Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a haven for tourism with its natural and cultural opportunities. It is located in the heart of Appalachia on the western end of North Carolina. I wondered how a small mountain town could create this energizing presence. The railroad arrived in 1880, and Asheville became a mountain resort area. In the late 1880s, George Vanderbilt purchased 120,000 acres and built Biltmore Estate, a tourist attraction today. The River Arts District is an attraction made by converting warehouses no longer in use into artists’ studios. It was a visionary solution to what could have become a negative. There is much potential in Asheville that attracts investment. The scenic mountains, the Biltmore Estate, the art vibe, and the foodie reputation make Asheville hard to resist.

Agriculture

My too short three-and-a-half-day trip began with exploring the area near the airport and the downtown activities. We found a restaurant near a farmer’s market center upon leaving the airport. The market’s infrastructure was developed through various state and federal funding resources, first opening in 1977. We had lunch at the Moose Café on the Western North Carolina Farmers Market grounds. This allows the restaurant to offer fresh, local vegetables. The farmers market has two main buildings for shoppers and three drive-through truck sheds. The markets contained a wealth of fresh produce and processed foods such as jams and jellies. There is also a garden center/nursery and space for local wholesalers who wish to provide restaurant products. The market continues to expand to meet the needs of the area’s food industry growers and entrepreneurs who are capitalizing on the local food movement. In one last nod to the food movement in the area, we visited The French Broad Food Co-op, which was downtown. I don’t think I have been to a community grocery cooperative before. Being a co-op member means voting on products carried and store policies.

Galleries

In the downtown area, we visited several local galleries. They were all welcoming and shared insights into the artists they represented. For example, I had a great conversation about a woodblock print artist at The Haen Gallery. The gallery representative showed me two carved blocks an artist had used for one of his prints. One block was cut for each color to be used on the print. She explained that the artist made 35 prints from the blocks for one creation. Then he destroyed the blocks. The oil and acrylic paintings were beautiful. There was even an intricate papercut design.

Bookstores

There are several independent bookstores in Asheville. Near the end of our trip, we visited Malaprops. It was wonderful. There is a small coffee shop on one corner of the bookstore. The store displayed Charles Frazier’s new book, The Trackers, about the Depression. Alongside it was Frazier’s highly acclaimed novel Cold Mountain. Cold Mountain is located in Pisgah National Forest, just outside of Asheville. Frazier was born in Asheville, and now he and his wife live there for part of each year. We traveled through the Pisgah National Forest for some of our waterfalls and wilderness adventure. I read Cold Mountain many years ago. It was interesting to be in the area the wounded Confederate soldier was trying to reach.

In addition to Frazier’s books, there were well-stocked sections on the arts, art techniques, and texts of mountain-related crafts. There was also a good selection of materials on local foods with recipes. Fortunately, I managed only to buy one book—titled Block Prints: How to Make Them. It was initially published in 1941, and this was a vintage reissue. I loved the cover with a sample block print above the title. Malaprops was a small store but seemed to be popular. A small book club was meeting in one corner during our visit.

Mountains

On our first full day, we headed to the mountains. Our time was limited, so my friend identified some waterfalls that were easily accessible without long hikes. As you might imagine, the roads were narrow, with many switchbacks traversing the climbs and descents. The spring foliage was peaking in the valleys, with many dogwood trees in full bloom. Closer to the mountain tops, the tree leaves were budding out. We crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway a few times while searching for waterfalls. Soco Falls was located on the edge of the Cherokee Indian reservation. It had a wooden stairway from the pull-off point down to creek level. The scenes from above and at the base were beautiful displays of rushing water. The altitude was about 4,000 feet.

Our second waterfall of the day was Looking Glass Falls. It was easier to locate with a larger pull-off area. Looking Glass Fall was situated in the Pisgah National Forest. This waterfall is 60 feet and very wide with a full flow. It is also about 4000 feet in elevation. The moss-covered rock formations and bluffs around the falls contributed to its beauty. The scenery along our routes to both waterfalls was inspiring. We slowed or stopped at a few places to look around and take photos. A ranger station in Pisgah National Forest had maps, a small gift shop, and restrooms.

Exiting the forest, we drove to Hendersonville in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a small town with a well-developed Main Street and beautifully preserved architecture. We had lunch at Mike’s on Main Street, an old pharmacy building that was converted into a sandwich shop. It had a soda fountain and many old signs and antiques. We succumbed to a nearby, tempting bakery for some treats. We wandered the street with its galleries and small stores. It was a relaxing way to end the afternoon.

Biltmore Estate

Our day at Biltmore Estate was a bit rainy, making it a good day to be inside. The estate’s construction took about six years. Biltmore was modeled on 16th-century chateaux in France. The home has four acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 33 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. Gift shops and food vendors were located in separate areas outside the estate.

Rather than describe the Biltmore room by room, here are my impressions and favorites. The public and family rooms were elegant. My favorite room was the library, with two floors of books along the walls. I could picture myself sitting there and reading from selections on the shelves for hours. The atmosphere was stimulating and relaxed at the same time. I would spend most of my time in that room. The banquet hall was huge, over 70 feet long and 40 feet wide. The ceiling was barrel vaulted at 70 feet high. The triple fireplace at one end of the room had a massive limestone mantel with carvings. In other rooms, the paintings included Monet and Renoir. The balcony in the back looked over the mountains. It was two stories up and had an expansive view. The ornate railing and chandelier suspended in the spiral stairway's center highlighted the luxurious feeling. In the basement were the servants’ quarters and the work areas, such as the laundry and the kitchen. It had a little Downton Abbey feel to it. The basement walls painted by friends made Biltmore seem more like a home than a museum. I want to return and see the estate at Christmas.

The grounds were a blend of managed wilderness and careful landscaping. Frederick Law Olmstead, designer of Central Park in New York, led the property’s design. The grounds had outbuildings and hotels. On a drive around the property, we observed wild turkeys and horses. Unfortunately, the gardens were not yet in bloom. We decided to forego the conservatory’s flowers and the estate’s winery with its free wine tasting for a special exhibit on the Italian Renaissance at the event center on the property. The format was similar to the Van Gogh Immersive Experience traveling nationwide. Renaissance painting is a favorite of mine, and this experience added to my enjoyment and understanding of this period in art.

Food Scene

Asheville is a foodie destination. Travel and Leisure magazine recently reported that Asheville was named the number one food destination in the U.S. We selected two restaurants for evening dining. The first choice was Curate Tapas Bar. I knew the restaurant through the owner/chef’s reality television program “From the Source.” In the program, Curate chef Katie Button visits farms and food sources around Asheville that she can source for her restaurant, such as cheese at a dairy and honey at the Center for Honeybee Research. Button has been nominated for a James Beard Award and trained in famous restaurants like El Bulli in Spain. At Curate, we ordered five tapas or small plates to share. Among our choices, we had the notable fried eggplant topped with honey and rosemary.

We also dined at the Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village. It’s an upscale Farm to Table restaurant. Their cuisine is New American. The restaurant is in a renovated home, and we dined upstairs. The menu changes to reflect local seasonal sources. The co-owners have received the “Wine Spectator” Award of Excellence.

River Arts District

The River Arts District (RAD) was the primary reason I wanted to visit Asheville. It is a critical component of this vibrant, creative community. Our short visit was enough time to learn how the district works without overload. The RAD is located in an area on either side of the railroad that runs north and south alongside the French Broad River. More than 300 artists are members of the River Arts District Artists, Inc. (RADA). RADA is a non-profit that assists with marketing and planning.

The artists’ studios were established in manufacturing buildings and warehouses, no longer in use. We visited the blue section’s Riverview Station, which has studios for over 100 artists. We saw painters, jewelry makers, textile painters, and potters in that long L-shaped building with two floors. There were art classes underway during our visit. We were free to wander throughout the building. Art was displayed in the halls and the individual studios. It was available for purchase. Most studios had artists at work as we visited. Some were welcoming, inviting us into their studios to explore. A few seemed intensely engaged in projects, so we observed and moved on.

These are a few highlights from my conversations with three of the artists. Maya Sozer shared that she preferred painting with acrylic ink because its colors are more brilliant. One print was produced using a leaf with paint to imprint the canvas. I bought a small 8 x 8-inch painting from her. She asked what I saw in it. She liked to invite all her buyers to talk about their choices. She was interested in what others saw in her work. Her Instagram is @Mayasozerart. I also spoke with Jane Schmidt, who worked in oils on large canvases. She was mixing paint to finish out the sides of a commissioned painting stretched onto a frame. We talked about the price of oils. Some pigments cost more than others. She paints landscapes and whimsical images. She has been invited twice to the Florence (Italy) Biennale. Her colors are very bold. One of her techniques is impasto texture. Her website is www.janeschmidt.com. The last artist I talked with was Jeff Snell. His website is www.jeffsnellart.com. He had some very different styles of painting. He paints in layers and incorporates snippets of text. Some of his works have a layer of paint that has been combed through. Most of his work is acrylic. He has some paintings that have the effect of horizontal strips of gradient color interwoven with strips of images and words. His work was unique and compelling.

Summing Up

Asheville appears to have it all. The community is nestled in majestic mountains, and the people are talented individuals working cooperatively. Yet, when I consider the quality of the experiences at the Biltmore Estate, the food scene, and the arts district, I wonder why here? Maybe the Biltmore is the stimulus for excellence in everything the community strives for. The community may be good at bringing the right people together to make things happen. Maybe the people are so proud of their community that they contribute in myriad ways to reach shared goals. It’s likely some of all of that. Asheville is more than the sum of its exciting parts.

Sources: Besides my travel observations, I reviewed www.exploreasheville.com and www.riverartsdistrict.com before and after my trip. I also looked up the Farmer’s Market information to learn how it started. https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2015/01/16/history-future-wnc-farmers-market/21873999/