Weekend Wanderings: Road Trip to Asheville, NC!

One of my favorite places to visit is Asheville, NC. Not only is it the home of my mother's guild, the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild, but it is also the home of amazing shops and galleries. And then there's Biltmore.

We wandered down to Asheville for a weekend getaway in early Spring to celebrate our anniversary. The folks at the fantastic Cedar Crest Inn gave us a deal on a weekend package that included a romantic dinner, champagne, flowers and tickets to Biltmore. The Inn itself is a wonderful place to see because the same craftsmen who worked on Biltmore also worked on the Inn in their spare time. The carved wood crown molding, stained glass windows and intricately tiled fireplaces are amazing. The hosts are wonderfully welcoming and the food is delicious!

I'd visited Biltmore house as a child and remember to this day my first glimpse of the library. It was breathtaking and fulfilled every dream I'd ever had of buildling my own library some day (surprise, surprise I also love books). The conservatory is full of light and beauty, the dining hall is stately and the indoor swimming pool you have to see for yourself. They continue to open new rooms as they work to restore the house, so return visits always provide more to see and do.

After spending most of one day at Biltmore house, we spent some time in Biltmore Village meandering around the shops. The antiquing in this area is in plentiful supply, but I'd ask the guys at the Inn for the "local" places as the deals are better and the opportunities for treasure hunting more plentiful!

We had to make the trek to the Folk Art Center, the Guild's headquarters. They often have guild members demonstrating heritage crafts and there is a museum as well as the Allenstand Craft Shop on site. SHHG has a Guild Fair in July and October that we used to do with Mama and visiting the shop brought back many memories of those fairs as many of my mother's peers are in the historical exhibit!

There are plenty of things to see and do in beautiful Asheville - especially if you're an art, history or architecture lover!