (May 3, 2009)

Just got my Budget Travel Magazine yesterday and they have a good deal listed $412 Two nights at the Crown Plaza Resort, a $50 resort Credit and a pair of two-day Go Blue Ridge Cards valid at the Biltmore Mansion. The price is per room based on two people. Mention Promo code IKALLGBT when booking. WHY IS IT A DEAL? you save 30% off the regular room rate plus you get two passes (a $160 value). good at the Biltmore and other attractions, as well as the $50 for meals, golf or tennis. Offer valid May 1st - July 31 *SS NA* Crown Plaza Resort - crowneplaza.com


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## pcgirl54 (May 3, 2009)

Gramma
We went 2 yrs ago and had always wanted to see Biltmore for many years. 1 day is enough and doing the audio tour is a must otherwise you lose the details. Eat at The Stable I believe the line forms at 11:00 or 11:30 with meals being about $13-$15pp. There are a few little shops right there that area that carry the vineyard wines and have samples. Charming atmosphere right on the estate grounds. 

  You can buy tickets in advance online. Gates open at 8 and I would get there early to avoid any crowds. There is a mini farm(avoid) and a winery( could skip) on the grounds but you have to drive to get there. Near the mansion there are gardens and greenhouses. 

The town of Asheville is nice to drive through or walk around but it is not a must do. Lots of little places to eat there including Mellow Mushroom like the one in Hilton Head.(pizza and subs)
Famous Grove Park Inn has a nice breakfast buffet $16 and it beautiful inside with a massive stone fireplace with chairs and tables and hot cocoa. I do not know if they have the fire going at this time of yearbut it is neat to see. We visited Biltmore during the holidays. Again not a must do but if you are in the area take a peek. There is a spa 7 ot 8 stories below ground.

If you are near Pigeon Forge it is worth a stop. I did not care for Gatlinburg but I did like PF. The "Apple Barn" and the "Christmas Place" are a must do IMHO. http://www.applebarncidermill.com/ http://www.christmasplace.com

We did not have the time but there are outlet malls in Sevierville which is 2-3 miles down the road.


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## EAM (May 3, 2009)

Gramma5 said:


> We are going to be in Asheville, NC for several days in mid May. We are wondering if anyone has any suggestions for restaurants and other things to to see besides the Biltmore. We will be in town for 3 days. Is it worth taking two days to see the Biltmore, or will one long day be plenty?  Do we need to take a guided tour or are the taped tours good?
> I have wanted to see the Biltmore for years , so am excited for this visit. We are not timesharing until we get to Nashville...on the 17th.
> Thanks for any suggestions!



The taped tours are good but cannot answer your questions.  I would prefer a guide.
The NC arboretum is nice.  I don't know when the azaleas and rhododendrons start blooming.  I think they peak in June.


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## Gramma5 (May 3, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions. Keep them coming. We are in our motorhome, so do not need a place to stay. We will be going to Nashville after Ashville and staying at the Wyndham t/s for a week. so any suggestions for Nashville would be great too!


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## pcgirl54 (May 3, 2009)

*Biltmore Tickets & Tours*

http://www.biltmore.com/buy_tickets/admission.asp

http://www.biltmore.com/buy_tickets/more_biltmore.asp


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## IreneLF (May 3, 2009)

Spent a day in Asheville a couple of years ago. Got a walking tour brochure from the tourist office which was helpful for finding downtown highlights/statues /architecture etc. 

We traveled with kids so needed some kid friendly/budget suggestions for eating. 
A local friend recommended the Mellow Mushroom (upscale pizzas/salads/sandwiches) in a colorful funky setting, which was right in the area and very good fopr lunch.   
Also  Grove Arcade is a mall in an historic building, also downtown, and has an outlet for the local favorite custard, Kamms.


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## mecllap (May 3, 2009)

You can certainly see the public areas of the Estate in one long day, but there are additional activities (a little on the spendy side) if you want to really enjoy it for two days.  The audio tour is good for first-time visitors (it's just for the house and takes about two hours; lots of stairs); no need to do a guided tour (there's only one a day anyway) -- there are lots of staff you can ask questions of if you have any.   You can check all the extras out on the web site.  I prefer the Bistro (or the Arbor Grill outside) at the winery for lunch, but the regular winery tour is a little lame.  The Stable is also good for lunch; the Country Kitchen in Biltmore Village (no longer part of the Estate) is good.  Also in Biltmore Village is a special McDonalds -- worth a visit if you ever do McD's.  You can read the menus for the restaurants on the Estate at the Welcome/Ticket Center (which is worth a stop even if you already have tickets (get a map and watch the movie).  Some of the other winery activities are interesting, like the Production Tour.  You can do the wine tasting without walking thru the tour.  In May, a carriage or trail ride might be fun, or the Segway.   There are also walking and biking trails (go to the Outdoor Center behind the Winery for a map or to rent a bike (I think there's a fee to use your own bike also). 

The NC Arboretum is pretty this time of year, and also offers a fun Segway experience (cheaper than the Biltmore).  Downtown is worth a visit -- lots of good places to ear, funky places to shop, a couple of museums, some Art  Deco architecture.   The visitor center is close to downtown, but a little awkward to get to oddly.  

Lots of wonderful restaurants -- just about anything you can imagine.  

What kind of experiences are you looking for?   South of town, maybe a half hour, is the Carl Sandburg home (an NPS site).  In town is the Thomas Wolfe house.  There are usually lots of plays and concerts going on.  

Heading toward Nashville can take you thru the Great Smoky Mtns NP, along the Blue Ridge Parkway and thru Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge.  

(Parking downtown can seem expensive (have lots of quarters if use the meters) and be careful where you park downtown -- we have a "predatory" towing problem in some open lots -- look carefully for signs).

Oh -- and in Nashville, the Opryland Hotel is worth a visit, even if not staying there; maybe go for lunch.


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## rod (May 3, 2009)

A few restaurant suggestions:

The Moose Cafe, which is located on Brevard Road just north of town, is a traditional bastion of good, inexpensive southern country cooking.  Very good biscuits, fried chicken, pulled pork and vegetables that, in season, taste as if they came fresh from the farmers market next door.  (The Moose takes cash only.)  www.eatatthemoosecafe.com

Another good place to eat in Asheville is a place called Picnics Restaurant & Bake Shop on Merrimon Avenue.  The wood-roasted chicken is excellent, as is the chicken pot pie.  As the name suggests, this is also a bakery, and the pies and other baked goods are also very good.  www.picnicsrestaurant-bakeshop.com

Tupelo Honey Cafe, which is located in downtown Asheville, is more upscale and specializes in serving food purchased from local providers.  www.tupelohoneycafe.com

Vicenzo's in downtown Asheville is said to have very good Italian food and a nice wine list.  www.vincenzos.com


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## jme (May 4, 2009)

*Asheville*

pcgirl has good advice above, in two posts. she's always been reliable!!!

We stayed at Grove Park Inn over Thanksgiving week and revisited the Biltmore House for about the 12th time. The audio tour is sufficient, and the Biltmore House can be seen easily in a half-day, or a full day if you linger, do the winery, gardens, and perhaps dine at the Stables Restaurant, which I HIGHLY recommend. Lunch there after a tour is great. 

If you ever visit again, the "behind the scenes tour" is very interesting, but only if you've done the regular audio tour previously. And somewhere along the line, try the special, reservations only, carriage ride (private guide) in the four-seater carriage. (There are about three variations of the carriage ride....all very different, but the private four-seater is far and away the best.) That involves a two-hour ride around the estate grounds, to hillsides I never knew existed, where you can look back at the magnificent house from special vantage points. Amazing photo ops!!!  The guide knows alll about everything, and if you start to ask questions, he opens up and tells you all kinds of great stuff----little-known details about the family and the history of the estate....things I had never heard (and I've been going there all my life, off and on).  He even knows the current family members-----members of the Cecil family, who still own the estate. My college-age kids said that the carriage ride during the Thanksgiving holidays was one of the best things they've ever done....we were all bundled up in blankets, singing and laughing, and having a blast....asking questions and learning cool stuff, and enjoying each other at a fantastically special time of year....(it really seemed sort of like we were in that Budweiser commercial, but without the snow). Anyway, it was very, very special, and we have some great photos. 

Absolutely Don't Miss visiting the Grove Park Inn, and have a candlelight dinner at the Blue Ridge Dining Room atop the Vanderbilt Wing ----huge glass floor-to-ceiling windows which overlook the valley (& cityscape of Asheviille in distance), and it's simply gorgeous, and has great food too. Reservations required....ask for window table....there are about a dozen or more, and "almost" window tables are great too.  Distant city lights at night are very pretty. Stay a while & have a drink in the Great Hall too....it's fun.....that's what they call the lobby, because it's so huge. It's the location of huge ballroom-type parties with famous people in a time long, long ago.

Downtown Asheville is wonderful just to walk around...there's a great dessert and pastry shop (forget the name) which is wooooonderful. For other restaurants in Asheville, i've always found it best to simply look online and read all reviews, and then decide. If you follow advice without checking it out, you could be disappointed, and Asheville restaurants have changed a lot in the last 2-3 years, so I won't even mention any except the ones already mentioned..... have fun, Marty (jme)


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## catwgirl (May 4, 2009)

If you like BBQ, we enjoyed 12 Bones in Asheville.

http://www.12bones.com/

It's a "hole in the wall" but good.


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## Lisa P (May 4, 2009)

I agree about the taped tours at Biltmore Estate, the best option for first time visitors.  Also recommend a visit to the Grove Park Inn, as it's a true landmark with good restaurants, a wonderful lobby for an evening coffee or drink, and an outdoor covered patio with rockers overlooking downtown and the mountain sunset, all open to day guests.

There are many, many local restaurants to try in Asheville.  Or, get a picnic lunch and drive a bit along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

If you go south from Asheville along the BRP, it's only a half hour or so (with pretty views) to the trailhead for Mt. Pisgah (not too strenuous) as well as the simple motel, Pisgah Inn, with a restaurant (though you're there for the views), or across the way, a picnic area surrounded by rhododendrons.

If instead, you go north on the BRP, it's only a few miles from Asheville to the Folk Art Center, where you may see gorgeous mountain arts and crafts - pottery, glass, jewelry, woodworking, weavings, etc.  About another half hour up the BRP, there's Craggy Gardens picnic area, surrounded by rhododendrons, and further still, is Mt. Mitchell, with the highest point in the U.S. east of the Mississippi and a drive up to a fairly easy walking path to the peak.



EAM said:


> The NC arboretum is nice.  I don't know when the azaleas and rhododendrons start blooming.  I think they peak in June.


ExploreAsheville.com has the seasonal flower bloom schedules throughout the region, with expected blooms at the Biltmore Estate, the NC Arboretum, Mt. Mitchell and the Grandfather Mountain area by Linville Falls.  It has fall color reports too, for those considering an autumn visit.  Most azaleas in the downtown Asheville area have already been in peak bloom for a week now (end of April, early May).  The mountain laurels will bloom soon and in late-May, rhododendrons will begin with June being prettier at Craggy Gardens, if you're planning a drive north on the BRP.    HTH.


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## JUDIE25 (May 5, 2009)

When you check the Biltmore web site--check the ticket prices and be sure to sign up for email notification of promotions.  We did and received an email that notified us that if we bought our tickets in advance, we would get a free tape tour rental.  We weigh in on the Bistro --not cheap but fabulous food.  
Since we stayed at Foxrun, we only at at two restaurants in Asheville, Bistro and another that is not worth recommending.


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## Becky (May 7, 2009)

North Carolina has a new ticket for admission to thirty different attractions. Good for 2, 3, or 5 days which expires in two weeks. I found the link in the North Carolina Book at the Welcome Center. If you cannot find the information, email me and I will look it up in my book.

The prices and info were online.

Becky


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## tammigirl (May 17, 2009)

The Biltmore Estate requires two days if you want to get to explore the grounds as well. When we went our then 14 year old daughter was quite upset she didn't get to spend the whole day (or longer) in the house. If you really just want a quick tour of the house one day could be fine. If you want to get to see all of the house and explore the grounds and shops I recommend two days.


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## Swice (Jun 17, 2009)

*Bed & Breakfast*

A nice Bed and Breakfast near Biltmore Estate is called the Cedar Crest Inn.   It was built the same year as the Biltmore started construction.


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