Springtime in Asheville is a beautiful thing. The daffodils and tulips are blooming. The apple blossoms fall from the trees in the breeze like snow. The sky is cloudless blue and the air smells sweet and warm. It is a terrific time to visit Asheville.

Biltmore Avenue is one of the busy streets of downtown lined with restaurants and galleries. Some of the favorite restaurants are –

After browsing the shops and galleries along Biltmore Ave, Merrimon, and Haywood, why not stop in at the Asheville Area arts Council? Pick up an audio headset and journey the Asheville Urban Trail. The Urban Trail is a walking tour of 30 sculptures depicting the history of downtown Asheville. Headsets can be rented at –
Asheville Urban Trail
Asheville Area Arts Council
Pack Place Education Arts & Science Center - 2 Pack Square
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: 828-258-0710
E-mail: info@ashevillearts.com
Web site: www.ashevillearts.com

Want to have a cup of coffee and relax for a few moments? Do so at Malaprop’s Bookstore & Café. Malaprop’s has a terrific selection of books and offers book signings. Like all good book stores, it is hopping on Friday and Saturday nights. Malaprop’s is located at -
55 Haywood St
Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: 828-254-6734
Web site: www.malaprops.com

The Fine Arts Theater (http://www.fineartstheatre.com/) offers fine art films in a historic Art Deco setting located at 36 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801, Phone: 828-232-1536.

Friday and Saturday nights during the warmer months, you will hear rhythmic drumming vibrating downtown. On Fridays the drum circle forms at Pritchard Park (where Patton and College Street intersect) and on Saturday night the circle forms around Vance Monument in the center of town.

Who could take a trip to Ashville and not visit the Biltmore Estate? Asheville was known as a health resort because of the hot mineral springs found in the area. George Vanderbilt’s first visit to Asheville was to accompany his mother to the hot springs. George fell in love with the area and asked Richard Morris Hunt to design Biltmore for him.

Each spring the Biltmore Estate hosts the Festival of Flowers where over 90,000 tulips are blooming on the 8,000 acres. They have a calendar of special weekend events for the month of the festival.

There’s lots to do and see and experience in very unique Asheville. Dining, entertainment, gorgeous mountain views, brilliant colors, inviting weather – Asheville has all you need for a great vacation. When they say, “Altitude affects Attitude” they mean it!

We took a fantastic vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains. The scenery was spectacular and the wildlife spottings were amazing. In the morning and evenings we took a drive around Cades Cove where we observed deer, horses, bear, all kinds of birds and even a panther. One day, as we were traveling through, we saw a bear at the top of a tree. We watched for a while and he slowly but meticulously chewed the branch right off the tree. When it fell to the ground, he came barreling down to claim his prize. He proceeded to chow down on the berries and did not much care that he was sitting in the middle of the roadway. When a spectator tried to remove the branch, he was met with a loud, roaring, growling, drooling “mad-bear.” Of course, those of us watching thought this person a “mad-man” to even tempt the bear. Aside from that scare, it was quite an intriguing sight to watch this 300 pound wild animal so close but yet free.

Walking the trails brought us face to face with deer, and once, a small shy bear watched from behind a tree as we chose our path carefully. The vacation ended up being a truly rejuvenating, adventurous time. Besides the restaurants and nearby, lively Gatlinburg, we kept busy hiking and exploring the mountains, streams, falls and the surprises that came around many corners.

Though it was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations we’ve had, it might have been perfect if we had not stayed at a bed and breakfast. Two lesbians showing up for breakfast with Tennessee Christian couples was not our ideal morning ritual. It would have been nice to sit out on a couple of rockers that we could temporarily call our own.

Instead, we felt like we were intruding in someone else’s home, swimming in someone else’s pool, forced sometimes to whisper because of the quietness of the home and we weren’t feeling like our hosts considered us the ideal guests. So though we highly recommend the Smokies, we also recommend that you rent a cabin or cottage of your own so you can relax full time and fully experience the natural beauty of this area.