Taking Vacation to North Carolina...Need Suggestions

jubilant · ‎06-10-2010

I need suggestions for places to go and things to do. We love the Asheville area and saw the Biltmore passing through Asheville once. We want to see it again and would like some other ideas for things to do within a 60 mi. radius or so. Also need to know nice clean places to stay for a week or so. If we like it well enough we may look for a place to rent in the winter months. Getting tired of this Indiana weather in the winter. Also, what are the temperatures like in winter months? We like mountains and lakes, sight seeing, historic homes, etc. Oh, and good food...can't forget that! Also, we have heard that Hendersonville is a great place to retire???? Would appreciate your thoughts.

esmeraldagooch · ‎03-10-2010

We took the bus/trolley tour of the city. The driver picked us up at the hotel. It was fun, historical and interesting. We would never had seen all that on our own.

sallybusky · ‎01-06-2013

When I had only read the heading I got really excited to recommend The Biltmore. That's the only place I visited in Asheville, and I'm so glad you've been. The only other thing I could say is that there is a great chicken restaurant there called BeauJangles (?) Posters, help? It is a fast food establishment; you may be interested in some finer dining experiences. Enjoy your trip!

rosie03 · ‎05-07-2010

Cherokee, casinos, lots of waterfalls, PeeDee area, Indian burial mounds.

Mistic · ‎12-08-2010

Hi ~ I used to live 50 miles from Asheville. Up in the mountains. If you are interested in just driving to see the beauty of the area, I highly recommend the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Lynville Falls, Lynville Gorge. That would be about 60 miles from Asheville. The parkway has many turn offs where you can stop, hike a little, have a pick nick, or just take in the views. Flat Rock is great for picking wild blueberries.

All 3 of the spots I mentioned are within a few miles of each other. Apple Mountain has peaches & Apples for sale...just picked.

Crabtree Falls is a hike to get down there, but so beautiful, just walking through the woods. The walk back up is a little challenging, but the trail is a switchback, so it's easier than going straight up.

You can get on the Parkway in Asheville. The beauty of this area is so beyond amazing.

ETA ~ Grandfather Mountain is beautiful too. It's a bit touristy, but going up there and crossing the swinging bridge, well the views alone are worth it.

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Blahblahvampemer · ‎08-31-2010

Black Mountain is beautiful, and you can take one of the main roads back to Montreat. Trip Advisor is a great source of info. Mountain Nest, Seven Sisters and Europa (quality Polish stoneware and more at great prices) are must-see stores, and The Veranda Cafe is lovely but only open from 11-3.

In the Biltmore Village area, there's Corner Kitchen with defined breakfast, lunch and dinner hours and Village Wayside on the train tracks. The Southern Highland Guild store is next door, and across the street is one of the best stores in N.C., New Morning Gallery. The place is huge. Belagio is on the street level for "wearable" art. The only problem with this area is the limited parking.

Waynesville, Maggie Valley, are Cherokee (the park's visitor's center is fabulous) are other options.

Winters can be fairly brutal, and the locals laugh at those in the mountains so the valleys are best.

There's always the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Folk Art Center located on it is great, but it's best in smaller doses as it can get boring fast. Been there, done that.

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jubilant · ‎06-10-2010

Oh, gosh....thanks ladies. So many great ideas. Looking so forward to getting away this winter. We haven't been able to take a real vacation in many years. I'm hoping we will both be well enough to go. Many wonderful suggestions. I am copying them all!

CouponQueen · ‎10-21-2010

BoJangles I think it is...and more of a fast food chicken place.

For some reason I thought that area had some pretty heavy winter weather??

We just got back from two weeks down south and we are conisdering maybe Myrtle Beach as a winter location for a few weeks a couple of the months. Don't want to leave the grandkids really that long.

Years ago discussing being snow birds we never took grandkids into consideration lol..

I still have about 4 years til I can retire so we are now in the "thinking" stages...looking etc.

I think we may try a few different areas to see what we like...I am thinking winter wise the weather in MB may be what we want...although when we were there the humidty and heat was at a all time high lol...

I was looking at the Ocean Front Condos we stayed at and they rent them out off season too for what I thought very reasonable prices...considering no responsibility ..sounds good.

Lost in Yonkers · ‎06-22-2011

My husband and I have gone twice to Franklin, NC and mined for gems. This year no big finds, but last year I found 2 rubies ( 17 and 18 carat ) large enough to have a ring, a pair of earrings and a pendant made out of them.