Asheville

I wasn’t able to spend a whole lot of time there, as I was trying to get to Winston-Salem as soon as possible to move into my apartment at Wake Forest. However, I was impressed with the quaint-ness and beauty of this little North Carolina mountain town. It’s definitely a place I would like to come back to, to visit and explore a little more. Though I was able to check out the Biltmore, I wasn’t able to explore as much as I would have liked to. Definitely a place worth visiting and taking the time to explore.

It’s technically in Swannanoa… But! I love the mountains, the farms, cute little shops. I loved to eat at Doc Cheys, and the Noodle Shop. Hiking is also great, and every morning is a great opportunity to take photographs of the sun rising over the mountains. The Biltmore Estate is super pricey, so I didn’t go. But I think it’s ok, there’s plenty to do besides that!

Oh! It’s especially great for vegetarians. Many of the restaurants specialize in vegan/veggie food.

Mela is an Indian Restaurant. They have fantastic food, but it can take a while. And it’s usually busy and noisy.

I got a chance to visit Asheville in September 2007 for a writing gathering. It was really fun looking at the Biltmore Estates and hanging out with very cool people :)

Wandered around in and out of shops downtown. It is a sweet little town with many photo ops for tourists and lots of plaques mentioning local lore such as the fact that O Henri lived there for a while as did Elisabeth Blackwell, the first woman awarded a medical degree in the United States (1849).

The architecture is varied and interesting. City Hall has a terra cotta tiled octagonal roof and the Grove Arcade is a once public market, now mini mall with shops and restaurants.

There seems to be a fairly large homeless element. There were also lots of street performers including a troupe of people celebrating May Day a little early with Morris dancing.

Asheville has a stunning downtown. It’s really well-designed and beautiful. Downtown is easy to get around without a car, but in general I think it would be much easier to live here with a car, unless you are an avid cyclist, because many of the things you will need/want to do will not be downtown. I stayed in West Asheville in the hostel and although I had heard it was very walkable I didn’t find it very pedestrian friendly myself. The buses run once an hour and only the poor people take the bus. I liked Asheville but didn’t feel drawn to move there. To me it felt like a rich resort town

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with an interesting mix of wealthy new-agey folks, hippies, and poor people. It’s definitely a mountain community. I think that if you love the outdoors this is probably a great place to live. If you are into bluegrass music and mountain culture you’ll love it. I love that it is gay and lesbian friendly, I’ve heard it has a great music/art scene, and it is definitely eco-friendly. I would love to visit again in the spring and fall. Overall I think it’s a really cool small mountain town although not what I was looking for.

Planning a long weekend trip with a (hopefully) stay at The Biltmore

This place actually reminds me a lot of Austin.

Lots of college kids, lots of hippies, lots of cool independent businesses…such a great vibe!

i fell completely in love with this little town. when you walk through the streets, the mountains are just over the rooftops, and there is no shortage of great restaurants, art and shopping, friendly people, and cozy, charming places to hang out and read or talk or just stare at the scenery.

I attended Warren Wilson College in Asheville (technically Swannanoa) and my life has been forever changed. That town is one of the friendliest, most unique places I have ever been and I am so lucky to have lived there. Downtown Asheville is a lot of fun, there’s plenty of restaurants, shoppes, and bar/club type places. Outside of the downtown area there are sights to see! You’re in the mountains!! Anyways, without going into too much detail(because I could write an entire book about it), I HIGHLY RECOMMEND VISITING OR MOVING TO ASHEVILLE.

Went to visit almost a year ago and I was blown away. The buildings, the streets, everything was gorgeous! I honestly didn’t wanna leave. I hope to go back really soon =)