Hi Everyone,

We are finalizing the plans for our Asheville vacation in April. Thanks to everyone for their help in previous postings! We are planning to drive down to Sevierville on Sunday AM to spend the night, eat at the Applewood Restaurant and do some outlet shopping. We will then continue on to Asheville early Mon AM-it looks like it takes about 90 minutes to get there via I-40 and check into our hotel. We will spend the afternoon wandering downtown, visiting some shops and the Grove Street Market. We would like to visit either the NC Arb. or the Asheville Botanical Gardens. Which one would be a better choice?? We will probably spend all Tues. at the Biltmore Estate, touring the home and gardens. Are the restaurants, especially the Deerpark dressy or more casual?? We would rather dress for comfort because it looks like we will be walking alot. We would like to spend Weds and Thurs touring the countryside, mountains and waterfalls. We plan to spend one day visiting the falls around Brevard/Transylvania County. Does anyone have any favorites or a good route to see the best?? I also thought Black Mountain and Flat Rock (Carl Sandburg home) looked interesting but am not sure if they are close. On Thursday, we plan to drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway towards Boone and Blowing Rock. Does anyone know how long it would take as it looks far on the map? Friday is pretty much wide open. How is the drive on the BRP from Asheville to Smoky Mountains National Park?? Or is it easier to return to Knoxville via I-40??

Thanks for all you help,
Katie

Okay... let's get started on things. Looks like you've got a good itenerary planned out!

Firstly, it's definitely a good idea to see downtown, as it's not like any other city in North Carolina, what with the beautiful architecture and art. I believe you're referring to the Grove Arcade when you say the Grove Street Market. It may seem like it's not a big deal, but if you ask for directions to Grove Street, you'll be directed to a small street near the Federal Building that doesn't have much on it other than some Victorian houses, a gay nightclub, and some auto repair businesses. Remember to ask for directions, or to look for signs, for the Grove Arcade, which is bounded by Page Avenue, Battery Park Avenue, O. Henry Avenue, and Battle Square.

Now, about the botanical gardens versus the arboretum... Take a look and decide for yourself which you'd prefer to see.

www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org
www.ncarboretum.org

Regarding Biltmore Estate and its restaurants and sights to see, you'll probably want to dress up a little. You'll certainly want to dress for comfort though. Biltmore staff is nothing but polite, courteous, and helpful, and wouldn't bat an eye if you were to come in wearing a trash bag and bedroom slippers. However, it's kind of painful to watch flip flop-clad tourists waddling around in short shorts and tube tops in a setting of such elegance. I'd recommend you aim for comfort but class -- maybe khakis and golf shirt for a man, and a comfortable dress or pant suit for a lady. Remember to wear something that will breathe a little. The weather might be very warm.

(Part 2)

In Brevard, you can't go wrong if you want to see waterfalls. Three of the most spectacular can be found in Dupont State Forest, which straddles the Transylvania and Henderson County lines. To get to Transylvania County, you'd likely take I-26 into Henderson County, then take Hwy 64 through Hendersonville and then through the county west of town on into Brevard in Transylvania County. Flat Rock is in Henderson County, by the way... in Flat Rock, as you know, the next community south of Hendersonville. To get there from Hendersonville, you'd turn from Hwy 64 left onto Church Street downtown, and take that south until you pass the ugly and confusing junction of South Main, King, and Church streets, and Spartanburg Hwy (US 176). Go straight to get onto Greenville Hwy (US 25 S). Greenville Hwy is the main road through Flat Rock, and everything of note, including the Flat Rock Playhouse, and the road that leads to te Sandburg Home are accessible from it. The way is clearly marked.

If you wanted to see the falls in Dupont State Forest, you could take Church Street, turn right onto Kanuga Street, then take that road to Crab Creek Road, which is one of the ways to the forest. As the forest hasn't been under state protection very long, I'm not too familiar with the way yet. Here's the forest's website:

www.dupontforest.com

It will probably be able to give you more helpful directions than I can. I know there's a way to get from Asheville to Brevard and the forest without going into Henderson County, but to my knowledge, Henderson County is the most direct route, plus the way through Hendersonville takes you through charming downtown Hendersonville, home to great restaurants and nice shopping, with lots of antique stores and boutiques, and art galleries.

To get to Black Mountain, it's a straight shot from Asheville to there along I-40. I don't know how far it is from Asheville to Black Mountain, but I can't imagine it would be more than about 15 minutes. I know that Hendersonville is 20 miles from Asheville (Flat Rock is a little farther of course), and it takes about 20-30 minutes to make the drive along I-26, and then about 30 or so minutes (possibly not quite that much) from Hendersonville to Brevard itself. Also, it would likely be a shorter trip from Hendersonville to Dupont State Forest.

About driving distance between Asheville and Boone, and Asheville and the national park, according to Yahoo maps, it's 100.8 miles from Asheville to Boone via I-40 and a host of local roads. It's 50.8 miles from Asheville to Cherokee, NC, which is just outside the park.

And finally, it would likely be easiest to take the interstate to Knoxville. Does that take care of everything for you?

Good Lord... I really should proofread before I post. I noticed something that makes me sound like an absolute goober in my first post to you.

It should have read... "The Carl Sandburg Home is in Henderson County, by the way... in Flat Rock, as you know, the next community south of Hendersonville"

Plus, I caught a typo, which just makes me want to hide my face from the shame of it all. Sorry for any confusion, Katie.

Thanks for the info and directions. Yes I did mean the Grove Arcade, but didn't have my notes when I wrote the message. Doesn't sound like we want to visit the other place! Both the Botanical Gardens and the NC Arboretum look nice so it will probably depend on where we are at the time as it appears they are located in different areas. It looks like Henderson county is the best way to get to the falls-I was interested in visiting Hendersonville also. The trip to Blowing Rock and Boone would probably be about a 2.5-3 hr drive one way, so we will probably skip that this trip, since there seems to be alot of other things to see closer.

Thanks, Katie

Great plan! a few thoughts...

I enjoy the NC Arboretum more than the UNCA botanical gardens. Arboretum entrance is right next to a Parkway entrance, so it could be easily incoroporated into a Parkway drive.

A very scenic way to get to the waterfalls and trails in the Brevard area is to hop on the Parkway at the Arboretum, drive west (spectacular views and many Parking overlooks) until you get to Hwy 276, turn left and go dowwnnnn to the Pisgah Ranger station where you could get maps, directions, advice, etc. Twin falls is one of my favorites, a short-ish hike from the Horse Stables.

Falls are also spectacular at Dupont State Forest.

Hendersonville has very little to offer in the way of restaurants. Highland Inn in Flatrock is good. If the Pisgah Inn on the parkway is open, that is also a possibility. The food is mediocre to bad, but the view makes up for it. Otherwise, I would save my appetite for Asheville.

I think that's a good call not going to Blowing Rock. Avoid Cherokee area like the plague.

Since you have 2 days of hiking, I would suggest one day at Dupont and one day in Pisgah. If you give me some idea how fit you are and how far you want to hike I will try to think up a good route.

I beg to differ with you on restaurants, Litespeed. Downtown's got some good ones, including Park Deli Cafe, Gypsy Cab Company, Expressions (fancy schmancy -- jacket and tie required), not to mention McGuffey's (I love the place and you can't stop me!! BWAHAHAHA!!), Poplar Lodge, that restaurant at Irongate Marketplace, and Sinbad's.

I went on a waterfall tour a couple of years ago. There is a waterfall near Highway 64 in Franklin that you can drive under, stop and take pictures of yourselves.

I used the book "North Carolina Waterfalls: Where to Find Them, How to Photograph Them" by Kevin Adams to help plan the trip. I just looked up the book at Amazon and it is still in print (about $12). The Brevard/Transylvania Co. tourism department also had a brochure on waterfalls.

At Biltmore, I ate at the winery. It was more casual and it was good. Also outside the Biltmore property is the Biltmore Creamery, a good place for ice cream.

Along the parkway is a craft guild (I can't remember the name, maybe Austin can help here) that had some wonderful displays and art available for sale. Downtown Asheville also has a number of art galleries.

You should try to see Mt. Mitchell during you tour of the parkway. It is the highest point east of the Mississippi river and it is a easy walk from the parking lot to the top of the mountain. Also nearby is a rhododendron (I'm sure that spelling is wrong) park. Even though the rhodies won't be in bloom it is a nice walk.

I stopped by the Carl Sanburg house once on the way between Charlotte and Asheville. It is about $3 to take the NPS guided tour of the house, the grounds are free. I thought it was well worth the money.

The craft guild that ncgrrl is referring to is the Folk Art Center, a combination museum-commercial gallery accessible off the Parkway, still within the city limits of Asheville, on the east side of town.

Thanks for the suggestions. On the drive through Hendersonville to see the falls, we thought we would get a picnic type lunch in Asheville and take it with us. But, all this talk about McGuffey’s makes me want to try it! As far as hiking, I have a bad foot/heel that hurts if I walk too much (but I’m normally walking on pavement and walking fast) so we are looking for several little short and relaxing hikes. But, if there is a must see view or waterfall, we definitely do a long walk. We’ve been to Cherokee before and do not ever feel a need to return, but wondered if there was anything on the BRP between Asheville and Cherokee worth seeing otherwise we’ll probably skip it. Once seeing Cherokee is enough. Thanks for the book suggestion. I received a pamphlet from Transylvania County but it didn’t have much info. I will order the book since it seems reasonably priced. And I forgot about Mount Mitchell when I was putting the plans together.

Thanks, Katie

Austin - you're so funny I was going to leave you alone about the McGuffeys thing, but....I think the girl on the other thread who said she went to TGIF when she couldn't get in McGuffey's pretty much summed it up.

If you are a person who would eat in a TGIF, then you should ignore all my restaurant-related comments.

I've been to all those restaurants you mention (except Sinbad), and am very underwhelmed. It's all bland corporate food, the scourge of the South, IMO. Expressions was pretty good, but I don't like to subject my husband to jacket & tie unless we're in NY or Paris, for God's sake, not Hendersonville.

Have you tried the Cuban place in Hendersonville? Tropical Dream, maybe? It's pretty good, not wonderful, but it's honest food.

Changing subjects,have you, by chance, biked on the trails at Biltmore house? We were thinking about going this weekend for the 1/2 price entrance and I read about it on the website. I wonder how many miles of trails they have and if they would be fun for a serious mountain biker, or if they are more groomed for families.

Thanks...and don't hate me about the restaurant thing. All my friends have come to accept that I'm a food snob and just ignore me.

Haven't tried the Caribbean place, Litespeed, nor have I tried the Jamaican place on Maple Street. Corporate food though...? From independently owned places like Park Deli Cafe? Goodness! I don't eat at places like TGIF and O'Charley's solely because of their blandness, and I was always under the impression that Hendersonville's dining scene was impressive for a small town.

Mind you, I also base my recommendations on nearly a year of sending tourists off to McGuffey's, Park Deli Cafe, Gypsy Cab Company, and the Saluda Grade Cafe down in Saluda, and never once having someone tell me they didn't like their meal. In fact, I've had more than a few guests at my hotel thanking me for sending them to McGuffey's. As one who tells people where to eat and what to see and do more or less on a daily basis, I make it my business to know what's good and what's not. And believe you me, I've suffered for my work too -- once having to go eat at O'Charley's then going over to McGuffey's and ordering the same thing to compare. It was painful, but I did for my guests... I'm nothing if not dedicated. McGuffey's won hands down, partly because they prepare everything fresh and nothing comes prepackaged, and partly because they, unlike O'Charley's, do not possess an unfortunate restaurant phenomenon I call "predatory waitstaff" wherein there are hundreds of servers milling around the restaurant looking to pounce on unsuspecting diners, pirahna-like, snatching your glass away and refilling it when you've only taken one sip (and a small sip at that) from your drink, and just generally hovering until you have to attack them with your salad fork, or snatch that stupid pepper grinder the size of a mature oak tree out of their hands and beat them with it in the hopes of stunning them long enough to get a few bites of food in. Not that I'm bitter.

McGuffey's provides small pepper grinders at the tables, by the way... just the thing for those of us who enjoy cracked peppercorns in our salads.

Regarding jackets and ties, Hendersonville is an EXTREMELY wealthy town, and our retirees have more money than God. Be glad a jacket and tie is as far as it goes. They could demand blood tests or lineage charts that show you're descended from families that came over on the Mayflower -- and anyone who has been on the receiving end of a Hendersonville retiree tirade (like myself when I worked in the bookstore at the mall) knows that I'm not exaggerating.

Changing subjects, no I've never biked on the trails at Biltmore, because I'm more of a pedestrian kind of guy. I walk everywhere and never much liked biking, even though I was forced to learn against my will when I was an impressionable young child. Perhaps my aversion to bikes has to do with the time I went over the bank and into a briar-filled gulch, or perhaps the time I lost control while going down a hill on my bike, and ended up shredding my right side on a barbed wire fence. Or perhaps not. I'm sure you can find more info on biking at Biltmre by calling their toll free number and grilling whoever answers.

I've kayaked past Biltmore. Not the best way to see the estate! Though I guess I could have docked and gone for a view (yea, right).

Katie7, the waterfall book has a lot of info on photographing the waterfalls and the f-stops and filters he used. Also talks about the walks/hikes to the waterfalls. Very accurate with distances and discriptions. One waterfall that had a high ranking is viewable from a wheelchair accessible trail about 100-yards from the parking lot. Some of the waterfalls needed an overnight hike so I didn't go see those.

The walk to the top of Mt. Mitchell isn't bad. There are a number of benches along the way. The problem is elevation and thin air.

Katie, I just remembered there's a company that offers waterfall tours which might be a comfortable way to see some of the area's best falls. I have a brochure at work about it, and I'll get the contact info from there and post it when I get home tonight.

Ok, Austin - first the argumentative part: We certainly do have different tastes. I think the Saluda Grade Cafe is the worst restaurant in Saluda. Do your guests a favor by recommending either the Purple Onion or Wildflour Bakery. As to the Park Deli, you're telling me you think those desserts don't come frozen off a truck? As to jacket and tie, I think that's more a product of the AGE of Hendersonville's diners, not their portfolios. I find Jacket and Tie to be a sign of pretention these days, enjoyed by people who are having their one special occasion meal of the year, not diners who search out the best food regardless of cost.

Now for the pleasantries: I agree with you that H-ville does OK for a town it's size. It's better than hideous no-food Greenville, a much bigger town. (but Asheville is so much better). And PLEASE PLEASE tell me what you know about a Jamaican place and where Maple street is.

Oh! and let me put in a plug for the guys who make bread and pizza and coffee drinks in the back of the Wrinkled Egg in Flat Rock. The goat cheese pizza with artichokes is very nice.

Austin, I'm just curious. Are you from Asheville originally?

Katie, I think the Winery cafe is probably your best bet for a meal on Biltmore property (can't remember if they take reservations, but if so, make one). Deerpark is much ado about less than you'd like and, while casual, is still likely to make you feel you need to be a little "proper."

Have nothing to say about Hendersonville restaurants, but think you should not miss downtown Asheville on that score -- see my previous trip report re:Zambra, for one. I don't see any mention of Biltmore Village -- you might want to poke around there (it's right by the entrance to Biltmore) for some unique shops.

Cassandra: We are staying by the Biltmore Village at the Baymont so I figured we could check it out anytime. It looks nice with many interesting shops. Other posters have also suggested the Winery over the Deerpark. I thought the Deerpark would be more casual. Is it better not to eat at Biltmore but wait and go downtown instead??

Hello Katie - I've answered some of your questions below. Let me know if you have additional questions.

Mike Honeycutt

=====================

We would like to visit either the
NC Arb. or the Asheville Botanical Gardens. Which one would be a better choice??

I work at the university, and while
our botanical gardens are nice, the
Arboretum's are better. They should
have a lot of flowers in bloom.

Are the restaurants, especially the Deerpark dressy or more casual?? We would rather dress for comfort because it looks like we will be walking alot.

You can call ahead, but I think
casual clothing will be fine at
Deerpark. You will do lots of
walking on the estate, so I agree
you should dress for comfort.


Does anyone have any favorites or a
good route to see the best??

You are headed in the right
direction for waterfalls.

Looking Glass Falls is in Pisgah
National Forest, and is directly
beside the road.

Several others to consider:
Horsepasture River and
Whitewater Falls. You can
find both on the Internet.

On Thursday, we plan to drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway towards Boone and Blowing Rock. Does anyone know
how long it would take as it looks far on the map?

We always plan for the trip from
Asheville to Boone taking 2 to 2.5
hours. Going via the Parkway is
longer but prettier.

Friday is pretty much wide open.

Good idea!

How is the drive on the BRP from Asheville to Smoky Mountains National Park?? Or is it easier to return to Knoxville via I-40??

I'm not sure I follow you.
The BRP goes from Asheville to
Cherokee. You could then take
441 over the mountain to Knoxville.
I-40 from Asheville to Knoxville is
faster.

Don't know if you would have the time but 3 of my favorite waterfalls in NC are Whitewater Falls, Cullasaja Falls and Dry Falls. Many consider these to be the best and are constantly rated high. All three are less than 50 miles from Brevard.