Finally...A Vacation!

Photo by Warren LeMay from Cincinnati, OH, United States / CC0

For our first vacation since COVID entered life in the US in early 2020, we decided to keep it fairly simple – a road trip to Asheville, NC for a brief weekend getaway after feeling like we were starting to climb the walls never leaving the house.  Asheville has long been on the list of places I have wanted to visit, not just because of the famous Biltmore Estate but also because it’s in a beautiful part of the country, with a renowned arts community as a plus.

As it turns out, the Biltmore Estate is not only pretty expensive, but what you can see and how long you have to see it are both pretty limited during COVID.  Restrictions on the numbers of visitors, exclusion of major parts of the tour, and rumors that you are rushed through a very warm house (it’s still pretty warm even in the mountains in North Carolina on a humid day in August) would have been enough COVID-related restrictions to deter us.  But add to that the fact that it would cost nearly $150 for the two of us to spend a few hours in the main house on that tour, and we were less than enthused and hence gave it a pass.

We were more impressed with the Grand Bohemian Hotel - https://www.kesslercollection.com/bohemian-asheville/ - a nice Marriott property in Biltmore Village, a section of Asheville located across the street from the entrance to the estate.  The Grand Bohemian has the feeling of a boutique mountain lodge, and we enjoyed its proximity to great restaurants and shops.  And it would have been a quiet night’s stay but for the outdoor spin classes which started up both Saturday and Sunday morning in an adjacent parking lot outside a local gym!

The real highlights of our trip turned out to be the lovely views of trees and mountains, the artists’ galleries we visited, and the amazing meals we ate.  We highly recommend Posana, Itto Ramen & Japanese Tapas, and Chestnut.  A special bonus was Milton’s Cuisine and Cocktails, at the Monte Vista Boutique Hotel, in Black Mountain, NC, just a few miles from Asheville.  Over one hundred years old and on the National Register of Historic Places, the Monte Vista is worth a short detour – and you’ll be amazed with the food.  https://mvhotel.com 

Next door to Milton’s and the Monte Vista are the Red House Studios and Gallery, home to the Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League.  We spent over an hour there, although it was a quiet Sunday with no artists in residence.  So many beautiful works but we decided to take home Marilyn Place’s “Cows in January” and Carolyn Armstrong’s Winter Blues.  You can see their portfolios here https://www.marilynplaceart.com and here https://carolarmstrongart.com.

Laura Flippin | Wheels Up