Asheville NC Vacation

The Asheville, North Carolina mountain area is famous for many things, one of which is the moderate four seasons weather.  Located in an isothermal geological area where temperatures are not extreme, our weather is predictably mild from season to season.   This year was an exception, in that we’ve had two major snow falls, and now are experiencing a beautiful ice storm.  Owning Asheville Vacation Homes affords me an opportunity to take pictures all through the region as I visit each property.    It is a truly spectacular experience to live and play in the Asheville/Blue Ridge Mountain region.

We have taken cutting from curly willow trees, rooted them in buckets of water (very easy, very prolific) and replanted them at our Asheville Vacation Homes. They make an artistic ice sculpture that only nature can create! www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

 

Our outdoor playgrounds with slides, swings & forts located at nearly all of our vacation homes are usually covered with children and adults, but today they are covered with snow and ice. Here’s the one at White Stone Lake Manor. www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

I discovered that snow, ice and rain still raises the stream levels, but with the frozen ground, the water stays its usual crystal clear color. This is one of the streams feeding our lake at White Stone Lake Manor. Our footbridge and fence are also in the picture. www.WhiteStoneLake.com

Our Leyland Cyprus at the White Stone Lake Manor relax with their new snow decorations. photo by Robert Bowles - www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

We invite you to visit this awesome area of Western North Carolina and stay at one of our luxury vacation rental cabins and lodges.  Our motto is “You deserve to be spoiled!” and we do our best to make that come true for your stay with us!  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com   828-274-9777 or email us at Joyah@aol.com 

In the business of pleasing vacationers for many years, the owners of www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com have established their luxury vacation rental homes in Asheville, Fletcher, Arden and Hendersonville, NC to be the best choice in what vacationers are looking for.  Located in beautiful settings, each home is thoughtfully and elegantly furnished with every comfort in mind:  Hot Tubs; Massage Chairs; Jetted Bath Tubs; King and Queen Beds with absolute top quality mattresses and sumptuous bedding; Gas Log Fireplaces; High Speed Wireless Internet; Pet Friendly; Child & Baby Friendly with playrooms, outdoor playgrounds, cribs, high chairs & strollers….are some of what you can expect in these lovely homes.  Chose a vacation rental cabin with 50 mile views or with its own private lake or nestled at the edge of a forest. 

To see a listing of the homes with photos, pricing and availability calendars:  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com or call at 828-274-9777 or email at joyah@aol.com 

The Secluded Rose Cottage sleeps 9 guests and is a charming mountain home!

Always curious to see what our Rose Cottage guests might have for them, our neighbor's horses visit across the fence for their apple or carrot treats!

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.

Living in Western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains affords fantastic nature viewing opportunities, and one of our favorites to watch and photograph are the birds that frequent our White Stone Lake Manor vacation rental home near Asheville NC.  One of the most intriguing is the Kingfisher.  Our resident bird is around most of the year.  I usually hear him before I see him, as he is quite vocal when hunting fish in our wildlife lake.  I’m not sure how that serves him, because even as he swoops across the lake, his cries fill the air.  I would think it would warn his dinner, but that is not the case.  He is quite well fed.  Pictured:  He sits in his favorite tree, eyeing his buffet. 

A frequent fisher of our White Stone Lake is the well-fed Kingfisher.

His hearing is quite sharp too, evident by his ability to hear any sound we make when photographing and videoing him.  His head tilts back towards the sound, even when it is from 50 feet away, inside the vacation rental home.  Just after taking this photo from inside the home, I quietly slid open the window.  Somehow he heard it, tilted his head back toward me, and then took off.  I have that on HD video, which I’ll post in the near future.  In that video, after flying back and forth across the lake, he landed in his favorite tree, and the video clearly shows how the movement of the limb transfers into his body, but not his head.  His head stays perfectly level as he eyes the lake surface, while his body moves considerably with the limb.

Kingfisher rests on the bench overlooking our White Stone Lake deciding on his selection for lunch! The plentiful birds at our vacation rental home here are quite entertaining for our guests!

We invite you to stay at our White Stone Lake Manor vacation rental home in Hendersonville NC and experience the abundance of wildlife that gathers at our small lake….blue herons, falcons, kingfishers, hummingbirds, hawks, turkey buzzards, owls, pileated woodpeckers, robins, cardinals, ducks, geese, yellow tufted titmouses, and numerous others.  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com  828-274-9777 or email us at joyah@aol.com 

 

Western North Carolina offers the best of many birding environments:  high mountain peaks, wetlands, forests, rivers, meadows, lakes, ponds, brush and much more.  Our area also has a bird friendly attitude, both in our federal and state parks, as well as our official and unofficial bird sanctuaries.  Bird feeders, bird houses and birding supply stores are seen everywhere in Asheville & Hendersonville NC. Food is plentiful here for the bird population, and the numerous protected areas bring us a huge array of bird species from the largest to the smallest.  From the American Bald Eagle to the hummingbirds, both usual and unusual sightings entertain us daily.

This falcon is a regular fisher at our White Stone Lake Manor vacation rental home in Hendersonville NC which has its own private wildlife lake sanctuary. I took this picture from inside the vacation home, and using the actual measurement of our swing set he is perched on, he measures 20” from head to tail.

From another HD movie I took from inside the home, as he turned, a wind gust came up, offering me this display. Note his talons!

We invite you to stay at our White Stone Lake Manor vacation home in the mountains of Western North Carolia and experience the abundance of wildlife that gathers at our small wildlife lake….blue herons, falcons, kingfishers, hummingbirds, hawks, turkey buzzards, owls, pileated woodpeckers, robins, cardinals, yellow tufted titmouses, and numerous others.  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com  828-274-9777 or email us at joyah@aol.com 

Ginny is enthralled with the wood-fired oven and just loves the beautiful colors! She knows her pizza is in the oven and anticipates how delicious it will be!

When you are enjoying a day of exploring all the delightful shops, galleries, boutiques and antiques stores on Main Street in downtown Hendersonville, be sure to eat at WEST FIRST WOOD-FIRED restaurant located a half block off of Main Street on 1st  Avenue West.  All their dishes are thoughtfully prepared with quality ingredients cheerfully served in an artistically dramatic setting.

Whatever the wood fired oven does in the cooking process of the pizza and other dishes, it adds a distinct delicious flavor that we love!  Their pizzas are hand-made with organic wheat crest and are topped with freshly-grated Romano cheese.  The pizza we order this week was their Goat Cheese Pizza with fresh basil pesto with spinach, marinated artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and, of course, goat cheese….yummmmm!  Robert and Ginny shared their made-from-scratch tasty bean soup and for dessert, we all shared in their chocolate hazelnut tiramisu….creamy, rich and so very decadent!

Hours:  Tuesday – Saturday:  Lunch 11am – 2pm;   Dinner 5pm – 10pm

Address:  101 1st Avenue, West, Hendersonville NC  28792

Phone:  828-693-1080

Website is coming soon

Email:  westfirstwoodfired@yahoo.com

What a beautiful atmosphere with the stained glass windows and artwork.

Article is written by Stephanie Joy Johnson for our guests staying at our luxury vacation rental homes nearby.  For information on vacation rental homes in the Hendersonville to Asheville areas, please see our website at www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com  or call us at 828-274-9777. 

Ginny and Robert share a bowl of tasty home-made bean soup.

Ah yes, the pizza is served!

White Squirrel is plays in the tree at the Story Book Cottage romantic vacation rental home in Hendersonville NC.

White squirrels roam an area in North Carolina near Asheville in the towns of Hendersonville and Brevard.  The area starts around Cashiers and continues through Brevard to Hendersonville, and beyond, about a 60 mile stretch.  Locals say the squirrels came to Brevard from Hawaii, via Florida.  In 1949 an overturned carnival truck in Florida eventually resulted in the beginnings of the white squirrel population here in Henderson and Transylvania Counties.  Read details at http://www.whitesquirrelinstitute.whitesquirrelfestival.com/ and http://whitesquirrels.com/cart/

Our now famous white squirrels actually belong to the Eastern Gray Squirrel family.  They are not albino, their coats are naturally white and their eye color is dark like gray squirrels.   Most have a dark patch on the head that leads down their backs in a thin dark line. 

Although most white squirrels have some gray markings, this white squirrel is entirely white! Photo was taken at the Rose Cottage vacation rental home sitting on the lawn of the volleyball play area.

It is quite entertaining to watch them.  They play, eat and climb with their gray squirrel families, yet their every movement is magnified so much that no matter how many of their gray cousins are with them, all you see is the white one(s).  They are a delight to watch, you must come see!  My explanations and descriptions cannot match the actually visual treat in store for you. 

A frequent visitor at the Rose Cottage vacation rental home in Hendersonville NC, this white squirrel has found the children's fort/swing/slide playground a fun place to hang out!

 

Our guests at the White Stone Lake Manor in Hendersonville NC are delighted when they spot our resident white squirrel that visits our private lake.

Photos and article by Robert Bowles  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com  Come see the white squirrels while you stay at one of our cottage, chalet, cabin & home vacation rentals.  Call us at 828-274-9777 or email us at www.Joyah@aol.com for your reservations. 

For 73 years this renowned music institute hosting 400 extremely talented students ages 14 to post-college, 75 world-renowned visiting guest artists & artist faculty, and a full contingent of support staff gathers from mid-June to early August.  During an intensive 7 week program, students partake in a demanding and rewarding program of music instruction. 

The huge benefit to all the communities in Western North Carolina is that there are over 80 concerts given by students and the artist faculty during this 7 week festival at this incredibly beautiful wooded 150 acre campus in the Blue Ridge Mountains!  Evenings are beautiful in the mountains especially when accompanied by an open air concert (covered building but open sided).  Go early to enjoy patio fine dining or order a picnic to eat on the lawns.  Go to their website to decide what of their multitude of offerings will please you the most and buy your advance tickets. 

WEBSITE:  http://www.brevardmusic.org/

ADDRESS (PHYSICAL):  Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Lane, Brevard, NC 28712

ADDRESS (MAILING):  Brevard Music Center,  P.O. Box 312,  Brevard, NC 28712

PHONE (BOX OFFICE):  (828) 862-2105 or Toll Free (888) 384-8682
PHONE (MAIN OFFICE):  (828) 862-2100
DIRECTIONS:

From Asheville, NC

Take I-26 E to the Asheville Airport exit, #40. Turn right off the exit onto Highway 280 and drive 16 miles into Brevard. As you approach downtown Brevard, you will see directional signs to the Music Center. Travel time: 45 minutes from downtown Asheville.

From Hendersonville, NC

Take Highway 64 W to Brevard. At the intersection of Highways 280 and 64, turn left toward Brevard. As you approach Brevard, you will see directional signs to the Music Center. Travel time: 30 minutes.

If you plan to be in the area, we invite you to stay at one of our luxury vacation rental homes where we promise you will be outrageously spoiled by all our wonderful amenities!  See our website at www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com or call us at 828-274-9777 or email us at joyah@aol.com