italdesign
Level 2 Member
I visited Asheville the weekend of Sep 24. It got on my radar when I read an article by @NickPFD exposing the greatest value of all time in hotel redemption - getting 8 cents per Hyatt point at the Hyatt Place Asheville, a cat1 property consistently going for $400 a night. Whaaaa! As a Value Slave (TM), I couldn't resist. Mountains and hippies, here I come. It's cat3 now, BTW.
There was no direct flight from my home airport, so I decided to drive - 7hrs each way. Of course the gas pipe in Alabama decided to burst a few days before my trip, so fuel shortage was a real concern. Luckily I didn't have trouble finding gas.
Here are my thoughts:
-Blue Ridge Mountains/Parkway is awesome. Magnificent views, sunset, stargazing at night. I had limited time so didn't hike much.
-Asheville, at least the downtown area, is very white. Lots of hippies playing chess, smoking, sitting on the sidewalk, just enjoying themselves. Lots of establishments supporting their interests and are fun to check out. Lots of homeless people but I didn't feel unsafe. I quite enjoyed the atmosphere.
-The food scene is very trendy. Not necessarily authentic, but good variety. Definitely lacking in authentic Asian food though.
-Craft beer is a big draw as far as I can tell.
-A few art deco buildings remain.
-Biltmore Estate will set you back $55 for the tour and you need a whole day. I decided against it, having visited Vanderbilt's summer home in Newport a few weeks ago.
I spent most of my time in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lots of driving but the scenery is incredible. And peaceful this time of the year. I imagine later in the fall brings many foliage lovers.
Highest point in Eastern United States (but not even close to top 50 in entire US):
There was no direct flight from my home airport, so I decided to drive - 7hrs each way. Of course the gas pipe in Alabama decided to burst a few days before my trip, so fuel shortage was a real concern. Luckily I didn't have trouble finding gas.
Here are my thoughts:
-Blue Ridge Mountains/Parkway is awesome. Magnificent views, sunset, stargazing at night. I had limited time so didn't hike much.
-Asheville, at least the downtown area, is very white. Lots of hippies playing chess, smoking, sitting on the sidewalk, just enjoying themselves. Lots of establishments supporting their interests and are fun to check out. Lots of homeless people but I didn't feel unsafe. I quite enjoyed the atmosphere.
-The food scene is very trendy. Not necessarily authentic, but good variety. Definitely lacking in authentic Asian food though.
-Craft beer is a big draw as far as I can tell.
-A few art deco buildings remain.
-Biltmore Estate will set you back $55 for the tour and you need a whole day. I decided against it, having visited Vanderbilt's summer home in Newport a few weeks ago.
I spent most of my time in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lots of driving but the scenery is incredible. And peaceful this time of the year. I imagine later in the fall brings many foliage lovers.
Highest point in Eastern United States (but not even close to top 50 in entire US):