Today Sherida Buchanan from Explore Asheville shares 10 tips for affordable Romance in Asheville. Enjoy these suggestions, grab your sweetie and get out there and enjoy yourselves! Remember, Valentine's Day is right around the corner.
You can’t buy love, but shouldn’t romance be affordable? Lucky for us, we live in one of the world’s top must-see cities. So play tourist at home and treat your Valentine to a romantic day around town with our top 10 tips for a sweet date that’s easy on the wallet:
1. Try a Hot Chocolate Tasting Tour: From organic sippable truffles to a winter warm-up on a bright red double-decker bus, cozy up at a cocoa and coffee houses for primo people watching and a delicious treat that only tastes expensive.
2. Find a Scenic Make Out Spot: Gaze into starry eyes and starry skies while soaking in the famous and free vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Take a drive up Town Mountain or watch the sunset from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
3. Request a Mountain Serenade: Most of the downtown restaurants and pubs transition to live music venues at night. Score free romance points by having a local musician dedicate a song to your sweetheart.
After exploring the local Wolf Ridge Ski Resort (formerly Wolf Laurel) and Cataloochee Ski Area you may find yourself needing a little something more. For the adventurous skiers with a little more free time, load up and head towards Boone. You'll discover superior conditions, higher vertical drops and radical terrain parks at both Sugar and Beech Mountain Ski Resorts.
On Nov. 20, 1930 the Central Bank and Trust Company closed its doors. Financial ruin fell upon the city. Asheville retained the highest per capita debt of any city in the country. While many cities chose to default on their loan Asheville city swore to pay back every cent which it finally did in 1977.
Asheville's recovery from the Depression was slow and arduous. Because of the financial stagnation there were no new buildings and the downtown district remained unaltered. This however has allowed Asheville to be a great collection of Art Deco and truly a style all its own.
West Asheville is a great place to get out and walk along the shop windows. More so than any part of town does it still captures the small town feel, with folks walking to breakfast then strolling some local shops. You can also get close to nature on the west side as well.
The French Broad Park, one of Asheville's most beautiful parks, is located alongside the tranquil French Broad River. There’s picnic tables and grills right along the quiet river with a small playground. Asheville dog-lovers’ favorite spot is within this park, known as the Dog Park, a large fenced-in one acre area for exercising and socializing your pooch! Water and waste bags provided. After a stroll along the river you can unleash your dog in the dog park and let it run wild and free with new friends.
Asheville is home to four distinct seasons and has a relatively mild winter, but the upper elevations experience some great snowfall. This makes Western North Carolina prime for a full season of winter sports! Whether you are riding the pipe in the snowboard park, learning to ski for the first time, or tubing the runs with small children, the Ski Resorts surrounding Asheville offer a fun family atmosphere throughout the winter months.
In 1828 a road following the French Broad River was completed to Tennessee, which brought wagons and herds moving through town. The Asheville and Greenville Plank Road was built in 1851, and the wealthy aboard four and six horse stages began to come to Asheville as a health resort.
During the Civil War, out of the ten companies of North Carolina Regiment seven of them were Buncombe county men. The Buncombe Rifles marched forth on April 18, 1861 with a flag made of silk dresses of the ladies of the town. Captain Zebulon Vance organized the Rough and Ready Guards. Enfield Rifles, the gun manufacturer, was a flourishing industry here in town.
There is no better start to your day than a nice healthy breakfast. Downtown Asheville offers a unique variety of outrageous breakfast locations that will keep you going all day long. From crepes to southern style biscuits you’ll discover a little something of everything as you explore Asheville’s breakfast options.
Tupelo Honey off College Street brings southern cuisine with an uptown twist. They feature all organic free-range eggs and hormone-free sausage. I highly recommend the Eggs Betty or a Tupelo Omelet. Happily serving breakfast all day long, Tupelo Honey is not to be missed.
Asheville has always been at the crossroads. Here, the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers flow together and the Blue Ridge, Great Craggies and Black Mountains on the East meet the Appalachian Mountains on the West.
Cherokee country surrounded Asheville before the arrival of Europeans. The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto came to the area in 1540 in search of gold. His arrival also brought disease, guns, wild dogs and chains. The Cherokee fought to withstand Spain’s colonization and DeSoto died in America as a failure against what the Spanish would describe as barbaric red men which led to a long prejudice. Trade was established with the Cherokee Indians in 1643, early trading paths followed the Indian routes which crossed in Asheville.
It is true that
The Health Adventure,
Colburn Earth & Science Museum & Nature Center all offer exceptional indoor opportunities for children. What sets the
Nature Center apart is incredible hands-on outdoor adventures as well.
You can explore natural animal habitats in a small hike around the Nature Center. Search for the wolves, the bears, fox, raccoons and even a Cougar. The playful otters will keep you laughing as they slide and splash in the water. Check out the petting zoo and enjoy feeding a variety of barn yard animals. The Nature Center also has seasonal exhibits including the Butterfly Exhibition, Hey Day in the Fall, and numerous summer programs for the kids.
One of the things I love about living here in Asheville is all the wonderful activities for our kids. Hiking to your favorite waterfall on a Saturday is the best way to share family time. But even when the weather is too cold for a hike there is still plenty to do here.
The Health Adventure at Pack Square is hours of fun and discovery. You will be as fascinated as your children by all the hands on activities and education. From life size three dimensional puzzles of the body, to perceptual tricks and flexibility tests, it has something for all ages. Your younger children can be the grocer in their own store, while they learn about healthy choices. The Health Adventure also features ever changing exhibits upstairs, check the schedule for
current Health Adventure exhibits.
Winter is here, hot chocolate, fuzzy scarves and ice skating! Yes indeed, ice skating returns to the civic center again this year. Although skating sessions are limited there is enough time for you to enjoy the exciting experience.
Certainly a treat for the younger generation, it’s also a thrill that I just can't get enough of myself. A spectator may tell you most of my time was spent picking myself up off the ice, however there was an ear to ear smile on my face the entire time! It was absolutely hilarious.
Perfect for first dates or laugh with friends and family. Get the kids out of the house and enjoy this special treat. This opportunity does not last long. Enjoy it while you can. Watch first timers wobble about, hear the laughter and squeals of excited children, and watch in awe as some of the more experienced glide effortlessly around the rink.
Beaucatcher, Carmike, the Fine Arts Theater, and Asheville Pizza Company are wonderful local movie spots. If you are looking for something a little different and a little farther out of the way check out Cinebarre at Biltmore Square, Hollywood Cinemas on the South end of town, and the brand new Biltmore Grande Stadium.
A high-end alternative to
Asheville Pizza Company is Cinebarre at the Biltmore Square Mall. Similar to Asheville Pizza, and as the name suggests, Cinebarre is half Cinema, half Bar. You’ll enjoy the reclining chairs, bar-type tables for your food & drinks, along with friendly wait-staff. Enjoy your movie in style, Cinebarre offers 5 different movie options, call 665.7776 for more information.
For movie goers there are several wonderful places around town to see the latest box office hits. Around Asheville you’ll find there are theaters complete with couches and tables and others featuring a full bar and wait-staff. Whatever the occasion Movie Night in Asheville is a good time!
Recently renovated Beaucatcher Cinemas located across from the Asheville Mall, is a traditional movie theater with seven screens. Although it is nearly 20 years old, it’s still a great place to catch a movie. Call 298.1234 for current films and show times.
The Grove Park Inn began as a dream of restoration. Edwin Wiley Grove owned a pharmaceutical company and made a fortune on his “Tasteless Chill Tonic” which was in everyone’s icebox in those days. He came to Asheville because he believed the fresh mountain air could cure his bronchial problems. When he arrived he was so convinced that he wanted to build a hotel for people to come and renew their health at his resort.
Grove commissioned his son-in-law, Fred Seely (who had no architectural experience) to design and building the hotel. Grove was inspired by the
Old Faithful Inn in
Yellowstone National Park. Grove wanted to build something with a rustic mountain home quality but also magnificent in style. Granite boulders were taken from Sunset Mountain with only ropes and pulleys, a team of mules and 400 workers. The construction took one year, and in July of 1913 the Grove Park Inn opened its doors.
Asheville has many choices for kid's birthdays. We are lucky as parents, especially those of us who have children born in the winter months and can’t just picnic at a park. Having it at your own house in the winter without the yard to run around in can be a little much! What a relief it is to just arrive somewhere else and then leave without having to entertain guests in your home or clean up after twenty seven year olds!
The Health Adventure has a wonderful package with up to 25 kids and a room decorated with balloons which grants access to all of the Health Adventure including whatever the current exhibit is. They will set you up with a room, and depending on availability you can even have the play area reserved for your party. The central location of Pack Place is also a nice convenience.
