Katie7

Thanks to everyone who responded to our previous postings. We arrived in Asheville on Monday morning and immediately visited the Biltmore Estate because the forecast said it would rain in the afternoon and the rest of the week (which it didn?t). We spent most of the day touring the home, winery and grounds. It took about 2 hours to see the inside of house. It was crowded due to large groups of school children, but since we didn?t take a guided tour we were able to bypass them to get a better view of the home and furnishings. The gardens are full of pink, white and red azaleas, as well as many other types of flowers. We walked all around the gardens, Conservatory and lake area, taking a lot of pictures. We did not eat at the Estate as we got a late start and didn?t have time to stop before closing time. Instead, we checked into the hotel and then ate an early dinner at the Mellow Mushroom (the white pizza was excellent) and walked around the downtown area. We stayed at the Renaissance-the room had a sort of a mountain view and was large and very clean and well maintained. We got a good price through Priceline, so check-in and check-out were easy. The staff was friendly and helpful. On the second day, we visited Chimney Rock and took the elevator to the top and walked down. The view from the top was very scenic, but the walk through the Needle?s Eye was a little scary. We wanted to take the trail to the waterfall but it was closed due to a rock slide. We went in the morning to avoid the threat of rain, so the park was not at all crowded. In the afternoon, we visited Hendersonville (shopped a little and ate at Sinbad?s) and Flat Rock to visit the Carl Sandburg Home (the tour was well worth the $3 admission price). The guide was a very enthusiastic volunteer. We drove on to Saluda to see Pearson?s Falls, just before it started to rain. Although the falls are a little out of the way, it is well worth the drive- I thought these falls and the surrounding park were the most beautiful of all the falls we visited. There was a short and easy walk to get to the falls on a path that runs along a stream. We returned to Asheville for dinner at Salsa?s (which was very good) and walked around the downtown area. The following day, we took the Blue Ridge Parkway and another road (I think 176??) to Brevard and beyond in search of waterfalls. We stopped at the Blue Moon Bakery and got muffins to take with us (wished we would have also picked up something for lunch). We saw Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah National Forest, Bridal Veil Falls and Dry Falls near Highlands on 64. All of these falls are next to the road and well marked so you can?t miss them. Bridal Veil and Dry Falls are interactive-you can walk behind them and view the world through the water droplets. We then drove to Whitewater Falls, which border on both North and South Carolina. It was a short, easy walk to view these beautiful falls from a distance-they are about 150 ft, so you can?t get up close. The next day, we drove a little way north on the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped at the Folk Art Center, then drove to Black Mountain. We will definitely visit Asheville again because there is a lot we didn?t get to see. Thanks to everyone for their advice and suggestions!

Katie7

Sorry about the question marks-I typed this in Word and all the ' turned into ? when I posted it.

hauntedheadnc

Sounds like you had a great time! Tbanks for posting a trip review.

Did you ever get around to visiting the Grove Arcade or the arboretum or botanical gardens?

Lauradublin

Thanks for a great trip report - I leave tomorrow and will be in Asheville sometime around Memorial Day. Cannot wait! I'll post a report too when I get back.

Katie7

Hello, we did visit the Grove Arcade but the shops weren't open at the time. We could walk through the inside, however. We were impressed with the restoration work-the building is beautiful. We didn't make it to the botanical gardens or arboretum because we ran out of time. We'll save them for next visit. We did get to see the gardens and plants at Biltmore-we spent almost the whole afternoon just touring the gardens. I think we picked the best time to visit because of all the blooming azaleas.

Lauradublin: Have a great time! We really enjoyed our visit.

DeborahB

Katie7 just wanted to thank you for a great trip report. I live in Charlotte, NC and have been wanting to visit these areas. One of those places thats in your backyard and you keep meaning to get to it. Your trip report really makes me want to go soon, like right now would be good!