Uncovering Asheville

Pack Square

Also known as Asheville’s front yard, the Square has been functioning as the city center for over 300 years and before that as Cherokee American Indian land. The park was named after Asheville’s greatest philanthropist, George Pack, who donated the land in 1900 and poured money into developing downtown as the vibrant cultural scene we know today.

With ongoing festivals like Shindig on the Green and LEAF, there’s always a reason to visit the Square. While you’re there, look out for tributes to the city’s past. From bronze pigs and turkeys trotting across trolley trails to a statue of a young girl drinking water, Pack Square marks the beginning of the Urban Trail, a walking tour of 30 sculptural markers that take you deep into Asheville’s colorful lore.

Wolfe’s House

In 1929, American writer Thomas Wolfe caused an uproar in Asheville with the release of his first novel, “Look Homeward, Angel.” The thinly veiled autobiography recounted his childhood growing up in a boarding house featuring some rather unflattering portrayals of the townspeople and his own family. Despite the initial controversy, the success of the book boosted tourism during the Great Depression and Wolfe was hailed a hometown hero.

Today, you can Wolfe’s childhood home on Market Street, a yellow Queen Anne–style house forever immortalized as ‘Dixieland’ in his novel. At the entrance, you’ll find a bronze replica of Wolfe’s size 13 shoes as a memorial and a symbol of the very large shoes he filled as one of America’s literary giants.

Rafael Guastavino’s Monument

Among the architectural marvels that permeate the city, the awe-inspiring Basilica of St. Lawrence is a living monument and the final resting place of its builder, Rafael Guastavino. The Spanish architect used his signature tile arch system in the construction of historic landmarks like Grand Central Terminal and Carnegie Hall before setting his sights on Asheville. The Basilica of St. Lawrence was Gustavino’s final work, completed in 1909, shortly after his death.

Today, the Basilica of St. Lawrence is one of the most recognized landmarks in Asheville and has the largest freestanding elliptical dome in North America. The church also features elaborate stained glass windows made in Munich, statues of saints made in Italy, and an altar made from Tennessee marble.

O. Henry’s Grave

For a fascinating and free tour through history, one only has to promenade the 87 acres of rolling hills and gardens at the Riverside Cemetery in Asheville’s historic Montford neighborhood. The active cemetery has over 13,000 graves dating back to 1885. While some of the markers and monuments are true works of art, it’s the gifts people leave at the gravestones that make Sydney Porter’s among the most peculiar.

Better known by his pen name “O. Henry,” Sydney Porter was one of America’s most popular short story writers and a master of surprise endings. “The Gift of the Magi” tells the heartwarming tale of a husband and wife who sell their most valuable possessions to afford Christmas gifts for each other. Visitors leave pennies on his grave in recognition of the opening line of Magi: “One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.”

Time Remembered Capsule

The final stop on our journey is still somewhat of a mystery and a dedication to the people of Asheville’s first 200 years of progress. The Time Remembered time capsule was placed during Asheville’s bicentennial in 1997 and is alleged to contain writings of Charles A. Webb, publisher of “The Times” and “The Citizen,” among other fascinating accomplishments.

The grass-surrounded marker reads, “Our citizens’ accomplishments over the first two hundred years form the foundation upon which we continue to build tomorrow. The stored keepsakes will be revealed in 2047.”

High Noon, High Values

Before coffee, Anna Beth’s fi rst love was machinery.

Raised by a father who operated a sawmill six days a week and then came home to watch Westerns, she learned the value of hard work and later brought the trailblazing spirit of the silver screen’s cowboys to her coffee roasting craft.

“The marriage of machinery and art is what drew me to coffee roasting,” explains Anna Beth as she recounts the first time she witnessed coffee roasting firsthand. Sitting in on a demo, she recognized the same mechanics of her father’s work and felt a burning desire to learn the language of all the equipment and science involved.

Armed with two art degrees, a hound dog, and a love for the mountains, Anna Beth made the move from Georgia to Asheville, permanently trading in her paint brushes for a career in coffee. With a roasting certificate and apprenticeship under her belt, High Noon Coffee Roasters was born.

With brews available at several restaurants and shops around Asheville, High Noon’s small batch approach gives Anna Beth the creativity to tailor roast profiles to the desired notes for each of her collaborations. It’s this thoughtful process that made High Noon the perfect brand partner for The Restoration. Her single-origin brews are available in-room and madeto-order at The Rise.

“For the rooms at The Restoration, we went with a blend that can satisfy the coffee connoisseur but also the people that just need something warm and caffeinated before they head out the door,” explains Anna Beth. “We found a small farm to source the coffee from and adjusted the roast profile until it fits perfectly in your mug.”

Apart from the world of possibilities coffee presents, Anna Beth keeps her personal coffee experience endearingly low-key.

“My daily experience with coffee happens around 6 am when I wake up, stumble to my kitchen to carefully time and weigh a pour over, and then walk away from it for about an hour. I love on my dogs and water my plants, often forgetting about my coffee until it’s cold. I like coffee that I can ignore. Coffee so sweet it tastes good an hour later. We all have a different daily experience with coffee and I will tirelessly labor to roast a coffee for each individual experience.”

You can taste High Noon Coffee Roasters’ custom blend for The Restoration at The Rise or in your room. For more information on High Noon’s single-origin offerings and small-batch approach to roasting, visit highnooncoffee.com

Elevated Celebrations

Embrace extraordinary moments in the clouds. Our 2,986 square foot Solarium hosts up to 300 guests and honors versatile room arrangements from conference-style to theater, reception, banquet, and more. For more information, contact our events team at 828.220.0368.