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Encircled by a ring of interstates, and skirted
to the east and south by the Parkway, modest ASHEVILLE
, roughly 100 miles southwest of Boone, retains an appealing downtown
core. It's also something of a New Age center, with ephemera stores,
holistic healing sessions and a tradition among the region's farmers
of growing medicinal herbs. Two miles south on Biltmore Avenue,
the Biltmore Estate is the largest private mansion
in the US (daily 8.30am-5pm; $33; tel 828/255-1776). Built in
the late nineteenth century by George Vanderbilt and loosely modeled
on a Loire chateau, it's a wild piece of nouveau riche folly,
from the Victorian chic of the indoor palm court to the landscaped
gardens.
There are several upmarket places to eat
, among them tiny Salsas , 6 Patton Ave (tel 828/252-9805),
serving up an aromatic blend of Mexican and Caribbean dishes,
though tables can be hard to come by. The Laughing Seed Caf? ,
40 Wall St (tel 828/252-3445), has wonderful vegetarian food (check
out the "meatloaf"), while Beanstreets Coffee , 3 Broadway
(tel 828/255-8180), is a fun place to hang out. Although Asheville
is small, there are enough students to keep a reasonable nightlife
scene going; Barley's , 42 Biltmore Ave (tel 828/255-0504), is
the best brewpub in town and offers good food and live music.
Ashville Music Zone , 81 Broadway (tel 828/255-8811), is a very
popular venue which caters to all sorts of music tastes, and Jack
of the Wood , 95 Patton Ave (tel 828/252-5445), is an enjoyable
pub.
Pick up information on the numerous local summer
music and craft festivals from the downtown visitor center
, 151 Haywood St (tel 828/258-6101 or 1-800/257-1300, ). August's
Mountain Dance and Folk Festival features bluegrass
and traditional dancing, while the hugely enjoyable Leaf
Festival , a folk music and arts and crafts gathering
held in mid-May and October in BLACK MOUNTAIN
, fourteen miles east on I-40 (one bus a day), showcases Appalachian
and world folk music, usually attracting major European and African
musicians. There's little to do in Black Mountain otherwise, though
the clear fresh air, pretty views and relaxed pace make a stroll
worthwhile. The Monte Vista there, at 308 W State St (tel 828/669-2119,
fax 828/669-0596, ; $75-100), is a small, very comfortable hotel
with regional decor, while the Town Pump , 143 Cherry St (tel
828/669-4808), is a tavern/music venue.
Twenty miles southeast of the Parkway on US-64/74,
the natural granite tower of Chimney Rock sticks
out from the almost-sheer side of Hickory Nut Gorge (summer daily
8.30am-5.30pm; rest of year daily 8.30am-4.30pm; park stays open
about an hour and a half past last ticket sale; $10; tel 828/625-9611
or 1-800/277-9611). After taking the elevator to the top, you
can clamber up and down steps and walk along protected walkways
atop the impressive cliffs. Many of the climactic moments of The
Last of the Mohicans were filmed here; you may recognize the mighty
waterfall that drops 400ft from the western end of the gorge.
From the top you can see Lake Lure , where the movie Dirty Dancing
was filmed.
