What's Happening | Asheville
Posted on Sun, Mar. 23, 2008
JENNEY WARBURG / FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Grove Arcade, built 1929, in Asheville, N.C. is the city's giant market.
Asheville is an Appalachian Shangri-La. This year-round resort town, tucked between the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, draws a funky mix of New Agers, fleece-clad mountain bikers, antiques lovers and old-time farmers. And what's there not to like? Charming yet surprisingly cosmopolitan for a town of about 73,000, Asheville has a Southern appeal all its own. There are lazy cafes and buzzing bistros, kayaking and biodiesel cooperatives and one of the world's largest private homes the Biltmore Estate, a French Renaissance-style mansion with 250 rooms. No wonder so many locals first started out as tourists.
WHERE TO STAY
The plushest spot in Asheville is the Inn on Biltmore Estate (1 Antler Hill Rd.; 800-411-3812; www.biltmore.com), where the lavishly appointed rooms are $189 to $2,000 a night. Set on the grounds of the 8,000-acre Biltmore Estate, the inn also offers Land Rover excursions, horseback riding and fly-fishing.
Mountain Vacation Rentals (828-398-0712 or 800-770-9055; www.asheville-cabins.com) offers cabins starting at $122 a night, with choices ranging from simple cottages with kitchenettes to luxurious log cabins with Internet and huge decks.
Cedar Creek Cabins in the nearby town of Weaverville (70 S. Main St.; 828-645-5531; www.cedarcreekcabinsnc.com) nicely appointed log cabins for $150 to $225 a night.
WHERE TO EAT
Mela (70 N. Lexington Ave.; 828- 225-8880; www.melaasheville.com) is a sumptuous ethnic hideaway -- an Indian restaurant that blends imported spices with local ingredients. The dark, wood-paneled space draws a mixed crowd with dishes like Chowpatty ragada, potato patties topped with curried chickpeas, tamarind yogurt and mint chutney (dishes, $1.95-$16.95). After 10, tables are cleared to make way for a salsa club.
Grab a hearty but healthy breakfast at the Early Girl Eatery (8 Wall St.; 828- 259-9292; www.earlygirleatery.com), a friendly haunt of hip Ashevillians for the past six years that culls its ingredients from local farmers. Try the sausage and sweet potato scramble, a delicious mix of eggs, sausage (vegan or pork), shiitake mushrooms, spices and sweet potatoes. Dinner entrees, $10.50-$16.95.
WHAT TO DO
For a taste of Asheville's urbane and crunchy sides, start at the Grove Arcade (1 Page Ave.; 828-252-7799; www.grovearcade.com), a giant market built in 1929 and beautifully restored a few years ago. It now anchors downtown Asheville.
Asheville's grittier west side is home to the up-and-coming River Arts District (828-252-9122; www.riverartsdistrict.com), where local artists are colonizing old factories and warehouses along the French Broad River.
-- CHRIS DIXON
Travel Times
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