Gatlinburg or Asheville?

[chell]

Hendersonville has a very nice old bakery with very yummy treats. There are some things to do in Hendersonville as well but no where near as much as Asheville.

 

[Angelhalo]

Thanks so much for all the info! I really appreciate the help. From looking at homes we were able to find the best deal that fit our needs in Handersonville... does anyone know anything about it? Supposedly it's around twenty-minutes from Asheville and 2 hours from Gatlinburg. We'd probably spend most of our time in NC and then go to Gatlinburg around twice. The only thing I'm worried about is having enough to do. We're used to Orlando where there's always a lot going on... is there enough to do in the area for two weeks?

My roomate my freshman year of college lived in Hendersonville. It was a very cute town. They are known for their apples and have a big apple festival every year. Very down to Earth...big mormon population. Sweet people with a home town feel.

 

[troobabiee7]

Hendersonville has a very nice old bakery with very yummy treats. There are some things to do in Hendersonville as well but no where near as much as Asheville.

We'd probably drive into Asheville most of the time. Is there enough to do throughout the area for two weeks though?

 

[Buckalew11]

I think you should be fine for two weeks. I live 15 mins. from Townsend now and I can't get it all seen!

I really hope you enjoy your trip to the mtns. It is a beautiful area for sure!

 

[piglet50]

asheville is city and pigeon forge/gatlinburg are touristy. we love both places. you should be able to find enough to enjoy for two weeks. it will require some driving. i agree with the poster who mentioned maggie valley. your choice of hendersonville is farther away if you're talking about pigeon forge/gatlinburg. we've stayed in all four towns and have enjoyed each one.

our vacation this year will be centered in bryson city, nc we plan to visit asheville, fontana, maggie valley, cherokee, and probably go over into tennessee at least once. we're going to check out some of the waterfalls in nc.

have a great vacation. while in tennessee - don't miss cades cove. pure heaven on earth.

 

[LJC1861]

You are here for 2 weeks, and are thinking about staying in Hendersonville....

A day at Biltmore.....house, gardens, winery,behind the scenes tours, horseback riding, Range Rover tours, Segway Tours, a good day.

A day at Chimney Rock Park.....lots of hiking as well as the rock itself another full day. You can also to a visit to Lake Lure which is just down the road. A pontoon cruise around the lake is fun.

Head out to Cherokee for a day. 90 minutes from Hendersonville. The Casino, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Oconoluftee Indian Village, lots of smaller museums and galleries.

Flat Rock Playhouse....Flat Rock is 15 minutes from Hendersonville. They do Broadway quality shows at a fraction of the cost.

The Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. Lots of great hiking in addition to the house itself.

The North Carolina Arboretum....just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville. A beautiful place to spend a day. There are gardens, greenhouses, Segway Tours, hiking trails, museum exhibits, and a great Bonsai exhibit. One of my favorite places.

Waynesville....great shopping, galleries and restaurants

Hendersonville...great shopping as well. Mike's on Main Street for an old fashioned soda fountain experience.

Asheville. A wonderful artsy funky town. Great restaurants, the Pack Place museums, shopping, etc.

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge....about 2.5 hours from Hendersonville....we have already talked about the many things to do there.

The Blue Ridge Parkway......get in your car and drive....stop and stand in awe. Off the parkway you have the Arboretum, the Destination Center, the Folk Art Center (not to be missed in my opinion with museum quality crafts presented by the Southern Highlands Craft Guild), a beautiful picnic spot at Craggy Gardens and much much more.

I could keep going. There is much to do in the area and I have not even inculded anything in the Maggie Valley area.

Linda

 

[chell]

Have you checked out the websites for Asheville? If not, here are some links for you.

Asheville

Biltmore

Explore Asheville

Asheville Chamber of Commerce

Black Mountain

Black Mountain is a small town maybe 15 minutes from Asheville, depending on where you are in town. It is a very nice town with lots of small shops. They have an awesome chocolate shop!!! Their is a restaurant there called The Front Porch Grill which has great gravy biscuits as well as really good hamburgers. There is also the Black Mountain Bakery which has amazing pumpkin bread and some great sandwiches. Veranda has great sandwiches, especially the warm roast beef on sourdough, and the mushroom soup is outstanding!!!

Veranda Cafe

Here are some specific recommendations for Asheville:

Tupelo Honey - They have AMAZING sweet potato pancakes and a warm pimento cheese appetizer. Oh, if they have the cranberry salsa you have got to try it even if you aren't a major cranberry fan. I'm not big on cranberries but this stuff knocked my socks off!

Jerusalem Garden Cafe - This is highly recommended by a friend of mine. It is almost across the street from Tupelo Honey's. I have never eaten there because if I'm that close to Tupelo Honey's I have to go. But I am going to make every effort to go on our next trip up to Asheville in a few weeks.

There is also a Thai restaurant off of Merrimon Avenue as you are going towards The Fresh Market and Steinmart. Linda can you help me with street names or this area of town's name. I know Merrimon Ave there has a highway number for I can't think of it right now. I may have to do some research to find the name of this Thai restaurant. It is on the right as you are going towards The Fresh Market in a little strip mall type place before you get to the Red Cross. This restaurant has the best Thai sauce that I have EVER had. We had to buy a pint to bring it home. You can taste the peppers and it isn't too hot. YUMMY!!!

WNC Farmer's Market - I just love going here. I'm so disappointed that the Farmer's Market where I live now is so small. This one has a great selection of fresh fruits & veggies as well as some great cheeses. They also have ciders - the peach is my favorite.

The Grove Arcade is a great little shopping center. There is a store there called Enter The Earth that has lots of cool gems and other stones.

Sorry that I am so jumbled but I'm trying to tell you as much as I can. If you walk around Black Mountain there are a few shops a little set back from the road but still in the middle of town that also carry gems and other stones if you are interested in those. There is also a very neat pet store near the two stores I am thinking of.

Park Place is an Education, Arts & Science Center. I've never been there but have heard great things about it.

There is a movie theatre downtown Asheville that shows lots of independent films.

Cherokee is a fun place to visit. Make sure to see their museum.

You could go rafting on the French Broad River. French Broad Rafting Nantahala Outdoor Center

Check out the Go Blue Ridge Card to see if you can get discounts on any of the stuff you may be interested in doing. It might give you some ideas of things to do. It has been a while since I looked over the website so I don't know right off if it is a good deal. But I can look more into it if you would like.

Like others have said, The Blue Ridge Parkway is a beautiful place to go. I miss getting to drive on it often. Pack up a picnic lunch and head out for the day. Make sure to take a blanket and a camera. They also have some hiking trails.

Grandfather Mountain is about an hour away from Asheville and is a beautiful location. They have some wildlife, including bear and deer and otters.

If you want a spa treatment check out the spa at The Grove Park Inn.

Sorry I have listed so much, but this will give you an idea of some things to look into.

 

[LJC1861]

MIchelle,

Merrimon Ave. is Rte 25.....which changes names several times as it makes its way through Asheville. It is Hendersonville Rd., Biltmore Ave, Broadway, and then Merrimon. As for the name of the Thai place.....I don't know offhand. I don't eat Thai food.

To the original poster.....

All the places Michelle mentioned are worth checking out. Tupelo Honey is fantastic and the sweet potato pancakes are to die for. Be prepared to wait though, it is always crowed.

Another of my favorite restaurants downtown is Doc Cheys. They serve Asian Fusion food at a very affordable cost. This is another restaurant where you should be prepared to wait as it is very popular with the locals.

As other posters have mentioned, staying in Hendersonville will mean lots of time in the car to get to places. If you want to make day trips to Cherokee, Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, etc. you may be better off staying halfway between, in Maggie Valley for example. The money you save in renting your house in Hendersonville will be made up for in extra gas and time driving to and from different locations.

Linda

 

[chell]

Thanks Linda! Hwy 25 is what I couldn't think of.

 

[Golf4food]

Depending on which part of the summer you will be there, Hendersonville is also not far from Brevard, NC, which is home to a big music camp that puts on a lot of concerts - including professionals, not just the students. (Shameless plug from an alumni, haha.)

The Pisgah National Forest is closeby and beautiful; twisty road, waterfalls, bubbly mountain streams... (no shortage of those anywhere in that part of the country, though).

On the BRP near the Pisgah Forest is the Mount Pisgah Inn, which has a nice restaurant that looks out over the mountains (think Cali Grill at the Contemporary only at 5,000 feet overlooking mountains) and they have a French Chocolate Silk Pie that is to die for.

 

[Pop Daddy]

just stay home

 

[troobabiee7]

just stay home

Is it that bad?!

 

[*Flower*]

Don't forget Granny's Chicken Palace......

Yum-o!

 

[tinatark]

OP - you are used to Orlando, which is very similar to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville area - Dollywood, Splash Country, Wonderworks, Dixie Stampede, Aquarium, outlet malls, etc. There is tourist-trap stuff, but so much more than that. There's also the National Park, with TONS of day hikes. I would make a cabin/condo in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville my home base and do a day trip or 2 to Asheville.

Here's a rough itinerary for 2 weeks:

Day 1 - check in, get groceries, recover from travel
2 - National Park - short hikes or nature programs with a ranger
3 - sleep in, have a late lunch, then go to Dollywood after 3, next day free
4 - Dollywood
5 - Cades Cove Loop (you can bicycle if you plan this right, they rent the bikes to you)
6 - Asheville - Biltmore
7 - Pigeon Forge - Nascar Speedpark or other attractions
8 - Gatlinburg - Aquarium and/or other attractions
9 - shopping day
10 - Gatlinburg - explore arts and crafts community shops/vendors/craftsmen
11 - tubing along the river
12 - Asheville, musuems, shops
13 - Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg - attractions or a day at Splash Country
14 - pack, check out

 

[Pop Daddy]

Is it that bad?!

never been to either , just throwing in my 2 cents

 

[S. C.]

I agree Biltmore is a must see. Also in Cherokee there is an awesome outdoor theater drama called "Unto These Hills" It is also a must see for us while in the area.

http://www.cherokee-nc.com/index.php?page=9

Unto These Hills Outdoor Drama
An outdoor drama located in Cherokee North Carolina, Unto These Hills is a Trail of Tears Story about an indian brave named Tsali.

 

[troobabiee7]

Thanks again for all the advice! I'm just bumping this thread up to ask about Cherokee. I found a really nice house in Cherokee that fits our budget. Is it a nice area? I'd love to visit the Indian reservations and we'd probably spend some time at Harrah's It's supposedly right on the border of the Smokey Mountains, and is an hour from Gatlinburg and an hour from Asheville, which is perfect for us. I just want to make sure it's a relatively nice, safe area. Any information is very much appreciated!

 

[bsnyder]

Thanks again for all the advice! I'm just bumping this thread up to ask about Cherokee. I found a really nice house in Cherokee that fits our budget. Is it a nice area? I'd love to visit the Indian reservations and we'd probably spend some time at Harrah's It's supposedly right on the border of the Smokey Mountains, and is an hour from Gatlinburg and an hour from Asheville, which is perfect for us. I just want to make sure it's a relatively nice, safe area. Any information is very much appreciated!

IMO, Cherokee is touristy, in the same way that Gatlinburg/PF/Maggie Valley are. Not that that's bad. Asheville, Waynesville, Hendersonville, Sylva, are all tourist destinations too, but they are not so exclusively focused on tourism.

As for safety, I think the whole western carolina area has relatively little crime.

 

[tinatark]

I personally wouldn't stay in Cherokee, esp. for 2 weeks.

The area is touristy, but it's very dated, very few restaurants, etc. It's very run down, IMO. I have heard wonderful things about the Indian Village and Unto these Hills. Visited the casino a few months back - it's good for a quick slot machine fix, but the machines are VERY tight. Only machines - they have some "dealers" but they don't actually deal cards - I think they press the buttons for the electronics to deal the hands. The casino sucks!