MissMandy

In Asheville do not miss the trolley tour it was fantastic and a good way of seeing all the major sights (and even stops at Biltmore but you will need to go separately to view the Estate).

Also free parking at the start of the tour at Asheville Chamber of Commerce / Vistor Center.

Do not miss lunch at 12 Bones.. but you will need to be there for 11.30am ish!!!

http://www.ashevilletrolleytours.com/

Gretchen

Starrs, that is my point. There IS no problem. LOL I was trying to walk both sides of the line--thoughtful of her fears, but trying to say there should be none. And if it is 441 to Dillsboro, etc. there is NO problem. None through the Park either, to me.
I do think that is the prettiest side of the Park.
Enjoy.

starrs

I'll have to check out the chocolate store the next time I'm in Dillsboro. I've never noticed it before.

Dillsboro is tiny and is next to Sylva. Just don't want you to think it will take days to see it all. It won't. Good places to eat in Sylva though.

Here's a chocolate shop I love that also makes handmade chocolates -
http://www.mountainsidechocolates.com/

If you decide to drive down to Franklin to take the pretty drive over to Highlands, look for it on the left as you drive down the mountain. It's 11 miles south of Dillsboro.

Another good chocolate option is Kilwin's in Highlands -
http://www.kilwins.com/stores/displa...NC&storeid=232
Great ice cream too.

bmillersc

I'd really suggest the Andrews Bald hike, then. It will give you the wide vistas I think you want, and it's a pretty easy hike, and there WILL be other people on the trail. Bring a picnic and have a great time!

starrs

This popped up on my Facebook wall today -
http://www.mastgeneralstore.com/Comm...tober-20-2010/

Notice the comments about elk under the Waynesville heading and the Lake Julian fishing comments under the Hendersonville heading.

Based on the fall watch it looks like the peak weekend the Bryson City (and south) area may be the weekend you are there

CityGuy

bmillersc: How is the drive for the Andrews Bald hike? You say the driving might be challenging. So I am little worried. Thanks.

bmillersc

It's mostly on the main road through the park, and then you will take a turnoff to Clingman's Dome. Both roads are winding, but not challenging, and there are few "off the edge" spots on the roads. They are well-traveled (think lots of traffic on fall weekends). Where these overlook places exist, there are usually turnoffs/pullover sections for those who want to linger there. I don't think you'll have any significant problems with your fears.

If the weather is good, you'll love this hike. The views are amazing.

CityGuy

^^^
Thanks. The weather is going to be good this weekend.

bmillersc

You're right...should be fantastic. Just remember, it will be at least 10 degrees (or more) cooler at 6300 elevation than in Bryson City, so prepare accordingly! Let us know how is comes out!

Check out this link I just found...with pictures. Makes we want to go!

http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/andrewsbald.htm

starrs

It's this weekend? Have a blast. You may be hitting peak. bmiller is right, it's going to be cool. The lows have been flirting with freezing lately. The days should be warm but the nights will be chilly. A perfect time to be in the mountains

CityGuy

Yup, it is this weekend. Yeah we are prepared, we will let you know how the trip goes. Thanks.

CityGuy

Thanks to all of you. The trip was nice, kind of mixed feelings because it was short and we could not do several things.
The drive was fine, not like I feared. First night, we stayed in Cherokee - Comfort Suites. It is pretty nice, we did little bit of window-shopping in the night. The drive through Maggie Valley is gorgeous. We did the train ride from Bryson City. 4.5hrs seems to be a crime since for a 3 day trip. We drove up the mountains and went to Clingman's Dome. We stopped at Newfound pass. We stayed at Waynesville Golf resort. Next day We drove on the parts of Blue Ridge Parkway between Waynesville and Asheville. We did not do the entire route, we took 215 after reaching the highest point on Blue Ridge Parkway (about 6000+ft) as it was raining, cloudy and misty up there. With my fears, we thought we should not stretch our luck Last night we halted at Charolette before boarding the early morning flight.

What we would have done differently? Probably taken 2+ more days and done little bit of hiking. Driving on the mountains was tense, but I did okay.

starrs

Turns out your were there on the peak weekend. The winds came through the day after you left and blew a lot of the leaves off. There will still good color last weekend, but not much vibrancy. We did the train ride from Blue Ridge on Sunday and will do the one from Bryson City in December on their Polar Express.

Glad you did okay with the driving. Hopefully next time you'll get more hiking in and your wife will get to see the Biltmore.

CityGuy

Something seems to have upset her regarding Biltmore. She wanted to visit the Estate. I think she read somewhere on the Internet about it being very expensive and something about rich and poor etc etc. So she dropped the idea of the tour and wanted to just look at it from outside and take some pictures. The last day we had some time, so I drove us to the Estate, and I thought our family could afford the 150 bucks or so for the tour. But she firmly put her foot down and did not want to tour. So we went to ticket counter and then returned. We used the clean restrooms though

starrs

That's interesting. I've NEVER heard anything negative about the impact of the Biltmore Estate. In fact, the opposite is true, since its construction through today.

The construction employed locals for years.
The running of the estate employed locals.
After Vanderbilt's death, the majority of the land was sold to the government and Pisgah National Forest was created. Per his wishes, the land remains in its natural state and is available for all of us to enjoy.
"In an attempt to bolster the Depression-driven economy, Vanderbilt's only child, Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt, and her husband, John Amherst Cecil, opened Biltmore House to the public in March 1930"
Its presence brings in a lot of tourist dollars to the area - "The estate remains a major tourist attraction in Western North Carolina and has over 1 million visitors each year."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltmore_Estate
Half of the estate became the Biltmore Farms, which provides employment and responsible stewardship in the area
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biltmore_Farms

It's funny that she read/heard something negative that prevented your touring. Honestly, I've never heard a hint of anything negative. From the beginning it was an asset to the community, if not to Vanderbilt's personal portfolio. I wonder what she read.

Brian_in_Charlotte

She's right - it is expensive, especially for a family. I can fully understand why some would pass on the tour especially with 2 kids under 12 who are unlikely to enjoy a tour of a big house.

Of course loads of folks think it is worth the price.

starrs

If the kids are 9 and younger, admission is free.
AAA discounts are available.
I disagree that kids aren't impressed with seeing a "real" castle in America, but different strokes for different folks.

Whether or not it's "worth it" varies per person/family, but I love it (obviously).

Gretchen

I agree Brian. I am just not blown away by it anyway. It fell into a bit of disrepair until relatively recently when the Cecils (Vanderbilt heirs) revived it with the winery and turned it into a tourist attraction again.

SAnParis2

Thanks for returning & telling us about your trip. I am also not a big Biltmore fan, & even less so of their 'winery'. But they do have hordes of people running through there, particularly around XMas.

offlady

We took our kids gold and ruby mining which they enjoyed. There are lots of places in Cherokee. One of the places we stopped at have special buckets just for kids (they add quartz and other stones into the mud) and we came home with a suitcase full of rocks!

Also, just outside of the Biltmore entrance you will see McDonald's in Biltmore Village which was one of the top 10 most unique McD's by the travel channel. Same food though...