THANKSGIVING, 2010 - IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS NEAR ASHEVILLE, NC

An Upscale Thanksgiving
Both upscale and down-home adventures await you in these magical mountains - especially at these special times of the year. Enjoy classic Southern cuisine at the Grovewood Café, the Horizons and Sunset Terrace at The Grove Park Inn, the Red Stag Grill at the Grand Bohemian Hotel, or the various dining options at the Biltmore Estate and Inn at Biltmore. These are pricey but wonderful, with activities near and around each to keep you dazzled. Reservations are highly recommended.

A Down-Home Thanksgiving
• It is tradition in many of our small-town America mountain settings for local churches to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the community and out-of-town visitors – large or small groups of family or friends, singles, senior citizens, college age, any age, well-heeled or those down-on their-luck are all welcomed with open arms. ALL join together to share this traditional meal – reminiscent of that first Thanksgiving. These luscious home-cooked meals are most often free-of-charge or at a very nominal cost. Higgins Memorial United Methodist in our hometown of Burnsville is one of the churches providing this gift to our community. It is a great way to meet the servant-heart, salt-of-the-earth people in these mountains.
• Follow the afternoon of warm fellowship and fabulous food with a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

• Take in a movie at our historic Yancey Movie Theater offering the latest and top movies for only $5.
• Stay in our historic and beautiful bed-and-breakfasts that are loved by guests.
• The days before or after enjoy antique shopping, gallery hopping, local coffee houses (try the locally-made, delicious Arbuckles coffee ), organic and local eateries,
• stop in Yummy Yarns to knit with a local group or
• visit a Better Homes & Garden featured quilt shop, Needle Me This, and let them get you started on your first or fiftieth quilt.
• Stop by the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina gift shop in the Visitors Center. We are the Corporate Underwriters for this award-winning non-profit. Buy a guide with stories and descriptions of the quilt blocks and drive through these beautiful mountains to find each one.
• Take a day for snow skiing, tubing and snowboarding at Wolf Laurel, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, or Appalachian Mountain.
• Enjoy fly fishing and other outdoor activities with Rivers Edge Outfitters
• Tour The Cove at Celo Mountain and choose your own Cabin at Celo or mountain getaway home or property in a sanctuary setting within the Pisgah National Forest, surrounded on all 4 sides by national and state-designated scenic highways. Spend the day hiking our 3 miles of manicured trails along Ayles Creek, streams, waterfalls and trout ponds. You will likely see flocks of wild turkey foraging in this park-like setting. You may even get to see one in flight. Turn this vacation of a lifetime into a home for a lifetime.
For more information: Thanksgiving in Asheville and area

Veterans Day, 2010 - PROJECT HEALING WATERS - Western North Carolina

The Cove at Celo Mountain is deeply grateful to our military men and women for their service to our country. "Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying education and outings."



For more information locally: Rivers Edge Outfitters - Spruce Pine, NC

Regional Veterans Hospital: Charles George VA Medical Center - Asheville, NC

The healing power of life lived close to the land and its rivers: The Cove at Celo Mountain in the ancient Appalachians of North Carolina - just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Confirmed: President Plans Spring Vacation in Asheville

OK, no, I don’t have a direct line to the White House, BUT the Asheville Travel Blog assures us that the President and the First Family are vacationing in Asheville next weekend. I have been telling you how incredibly beautiful this area is – so much so that it IS the destination place for many who can vacation or retire or relocate anywhere they wish. However, like most things, there are secret places that are even more incredible than the first one you came to enjoy.

So, the First Family really needs to be staying in Burnsville and touring The Cove at Celo Mountain. They might choose an estate lot with tranquil Ayles Creek running through it or one with a gorgeous waterfall for their post-presidency residence. Then, again, maybe one of the 6 Cabins at Celo (exquisitely appointed) in the wooded area would be more to their liking.

When the President was here during the campaign, he stayed at The Grove Park Inn. This is historic, legendary and lovely – famous as the getaway for F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, media moguls and high-profile actors and writers. I hope they enjoyed the world-famous grotto spa (ranked #13 among Best Hotel Spas in the World.) The President ate at 12 Bones, fabulous barbecue with a unique twist - blueberry chipotle ribs, jalapeno cheese grits and corn pudding are occasional flavor offerings. Now, these are famous, wonderful choices. But, he might want to try our gorgeous new hotel in Biltmore Village, The Grand Bohemian. Tupelo Honey, the Noodle Shop, and Corner Kitchen (Biltmore Village) are wonderful. Honestly, every restaurant I have ever tried in downtown Asheville has delicious food. The bodyguards can take the girls to The Orange Peel for great music; Michelle can shop at Bellagio’s (art to wear) and Ten Thousand Villages for gifts for those back home (a fair trade store for artisan crafts from around the world); and they will all want to visit the 30 + galleries (don’t miss Blue Spiral.)

But, if they really want to relax and get out in nature, they need to come to Burnsville and Spruce Pine. Let the Rivers’ Edge Outfitters plan the perfect fly-fishing, tubing, kayaking day. Hike our beautiful waterfalls along the Blue Ridge Parkway. (The Presidential trip planners will want to read our blog about that to touch the high points!). Mountain Farm, the Blacksmith Festival, the TRAC galleries, the Burnsville Metric (hey, this family is in great shape and can easily do this 19th Riding of bikes along our South Toe River and beautiful mountains and valleys!) I think the perfect photo op will be with all of the First Family helping to bottle-feed the sextuplet baby Nubian goats at Mountain Farm – all up on Celo, of course!

For a verity-check on the President’s travel agenda: http://blog.exploreasheville.com/2010/04/president-obama-enjoy-your-asheville.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+exploreasheville%2FlCvS+%28Asheville%29

Helpful Links for the President’s trip planners:
The Cove at Celo Mountain: http://www.celoliving.com/
The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa: http://www.groveparkinn.com/Leisure/
The Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville: http://www.bohemianhotelasheville.com/
12 Bones Barbecue: http://www.12bones.com/
Tupelo Honey: http://www.tupelohoneycafe.com/
Noodle Shop: http://www.mountainx.com/dining/2005/1026noodleshop.php
Corner Kitchen: http://www.thecornerkitchen.com/menus/
Bellagio’s: http://www.bellagioarttowear.com/
Ten Thousand Villages: http://asheville.tenthousandvillages.com/php/stores.festivals/store.about_our_store.php
Blue Spiral Gallery: http://bluespiral1.com/
Rivers Edge Outfitters: http://www.riversedgeoutfittersnc.com/
The Blue Ridge Parkway Highlights from The Cove at Celo Mountain blog: http://coveatcelo.blogspot.com/2010/02/beauty-on-blue-ridge-parkway-with.html