Vacation in Asheville and surroundings (Waynesville, Black Mountain: rental, home, purchase)

[queenofbavaria]

hello,

I just joined this forum after I was reading NC threads for quite a while

I visited Asheville 2 years ago (just my husband and me) and on our way from delaware down the blueridgeparkway I completely fell in love.
to me - I am from bavaria/germany and we moved to delaware 7 years ago - it felt like coming home. I was so amazed by the mountains, the air, the wild life ...
then we arrived in asheville and walked through downtown - again I felt like vacationing in Europe, since there was actually outdoor life (which seems to be rare in delaware )
a great variety of restaurants, an art district (I am selling children's art pieces as a side business), the citybakery (yeah, finally great bread after years !!) and so many people actually walked or used bikes - and I knew ....our time in Delaware would be over soon, since there are places like asheville, where I could feel like home even it is thousands of miles away.
ok, to make the long story a little shorter:

our long term plan is to move down to NC within the next two years and this summer we would like to take our children and show them a couple of nice places and things to do, to make the transition a little easier.

I would appreciate some recommendations regarding family (outdoor) fun like a good place to raft or rent kanus,
a sightseeing tour (the comedy one sounds great, I wonder, it it would suit our kids with 6.8 and 12)
a nice campground in/close to the city. we own a tiny trailer and like it not too commercial, but a pool or river to cool down after a long day would be great
do we need a fishing licence (for catch and release)
does it make sense to purchase this blueridge card for all of us (we will stay in/around town about 3 days)
we love horseback riding and mountain biking ....
maybe lake lurie would be a nice destination too ?


on our tour we've seen biltmore and chimney rock, we liked both a lot, will do chimney rock with the kids again, not biltmore.
are there more places like chimney rock with a little hike and such an amazing view ?

I - of course - already found the german restaurants online. there is no way for us NOT to go there and check the authenticity

your input is highly appreciated

thanks

brigitte

[queenofbavaria]

I came across sliding rock. looks like a fun place but I am also a little concerned - I don't want to end up at the ER (sorry if this sounds weird) - but just watching vidoes from sliding rock seem to hurt my behind

will check out turtle rock and rainbow falls too.

[queenofbavaria]

excuse me, please take a number, not everyone at the same time

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by queenofbavaria

excuse me, please take a number, not everyone at the same time

hahaha - I like your sense of humor

Okay, as someone who truly LOVES the Blue Ridge Parkway, I can relate to how "at home" you felt when you visited. And I can surely understand wanting to move near to it. There is a great family friendly campground along the Parkway I would recommend you try - Bear Den.

Campgrounds North Carolina, Camping in North Carolina, Camping in Western North Carolina, Bear Den

While there you could take the kids to tour Linville Caverns and Grandfather Mountain - big hits with kids. Grandfather has a small "zoo" of animals found on the mountain, including bears, and GREAT trails to hike on.

http://www.grandfather.com/

http://www.linvillecaverns.com/



There is also a more upscale cabin rental place I can tell you your kids would most likely love - Scenic Wolf Mountain, just north of Asheville.

http://www.scenicwolfresort.com/

Hope this gets you started

[NC_Paddler]

Rafting -- USA Raft has an outpost on the French Broad river near Hot Springs, and it's only about 20 minutes away from Asheville.

French Broad River Rafting (http://www.usaraft.com/french-broad-river/ - broken link)

Camping -- check out Mt. Pisgah campground on the Blue Ridge parkway, not far from Asheville:

Facility Details - MOUNT PISGAH CAMPGROUND (NC), Nc - Recreation.gov

A bit further away at the base of Mt. Mitchell is Black Mountain campground:

Pisgah National Forest Campgrounds

or camp right at Mount Mitchell State Park:

Mt. Mitchell State Park and the Black Mountains

or for a smaller campground near Mt. Mitchell, check out Carolina Hemlocks Campground, right on the South Toe River near Busick:

Pisgah National Forest Campgrounds

[arbyunc]

Hi Queen!

Great info above--I just want to add a couple of things:

You mentioned wildlife...you should definitely visit the Western NC Nature Center. It's a wildlife rehab facility with lots of interesting exhibits and hands-on activities primarily geared towards children. Your kids (and the adults too) will love it! Western North Carolina Nature Center, Red Wolf Breeding Program, Animals in Natural Habitats

And if your kids still need convincing, take them to the Mast General Store and show them the old fashioned candy section. They'll be amazed, and ready to move whenever you say so. There's also the Chocolate Fetish (The Chocolate Fetish - Home), just in case you need more help convincing them. Yum!

And about Sliding Rock, it is lots of fun and not dangerous at all if you just follow the normal precautions. Thousands of people slide down every year with no problems...except for trying to catch your breath when you hit the cold water pool at the bottom! I highly recommend it.

[queenofbavaria]

Hello everybody and thanks so much for all the information, I am thrilled to look into every single information later !
you made my day

[Cofga]

Yes you will need a fishing license. Many streams have wild and native fish populations while many are stocked by the state and that information can be found at North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission . There are separate pages for licenses, maps, stocking seasons, etc. The French Broad River right through Asheville is good for bass and sunfish as well as tubing and rafting (if water levels hold).

For a real tourist trap feeling without going to Pigeon Forge visit the main street in Waynesville. For entertainment hit Maggie Valley. These are about 30 miles west of town off the interstate. While you're out there head over the ridge into Cataloochee in the national park (Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Cataloochee (U.S. National Park Service)). It is a beautiful area and in the evenings you can see the elk herd eating down in the meadows there.

There are a lot of mtn biking trails in the Pisgah National Forest (http://www.mtbikewnc.com/trailheads/pisgahnf.html).


Have fun

[PhotogGal]

I also recommend Sliding Rock. I didn't slide down it but spent some time photographing those who did last year, and they all seemed to have loads of fun. This year there's been more rain, so there should be more water sliding over the rocks and perhaps easier on the behind. Looking Glass Falls, which is beautiful, is not far from there on the same road and easily accessible via some stairs down from the road. No hiking required, unlike some of the other waterfalls in that area.

[queenofbavaria]

yes, we will definetely check out sliding rock ! thanks ! also made a note earlier about the looking glass falls.

I am still in need of a campground close to asheville for the three days, we're going to spend there.
but maybe staying a little outside in the woods and going to town every day is the better choice.

thanks !