Questions on trip to Asheville
 

We are thinking of spending a few days in Asheville and would appreciate it if anyone who's been to this area could answer a few questions.

1. Can we see the Biltmore Estate and Winery in one day? Approx. how much would a guided tour of both cost?

2. How much time should we allow to walk around the Village area?

3. Is it worth driving the hour and a half each way(100 miles) to visit Dollyworld?

4. Is Tweetsie Railroad (in Blowing Rock) still open and if so is it worth a visit? It's also about an hour away. Is it only for kids or would adults and teens enjoy it also?

5. We only have 3 or 4 days in Asheville and we plan to do the Biltmore, Village Area, Downtown, Tweetsie Railroad and if time allows Dollywood, the Folk Art Center and Linville Falls. Is there anything we should add or delete?

Since our time is limited we'd appreciate opinions as we want to see as much of the main attractions as possible. We aren't the hiking type but should we make time to see the swinging bridge?

Any help on planning our trip would be appreciated. Thanks.

I can't really tell from your msg the ages of your group - that would be helpful. But here are some answers to your questions.
1. Yes - you will need to look that up on line but it is expensive.
2. Biltmore Village is shops and galleries - you could spend an hour or as much as 4 - depends on what you like. It is not really that big.
3. Dollywood is a good 1 1/2 hr - closer to 2 depending on time of year and traffic. Have never been but I would avoid Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg because they are so touristy and overdone-traffic is awful.
3. It looks like it is still open - I would say this is for young children.
4. tHis depends on your group and what you like.
You haven't mentioned going into downtown Asheville. Asheville is much more than just the Biltmore and Biltmore Village is not Asheville. Downtown there is the Colburn Gem Museum, Health Adventure(for kids), an Art Museum, the Thos. Wolfe museum and lots of shops and galleries and great restaurants. I would focus on the ASheville and WNC area - if interested in Indians see the Cherokee nation reservation. Grandfather Mountain, Chimney Rock, Blowing Rock ...
Don't waste your time w/ Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

Thanks for replying to all our questions. We're still in the stage of doing our "homework/research" and planning our itinerary. The trouble is there's too much to see and not enough time. Guess we'll just have to stay longer!!!!!! We'll be arriving into Charlotte so while there the kids (teens)want to check out Carowinds Theme Park so that's going to take a day.

Any other opinions on which sights to squeeze in while in Asheville.

On your "heading east" day down the Blue Ridge Parkway, you could do Linville Falls, the Linville Caverns, the Folk Art Center, Mt. Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain. Tweetsie (a longer trip)is fun for kids under 12--maybe a little too hokey for teens. Dollywood is a lot of fun for all ages but as leahinsc says a LONG day trip from Asheville. Chimney Rock is also fun for a few hours but not near anything else of much interest. Going west, consider rafting on the Nantahala, the numerous sights along the BRP, and Cherokee.

Hi,

Thanks for posting.

How far are Linville Falls, the Linville Caverns, and the Folk Art Center from Asheville? Are those three attractions enough to fill a full day?

So are your teens boys or girls and what ages. We have 2 teen girls (17 &15) that will give me some more ideas.
Linville Falls/Caverns is at least an hour from Asheville but you also have Grandfather Mtn in the same vicinity. That could be a day out of Asheville. The Folk Art Center is very close to Asheville - 10 min but probably would not have much to keep the attention of teens. There are trails that pass right by the Folk Art Center which is on the Blue Ridge Parkway if they are into hiking a bit.
I think a canoe or rafting trip might be fun for the teens and there are plenty of places near Asheville to do that - other ideas...horseback riding, llama trek...our girls really like wandering around the shops and galleries in downtown Asheville.

Last summer we visited the winery and estate in one day. We also did the behind the scene tour the next day.

We did not have to pay the entrance fee at the Biltmore the second day because we purchased the behind the Scene tour at the same time as our entrance the day before.

If you want to do much walking around the estate one day is not enough to do it all. By doing the behind the scene tour it gave us access to all the grounds of the Estate the 2nd day also (not the winery). Call the Biltmore information line they are really very helpful.

Tweetsie doesn't open until the end of April, not sure when it closes at the end of the season. It's a decent drive from Asheville, but you can also visit the neat town of Blowing Rock. Tweetsie's not cheap.

1. yes, see the website
2. Village area is just shops. For me personnally, there are only three of interest: Bellagio and New Morning Gallery (pricey jewelry, home accessories, etc.) and Constance Boutique (women's clothes). Your mileage may vary.

3. I went to Dollywood a long time ago and hated it. Do your teens like hokey country stuff? Avoid Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge if at all possible. Carowinds has lots more scary rides...that's where I would go if a teenager. (Actually, that's where I would go now if my husband would take me...I love to go fast upside down!)

4. My vague memory of Tweetsie is the "train robbers" that stopped train and held everyone up. Seems like it was for kids.

5. Things to add, since I deleted some above: You can rent mountain bikes on the Biltmore estate(very tame, family oriented biking). You can ride horses at the Pisgah stables. One hour west in Nantahala you can white water raft. You can wander around downtown for hours and hours looking at shops, galleries, and eating.

Dollywood is a lot further than an hour and a half--it is an hour past Knoxville. The Appalachian Arts and Crafts Guild is just on the outskirts of Asheville. If your kids are teens, Tweetsie wouldn't be for them.
Going to Cherokee and the Nantahala might be a possibility--about 2 hours from Asheville. You can go trout fishing on the Cherokee reservation.

This is mostly to Gretchen - but we live in Asheville and were in Pigeon Forge this weekend for a marriage retreat that was located about 1/2 mi from Dollywood. It took us 1 hr and 34 minutes. If you went the scenic route through Cherokee it would be about 2 1/2 hrs. You actually get off 40 way before you hit Knoxville and then head south/west.
Cherokee might be interesting but most of the Indian attractions don't open til May or June otherwise it is just tacky shops and the casino.

Wow, so many great ideas! Thanks to all for their suggestions. Our teens will be (19 and 20, no more teen)by the time we go so it looks like Tweetsie Railroad is a negative and we'll include Carowinds. Since we'll be arriving/departing from Charlotte that won't be a problem.

What is the behind the scene tour at the Biltmore? Looks like we can spend two days there alone.

Is the Village shops different from the downtown area?

If we are driving from Charlotte to Asheville will we be passing Linville Falls and Grandfather Mtn. or is it in the other direction?

Thanks again for helping.

SGF - I can't imagine your 19/20 yr olds wanting to spend 2 days at the Biltmore. One day of touring house, grounds/gardens and winery should be sufficient and then having dinner in Biltmore Village after spending time walking around the shops. For upscale try Rezaz's which is on Biltmore Ave or his new bar next door Enoteca. For casual try La Paz (Mexican) which has outdoor seating. If they were a little older you could go to the French Broad Brewing Co Tasting Room which is just down the road.
Biltmore Village is about 1 mi down the hill from downtown Asheville. They are separate areas. Your kids will enjoy people watching and all the interesting shops - especially on Lexington Ave. in Asheville - typical hangouts of that age group are the many indie coffee shops - Malaprop's book store, Max and Rosie's vegetarian restaurant and Sweet Heaven ice cream shop in historic Montford where they usually have open mic nite on Fri/Sat featuring young talent.
Linville Falls/G-father mtn is heading northeast out of Asheville - It depends what route you choose from Charlotte but it will be a bit of a detour.
Do they enjoy things like climbing walls? If so there is Climb Max right downtown.

I agree w/ Leah, your teens will cut their throats before two days at Biltmore are over. Perhaps you could look into some of the outdoor activities at biltmore that they could do while you continue with your touring.

Again, daring to speak for teens, they will MUCH prefer the window shopping downtown to Biltmore Village. BV has stuff like Talbots and a doll shop. Downtown has vintage clothing and used CD stores. (these are just examples, but you get the idea). BV is only the size of maybe 1 or 2 city blocks. My Mother in Law was very excited about "doing" BV when she visited from Madison, after seeing the brochures. I think she drove through the parking lot and decided that was sufficient. I wouldn't budget a whole lot of time there. But downtown you can go a couple of days.

oh, and Gretchen..Nantahala is 1 hour from where I40 starts in Asheville, I've done it a dozen times. I hope you're driving in the right lane. **big smile and wink**

Your kids may also like Bean Streets, a coffee shop downtown with live music at night and lots of young people hanging out. Pick up a free map of the downtown area at any hotel.

Black Mountain is also a cool little town very close by (20 minutes) that's good for an hour or so of browsing and has some great little places for lunch.

You know, I REALLY apologize about that info I supposedly knew about Dollywood. I just got myself completely turned around--obviously. I know the route to Knoxville very well--I just visualized it totally backwards. SORRY.

Instead of rafting in Nantahala, you could raft the French Broad river closer to Asheville. The French Broad does run through the Biltmore property, but where you raft is about 25 miles up river. I went through Nantahala Outdoor Center and when the person on the phone mentioned the French Broad was closer, I took that option.

If you're visiting Asheville around the end of May, beginning of June, check out the flame azaleas along the Blue Ridge Parkwya. If I remember right, there is a park off the BRP near Asheville with tons of azaleas.

If any of your group is into civil engineering, drive the BRP to Lynn Cove Viaduct. The road jets away from the mountain. Often used photo of the parkway. It's near Grandfather Mountain and Lynnville falls and there are some walking trails at the visitor's center along the parkway.

Biltmore has reduced priced tickets in off peak times for NC and SC residents through AAA. If you're a member of AAA, see if you can get sometype of discount.

Carowinds often has discounts on Pepsi cans or at Food Lion grocery stores. I think my credit union has discount cards too.

I would skip Dollywood unless your family is really big on country music (I imagine you would enjoys the shows if you are). It is a very pretty park, but compared to other theme parks I've been to I didn't think it was that great (and the food was BAD). If you were going to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg and were right there, it is something to do, but I wouldn't drive 100 miles for Dollywood.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. Now that you mentioned it I doubt our teens would last two days touring Biltmore. Maybe we'll break it up with some horseback riding, rafting and some shopping. We'll definitely be visiting the downtown area, sound like it's a fun area. I'd love to also visit Linville Falls and Grandfather Mtn. so I'm going to check into how far a detour we'd have to make on our way from Charlotte to Asheville. It may pay to make that detour since we aren't planning any special activities for that day. We only have a few days so now it's time for a family discussion to plan our itinerary so everyone gets to do atleast one thing they want.

SGF - when you get here on even before check out the asheville citizen times weekend section (Fridays) or Mountain Express for ideas on activities.
www.citizen-times.com
www.mountainxpress.com
If they like skateboarding we have a skateboard park right near downtown.

For the scenic, longer route from Charlotte to Asheville, take I-85 south (really west, but it's a north/south route) to Gastonia, then highway 321 through Hickory and Lenoir (and I do mean through town) to Blowing Rock. Then get on the BRP south. You'll pass Linville Caverns, the viaduct, and Grandfather Mountain. You might be able to find discount tickets to Grandfather Mountain.

If you take the I-85, highway 74, I-26 route to Asheville, stop by the Carl Sandburg house along the way. Mrs. Sandburg studied goats and there are a few different breeds on the property. It's about $2-3 per person to tour the house.

To tack onto NCgirl's advice about getting to Blowing Rock, I might suggest just going north on I77 to Rte 421 to Boone and then on to Blowing Rock. It's about a 2 hour trip this way.

Gretchen, I was wondering if that route might be faster. It looks longer on my map, but if you don't have to drive through towns, you make up time.

We have a weekend place in the Boone/Blowing Rock area, and going to Boone, it's a bit of a toss-up which way (85 or 77) is better. From downtown, going 77 adds about 15 extra miles but has a few less traffic lights, so it's about 2 hours either way). However, going to Blowing Rock, it's significantly quicker to take the 85/321 route. Plus, it's a little prettier.

If we go for the scenic longer route..... from Charlotte to Asheville, I-85 south to Gastonia, then highway 321 through Hickory and Lenoir to Blowing Rock. Then get on the BRP south heading towards Linville Caverns, the viaduct, and Grandfather Mountain how long of a drive would it be? Is it possible to leave Charlotte around 8am and travel to those places, see the attractions and then still get to Asheville around 5PM?

Yes, I would think it would be doable in that time. It's a pretty drive.

If you're used to going 5-10 miles/hour over the speed limit, it will take you a little less than 2 hours to get to Blowing Rock from central Charlotte. It's then about 100 miles on the Parkway from BR to Asheville. This has a 45 mph speed limit and often you'll have to drive slower than that. It can seem like a long trip, but as Gretchen said, it's often a beautiful drive.

You can certainly do both Grandfather and Linville Caverns in this time, but it may be a bit rushed. Since you're not into hiking, you could just do the swinging bridge at Grandfather (which is neat, not for those fearing heights) and take a picnic to eat at one of the picnic areas, but it's $14/head to get in. I haven't been to Linville for years, but remember that it was a cool thing to do on a hot day ($6/person).

If it was me, I'd leave CLT around 9, browse some of the shops in downtown Blowing Rock, have a nice lunch at one of the restaurants there (Canyon's Cafe for the view, Storie Street Grill for the food, or Woodlands Barbeque to experience real NC BBQ) then pick one attaction on the way to Asheville.

As a reminder, the Blue Ridge Parkway is still closed in a couple of places between Linville and Asheville due to construction. Check the parkway website or call ahead for updates.

NC 105 from Boone, to US 221 from Linville down to Marion, then connecting to I-40 west to Asheville is a good, faster alternative to the Parkway in this section.

Thanks for the help and info to date.

If we decide not to go to Blowing Rock but directly from Charlotte to Asheville is it still a two hour drive and do the highways in that direction also have construction?

It is about a 2 hour drive to Asheville. Take I85 south to Route 74 to I26.

I'd probably go I-85 to 321 to I-40 for a quicker, faster route. Plus, then you could stop off in Black Mountain for lunch (right off I-40 15 miles east of Asheville). I just love that little town. But maybe the other way is more scenic?

The scenery is about the same for both routes from Charlotte to Asheville, except that by going 321 North from Gastonia to I-40 you avoid the many traffic lights and the stop-and-go traffic on US 74 through Shelby...which ain't exactly scenic, come to think of it.

Thanks. Looks like all my questions for now have been answered. Your help is really appreciated. It makes planning so much easier.

A dissenting voice about Biltmore -- or at least a clarification -- about 2 days and the "behind the scenes" tour.

I'm guessing your teens might actually find the behind-the-scenes tour slightly more interesting than shuffling through the decorated public rooms at Biltmore and being lectured to about the paintings, furniture, etc. Behind-the-scenes shows them things like the various kitchens and pantries and elevator-systems and the huge heating furnace and how the pool worked, etc. -- as well as how servants lived and moved around behind the scenes.

The winery, on the other hand, is a big yawn -- even for wine lovers. OK, there are vines, then there are barrels; and then there's the obligatory wine-tasting room so you can be enticed into purchasing wine that's not exactly -- um-- fine (unless you buy the "reserve" stocks).

What might work best is to take the main Biltmore tour the night before and then the behind-the-scenes in the morning, then decide whether you really want to look at a lot of big fermination tanks or move on.

HKP's right about Biltmore -- hope the Village is back to full power after the floods (update, anyone?).

this is in answer to Cassandra's question about post-flood(Sept) issues in Biltmore Village. Virtually all shops have reopened including new ones. The only ones to my knowledge which did not and will not reopen were the Melting Pot (no great loss) and Pedro's Kitchen. Can't emphasize enough that seeing Biltmore Village is NOT seeing Asheville!! You need to experience downtown Asheville which is up the hill and has LOTS more going on than the "village".

I am with LeahinSC on Biltmore Village, but do note that Bellagio is one of the most beautiful shops I have ever visited. Chelsea's is OK and worth a stop if you are there anyway. Biltmore Village is not a destination. Hit the Arboreteum, head downtown...great town!

The behind the scenes tour sounds interesting and it just may hold our teens attention. Does anyone know how much it costs? I don't recall seeing the price for that on their website.

Also, which hotel would be nice? I'd prefer something more modern, either a suite hotel or one with bigger rooms as we'll be a family of 4.

There are 2 hotels downtown - Haywood Park and Renaissance. Both probably have standard sized rooms. There are numerous bed and breakfasts in Montford which is an easy walk into downtown. The Residence Inn Marriott is between downtown and Biltmore village - you can walk to either. There is the Doubletree right outside of Biltmore Village and then one right across the street whose name escapes me. On Tunnel road there are a number of hotels but you cannot walk into downtown or Biltmore Village. And of course there is the Grove Park Inn which is a destination unto itself and would be your most expensive option.

ttt for pheasant