Asheville, NC.

Asheville is a place where surprise awaits you at all corners. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville, North Carolina, is a favorite destination for romantic gateways. The reasons are: you can tour America’s largest estate at Biltmore Estate, drive along the ridge tops of the North Carolina Mountains on the Blue Ridge Parkway, shop for arts and crafts, enjoy water falling from great heights in the mountains, and savor culinary delicacies in it’s numerous eateries, restaurants and hotels. No matter what time of the year you decide to visit Asheville you will have plenty to do.

Centrally located in the Northern Carolina Mountains, Asheville is the base from where the majestic Southern Highlands can be explored. The Blue Ridge Parkway offers a spectacular drive and view. There are a number of ways to explore Asheville. But the foremost of those is the drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The 469-mile long recreational road connects Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountain Parks. Before you reach the elevated roads, a dozen tunnels will greet you. The road carved on the top of the mountain at an elevation of 5000+ feet offers many scenic views. Be sure to carry a blanket and picnic items, there will be plenty of spots to just spread the blanket and have a little picnic. There are mileposts to indicate spots of interest. Drive slowly to enjoy the scenery better. The Blue Ridge Parkway is also ideal for hiking and biking. The treks could be normal to steep. Also make sure that you have a camera with plenty of rolls to capture the breathtaking scenes. A binocular would help you observe birds more closely. On the way, you will enjoy the hike to and from in many waterfalls.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is just 50 miles away from downtown Asheville. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a Biosphere reserve and a world heritage site that is visited by 9 million visitors in a year. The park is spread over 520,976 acres of area. The park is home to rugged mountains rising above 6000 feet and 100,000 species of plants and animals. It has a rich cultural heritage. The lives of the Southern Appalachian farming families can be glimpsed here. Cherokee Indians and Scottish Irish settlers lived in this land. There are 77 historical constructions that include log cabins, barns, churches, mills and other buildings that tells about the life styles of those people.

In Asheville, you will get to see the Biltmore Estates, the largest privately owned mansion in America. George W. Vanderbilt built a French renaissance chateau, which spreads over an 8000-acre estate with 250 rooms and 75 gardens. The estate is so large that the distance from the main gate to the house is 3 miles. There is a famous winery two miles away from the house. You cannot visit the entire house and the gardens in a single day. Whenever you get tired sit down anywhere near the lake or in the gardens for a little rest and picnic with the view of the majestic mansion.

Chimney Rock Park is another natural site that you should see when in Asheville. This park is around 500 million years old and home to Chimney Rock Mountain. A walk through a 198 feet tunnel to an elevator, a 26 stories climb on the elevator and then a few flights of stairs would take you to the top of the Chimney Mountain. From the top of Chimney Mountain a panoramic view of the Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge can be enjoyed. Spend a day floating in Lake Lure on an inner tube and sun bathing on the lake beach.

For those interested in waterfalls there are at least 5 major spots and many small ones to match the interest for cascading waters. Dupont state forest that is 40 miles away from Asheville has three breathtaking waterfalls. Gorges State Park has a collection of waterfalls. Upper White Water Falls plunges to a depth of 411 feet. The looking Glass Waterfalls is near the Blue Ridge Park. The name ‘looking glass’ comes from the fact that the water freezes on the sides on the falls and the rock, giving an icy and glassy background. Linville WaterFalls is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This waterfall is divided in two sections: upper falls and the lower falls. There are trails that guide you to both sections.

Its not that Asheville has only natural spots to visit. There are museums like: Carl Sandburg Home National Site, Museum of the Cherokee Indians and Ocanaluftee Indian Village. A guided ghost tour of Asheville is also a great idea for those who believe in ghosts. Asheville has its share of festivals that allows a lot of fun and frolic. Bele Chere is a 3-day festival held in downtown Asheville every year. Hundreds of local and national music bands perform on stages erected for the festival. There is music, food, art and cratfs, fancy parades and lots of fun activities that attract around 350,000 visitors each year.

Goombay is a festival of the Afro-Americans where dancers wear colorful costumes to dance to the rhythmic beats of the drum or ‘Gombey’. The dancers also wear masks that seem to have lives of their own and add to the frenzy of the movements. Apart from buying arts and crafts, Carribean meals can be savored at the eateries that open up during the festival.

Folkmoot USA International Festival is a two weeks extravaganza of celebration of world’s culture through dance and music. During their 22 years of history around 200 folk groups representing 100 countries have performed in the Folkmoot Festivals. There are theatres, movies, comedy shows and musical events galore in Asheville. Let it be any time during the year, Asheville has the excuse to let your hair down in many of the cultural events or rejuvenate your senses in numerous natural sites. The number of natural outing options though seems to outnumber indoors activities, the indoor activities are by no means to be overlooked.