Asheville- considering 1st time trip in mid-April
 

I'd done some reading. I know Asheville has restaurants and art and shops....What would a 4-5 day visit be like? What else is there to see/do? We're 2 mid-aged women. Don't need water parks for kids or that kind of thing. I don't get a heap of vacation time, so we like to chose our vacations wisely. I always receive good advice from people on this site.

If you just want to go and relax, then 4-5days in Asheville might be wonderful but know that's it's a SMALL city. We are only 4hrs from there (in Atlanta) and consider it a good spot to drive to for a long weekend. I think if we were going there for the length of time you are considering, my DH and I would probably look into combining it with another spot, consider some hiking (don't know how active you are...) or driving the scenic Blue Ridge Pkwy.

Asheville has some beautiful crafts/art shops and *think* in/near Burnsville (outside of Asheville) there is an arts school where you can also buy the crafts--if I'm remembering the name of the town correctly, Burnsville is where lots of the artists actually live. According to one of my friends, you can get the same art for less up there...

There are also some nice dining spots but can't remember any names so hopefully someone with a better memory will chime in. :)

Not sure it is Burnsville. Penlands is the craft school and is not far from Asheville with a very large artists' colony in the area. The "crafts" are of the quality you would see in museums. HOwever, near Asheville is the Appalachian crafts store--just north of town on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

OWJ gave you already some good suggestions but everything depends on your interests. For me, the outdoor activities would be priority and there are plenty of those. For my DS, visiting local galleries would be the most important thing. You won't run out of options to shop, eat in good restaurants or visit galleries. Besides that you need to chose because there is a lot to do. Just recently there were few posts on this area. Whatever you do don't miss visiting Biltmore Estate www.biltmore.com. There is going to be the Flower Show in April.

Do search here under Asheville and give us an idea what are your interests besides restaurants, art and shops. I recall there was a great post on restaurants in Asheville. Have a fun planning your trip.

I agree w/ Pat. The restaurants and shopping are the icing. The cake is the granduer of Pisgah and the rest of the Smokeys and Blue Ridge. If you like to hike/bike/paddle or just go on long gorgeous drives, then 4-5 days will be chock full.

If you just wanted to do city stuff, you could probably still fill them up, but it would be much more expensive...I'm thinking a day or so at the spa at Grove Park ;-)

Hi Litespeed,
You mention biking as I know you have in the past. How hilly is the terrain? I'd like to do some long distance rides minus the ups and downs.

Any other good onroad/trail areas or websites you'd rec. around Asheville or western SC?
Sherry

Asheville is very up and down.

Thanks Gretchen,yet again. Sorry NativeNY for butting in on your thread.
Sherry

Cyborg: Pisgah is pointy. However, there is some flat-ish gravel road riding to be found around the NC Arboretum/Bent Creek areas. Not a lot of miles, though, if you stay in the flats near the river.

As for road biking...I'm not as familiar with that...mainly in the Asheville area I ride the parkway which is decidedly mountainous. I think there is a flat road near the French Broad where they do a TT every year. Try the second link below.

www.mtbikewnc.com
www.BlueRidgeBicycleClub.org

Perfect - thanks Litespeed - both are good sites.
Sherry

I like walking around Biltmore Village just outside of Biltmore Estate. It has boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and other shops and offices. You can get a map of the village shops there. Black Mountain also has some cute boutiques and coffee shops. Get on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a nice drive--but know that potty breaks are far and few in some areas (I shouldn't have had that cup of coffee beforehand).

Here's what I would do on a 4-5 day visit.
-spend an day at the Grove Park Spa - get one of the least expensive treatments and then lounge around in the pool for part of the day. Change and head upstairs and have a drink in the Great Hall or if it's warm enough walk outside and look down at the city.
-walk around downtown. Have a meal at Salsa's - persuse the galleries and cool shops
-do the Biltmore and Bilmore Village
-Do a drive along the Parkway and go to Craggy Gardens for a hike or stop in Black Mountain or Waynesville (different directions)and see some small towns.
-do a paddle down the river
-visit the Arboreteum and hike around Bent Creek.
-spend some time antiquing - one of my favorites is Riverside Antique Mall. Sanctuary of Stuff in Woodfin has a cool hodge podge of antiques and made things.

I would book a couple of nights at Grove Park. Spend the day at the SPA..yes, book one inexpensive treatment and then spend the rest of the day in the pools. There are so many beautiful drives out of Ashville..the parkway, Black Mountain, etc. Biltmore is a must. Better if you book one of the backstairs tours..

Thanks, all. You do make it sound like an appealing, pretty, worthwhile trip.

Boy, just reading this thread makes me want to call up the Grove Park Inn. I totally agree with all the suggestions made and have a couple more suggestions: there is an Indian enclave in Cherokee across the Blue Ridge Parkway with Native American arts/crafts. Black Moutain is very worthwhile for arts/crafts as well. Not too far, maybe 45 min from there is Lake Lure. While there is a small public beach, there is also arts/crafts and a big mountain theatre with entertainment options. Also the Esmerelda Inn (where Bogey & Bacall spent their honeymoon). There are a couple of nice white tablecloth restaurants with very fresh fish. I think you could find a lot of do for 4-5 days, but I wouldn't advise going much before May when the weather will be warmer.

We are restricted to taking our vacation in mid-April. Is it foolish to visit Asheville in April and not wait until we can go when it's warmer? Also, those of you who mention Grove Park spa talk about the pool. Outdoor or indoor? Obviously in April an outdoor pool is out of the question! We like leisurely walks, although we wouldn't qualify as hikers! Just looking for a nice few days, with things to do, good food, nice shops...

If you haven't seen a picture of the grotto pool yet, go immediately to this website and take the 360 degree tour!

http://www.groveparkinn.com/Template...a/Spa_360_Tour

It is an indoor pool. Actually, it's a mostly underground pool lit by strategic skylights. I've never seen anything like it. Truly amazing.

There's a chance you can have cool weather in April, but an equally good chance you will have wonderfully beautifully warm spring days. Go whenever you can. Even now is worth it (and they are running January mid-week specials if anyone is interested).

I like to stay in the original "historic" rooms - as opposed to the newer, modern wings.

Asheville will be plenty warm in April for pretty much everything except, as you point out, outdoor swimming. Today the Hi is forecast at 57 and tomorrow at 63. This is January. You get the idea.

Go look at www.groveparkinn.com , and see the pics of the indoor pool, and you will understand why people talk about it, and you can see if you think it is something that will amuse you.

But, Litespeed, this weather is not "normal" for any of us. Spring in January is great, but not a good indicator of April weather.

January averages are highs of 46 and lows of 27.
April averages are highs of 67 and lows of 44.

I travel there often for business meetings and Asheville seems to be much cooler than most visitors expect. I think it's the altitude and the low humidity. Of course, that's just my HO. :-)

But Starr, that's the thing that's so great about weather around here. You are going to have an "unusual" spring weather day or two in January very, very frequently. I would say that during any 5 day visit to Asheville in January you would get at least one sunny day in the Hi 50's or better.

But, that wasn't the question, and as you pointed out, April should look like avg 67 Hi, which ought to be good enough for any vacation except for one to the beach, IMHO.

Just don't want NNY to automatically add 20 degrees to an usually warm January and expect really warm weather in April. It can be warm and cold in April - and on consecutive days. Last year there was 2 inches of snow overnight during the last week of April - and 7 inches of snow total during the month of April. In either case, the grotto pool at the Grove Park will be a lovely oasis!

Meant "unusually" warm. Sorry.

If you don't mind driving, I'd head up toward Banner Elk and Boone for the day. You will see some of the prettiest mountain country in NC. If it were my trip, I'd make early dinner reservations at the restaurant at the Mast Farm Inn. Truly delightful. Book early so you won't be driving back to Asheville too late.

http://www.mastfarminn.com/index.html

Hendersonville would be a nice place to drive for lunch and more shopping. Here's a link to April events in the area.
http://www.historichendersonville.org/april.htm

You are getting there too late to tour the HGTV Dream Home at Lake Lure (ends on the 7th). I was hoping something good was at the Flat Rock Playhouse.

Anyway, Hendersonville would be a nice place to eat and spend a few hours.

I returned this guide book to its owner over the holidays, but DO consider ordering it for your trip. Here's a link to the review and order info on amazon.com. It's one of the best written guide books I've ever seen - The Underground Asheville Guide Book

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096...e&n=283155