Our Blue Ridge Mountain Lifestyle - the Beauty of this Place and its People

THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN is a beautiful, small sanctuary setting located in the South Toe River Valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We are 45 minutes from Asheville, NC - Fodor's 2011 #1 Place to Visit.

We wanted to take you for a brief 4 minutes on a cursory look into our lifestyle at festivals, in our art community, enjoying mountain sports, around our historic small town, with a hint at some of the natural grandeur around us that is the stuff of coffee table photography books.

We are home to: The award-winning non-profit Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina, of which we are the Corporate Underwriters; the world-renowned Penland School of Crafts; Lesley Riddle, the musical genius behind the Carter/Cash family; The Empty Bowls Benefit, nonprofit which has raised millions internationally for world-hunger; more artists, per capita, than anywhere else in America - some are NC State Treasures, many are internationally and nationally acclaimed and have works in the Smithsonian and top public and private collections.

What is not so publicized are the national and international relief and support efforts that this historic, small-town area is doing - from Fair Trade mission groups out of Celo community (located a few miles from us) to South America, local doctors who routinely volunteer for Doctors Without Borders around the world, and local churches who support missionary efforts around the globe. This week, a couple - who are estate owners at The Cove at Celo Mountain - have taken a multi-age group from our historic hometown on a Hearts for Heaven mission effort on behalf of the people of La Primavera, Guatemala.

To truly appreciate the depth of beauty of this place and its people, you will simply have to come and spend some time with us.

Be introduced to this very special place for $49 in July and August

*3 days / 2 nights at a wonderful, historic bed-and-breakfast

*1 night gourmet, farm-to-table dining at a little ten-table restaurant

Chef is in next month's 2011 WNC Chef Challenge Finals

*Parkway Playhouse theater tickets - historic/acclaimed 866-378-4769

We hope you will come for this short time and decide to spend a lifetime. The mountains are beckoning...

TOP TEN EVENTS TO EXPERIENCE THIS SUMMER

COOL OFF – CHILL OUT – CURB COSTS–(cost: from nil to nominal)- All within 15 minutes of THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN
#1 and #2 Back-to-back festival/feast on July 16. Storytelling Festival in Spruce Pine from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. followed by the Midsummer Feast on Lower Street from 4:00-9:00 pm hosted by Knife and Fork with booths, live music, local beer and unique culinary creations by 2011 WNC Chef Finalist;

#3 and #4 Tops east of the Mississippi - Mt. Mitchell State Park at 6,684' is the highest and coolest place east of the Mississippi and the Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair on August 5 and 6 is consistently a Top 20 event of the Southeast.


#5 and #6 Most popular mountain sports are golf at the 4 1/2-star Golf Digest "Must Play Public Golf Course" - Mt. Mitchell Golf Course and the myriad water sports on the North Toe and South Toe and other rivers near us - including tubing, kayaking, rafting, and float and fly fishing.

#7 and #8 Destination places for national and international travelers - The award-winning Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina (we are the Corporate Underwriters), the world-renowned Penland School of Crafts, and the cutting-edge/highly-touted Energy Exchange attract visitors from all over the country and world.

#9 and 10 Step into a world apart -The historic and bucolic Altapass Orchard will transport you to another era - live music and clogging (NC dance), heritage apples, NC barbecue and homemade fudge, heritage apples, crafts, and hay rides with storytelling; and then spiritual retreats to get away from it all - Quiet Reflections, Wildacres and High Pastures - beauty and repose...

Come enjoy these paired top events with the mid through end of summer discovery package offered by THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN - 2 nights for 2 at a wonderful, historic Bed-and-Breakfast, dinner for 2 at the Knife and Fork, and Parkway Playhouse theater tickets for 2 through July and August - all for $49.

The mountains are calling...

Mid-Summer Magic in the Mountains - Farms, Fishing and Feasting

A River Runs Through It – Mountain Heritage Trout Waters Program - Summer Fly fishing

Burnsville and Spruce Pine, NC are designated Trout Cities in the NC Wildlife Resource Commission’s Mountain Heritage Trout Waters program. Anglers have no bait/lure restrictions, no size limit restrictions and a 7-trout-per-day creel limit during the season. Are you a visitor with no fishing equipment with you? Not to worry. Loaner rods and reels are available free-of-charge on a first-come, first-serve basis through the Commission’s Tackle Loaner Program, which offers rods and reels, including spin cast, ultralight and fly rods, for the day. Want to teach your child or grandchild to fly fish? After returning the loaner rod and reel, first-time participants under 16 receive a free mini-tackle box containing tackle – such as lures, flies, and spinners.

A Midsummer Feast at Knife and Fork - Lower Street Celebration of Farm-to-Table Connection on July 16th from 4-9 pm

A month before their 2011 Finals Competition in the WNC Chef Challenge, Nate and Wendy will honor the local farmers who have contributed to their success. Local beer, live music, and Knife and Fork magic with our local farm produce will make this a feast to remember. All proceeds go to benefit ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project.)

Spend a few days with us at THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN and hone your fly fishing skills at one of our trout ponds or on Ayles Creek. Then head to the South Toe River up the road to test your mettle on these Mountain Heritage Trout Waters. Top your day off with lunch or dinner at the award-winning ten-table Knife and Fork restaurant, or plan to be here for their Midsummer Feast on Lower Street. (Try the trout sandwich - one of my favorites!)

Visit with us on our Mid-Summer Discovery Package for $49 in July and August 866-378-4769 - 2 nights for 2 at a historic B&B, dinner for 2 at Knife & Fork, Parkway Playhouse tickets for 2.

THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN... An honored commitment to provide and preserve the beauty, peace, and simple rustic elegance of mountain living at its best at the Estates and Cabins at Celo in the Blue Ridge Mountains, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, America's Favorite Drive.

Live the Dream... Breathe the Mountains...

"For never anything can be amiss,

When simpleness and duty tender it." Theseus, Act 5, Scene i, A Mid-Summer Night's Dream (Shakespeare)