Asheville has all the qualities needed for a perfect 'girls getaway':  luxurious hotels and spas; a variety of unique restaurants; great shopping; endless galleries for lovers of folk art to fine art and, of course, the beautiful mountain scenery.  For the adventurous, there are the mountain drives, hikes and bike rides.  For those less so, there is the historic Biltmore Estate to explore. 

My friend, Lorraine, and I met up at the Charlotte airport around noon on a Sunday at the end of September and headed west to Asheville.  We made our first stop Bridges Barbeque Lodge in Shelby.  Apparently there is a difference between eastern vs. western NC BBQ, not to mention NC vs. Texas.  But, from my perspective, it was a good local place to fill up, or should I say “pork up,” and get into the slower pace of western NC living.

Our drive was otherwise uneventful – the fall colors hadn’t yet appeared but the first views of the mountains were still impressive to “flatlanders” from Illinois and Florida.  After checking out our residence, we met Lori’s brother, Raymond and his wife, Ilse in Biltmore Village for some “speed-shopping” (note: the stores close at 5:00 on Sunday).   We then found our way across the brick paved roads of the Village to the Corner Kitchen, where we shared a bottle of wine in the outdoor garden, followed by a southern-style dinner. Out in front of the 1809 cottage which houses the restaurant, a crew was filming a public service announcement about the homeless – it was very strange to watch the production from our dinner table but it kept us entertained! 

The Village sits just outside the Biltmore Estate and has some wonderful shops.  Not to be missed is the New Morning Gallery, the upstairs of which is ½ a city block of upscale arts, crafts and home furnishings.  If you go nowhere else to shop in Asheville, you have to see this store.  Next door is the Bellagio, with unique clothing and gift items.  I bought a gorgeous handmade jacket – black with yellow-green stitching and some patches of “my” colors which I wore one chilly night while I was there and it looked great.  Sadly, the Village has expanded to include some of the national chains (Talbots, JJill, etc) but they are on the edge of the charming village that was once home to the workers on the Biltmore Estate.

We also visited galleries in downtown Asheville, including the well-known Blue Spiral 1.  While the others explored the Grove Arcade, I found a bead store on nearby Wall Street which offered some unusual gemstones. We continued on to the historic Four Diamond Grove Park Inn, where the open air balcony was a really beautiful setting to enjoy a delicious lobster salad. The Grovewood Gallery art center and sculpture garden on the property is also worth a visit.  According to Lori, one gallery area that is highly touted, but not worth a visit, is the River Arts District – a series of warehouses housing artist “studios”. 

On Tuesday, Lori and I set out for explorations of Chimney Rock and Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah National Forest.  Prior to leaving home, I had created a TripTik route of scenic drives to each destination which we combined into a full day’s adventure, connected by a visit to Hendersonville.  The drive to Chimney Rock via US-74-Alt is an amazing continuation of twists and turns up the mountains.  When we arrived at the park we received good news and bad news – the good news was that we received a discounted rate – the bad news was that the elevator wasn’t working.  So, I followed my friend up 26 flights of stairs to climb to the top of the rock.   Breathless and with achy legs, we made it to the very top with photos to prove it! 

We stopped in Hendersonville and shopped up and down Main Street.  At “Susan’s," I found a German Santa “smoker” which is like a nutcracker that opens in the middle so you can you put incense in it and create smoke to come out of his pipe. Susan's also carries items from craftsmen in six other European countries. Hendersonville is a quaint town in the middle of apple country.  Then on to the Pisgah National Forest (home of Forestry in America) and the Looking Glass Falls.  The falls were worth the stop, as were the views from both sides of the mountain road.  It was a long and winding ride! 

We ate in the Village again that night at Rezaz Mediterranean Restaurant and Enoteca on Hendersonville Road, literally a wine library or Italian wine bar, and had an antipasto platter and dessert for dinner – yum!  After dinner we had coffee in front of the fire at the new Four Diamond Grand Bohemian  – the hotel lobby is styled like an over-the-top hunting lodge, compatible with the Biltmore across the street.  We liked it so much we came back there after dinner our last night, as well. 

Wednesday was our Biltmore day - the house tour, the gardens and the winery.   We had purchased reduced rate tickets in advance at my AAA office (reduced price tickets for all members are also available at the Asheville AAA office) but needed to get there early to get a “reservation time” for the house tour.  As it turned out, we were about 2 weeks ahead of busy season, so had no trouble getting right in.  French onion soup at the Winery Bistro was exceptional, but we held off on the tasting and returned later in the day to enjoy the wines. 

We finally ventured downtown for dinner at The Lobster Trap – a real find!  A very casual Two Diamond on Patton Ave. with delicious food including New England lobster shipped in daily from the owners friend.  On our way out of the city the next morning we had White Trash Eggs Benny at the Early Girl Eatery on Wall Street - another real treat.  In this case the primitive style paintings by Moni Hill exhibited in the simple restaurant were just my taste!

All in all a good trip – lots of eating but lots of fresh air and walking, too. I still can’t believe I went up and down 26 stories to Chimney Rock!  The weather was perfect – warmer than I thought.  No fall colors but no crowds either.   Lots of memories of when we were there as a family a decade ago - I remembered downtown Asheville as a boarded up “ghost town” with one or two gallery destinations.  Now the city is noticeably more vibrant (and less scary) thanks to a 20-year revitalization project.  I highly recommend Asheville – it’s not just for girls!