Asheville NC Vacation

Western North Carolina’s  Spring flowering season has just begun in the lower elevations of Asheville and Hendersonville, and with plenty of winter moisture, a spectacular spring it will be!  We toured the Biltmore Estate Azalea Gardens on Thursday, April 29, 2010, and their trees and shrubs were beautiful beyond words.  The foresight of George W. Vanderbilt, who built the Biltmore Estate, Frederick Law Olmsted (the father of American landscape architecture), and Richard Morris Hunt (the architect of the Biltmore House) shows every time we walk the grounds of Americas largest single family home.  The planning, the layouts, the plant placement, the walls, the gardens, the fields, and the water features all were combined to create a magical wonderland.  The family of George Vanderbilt continued the traditions since the house first opened Christmas Eve, 1895, and are still creating more and more joy for themselves and for us.

Spectacular Azalea Colors at Biltmore Estate's Azalea Garden - photo by Robert Bowles of www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

 

 

Ginny adores wandering the acres of pathways of the Biltmore Estate's Azalea Gardens. www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

While hiking the Mountain-to-Sea Trail earlier in the week, Stephanie and I noticed some beautiful orange flowering trees, and wondered what they were. Imagine my delight upon arriving at our Mountain Laurel Lodge to see the exact same flowering tree in our own backyard! I believe they are Flame Azalea (rhododendron calendulaceum) or Florida Azalea (Rhododendron austrinum). There are several other shrubs and bushes that have already shown their spring flowers, and we’ve yet to identify them with certainty, although we are pretty certain the following are also in the Rhododendron and Azalea species. Perhaps someone reading this may have an answer.

Our latest vacation rental home acquisition, the Mountain Laurel Lodge, has as its back yard a mountain side rising up to a peak, almost entirely covered in Mountain Laurels, Rhododendrons, Dogwoods, and other trees and shrubs unidentified or perhaps unseen by us so far. We can’t wait for the surprises in store for us, especially when the huge number of Mountain Laurels and Rhododendrons open up for their private spring decoration show. There is still time to rent the home for your vacation to witness the show for yourself! www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

Photos and text by Robert A Bowles,  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com, 828-274-9777.  While visiting the Biltmore Estate, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Smoky Mountains, please call us to reserve one of our luxurious vacation rental cottages, chalets and lodges.  You deserve to be spoiled!

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 

We had a major snow in Asheville, NC, starting Friday, December 18, 2009, which blanketed this beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain area in gorgeous white, shimmery snow!  We had guests in all of our Asheville Vacation Homes (vacation rental cabins, chalets, cottages) that week, and the surprise white Christmas snow was an added bonus to their trips.  I was able to get to the Biltmore Estate to take some pictures of their magnificent property.  The Biltmore staff was out early and had cleared the way to the Biltmore House.  It was spectacular!

The Biltmore Estate House just after a Decembr snow fall - www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

The Candlelight Night Time Tours are still going on at The Biltmore House through January 2, 2010.  It is indeed spectacular and well worth your visit.  Our guests often comment that “the Biltmore Estate was even more than we expected.”  And that is also what they also say when they stay at our Asheville Vacation Homes cabins, cottages and chalets, as pictures can’t quite portray the actual luxury, comfort, and total vacation feel of our homes as experienced in person. 

You are invited to spend your mountain vacation in Western North Carolina with at one of our vacation rental cabins where we promise to pamper you with wonderful amenities.  We also are authorized Biltmore Estate ticket agents and have discount tickets good for two full consecutive days for less than the cost of the one day ticket gate price!  Call us at 828-274-9777 or email at joyah@aol.com  For details see our website: www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

 

The main gate into the Biltmore House compound was intriguingly decorated with snow, elegant and mysterious at the same time. Photo by Robert Bowles of www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

Why rent your cabin from an agency when you can receive personal care and service from your vacation rental’s owners!  We are Stephanie Joy Johnson and Robert Bowles, local residents of Asheville NC and owners of Asheville Vacation Homes.  We are in love with this absolutely beautiful mountain town nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina and it is our pleasure to share this exquisite area with you. 

For years we have professionally restored and decorated homes.  We now bring this talent to our personally owned vacation rental cabins, chalets, cottages and homes.  We have chosen lush locations….rich forests, private lakes, panoramic mountain views…as ideal settings for our charming vacation rentals filled with delightful amenities and attention to detail.  All homes are only minutes to town, are exquisitely furnished and with all our special touches, it feels like a warm, inviting home rather than a vacation rental house.  Enjoy hot tubs, massage chairs, gas log fireplaces, top quality king and queen beds with luxurious bedding, high speed wireless Internet, quality kitchens, tastefully furnished, pet and child friendly.  We offer discounted Biltmore Estate tickets.  Visit our website for full details and photos of each home:  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

Call us today to book your week’s vacation:  828-274-9777 or email us at joyah@aol.com

Enjoy year round awesome 50 mile panoramic views from the View Chalet in Asheville NC. This luxury home has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2400 SF and sleeps up to 11 guests. www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com

White Stone Lake Manor has its own private wild life lake. This 4000 SF home features 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, living room, family room, media room, 2 kitchens & dining rooms, kids play room, multiple decks and sleeps up to 20 guests. www.AshevilleVacationHomes.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

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 

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 

The SOUTHERN TEE Public Golf Course is a fun 18 hole, par 3 course that is good for the golfing ego with wide fairways and approach shots that are fairly easy. The back 9 is considered an “Executive Course” with longer shots (although called a par 3, some are really par 4). The course rating is 70.0 with a slope rating of 113 with 2573 yards of golfing.  Play a quick round of golf or just practice at the driving range or putting green. 

Located in Fletcher NC in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, the Southern Tee Golf Course built in 2001 is mid-way between Asheville and Hendersonville near Asheville Vacation Homes’ rental chalets and cottages.  From Hendersonville Road, turn at the light signal at Howard Gap Road and it is less than a mile on the left (just past Fletcher Community Park). 

Ø  Address:  111 Howard Gap Road, Fletcher NC  28732

Ø  Phone:  828-687-7273

Ø  Prices:  $22 to ride and $15 to walk

Ø  Open:  Monday through Friday and Sunday  (closed Saturdays)

Ø  Hours:  9 AM - Dusk  (may open at 8:30 AM later in the season)

Ø  Website:  The course does not have a website

Reviewed by Stephanie Joy Johnson of www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com for luxury Asheville and Hendersonville vacation rental cabins, cottages, chalets and homes.  We are authorized Biltmore Estate ticket distributors. Buy your discounted BILTMORE HOUSE TICKETS from us…save money, no waiting in line and tickets are good for TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS instead of just one at their higher price one day price!

Email:  Joyah@aol.com

Phone:  828-274-9777

Website:  www.AshevilleVacationHomes.com