WNC MOUNTAIN TRAVEL GUIDE
ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES
Spring/Summer 2008 p1
WNC
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Mountain
TRAVEL GUIDE
Operating Committee Randy Hammer, Publisher Jackie S. Stenseth, Controller Susan K. Ihne, Executive Editor Gayle J. Smith, Advertising Director Tim A. Alexander, Circulation Director James P. Burns, Production Director Luann M. Labedz, Market Devel. Dir. Stacey Z. Wasielewski, IT Director John C. Yenne, Digital Director Cynthia A. Spencer, HR Director
232-5933 232-5858 232-5954 232-5886 232-5929 667-5093 232-5924 232-5887 232-5979 232-5971
Whom to contact about Mountain Travel Guide Karen Chávez, specialties editor, 236-8980, KChavez@CITIZEN-TIMES.com. John Boyle, columnist, 232-5847, JBoyle@CITIZEN-TIMES.com
The Arnold Palmer-designed golf course at Balsam Mountain Preserve.
Carol Motsinger, reporter, 232-2935, CMotsinger@CITIZEN-TIMES.com Ashley Wilson, reporter, 232-5856, AWilson@CITIZEN-TIMES.com
Favorite tees
Mai Ly, Day desk editor, 232-5914, Maily@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.
Challenging courses with sweeping views dot the Western North Carolina mountains. How do you choose? Local golf enthusiasts, including Appalachian State University football coach Jerry Moore and former NBA player Brad Daugherty, give their thoughts on their favorite places to play golf in WNC.
Robert Bradley, graphic designer, 232-5976, RBradley@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.
Page14
Inside
Falling for waterfalls
THE
TRAVEL GUIDE
Blissful Asheville 2 Tourists 4 WNC festivals 5 Balsam Mountain Inn 6 Dillsboro 7 Cherokee and the Smokies 8-9 Healthy eating 10-11 Waterfalls 12 Golf 14-15 Mountain art 17 Stecoah Valley Arts Center 20-21 WNC attractions 22-23 Outdoor outfitters 24-25 Vacation education 26-27 WNC map 29 WNC events 28, 30-31, 33-35
Western North Carolina is blessed with thousands of waterfalls, including Crabtree Falls, seen here, and two that were recently made accessible to the public — Connestee Falls and Catawba Falls.
Page 12 Crabtree Falls
Delicious dinners Enjoy all the delicious dining at these mountain eateries, including steakhouses and traditional Southern cooking, without overdoing the calorie count.
Pages 10-11
Welcome
Welcome to spring and summer in the mountains of Western North Carolina. And congratulations — you are in one of the most blissful places in the world! According to the recently published book “The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World,” author Eric Weiner named Asheville as one of the top places in the world to discover supreme happiness. In the story on Page 2, “Eat, drink be blissful,” Citizen-Times columnist John Boyle runs down some of the ways to help you bliss out while you’re in town, including chocolate indulgence, pampering at the local spas or riding the stunningly scenic highway known as the Blue Ridge Parkway. But look further into the Spring/Summer 2008 edition of the WNC Mountain Travel Guide for even more options. We bring you stories on mountain dining with a light and healthy touch; places to view spectacular mountain waterfalls; a guide to the best golfing, spring and summer festivals; small towns to check out such as Cherokee and Dillsboro; arts and crafts and Southern Appalachian culture; and of course, we bring you a preview of everyone’s favorite summer pastime, baseball at McCormick Field. In addition to these and other stories, we include an extensive calendar of spring and summer events and a list of popular attractions Western North Carolina’s 18 counties. For even more, visit the online version of the Mountain Travel Guide at CITIZEN-TIMES.com.
Karen Chávez Mountain Travel Guide Editor 828-236-8980 kchavez@CITIZEN-TIMES.com
Background photo: Rhododendron blooms near Grandfather Mountain. Inset photos, clockwise from top: Nantahala Outdoor Center, Special to the Citizen-Times; pottery by Courtney Martin, Special to the Citizen-Times; Deerpark Restaurant on the Biltmore Estate, Special to the Citizen-Times; Asheville Tourists’ Hector Gomez tags a base runner, John Coutlakis, staff photographer; bloodroot blooms, Steve Dixon, staff photographer; Catawba Falls, Special to the Citizen-Times. Cover design: Robert Bradley.
On the cover