Angela Newnam
Angela grew up in a small North Carolina town and spent 25 years working and living in five major cities from Dallas to DC to Boston. She and her family decided to slow things down and chose Asheville for its mountain beauty, outdoor activities and eclectic culture. When she is not running her own award-winning business, (www.knockoutpanties.com), Angela loves “the search” for interesting finds, a competitive tennis match and a good glass of Bordeaux.
As Angela explains, “Visiting Western North Carolina has a little something for everyone—adventure, arts, cuisine and beautiful mountain scenery. The Appalachian Mountains are the oldest in the world and are known for their high but rounded peaks and the smoky blue skyline.”
Asheville
Asheville is eclectic and scenic and deserves a couple of days of its own.
Eat: Restaurants + Bars in Asheville
Biscuit Head
Explore downtown and West Asheville starting with a filling breakfast. Biscuit Head features homemade biscuits, a homemade butter and jelly bar and a variety of toppings including eggs, kale and gourmet cheeses.
733 Haywood Road
828.333.5145
Corner Kitchen
Plan breakfast at the Corner Kitchen, where everything—from the Belgian waffles to the chorizo omelet—is divine. Be sure to make a reservation!
3 Boston Way
828.274.2439
Chestnut
Perfect spot for lunch with homemade everything— Southern-style sushi, healthy kale and calamari salad and other local farm-to-table options.
48 Biltmore Avenue
828.575.2667
The Admiral
My favorite restaurant is The Admiral, located in West Asheville. Reservations (three weeks out) are a must at this small place. Don’t be fooled by the “gas station” exterior. Inside you will be treated to a daily menu of homemade concoctions from fish to game to pasta that will wow even the toughest critics.
400 Haywood Road
828.252.2542
Posana
For dinner, the best people-watching corner happens to be in front of Posana. Listen to steel drums, watch dancers and even observe some tattooing while you enjoy the mixologist’s daily martini specials and healthy but rich fare.
1 Biltmore Avenue
828.505.3969
After-dinner options:
The Orange Peel
The place for live music.
101 Biltmore Avenue
828.398.1837
Chocolate Lounge
For everything sweet (expect a long line at the door).
10 S. Pack Square
828.252.4181
Stay: Asheville Hotels
Grand Bohemian Hotel
Just outside the gates of the Biltmore House, Biltmore Village offers my favorite hotel, the Grand Bohemian, and one of the area’s top restaurants and bars, The Red Stag Grill.
11 Boston Way
828.505.2949
The Grove Park Inn
Head north for breakfast or brunch at The Grove Park Inn and enjoy the patio view from this historic inn opened in 1913. Ten US presidents have visited and enjoyed the view, the giant fireplace and bar, the architecture and the delicious food.
290 Macon Avenue
828.252.2711
Shop: Local Gifts + Specialty Shops
Paul Taylor
Get a custom belt made with a vintage buckle at Paul Taylor.
12 Wall Street
828.251.0057
Grove Arcade
I love to shop this collection of local artisans’ studios with jewelry, woodwork and fabrics.
1 Page Avenue
828.252.7799
Battery Park Book Exchange
Wine lovers adore this place, whose motto is “books by the thousands, wines by the glass.”
1 Page Avenue, Suite 101
828.252.0020
Biltmore Village
Fun shopping with many branded stores.
10 Brook Street
828.398.6062
Biltmore Lamp and Antiques
Wonderful place for unique jewelry.
30 All Souls Crescent
828.274.8889
Village Antiques
Best collection of antiques in Western NC.
755 Biltmore Avenue
828.252.5090
Tobacco Barn
The largest antique mall in Western NC and the source of many great finds.
75 Swannanoa River Road
828.252.7291
H. Taylor Consignments
The sleuth shopper should head to Long Shoals Road where a visit to H. Taylor Consignments could lead to a Prada, Gucci or Dior bag, designer shoes in all sizes and an assortment of clothes from fur coats to Armani and Chanel.
100 Julian Lane
828.650.6566
Play: Things to Do in Asheville
Biltmore House
South Asheville is the home of the famous Biltmore House, built by George Vanderbilt in the late 1800s. It remains the largest private residence in the country and the top-visited site in North Carolina. Make a reservation for your home tour, and plan at least four hours to enjoy the house, gardens, winery and shops. Cedric’s Tavern is fun for lunch inside the estate and has fish and chips that are worth the calories.
1 Lodge Street
800.411.3812
River Arts District
Stroll through this area along the French Broad River and visit artists’ studios. Circle back into downtown and enjoy street performers, local craftsman and dancing on the streets.
Riverside Drive
828.552.4723
Asheville Breweries
If you enjoy beer, Asheville has become a brewing capital where you can visit Sierra Nevada, Wedge, Funkatorium, Burial and Hi-Wire. Or just get on the tour bus where imbibing is encouraged!
Sierra Nevada
100 Sierra Nevada Way
Mills River, NC
828.708.6176
Wedge Brewing Co.
37 Paynes Way
828.505.2792
Wicked Weed Brewing Funkatorium
147 Coxe Avenue
828.552.3203
Burial Beer Co.
40 Collier Avenue
828.475.2739
Hi-Wire Brewing
197 Hilliard Avenue
828.738.2448
Hot Springs
If you are up for an outdoor adventure, drive about 45 minutes north to Hot Springs in Madison County where you can have your own Appalachian Trail experience (watch the movie, A Walk in the Woods, before you go). Follow the trail right through town and along the river into the mountains. Check out Lover’s Leap and go as far as you want.
Eat: Restaurants + Bars in Hot Springs
Spring Creek Tavern
Perfect for lunch after hiking.
145 Bridge Street
828.622.0187
Iron Horse Station
This landmark inn, restaurant, tavern and shop, located in the heart of Hot Springs, is recommended for dinner.
24 Andrews Avenue South
828.622.0022
Mountain Magnolia Inn
A lovely Victorian house and restaurant.
204 Lawson Street
800.914.9306
Shop: Local Gifts + Specialty Shops
ArtiSun Gallery and Marketplace
Don’t miss the organic smoothies.
16 Andrews Avenue South
828.622.3573
Play: Things to Do in Hot Springs
French Broad Adventures
Only the French Broad and the Nile flow north! Take a float or raft trip right out of Hot Springs for one hour or four.
800 US Highway 25
Marshall, NC
828.649.0486
Hot Springs Resort & Spa
Enjoy a soak at the Hot Springs Spa, whose healing waters made the town famous in the 1800s.
315 Bridge Street
828.622.7676
Brevard
Head into Brevard and experience its many small shops and bistros.
Dolly’s Dairy Bar
A favorite stop off where the ice cream is known for its homemade richness.
128 Pisgah Highway
828.862.6610
Chimney Rock + Lake Lure
This resort area is famous for the movies Dirty Dancing and The Last of the Mohicans.
Chimney Rock State Park
431 Main Street
Chimney Rock, NC
828.625.9611
Lake Lure
Located about 25 miles southeast of Asheville.
Bent Creek
Check out the Bent Creek trails for hiking and mountain biking.
Other Western North Carolina Destinations
Cherokee
Drive further north from Hot Springs to see the elk herds and Cherokee community. The drive is curvy but beautiful as you climb from Asheville at 2,500 feet to the Great Smoky Mountains over 4,000 feet. Bring a jacket—even in summer. The elk come down and graze in the fields around Cherokee from an hour before dusk until just after. The drive back to Asheville is about an hour—you will be exhausted but full of fresh mountain air.
Pisgah Inn
One of the best views in Western NC is from the Pisgah Inn, “the peak of the parkway,” located 45 minutes west of Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway. You will travel through multiple tunnels with vistas on both sides climbing from Asheville to over 5,000 feet. Enjoy a Southern pancake, grits and sausage breakfast while you float in the clouds and enjoy the view over 100 miles.
408 Blue Ridge Parkway
Canton, NC
828.235.8228
Sliding Rock
Water lovers of all ages can slide and relax here.
Highway 276
Pisgah Forest, NC
Looking Glass Falls
Just two miles away from Sliding Rock is Looking Glass Falls, a 60-foot waterfall and wading pool.
Highway 276
Brevard, NC
DeeDee Dalrymple
DeeDee Dalrymple and her husband live in Charlotte, NC, which puts them only two hours from their summer home in the mountains. Their children grew up hiking, swimming, swinging on ropes and jumping off cliffs. DeeDee is excited to release Effortless Entertaining, a step-by-step handbook and newsletter to inspire and equip others to welcome guests into their homes. As DeeDee explains, “Our favorite ‘restaurant’ is home because we love our own porch the best. Summer in the mountains means fresh foods, the most beautiful flowers and the perfect weather for eating outside.”
Eat: Restaurants + Bars in WNC
As members of Grandfather Golf & Country Club, we enjoy wonderful dining led by our Master Chef Kevin Walker and a superb wine list offered by Anne Prevatte. Don’t miss a meal here if you are renting a home within the club or staying as a guest.
2120 NC Highway 105 South
Linville, NC
828.898.4531
Maw’s
A trip to Maw’s is a must. Susan Kirkland runs the area’s top produce and prepared foods market. Here you will find heirloom tomatoes, local corn and butter beans, peaches, homemade pies, cheese dollars, fresh baked bread, chicken potpies and fresh seafood along with local honey, jams and pickles. My favorite find—the berry bowls made by an 85-year-old local.
7918 NC Highway 105 South
Foscoe, NC
828.963.8254
Artisanal
Chef Bill Greene, who has 5-star experience in a Scottsdale, AZ, restaurant, hails from Le Cirque in NYC. During his tenure, Le Cirque received four stars from the New York Times. Bill and his wife, Anita, found their way to the North Carolina mountains to open Artisanal. Specializing in “seasonality and creativity,” Artisanal is more than a restaurant—it is an experience. As you approach the barn in its majestic setting, prepare to fully enjoy Chef Greene’s creations, but also the warmth and elegance of the place and people.
1200 Dobbins Road
Banner Elk, NC
828.898.5395
Old Hampton Store
Now I know that everyone touts that they know where to find the “best” barbecue, but really I just have to tell you, the best barbecue is at the Old Hampton Store. We should know—we have been enjoying this barbecue for over 25 years along with its homemade yeast rolls and vinegar-based slaw. We often take a quart or two back to Charlotte. Don’t miss the chicken salad too! And while you wait for your order, pick up a whirligig, hiking stick or some sweet potato butter as you listen to a few of the locals strummin,’ pickin’ and singin.’
77 Ruffin Street
Linville, NC
828.733.5213
Stay: Resorts in the North Carolina Mountains
Eseeola Lodge
In 1891, Harvard professor William James visited Linville and wrote, “At last, I have struck it rich here in North Carolina and am in the most poetic place I have ever been.” He began construction on what is now the Eseeola Lodge, which continues to evoke this poetic character and a rustic elegance. Since we have a home nearby, we don’t stay at the Eseeola, but we visit often for dinner. The lodge looks much the way noted architect Henry Bacon designed it with its now extinct American chestnut bark. I always feel as though I have stepped back in time into a more genteel era.
175 Linville Avenue
Linville, NC
800.742.6717
Shop: Local Gifts + Specialty Shops
Ruffin Gallery
Located next to the Hampton Store, the Ruffin Gallery is an easy way to see some of the area’s seriously talented artisans. One of my favorites is Caron Baker Wike. My husband marvels that I always seem to “need” another piece!
87 Ruffin Street
Linville, NC
828.737.0420
DeWoolfson Down
If you agree that making a wonderful bed is an art form, this is the place for you…and me! DeWoolfson offers the finest bed linens off the shelf—Sferra, Matouk and more—along with custom. They also carry beautiful table linens and tableware, including one of my favorite lines, Holly Stuart Designs.
9452 NC Highway 105 South
Banner Elk, NC
828.963.4144
Blowing Rock’s Main Street
With too many stores and restaurants to mention, Main Street in Blowing Rock offers something for everyone…antiques, linens, ladies’ clothing, rugs, art, furniture and more. We like to go early and end with lunch at the Storie Street Grille. Don’t miss the fried green tomato sandwich with sweet potato fries!
Mast General Store and Candy Barrel—Valle Crucis
We’ve been going to the Mast General Store in beautiful “valley of the cross” for over 25 years. We just can’t resist! We don’t need a cast iron skillet or a bottled Coke and Moon Pie. We certainly don’t need the candy we load up by the handful from the big barrels. I think what we do need is that step back into a place that has not changed much since its humble beginnings in 1897.
3565 Highway 194 South
Sugar Grove, NC
828.963.6511
Spruce Pine, Burnsville and Toe River
These adjacent communities are home to some of the area’s most talented and creative artisans…pottery, glass, paint, wood, textiles. These works of art will ultimately find their way to museums and top galleries all over the country. Before they do, though, you can buy them right off the shelves. For years our family has enjoyed coffee cups, pitchers and platters from Stanley Anderson, a perennial favorite of many. It can be a little tricky finding a few of these spots—you must meander a bit, but it’s all part of the adventure.
Spruce Pine Potters Market
31 Cross Street
Spruce Pine, NC
828.765.2670
A couple other places not-to-miss
All Saints Episcopal Church
I know…maybe you don’t think church when on vacation, but All Saints Episcopal is a place that will capture your heart. Located behind the Eseeola Lodge, this historic church was also designed by Henry Bacon. Bacon, from Wilmington, NC, emerged as one of the country’s most celebrated architects. (You might know him best as the architect for the Lincoln Memorial.) During the summer season, All Saints invites Episcopal clergy from around the country to lead services in this beautiful, historic church with windows open for the mountain breezes. All are welcome—you can’t miss the Spirit that inhabits this sacred place.
Carolina Avenue
Linville, NC
828.733.4311
Penland School of Crafts
Penland is a school and gallery, a place where artists teach, live in community and share their talent with each other and all who visit. I am always inspired to walk through the space where the artists work and to see the many expressions of talent.
67 Doras Trail
Penland, NC
828.765.2359
Play: Things to Do in the North Carolina Mountains
Golf
With two of the best nationally ranked golf courses within five miles of each other, it’s hard not to play golf, which we do! An Ellis Maples design, the Championship Course is consistently ranked as one of the top 100 courses in the country. Although the Grandfather courses and other courses in the area are private clubs, guest privileges are available to those renting a home within the club or staying as a guest.
Grandfather Golf & Country Club Mountain Springs Course and Championship Golf Course
2120 NC Highway 105 South
Linville, NC
828.898.4531
Hike
Atop Grandfather Mountain is the Mile High Swinging Bridge. You can drive there, but where’s the fun in that when you can start closer to the bottom and hike up? For the first two miles you’re gently climbing through lush woods and over streams. And then it gets a little more interesting with ladders and ropes. The view at the top—up one last ladder and rope—is worth it. Then head down to the Swinging Bridge—literally swinging—where you were smart enough to leave a car. If this hike sounds a little too ambitious, the North Carolina Mountains offer something for everyone: short and scenic, swimming holes and swinging ropes. We’ve done it all…over and over again!
Grandfather Mountain
US 221 and Blue Ridge Parkway
Linville, NC
800.468.7325
Cocktail Hike
A different kind of hike! Towards the end of the day, grab your backpack, a bottle of wine, a little cheese and pâté and head up to Beacon Heights or Wiseman’s View. Why have a cocktail inside when a short drive and a very short walk can lead you to majestic views? Cocktails anywhere else will never be the same. Remember to leave enough time to get down before dark (we know this from experience).
Beacon Heights Trail
Blue Ridge Parkway
Milepost 305.2
Wiseman’s View
Linville Gorge Wilderness Area
Fish
Call me a fly fisher wannabe! Although I have only enjoyed this sport a few times, I always think I want to do it more. The area offers excellent guides and trout streams.
Claudia Heath
A native of Hartsville, SC, Claudia Heath grew up visiting her family’s summer home in Blowing Rock. She spent countless hours damning creeks, making forts and picnicking. She and her husband, Andy, purchased a home of their own 20 years ago, and the traditions have carried forth with the couple’s three daughters. Claudia owns and operates Claudia Heath Fine Art in Charlotte. The gallery, established in 1993, specializes in late 19th and 20th century American paintings, along with works by a select group of contemporary American artists.
Eat: Restaurants + Bars in WNC
Bistro Roca
Casual, good fare and always a lively crowd. The menu changes seasonally. Try the pizzas from their wood-burning oven.
143 Wonderland Trail
Blowing Rock, NC
828.295.4008
Stay: Resorts in the North Carolina Mountains
Of course, my favorite place to stay is my own house—you just can’t beat the view!
Westglow
The former home of Elliot Daingerfield, North Carolina’s most well known painter of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is no longer operated as a resort. However, you can visit the Life Enrichment Center day spa and the property operates as an AirBnB. Plus, the entire estate can be reserved (including dining and spa services, if desired) just for you, your family, and friends.
224 Westglow Circle
Blowing Rock, NC
828.295.4463
Gideon Ridge Inn
Gideon Ridge provides intimate dining and lodging in the mountains. Ten luxurious guest rooms and a fine dining restaurant located two miles from downtown Blowing Rock.
202 Gideon Ridge Road
Blowing Rock, NC
828.295.3644
Shop: Local Gifts + Specialty Shops
Mother Nature’s Produce
Located on the Highway 321 Bypass, Mother Nature’s carries a broad selection of take-away casseroles, cakes and pies. Makes it easy to throw together a quick and casual dinner party. As an added bonus, the owner recently opened a consignment shop across the hall.
Highway 321 Bypass
Blowing Rock, NC
828.406.2622
Play: Things to Do in WNC
Hiking
Our favorite hike is to pack sandwiches and head up the Nuwati Trail to Storyteller’s Rock where you can enjoy spectacular views of Calloway Peak. (Nuwati translates to “medicine” in Cherokee.) Located off the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 299.9. Parking is available at the Boone Fork Parking Area.