Asheville suggestions? (Sorry I know this is a Fred Berry)

[FreeFlyNole]

My wife suggested it this weekend and I haven't spent much time there, but when I started looking at my schedule it looks like the best week I have to take off this summer is just around the corner, so we are going to plan this trip quick.

I have reserved a room at the Marriott Courtyard, the Renaissance was full, I needed to get a place quick and options were limited, let me know if there is a place that shouldn't be missed, and I'll check it out.

I know this town has been up here a few times, but I didn't really pay attention because it wasn't high on my list of places I wanted to go, but at this moment in time it makes sense for a quick short vacation with the kids.

So what I'm looking for are suggestions for:

Hikes
Tours
Restaurants
Breweries
Areas of town to walk around
Scenic drives

Anything else you'd suggest not to miss, but remember I'm hauling an 18 month old and a 3 year old, that limit my exposure.

 

[billyfsu76]

There's lots of good spots to eat at Asheville but one that I always find underrepresented is a restaurant downtown called Table. I've eaten there twice and both times were above average in terms of quality of food. It's on the pricey side but if you're looking for a nice dinner in the area (and are frustrated at how long the wait is at the mainstream places like Tupelo Honey and the like), Table is a good choice.

If you're looking for a more relaxed spot, there's a bar right by the square called Jack of the Wood which is an Irish style pub. If you check times online, they have live music some nights (they used to do Irish folk music on Sunday nights, not sure if they still do) and you can also order bar food there, which I've had and has always been really tasty. Pub fare. It's always a nice mix of folks in there and I would recommend both places highly.

Not to complicate matters but upstairs from Jack of the Wood is a vegetarian place called Laughing Seed cafe. I know, I know, vegetarian place seems weird / annoying / hippie, esp. in Asheville but I've been there multiple times and always had really good meals. There's a great mix of people in there too, and I've been "dressed up" before but also in hiking books / t-shirt / shorts and felt comfortable. Same for Jack of the Wood pub. If you go to Table, you probably want to wear khakis / slacks and a long-sleeve shirt.

 

[On Iowa]

For breweries, don't miss Wicked Weed or the Wicked Weed Funkatorium. If you stand in front of the Funkatorium, you can see at least a couple other breweries, so hit em all.

 

[cmanole]

Free, my suggestion would be to stay in Gatlinburg and do the halfway trip up Mt Leconte. I believe it's an easy enough hike for the wife and kids and if you time it right you can catch the llama train going up to the resort. Also there will be more touristy chit for the kids which is a plus...

 

[TexaNole]

Get out to Black Mountain for some horrible cliche kitsch shopping alongside a fantastic lunch place in The Veranda and a really good brewery in Pisgah.

In town, hit up both Barley's Taproom (note they have different taps upstairs and down) and the Thirsty Monk (American micros on ground level, Belgian in the basement).

Highland Brewing and the adjacent Troy & Sons distillery are definitely worth a visit, as well.

 

[RunRonnieRun]

For breweries, don't miss Wicked Weed or the Wicked Weed Funkatorium. If you stand in front of the Funkatorium, you can see at least a couple other breweries, so hit em all.

Cosign. Especially the Funkatorium.

 

[FSUTribe76]

My wife suggested it this weekend and I haven't spent much time there, but when I started looking at my schedule it looks like the best week I have to take off this summer is just around the corner, so we are going to plan this trip quick.

I have reserved a room at the Marriott Courtyard, the Renaissance was full, I needed to get a place quick and options were limited, let me know if there is a place that shouldn't be missed, and I'll check it out.

I know this town has been up here a few times, but I didn't really pay attention because it wasn't high on my list of places I wanted to go, but at this moment in time it makes sense for a quick short vacation with the kids.

So what I'm looking for are suggestions for:

Hikes
Tours
Restaurants
Breweries
Areas of town to walk around
Scenic drives

Anything else you'd suggest not to miss, but remember I'm hauling an 18 month old and a 3 year old, that limit my exposure.

As you might recall I have property in Shelby which is about an hour from there and head up at least once a year usually twice. As far as alcohol the previous posters mostly have you covered, Wicked Weed is not only my favorite brewery in town but my favorite that I've been in person (and I always incorporate breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries in my trips) just ahead of Victory in PA. So that's a must. My second through fourth favorite alcohol stops are not breweries but 2) A cidery (Urban Orchard), 3) a sakery (Blue Kudzu although to my horror I see it closed last month so you've missed out), and 4) a distillery (Troy and Sons). The rest of the breweries I would rank 5) Burial, 6) Oysterhouse (great home brewed oyster stout and ale, something tough to come by, it's more of a seafood place than brewery but worth the stop), 7) Highland, 8) Hi-Wire, 9) LAB, 10) Wedge, 11) Oskar Blues (not technically in Asheville but close), 12) Green Man, 13) Thirsty Monk (for their proprietary beers, they just started and are still amateurs but the bar is fantastic for Belgian and other craft brews...I'd just probably skip their own offerings), 14) French Broad, 15) Biltmore Brewing, 16) One World Brewing, 17) Asheville Brewing, 18) Altamonte Brewing and 19) Twin Leaf.

Even the worst of the breweries in Asheville is still pretty good and better than Sweetwater (where I just went on the 4th) and Cigar City imo. Some are pretty close together and an easy walk so even though I don't really like Asheville or LAB, they are pretty close to Hiwire, Burial and Wicked Weed and may be a mile hike roundtrip. Highland is good but nowhere near anything other than Troy and Sons so I usually skip it.

Sierra Nevada just opened a taproom and brewery a couple of months ago in Asheville but I havent been yet and New Belgium will be opening "soon" with no date other than 2015 I believe.

As far as food, I haven't found anything incredibly amazing yet in Asheville. Lots of good B+ options, but I haven't found anything worth raving about (unlike the beer, cider, whiskey and (unfortunately now gone) sake). I've been to every place previously posted and my assessment is...all B+ places. If I had someplace better IN Asheville I'd offer it, but I don't. Definitely skip the BBQ in Asheville. Compared to the places around it in the Piedmont or Western areas of NC it is %*%*.

The best hike near Asheville and debatably in the entire MidAtlantic (other than Assateague/Chincoteague and maybe some walks along OBX like in Kill Devil Hills or Jockey Ridge) is about an hour from Asheville at DuPont State Forest. Just large spectacular waterfall after waterfall.

If you don't mind making a short jaunt over to Shelby (about an hour) although you can stop at Chimney Rock and Lake Lure along the way to make it a full day outing, then the best BBQ in the nation per the big Guns and Gardens online poll tournament is Red Bridges BBQ in Shelby. My extended family prefers the brother's place also in Shelby Alston Bridges but both are excellent and Red Bridges is open Sunday (ask for the "brown", the Piedmont version of burnt ends). In either case get the banana pudding and a Cheerwine to go with your "brown" sammie topped with red slaw. Also in/near Shelby are the two best wineries East of the Mississippi not in Canada or New York in Owl Eye Winery (nice full scale winery) and Bakers Winery (lower rent looking).

I'll post more later If you want.

 

[HulaNole]

Chai Pani has great food, Free, but also depends on tastes (Indian Street food).

Thirsty Monk (for their proprietary beers, they just started and are still amateurs but the bar is fantastic for Belgian and other craft brews

Agreed. I would just head downstairs for the Belgian selection.

The breweries have been covered.

 

[FreeFlyNole]

The best ... about an hour from Asheville at DuPont State Forest. Just large spectacular waterfall after waterfall.

If you don't mind making a short jaunt over to Shelby (about an hour) although you can stop at Chimney Rock and Lake Lure along the way to make it a full day outing, then the best BBQ in the nation per the big Guns and Gardens online poll tournament is Red Bridges BBQ in Shelby. Also in/near Shelby are the two best wineries East of the Mississippi not in Canada or New York in Owl Eye Winery (nice full scale winery) and Bakers Winery (lower rent looking).

I'll post more later If you want.

Could you expand on the hike with specifics. Also is the chimney rock hike a good one? Remember I'll be carrying a 30lb fat kid on my back, and have a 3 year old in tow. Are they fairly easy hikes?

The wineries worth is? Just a time filler, or really something to experience?

Post as much as you feel like writing. I'll read it all.

Much appreciated.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Could you expand on the hike with specifics. Also is the chimney rock hike a good one? Remember I'll be carrying a 30lb fat kid on my back, and have a 3 year old in tow. Are they fairly easy hikes?

The wineries worth is? Just a time filler, or really something to experience?

Post as much as you feel like writing. I'll read it all.

Much appreciated.

Here's a much better description of DuPont State Forest than I could give.

http://www.hikewnc.info/besthikes/dupont-state-forest/dupont-waterfalls-tour

I did not consider it a very hard or stressful hike. There's a few areas with cliffs so you would have to keep your eye on the free roaming rugrat but it's not very steep and there are only a few places with steps. I think it's doable with rugrats, not very difficult and yet has great views.

As far as Chimney Rock, it's got a great view of the nearby lakes and valleys but it is pretty touristy. Not as ridiculously touristy as Rock City out of Chattanooga AND much nicer views. As far as the hike, when I went about a year ago it kind of sucked because the elevator that does 95% of the climb was out so it was relatively difficult. Definitely too much for rugrats. But I'm 99.9999% sure they've fixed the elevator so it will be ridiculously easy. As far as is it worth it...is any decent view/photo spot worth it?

http://www.pbase.com/waterfallrich/chimney_rock_park&page=all

The wineries in Shelby are better than any I've been to East of the Mississippi River outside of the Niagara Escarpment in NYC and N-O-L and the Beamsville Bench in Ontario. Are they the best wineries I've been to period? No, of course not, not when you've been to France, Australia, and New Zealand let alone the West Coast of the U.S. (and frankly I might like the Verde Valley in Arizona better as well). But I would put them in the top 10-20% of those in Marlborough, Napa, Hunter Valley ext... Good enough to travel solely for that purpose? No. Good enough as part of a trip combining Award winning BBQ and Chimney Rock plus maybe a fishing or boating trip around Lake Lure, absolutely. And in the Fall you would have fresh apple cider and apple picking to boot, but I guess that's still plenty.

One thing a 3yo might really appreciate is if you do go to Gatlinburg there's a canned trout farm fishing pond and attached restaurant where you can cane pole for fresh trout. It's literally shooting fish in a barrel and so the little guy could have his first "trophy" fish with your help. Plus the restaurant is actually really good at trout (go figure) and will cook it fried (I didn't think this would be good but my SIL had it and it was surprisingly tasty fried), simply grilled, lemon peppered, or blackened. So 5 star absolutely fresh trout (they clean them right in front of you if you prefer to make sure you get YOUR fish) prepared perfectly and a couple of great pics for the photobook. $21 to "catch" your own trout and have a great incredibly fresh dinner can't really be beat. They restock their little fishing pond every morning from their much bigger feed farm ponds so there is always big, fat and naive fish to jump on your hook. It took me literally 30 seconds to hook mine if that. Obviously a child will take longer (one in our group took about five-ten minutes before landing one after hooking several). So get your inner Cheney on and enjoy a fine Canned "hunt" and resulting dinner.

http://www.englishmountaintroutfarm.net

 

[FSUTribe76]

If you were sans rugrats I would strongly rec the Harrah's Casino in Cherokee as it's relatively newly redone, has some decent restaurants and has loose slots compared to every other Native American casino I've been to. Plus Cherokee has a really good Native American museum, a nice tribal "play" at night (singing and dancing telling several stories of the Cherokee, an allegedly great golf course (wouldn't know personally, I hate the activity), and plenty of stocked but less canned trout rivers filled with farmed and released brookies and rainbows.

Btw, in case you missed out on the obvious...there are a LOT of trout farms in and around Asheville, Gatlinburg and everywhere in between, so you should probably try the trout dishes at restaurants in these areas, I've always found them to be quite good even at places like Wicked Weed which is a brewery first and restaurant far second.

In between Cherokee and Gatlinburg/Great Smoky National Forest are two places of note. One is the Ocanoluftee visitor Center which during the day is a nice pre-Revolutionary War settlement museum/reenactment Center but at dawn and dusk is inundated with giant herds of elk. During the day they're hiding in the mountains but at dawn and dusk they're in the open fields near the visitor Center. Also of note is Clingmanns Dome which is the second best view in the area after Chimney Rock. There's a little spiral viewing area built over the tree line on top of one of the mountains so you can see all around.

 

[FreeFlyNole]

Thanks for the input, I will certainly get some of your recommendations accomplished. The trout farm sounds fun, but it looks like it's about 1:30 from our hotel, so I don't know if a 3 hour round trip is worth it.

 

[billanole]

Asheville has been pretty well covered, although a buddy of mine cooks at the Yacht Club downtown just a few blocks from both Jack of the Wood and Greenman. Dustin throws out some good stuff. Can't comment on his menu these days, but I used to frequent his earlier place.
Creek Side Taphouse is in the Haw Creek area near you and is very laid back, decent grub and brews, kids play in the creek, and there is a fairly chill crowd. Nothing fancy, but close and kinda fun.
Mammacita's is a great little fresh ingredients Mexican similar (but better) to Chipolte's a few doors up from Wicked Weed. Perfect for lunch with plenty of beer choices... Hippy chicks and bizness folks.
I work pretty close to where you are staying and often walk over Beaucatcher Mountain that the tunnel between your motel and downtown goes through. If you don't mind semi-sketchy, it is a kinda cool spot up top early in the day or best at sunset. Go left off Tunnel Road from Marriot on Kenilworth, then right across from the bowling alley, bear left at the little white church and right at the curve...you can walk down the backside into downtown and get to Biltmore Avenue after walking across MLK Blvd, down and around thru the neighborhood.The roads are a bit confusing, but the ones going up meet at the top and the ones going down get to the bottom on both sides.
30 miles away downtown Waynesville is a nice little spot with the Strand Theatre ( still undergoing renovation) that has themed movies and killer soda jerk refreshments. Down hill from there the Sweet Onion is a nice restaurant. In a hole in the wall fellow Nole Kevin has an up and coming brewery called Bearwaters that wins awards at the Colorado Festivals. I like the Sliding Rock Stout while wifey is a big fan of his saison. BTW, no food, but we sometimes take in pizza or such.
Ingle's grocery just up the road has good beer selection as well as the new Whole Foods right across from the Asheville Mall... don't miss out on the Milk Stout from Duck-Rabbit Brewery out of Farmville, NC.
For 'que, Green River down in Saluda is best around and you could zip line in the Green River Gorge. Try their creamed spinach and the cobbler is kickin'. Luella's on Merrimon in A-ville is pretty good, but an up and comer is Haywood Smokehouse over in Waynesville. Their Fine Swine sammy with provolone and collard greens is a taste sensation.
For outstanding scenery, deer, bear, and elk watching cruise over to Cataloochee Valley. You go through Cove Creek off of exit 20 near Waynesville...but it will eat up lots of a day. Gotta pack a picnic as the only facilties are bathrooms at the campground. Gravel road winds up and over the mountain down into our side of the Great Smoky Mtns. Nat. Park.
Gotta shout out my favorite toy store just up the road from you... Black Dome. Great gear and clothing (check online for the banner ad with daily sales) plus brews at the Conspiracy Corner. Stroll over and have a few in the afternoon. There is usually a dog or two lounging around and outdoor sports vids on the big screen.

 

[HulaNole]

Sweet Onion is a nice restaurant

Agreed. Good food.

 

[FreeFlyNole]

Thanks for taking the time to post that Billanole. Good stuff.

 

[FreeFlyNole]

Any of you guys ever eat at Larkin's on the Lake (on lake Lure). My buddy says he ate 2 of the "Mother Load" and got his picture on the wall.

The Mother Load $16.99

1 1/2 pounds of beef - three cheeses and staked so high you can't get both hands around it eat everything on the plate and we'll give you a 'mother load ' t-shirt

 

[Funk#49]

The last time I was in Asheville my fiance wanted to go to the Thomas Wolfe house there in town and also the Carl Sandburg house which is about 30-45 minutes outside of Asheville in Flat Rock, NC. She's a huge literary fan in general and anytime we go to a new city to visit, she likes to check out the literary history of each place.

I can't say that I would do that on my own but I've learned some pretty cool things by doing this. My background is in history/poli sci so I'm familiar with Sandburg's works on Lincoln. His home is worth the trip to see in my opinion. Him and his wife moved to the western Carolina mountains at quite an older age and she took up goat milking out of the blue and became a champion goat milker. The house is as it was when he died in the late 60's. That was her stipulation to the state if they took over the house. (Might be the Feds Parks that owns it?) It's a very pretty area and walk up to the house.

The Thomas Wolfe house was depressing to me. He grew up in Asheville and had nothing good to say about anyone/anything. It was a boarding house and even though they had their real home just a couple streets away, him and his mother lived in this boarding house that became a place for sick men to come and stay because of the hot springs in the area. The rest of the family stayed in the other house iirc. Plus, I find Wolfe very hard to read. His sentences ran on forever.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Any of you guys ever eat at Larkin's on the Lake (on lake Lure). My buddy says he ate 2 of the "Mother Load" and got his picture on the wall.

The Mother Load $16.99

1 1/2 pounds of beef - three cheeses and staked so high you can't get both hands around it eat everything on the plate and we'll give you a 'mother load ' t-shirt

I havent been to Larkins. Usually if I'm on Lake Lure it's to fish with a guide so I'm eating my own catch. The handful of times I've eaten in between Asheville and Shelby and it wasn't at the casino in Cherokee, I was disappointed. That was usually BBQ. I have eaten at one of the BBQ places on Lake Lure and it was ok. Nowhere near as good as the Shelby places, but better than Asheville's poor Q. I'll see if I can look up its name.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Nevermind, I looked at the list of Lake Lure restaurants and didn't see the BBQ place. It very well may have gone out of business, for some reason (their poor quality) a lot of restuarants and especially Q places go in and out of Lake Lure. I did "remember" that theres a Riverside Tiki Bar which did have quality burgers and typical bar food (wings, etc..) and a great redneck party atmosphere. Very similar in feel to the Shed in Biloxi if you've ever been.

 

[ggmike1992]

Get out to Black Mountain for some horrible cliche kitsch shopping alongside a fantastic lunch place in The Veranda and a really good brewery in Pisgah.

In town, hit up both Barley's Taproom (note they have different taps upstairs and down) and the Thirsty Monk (American micros on ground level, Belgian in the basement).

Highland Brewing and the adjacent Troy & Sons distillery are definitely worth a visit, as well.

Town Pump Tavern in Black Mountain. Just a dive bar but I go every time I do some mountain riding in that area.

 

[didnole]

My wife suggested it this weekend and I haven't spent much time there, but when I started looking at my schedule it looks like the best week I have to take off this summer is just around the corner, so we are going to plan this trip quick.

I have reserved a room at the Marriott Courtyard, the Renaissance was full, I needed to get a place quick and options were limited, let me know if there is a place that shouldn't be missed, and I'll check it out.

I know this town has been up here a few times, but I didn't really pay attention because it wasn't high on my list of places I wanted to go, but at this moment in time it makes sense for a quick short vacation with the kids.

So what I'm looking for are suggestions for:

Hikes
Tours
Restaurants
Breweries
Areas of town to walk around
Scenic drives

Anything else you'd suggest not to miss, but remember I'm hauling an 18 month old and a 3 year old, that limit my exposure.

 

[didnole]

For lunch hit Tupelo Honey Cafe. Wine, upscale appetizers and good dinners, The Blackbird. Tapas, can't beat Curate. Sushi, Wasabi Sushi. Craft beer and a movie, Carolina Cinema on Hendersonville Rd.

 

[billanole]

Hey Free, just a thought or two more.
Out Tunnel Road to the east (US 70) is a good spot for lunch called the East Valley Grill. It is across from the VA hospital. Several miles further out on the right is authentic Mexican in a dive called el lemon. Their Cuban torta is my choice, but a friend goes for the tongue, trite, and other tacos
If you go that way, it is easy to jump on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Go South for a while and take the 15 minute walk to the Devil's Courthouse overlook. We used to gorge on blueberries (or huckleberries as the locals say), but most of the bushes are in off limits area now.
Just past the Courthouse, turn right (North) on Hywy. 215 and wind down towards Waynesville. There are two small bridges up pretty high...just above the "triple arch" is parking. Ford the creek and walk up towards Sam's Knob as far as the kids last. Easy walking, but bear activity lately, so leave food behind.
Or, go down to the "single arch" bridge. There is a plastic pipe with spring water for the kids to enjoy just above the bridge. We park back up the road and hike along an old rail bed... Easy trail after climbing up the bank. Looking up the road from the bridge, climb up the bank just past the curve and walk left to the waterfalls.
Very scenic road with places to get into the creek. Eventually hit US 276 into Waynesville, or take Hywy 210 thru Canton back to I 40 to return to A-Ville. (Canton is a speed trap, paper mill town).

 

[FreeFlyNole]

Overall I had a generally good time in Asheville, but I wasn't too impressed with the city. The obesity rate there has to be double the average in the US. I was thinking because it was an outdoorsy city that there would be a culture of fitness, but alas that was not the case. It was fat, dirty, tattooed hippy central. I also agree with Tribe on the food, we didn't have one meal there that was noteworthy.

In the case of natural beauty, it was very pretty, and there were a lot of outdoor activities to do within a short drive, and there was a lot of beer around, but I didn't find the quality all that high. It would be a pretty good place for a guys trip with the focus being outdoor activities and brewery touring.

If I were to come back with my family again I would stay at Inn at Builtmore and we wouldn't leave the grounds. That is a pretty spectacular place. I'd skip the house tour in the future though.

I tried to take the advice of this board and some other friends, and most of the advice was pretty solid.

- Creekside Taphouse was great for the kids, and the beer was cheap. The food was not very good.
- Wicked Weed was awesome, along with the Funkatorium. Great Beer, good food.
- Oyster House was a cool little spot, food was a B- at best.
- Thirsty Monk pissed me off. I went to the downstairs bar, asked the bar tender how to get up stairs, he told me. I ordered a drink for my wife and I and then proceeded upstairs. When we got up there they wouldn't let us in with our drinks! The woman said they have different liquor licenses. I was pissed with the slacked jawed dirty hippy down stairs would have put two and two together that I wanted to go up there when I preceeded my drink order with a request for directions.
- Chimney Rock was pretty rad, the elevator was broken, we hiked up the 505 stairs, I took a lot of motivation from all the morbidly obese Yankee tourists huffing up the stairs. Don't like fat people or Yankees, so watching fat Yankees suffer is always a special treat.
- The DuPont State Forrest was great, nice easy scenic trails and lots of waterfalls. We didn't see any wildlife.
- Tupelo Honey was good, B+ but highly over rated. I was told to go there by at least 1/2 a dozen people as something spectacular, it was good, but not outstanding.
- Owl Eye Winery was closed when we drove by there, didn't look like much from outside.
- Red Bridges BBQ was also closed, so we went to the other Bridges place. I'd give it a C+. Just nothing much to it.

I'll add some pictures later. We ended up wrapping it up and driving back home a day early. There is more good stuff to do on the space coast that I haven't had time to do yet that I'd rather spend the last 3 days of my vacation doing.

Not saying it was a bad vacation, it was decent for sure, but most of what I wanted to do was outdoors and it was as hot - muggy - and miserable there as it is in Florida. I'd like to give it another try in the spring or fall.

 

[billanole]

Glad to see your feedback. I thought every where in the country is full of obese people these days...it is an epidemic for sure. We have been sweltering this summer. More so than other years. You also were at fairly low elevation in the spots you write about. Early mornings or when the sun is below the ridges it is pretty good to go. Hopefully another time will be better...

 

[FreeFlyNole]

Oh, we had breakfast at Sunny Point one morning, that was pretty damn good. I'm sure my experience would have probably been a bit different also if I didn't have two toddlers in tow. They can make the most mundane task a planning and logistical nightmare.

 

[FreeFlyNole]

 

[billanole]

Oh, we had breakfast at Sunny Point one morning, that was pretty damn good. I'm sure my experience would have probably been a bit different also if I didn't have two toddlers in tow. They can make the most mundane task a planning and logistical nightmare.

Aah, Sunny Point rocks if you can get in. We get a big sack of biscuits brought in at work routinely. The jelly is dang good. Their blue cheese burger is nice... definitely a two hander.
I think back to the trips with kids and have to agree. Anybody who pulls it off smoothly gets my vote.

 

[TexaNole]

Overall I had a generally good time in Asheville, but I wasn't too impressed with the city. The obesity rate there has to be double the average in the US. I was thinking because it was an outdoorsy city that there would be a culture of fitness, but alas that was not the case. It was fat, dirty, tattooed hippy central. I also agree with Tribe on the food, we didn't have one meal there that was noteworthy.

Yeah, every time I've been to Asheville has been between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I can't imagine enjoying it as much in the summer.

The grounds at Biltmore are just stunning. Best meal I had in the area was the Thanksgiving dinner at the Biltmore Bistro, so hit that up when you go back.