Girls weekend in Ashville
 

My daughter and I are planning a little weekend getaway to shop and eat and maybe lay around a hotel pool.

I had figured we'd go to Atlanta again, but DD wants to go to Ashville. I know the Biltmore is in Ashville, but is the town a good destination for what I described above? We enjoy shopping for crafts, such as hand-made jewelry. Any suggestions as to where to stay which would be close to shopping and unique little restaurants?

Thanks!

Vicki

p.s. We will be driving, as we live in Tennessee

Asheville sounds like the perfect destination for you. The craft and jewelry shopping is unparalleled.
Hotels: I love the Haywood Park downtown
http://www.haywoodpark.com, but it has no pool.
The new Grand Bohemian
http://www.bohemianhotelasheville.com/
The Inn at Biltmore Estates
http://www.biltmore.com/stay/inn/default.asp
The Grove Park Inn
http://www.groveparkinn.com
would all fit the bill. Check out their websites to see the pool and spa offerings.

I always go to Weaverville to a small spa, the Secret Garden Spa, which was recommended to me by a poster here. I find it very personal and very well run...not to mention vastly less expensive than the Grove Park Spa. I definitely recommend that you visit the GPI spa once because the pools and treatments are wonderful, but if you are only interested in a treatment the Secret Garden is a great place. While you are there a small gallery named Miya has some attractive pieces of jewelry. It is a couple of doors down from the Well Bred Cafe which is wonderful for lunch and a coffee...and maybe a dessert or two or three. The Stoney Knob restaurant in Weaverville is also quite nice.

Restaurants: Savoy, Limon,Fig,Table, the Marketplace, Flying Frog, Corner Kitchen, Grovewood
In Black Mountain try Veranda

Shopping: the crafts in Asheville are really exceptional. The Highland Craft guild has a gorgeous shop on the Blue Ridge Parkway just outside of town. Bellagio in Biltmore Village has beautiful pieces as does the Grovewood Shop behind Grove Park Inn. If shoes are a vice, try TOPS. Every concierge can give you directions to these shops.

Do plan a visit to Biltmore. It is really extraordinary and well worth the cost of admission.

Have a great time.

Thanks for your reply. I have been to the Biltmore, so we probably won't visit there again.

The Grand Bohemian looks WONDERFUL!

Is there one area that we might want to focus on? Will we have to drive around a good bit? Weaverville sounds nice....should that area be our focus?

Vicki

I don't think Weaverville is a focus point. It is a very small town with two good restaurants, a good spa and one or two good shops. It is primarily residential. I tend to think downtown Asheville and Biltmore Village are the most interesting areas for visitors.
I have not stayed at Grand Bohemian, but the locals I talked to in March were giving very high marks to their restaurant.
You will be able to walk most of downtown, but will need to drive to the other areas. Driving in Asheville is actually pretty easy because of 240 which circles it.
Enjoy your visit.

You may also want to consider the easy 20-minute drive to the small town of Black Mountain for its small shops and restaurants (none fancy). I haven't been to Weaverville, but have heard good things about it.

cmc is correct, not much in Weaverville. We stay in the Black Mt. area pretty frequently (also near Montreat) + it has easy access to the Parkway. cmc has you headed in the right direction & I believe I may be the Secret Garden person as well, (just don't tell anyone else about it, shhhhh). lol

I also agree with Black Mountain. My husband graduated from Montreat which is an especially pretty area.

If you can, go to The Cove which is Billy Grahm's retreat in Asheville.

Agree with cmcfong's hotel suggestions however The Inn at Biltmore isn't as centrally located as the others.

Tons to do downtown Asheville and don't miss The Grove.

What is The Grove?

My HS friend and I did our girls weekend trip to Asheville last year and just loved it. In fact, I've been watching Continental's specials and might go back on my own this year. We stayed at the Renaissance...very convenient and nice hotel right in town. Our favorite restaurants for breakfast were Tupelo Honey (which was also great for dinner) and Mayfels. In addition to Tupelo Honey for dinner, we also loved Limones.
The shopping was excellent, especially the crafts (second cmcfong's recommendation on the Highland Craft Guilds), but I'd also recommend Mast General Store, Chocolate Fetish and Malaprops (book store). Also, you might want to see if there are any crafts shows going on while you're there....for an even better selection of shopping!
Have fun!

I too am a great fan of Asheville. In fact, we live in Charlotte (2 - 3 hours away) and often drive up for the day.

However, I can't EVEN believe that no one else -- and it sounds like a lot of these folks also visit a lot -- mentioned Salsa Restaurant as a MUST DO. It's my favorite restaurant in NC -- and we have plenty of fine dining here in Charlotte. It's the most inventive food I've had in the states... a mix of island, mexican w/ a little Indian and/or Asian flavors thrown in sometimes. Located on Patton Street, it's very busy at prime times, so a wait of 30 minutes isn't uncommon. I suggest going a little early or a little later for better availability. I like lunch there better than dinner... just a personal preference. Be sure and try the habenero Margarita. (Spicy but not too too.)

Right up the hill and around the corner from Salsa is the Square with all sorts of great shops and galleries up and down the street. Don't miss Spiral 1 Gallery if you love great art and craft. Another favorite is LOFT (Lost Objects Found Treasures) back down the street from the Square about two blocks (across the street from the Mellow Mushroom). Fun, Funky stuff.

If you like crafts and stuff, you'll love Biltmore Village -- loads of little shops and fun finds.

But I think you'll find it hard to want to spend too much time around the pool. Asheville has so much to do and see, I'll bet you'll want to save your veg time for somewhere else that doesn't have so much to offer.

In fact, I'd suggest that you plan to stay in one of Asheville's lovely B&Bs... there are even some w/in walking distance of the downtown or Biltmore areas. But the Montford District has the most and best in the city. Two personal favorites are the Wright Inn and A Hill House B&B.

Three other great restaurants w/ a long tradition in Asheville are The Laughing Seed, a vegetarian place where you won't even miss the meat; The Marketplace Cafe, a little more upscale w/ wonderful atmosphere and food; and Early Girl Cafe with some of the best fried green tomatoes and local food around. They are all located downtown on Market Street -- a short little street right across from the Haywood Hotel.

I don't think you'll be disappointed in Asheville. You may even become one of the converts... :)

In addition to the great suggestions above, I also highly suggest the Tupelo Honey Cafe. The food is delicious but it has quite a following so sometimes their may be a wait. More than worth it though! It's right in the downtown area, and there is nice seating outdoors on the patio.

Tracy

The Grove Arcade is one of Asheville's historical gems downtown http://www.grovearcade.com/ . My fabulous mother-in-law is an Ashville historian and turned me on to the history of The Grove Arcade.