Asheville NC Vacation

For local snow entertainment opening on December 18th, you’ve got to experience the Moonshine Mountain Snow Tubing Park in Hendersonville NC considered to be the best snow tubing in Western North Carolina with 500 feet of fun!  First opened in 2002, this is the only snow tubing park in the southeast that allows tubing “trains” where you hold hands and ankles to go down the slope as a group with as many as 20 people!  New this year is their Pit Boss BBQ Picnic area that promises delectable award-winning BBQ pulled pork, hotdogs, hamburgers, and more! Be sure to ask about their scenic helicopter rides! 

Follow their safety guidelines (they have a great safety record) and it is fun for the whole family.  There are extended hours for holiday weeks including being open on Christmas Day and New Years Day and weekends in January and February 2010.  See their website for open days, hours, pricing, BBQ menu and their safety rules. 

Address:  5865 Willow Road, Hendersonville, N.C. 28739
Phone: (828) 696-0333;  Toll Free: (800) 849-7553

Website:  www.MoonshineMountain.com

Directions – just 5 miles SW of Hendersonville: 

Ø  From Asheville or Hendersonville, take Interstate 26:

Ø  Take exit 49B toward Hendersonville on Hwy 64 W = Four Seasons Hwy. 

Ø  Go about 2 miles.  1 block past N Main Street, turn left on N Church Street (one way street). 

Ø  Once you are on N Church St., stay in the right lane and in half a mile take the “right turn only” lane at the light signal and turn right on Kanuga Rd.

Ø  Follow Kanuga Rd out of town about 3 miles to Exxon Station.

Ø  Take a right at the light onto Price Road

Ø  At the second stop sign, turn left onto Willow Road

Ø  Go 3 miles and Moonshine Mountain Park will be on the left (#5865)

Wow! In our local Hendersonville NC, you can snow tube down the mountain....either by your self and in a "train" as pictured here. This is one of the many exciting photos to be found on the Moonshine Mountain website: www.MoonshineMountain.com

Article by Stephanie Joy Johnson for www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com offering luxury vacation rental homes in Hendersonville, Fletcher and Asheville NC.  We promise to spoil you with awesome amenities including hot tubs, massage chairs, king beds, gas log fireplaces, high speed wireless Internet, sumptuous linens, top quality funishings and so much more!  Our motto is “YOU DESERVE TO BE SPOILED!” See our website for 100’s of photos of our homes: www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com  Call or email us:  828-274-9777 or joyah@aol.com

In the heart of historic downtown Hendersonville’s Main Street you’ll find the decadently delightful candy and ice cream shop called Kilwin’s.  It’s fun to spend part of a day shopping at all the Main Street shops, galleries and antique stores….and when it’s time to take a break, we recommend stopping at Kilwin’s to partake of their rich and delicious ice cream cones or sample their huge selection of rich, handmade fudges (made on site) and amazing chocolates.  They even have our famous local apples dipped in their homemade caramel.  There are little tables in the back where you can relax and indulge in your favorite treats and watch the fudge being paddled to smooth creaminess.  They also have lovely gift baskets they can fill with their treats when you need something for that special occasion.  They also ship.

Address:  506 North Main Street, Hendersonville, NC  28792

Phone:  828-698-9794

Hours:  Open 7 days a week year-round except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.  Open evenings.  Call them for specific hours as they will change depending on the time of year. 

Website:  www.Kilwins.com

Ginny is at her favorite sweet shop and is eyeing all the decadent fudges & chocolates & ice creams. Hummmm....which shall she choose.... Photo by www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

Ginny studies the listing of the favorful ice cream selections at Kilwin's. Yum!!! Photo by www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

Reviewed by Stephanie Joy Johnson of Asheville’s luxury vacation cabins, chalets, cottages and homes:  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com  YOU DESERVE TO BE SPOILED and you will be outrageously spoiled at our vacation rental homes by our awesome amenities!!! BILTMORE ESTATE: Purchase your tickets from us and enjoy two full days at Biltmore for the price of a one day admission ticket!  828-274-9777  Email: Joyah@aol.com

The NEVER BLUE restaurant is always a dining delight where every meal is made to order.  No matter if we’ve come in for lunch or dinner, it’s challenging to decide which of their fabulous dishes to order.  Fortunately, they offer many of their selections “tapas” style….meaning smaller portions at a smaller price so you can sample a variety of their flavorful offerings.  Or if you have a favorite, you can order it as an entrée.  The setting is relaxed, beautiful and brightly colored.  If nothing else, you have to see their exquisitely tiled bar. 

Ginny loves downtown Hendersonville's Main Street Bistros! Today she's dining at her favorite Never Blue Restaurant. photo by www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

Some of our APPETIZER favorites are:  Sauteed Wild Mushrooms: chipotle-herb butter with garlic toast or the Giant Ravioli:  stuffed with five cheeses, smothered in organic spinach chipotle-parmesan cream sauce.  For SALADS try their Caesar with organic romaine, toasted pumpkin seeds, herb-butter croutons, manchego cheese, classic Caesar dressing or the Spinach Salad made with organic spinach, cranberries, gorgonzola, candied pecans, applewood bacon, Lusty Monk Mustard-Honey Emulsion.  We love their COCAS (made-to-order Spanish style flatbreads) such as Majorca: chilean pebre salsa, goat cheese, fresh basil, olive oil; or Eve’s Delight:  fig preserves, shiitake mushrooms, gorgonzola cheese, baby arugula.  ENTREES:  Very creative & yummy Chicken, Seafood & Meat dishes – see their on-line menu for  mouth-watering descriptions. 

Ginny is fascinated by the tiled bar at the Never Blue Restaurant - truly a work of art! photo by www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

For a fun experience, try their Tapa & Wine Tuesdays, Music & Margarita Wednesdays, and Thirsty Thursdays celebrating the art of the martini with their exclusive unique concoctions.  See their website for more details.

ADDRESS of Never Blue: 119 South Main Street, Hendersonville, NC

PHONE:  828-693-4646

HOURS:  Tue - Thu 11 – 9;  Fri & Sat 11 – 10;  Sun & Mon – Closed
WEBSITE:  www.TheNeverBlue.com    

Reviewed by Stephanie Joy Johnson of Asheville’s luxury vacation rental cabins, chalets, cottages and homes:  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com  You will be outrageously spoiled at our vacation rental homes by our awesome amenities!!! BILTMORE ESTATE TICKETS: Purchase your tickets from us and enjoy two full days at Biltmore for the price of a one day admission ticket!  828-274-9777  Email: Joyah@aol.com

Never Blue Restaurant with several levels of dining and a patio with a lovely fountain. Never Blue Restaurant with several levels of dining and a patio with a lovely fountain.

Perhaps it was due to the many years I lived in the City of Roses (Portland, Oregon), that cultivated my love for beautiful rose gardens.  When I moved to Asheville NC in 1996, what a delight it was to find the most magnificent Rose Gardens imaginable right here in town at the Biltmore House!  Buying a season ticket was the best investment I could have made.  You will find this magnificent Rose Garden at the far end of the 4 acre Walled Garden near the Conservatory on the Biltmore Estate grounds.  

Ginny is in awe of the spectacular roses in the Biltmore Estate Rose Garden! This rose is bigger than she is! photo by www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

Each season as I wander through the lush gardens, I am always thrilled to see the changes….how from winter the almost invisible rose bushes suddenly come to life with full lush blooms in the spring and summer.  There are several thousand varieties of premier roses including a full collection of the “All-American Roses” labeled with the year the rose was chosen as a winner.  (FYI: the All-American Rose Selections is a nonprofit group begun in 1938 that operates the world’s most challenging horticultural testing program recognizing roses that will be easy to grow and disease resistant. Each year a top winning new rose is selected.  My favorite “Knock Out” roses in my garden and at my vacation rental homes came from this testing…they constantly bloom all summer and fall with no care!) 

Ginny wanders the path among all the fabulous roses bushes at the Biltmore Estate Rose Gardens. Photo taken in May 2009 by www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

If you are planning to visit our area, be sure to stay at one of our delightful vacation rental homes full of wonderful amenities.  We are authorized Biltmore Estate ticket sellers.  Purchase your tickets from us and enjoy two full consecutive days at Biltmore for the price of a one day admission ticket!  Call us at 828-274-9777 or email us at Joyah@aol.com or see our website at www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com 

A delightful new way to discover the Biltmore Estate in Asheville NC is by riding an all-terrain personal Segway through the many Biltmore trails past the lagoon, river, scenic hills and ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Our guests who have taken this two-hour guided tour had “fun, fun, fun!!!”  Rides are from 11 AM to 3 PM daily.

Our vacation rental guests rave about how much they enjoyed taking the two hour guided Segway tour of the Biltmore Estate. What fun! Photo by www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com