Let’s Go to the Mountains: Asheville, North Carolina
Recognized as the “Best Mountain City” in Southern Living magazine’s 2007 Reader’s Choice Awards, Asheville appeal to so many. Whether you are a history buff, art collector, or just like exploring mountain cities, then Asheville should be on top of your travel list.
Must Do…
Filled with history and lore, the best place to learn about the city is through the Urban Trail walking tour. The tour, about two and a half-hours, makes a 1.7-mile loop of downtown and tells the story of Asheville interpreted through art.
When author Thomas Wolfe who said that you never can go home again, perhaps he was talking about himself. A native of Asheville, no one was fooled when he depicted his mother’s boardinghouse as Dixieland in his novel ”Look Homeward Angel”, and well, with the characterization of local citizens, Asheville wasn’t too receptive to the novel. In fact, the book was banned from the local library, and Wolfe himself didn’t return to the area for about eight years. You can learn more about his short life when you tour the recently restored Old Kentucky Home boarding house.
However, the piece d’ resistance is the Biltmore Estate. Many say you need to devote at least a half a day to tour the grounds. The house still contains its original collection of 50,000 furnishings, artwork and antiques. For an additional fee, you can take specialty tours, such as a Behind-the-Scene Tour that goes into unrestored areas, as well offering a closer look at the inner workings of the house. A variety of outdoor activities, such as guided horseback rides and bike trails, also are available.
Whether you are a collector, or just like to look at art, Asheville won’t be a disappointment in this area. Arts and crafts are an integral part of this area. Handmade in America, based in Asheville, publishes The Craft Heritage Trails Guidebook, highlighting a series of craft heritage trails through the back roads and small communities in the region.
The city is also home to the Folk Art Center, the nation’s top organization representing the crafts culture of the Southern Appalachians, the Southern Highland Handcraft Guild. In this facility, guild members’ works are displayed and sold. During some visits, you can watch artists create their work. At Stuart Nye Hand Wrought Jewelry, there are opportunities to watch the artisan at work as they design jewelry from sterling silver, copper and brass.
Did You Know…
Asheville is perhaps the only city that benefited from the Depression. It is odd to think that some place benefited during that dark period in history, but back then, the developers did not have the funds to tear down the old buildings, so they left them. And it is a good thing they did, because today you can still find an abundance of art deco architecture built here in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In fact, Asheville has more Art Deco buildings in the southeast, second to Miami Beach, Fla.
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POSTED IN: Let's Go to the Mountains, Small Towns to Visit, Southern Byways, Things to See in North Carolina, Travelogues, Vacation
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