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Asheville, NC Vacation

tone-ny

tone-ny

I smoke therefore I am!
Joined
Nov 24, 2004
Messages
13,347
Location
SC
Going to spend a week in the mountains of North West, North Carolina with plenty of cigars.

Beside the Biltmore Estate, anything that is a must see or do?

I have some golf planned, mountain and road biking and my primary purpose looking at some real estate here and Greenville SC. Trying to guage where I want to end up when I retire, NJ real estate taxes are brutal.

Thanks in advance.
 
Your not far from Knoxville, If you decide to come this way let me Know. As far as the Asheville area check out the Black Mountain area for house hunting.

Jerry
 
Hey - my wife and I spent part of our honeymoon there (heck we were broke 25 years ago - lived in Atlanta at the time). The Biltmore is "the thing" - and pricey - but heck you are all the way there. Also check out Grove Park Inn - at least for a dinner - great view of the Smokey Mountains. Have fun!

John
 
Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway to Boone. A nice, scenic drive with things to see along the way: Grandfather Mountain, Linville Falls, Linn Cove Viaduct, Blowing Rock, etc.
 
tone-ny said:
Going to spend a week in the mountains of North West, North Carolina with plenty of cigars.

Beside the Biltmore Estate, anything that is a must see or do?

I have some golf planned, mountain and road biking and my primary purpose looking at some real estate here and Greenville SC. Trying to guage where I want to end up when I retire, NJ real estate taxes are brutal.

Thanks in advance.
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I just went there last year. Are you renting a cabin? If so, stay on the mountains that overlook town if you can. We didn't stay there, but I wish we did. The view is amazing.

Besides the Biltmore, you can go hit up the roads through the mountains and check out the scenic areas. If you've seen the smokies before, this might not impress you much though... If you haven't, then the blue ridge parkway is one of the best drives in the country, this is an absolute must for anyone who's never been to the area. There should be look outs and such all along the parkway.

Downtown Asheville has a bit of a night scene. There are bars and clubs and such that are open late. I'm not much of a clubbing guy, but it looked like the place was pretty busy at night. Also, it's a neat little town to walk around in during the day (don't expect much from the cigar shops). There's a place called Grove Arcade that has import beer if your interested, but the rest in that place is crap (except the restaurants). Generally, you can park near downtown and just walk around if you're interested in the downtown areas.

There's also museums, attractions, golf, spas etc... Asheville is a pretty big town considering it's in the mountains, so there's actually a good bit to do depending on your taste. Here's a site with lots of info: http://www.exploreasheville.com/what-to-do/index.aspx

Ohh, and plan on spending at least 1/2 a day to a full day at the Biltmore. It's pretty big. Try to get there early to beat the crowds and not be rushed. Also, if you like wine, there is a winery tour. Unfortunately, they only give you 6 glasses during the tasting at the end, which I thought was a a bit of a let down to be honest. If you will have a lady friend with you, she might want to walk around the little town that's just outside of the Biltmore. It's a neat little area that sells a bunch of crap you probably won't care about. :laugh:
 
"This river don't go to Aintry". Anthony, do you own a banjo? :laugh:

Just kidding, I went rafting down the Nolichucky River on the TN/NC border a couple of years ago. It is one of THE most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life. You will get wet so I wouldn't advise taking a cigar with you. Hope you enjoy yourself. Also, Iowa is fast becoming the retirement capital of the world. I'm just saying. :laugh:
 
Thanks for all the helpful information guys.

I'm renting a house with a killer view and hot tub. I am an honorary Bubba so I should fit in with the locals. So I'm looking forward to just doing some hiking too, might just find a still or two.

Iowa hmmm? Not, too far from the beach! I'm also going to be driving back through TN to see friends. I've heard good things about Tennesse too.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, had a great time and really enjoyed the area.

Wasn't able to hook with a few of you as I had hoped. Will be going again next year hopefully in the spring so I promise I'll see you guys.

My thanks again for all your help :thumbs:
 
We were all over:

Our house was in Fairview, NC
Biltmore Estate, pricey $50 per person to get inside
Downtown Asheville for the day
Grove Inn Terrace for dinner, food was marginal, but view was stunning
Black Mountain, NC town and golf course, 747 yard, par 6 hole
Lake Lure for the day, rented boat and went around lake
Broadmoor Golf nice course near airport noisy reminded me of playing at home
Ate so much BBQ and hush puppies to last me a lifetime
Drove to Venore, TN and visited friends had dinner at the marina in Lurie
Drove to Wyethville, VA and stayed the night, got caught in Hokie traffic

Other than that we didn't do squat!
 
Wow. That's quite a tour. I forgot about the price for the Biltmore. You're right, they charge way too much for that place.
 
tone-ny said:
We were all over:

Our house was in Fairview, NC
Biltmore Estate, pricey $50 per person to get inside
Downtown Asheville for the day
Grove Inn Terrace for dinner, food was marginal, but view was stunning
Black Mountain, NC town and golf course, 747 yard, par 6 hole
Lake Lure for the day, rented boat and went around lake
Broadmoor Golf nice course near airport noisy reminded me of playing at home
Ate so much BBQ and hush puppies to last me a lifetime
Drove to Venore, TN and visited friends had dinner at the marina in Lurie
Drove to Wyethville, VA and stayed the night, got caught in Hokie traffic

Other than that we didn't do squat!
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Sounds like you guys had a great time! The Biltmore is special to me... my wife and I had our first "date" there- halfway between her place near Nashville and my place in Fayetteville. A beautiful place to walk through but definitely pricey.

Did you have any memorable smokes on your vacation?
 
I did get a very pleasant surprise I bought with me a Hoyo Epicure #2 from 96 that was out of this world. I followed it up with a few other mid to late 90's cigars, so yes I did enjoy the limited amount of cigars that I smoked.

I did smoke a few cigars on the golf course that I bought from Carolina Cigar Company. One wasn't bad at all, and the two others were chucked after a few draws on them.
 
Glad to hear you had a pleansent vacation tone-ny. I guess a vacation like that can solidify your plans to retire there. My wife is trying to talk me into looking at some land in Hilton Head. I've only ever been there once, but she is pretty keen on a vacation home down there.
 
I'd jump on it if the price was right. I've enjoyed Hilton Head as a vacation spot, but not to live full time.
 
thechenman said:
Glad to hear you had a pleansent vacation tone-ny. I guess a vacation like that can solidify your plans to retire there. My wife is trying to talk me into looking at some land in Hilton Head. I've only ever been there once, but she is pretty keen on a vacation home down there.
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Hilton Head is one of the more relaxed beaches on the east coast. I highly recommend it if you want a laid back trip to the beach. If you're looking to party, it's probably not the best place to visit. Also, the Hilton Head area is pretty high brow if you know what I mean. So most things are pretty expensive.
 
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