Trip to Asheville, NC (July 2021)

Originally, we planned a 5 night trip, 2 nights in Asheville, NC, 2 nights in Nashville, TN, 1 night in Chattanooga, TN, then a day trip to Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Center in Atlanta, GA, before returning home. 

Our trip stopped in Asheville, NC, unfortunately, and we returned home from there after two nights. Fortunately, we were able to cancel the hotel reservations without a penalty. The reason? I could not walk at all due to the pain on my butt and my leg.

The drive to Asheville from our home was for a short one hour. We went to visit Biltmore Estate, but the minimum entrance fee was $76. With my limited mobility, it would have been far too costly to see a big house and beautiful garden. So we turned around from the gate.

Biltmore Estate was started when Mr. George Vanderbilt bought a 175,000 acres of land and built the largest private residence in the U.S.: i.e. Biltmore House. It has 250 rooms including 43 bathrooms. When it was built, George was a bachelor and I wonder why he need such a big house. His wife Edith later sold 83,000 acres to the U.S. government, which became part of the first U.S. National Forest: Pisgah National Forest. 

Biltmore Village is now filled with shops, but it was built for the employees at Biltore Estate. Now Biltmore Estate employs 2,400 people. Wow...! 

We then decided to take a hop-on hop-off tour. It was good that we did not have to get on and off too much, and the trolley drivers were all knowledgeable and their good explanation was quite interesting and entertaining. 

The architecture and old history of the buildings were fascinating. Too much to write, but I am confident that we will go back to this beautiful city over and over. We encountered a furred friend on the way: a black bear walking around in the middle of the city.

Riverside Art District was a former industrial factory compound that was flooded into a deep water caused by two hurricanes, but later, after decades of remaining in ruins, rebirthed into an art district currently filled with pretty much all graffiti arts. It looks like it will develop into a cool place for young people.

Pack Square is the center of the city with Asheville Art Museum, the second most popular chocolate shop, and many other shops and restaurants. In the past, this square was the starting point for a trail to Greenville, SC, which used to take 3 months for the journey. Now it takes a little over one hour by car.

 I did not know that Asheville used to have the tallest building in the U.S. It was only a 13-story building. Ironically, 13 people committed suicide by falling down to the ground from the rooftop of this building when the stock market crashed during the 1929 Greate Depression.

Asheville's former name was Morristown. The city leadership apparently wanted to play a political game by changing the town name to Asheville in honor of then Governor's name Samuel Ashe. Unfortunately, the governor did not even visit the city. Oh well...

We made a short trip to visit Museum of Cherokee Indian located about one hour drive from Asheville. Cherokee Indians are known to have established the earliest civilization, even prior to Inca, Aztec, and the Roman Empire. It was too bad that I could not walk around freely to read the stories. But, the Cherokees, one of the largest American Indians tribes in the U.S., seem to be thriving despite the challenges they faced when the Europeans came. Many chose to relocate to Oklahoma to preserve their freedom and on the way a significant portion of people died. Some chose to stay within the Reservation and they still live in the Reservation in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Cherokees had their own alphabets developed two hundred years ago. Currently, some people are try to revive the digital use of these alphabets. Momopoly Game was displayed as an example.

The gift shop and the a small garden at the entrance was beautifully decorated, good for photo shots.

Not only George Vanderbilt but also Pack and Grove families came to Asheville primarily because they believed the town provided a healthy environment and healing particularly for respiratory diseases. The city is situated at the altitude of 2,200 feet, thus providing cooler temperature.

Black Mountain is a small town nearby. On the way back home, we stopped by briefly and saw many little shops in a tiny town at the foothill of Black Mountains.

Kristin wanted to stop by a flea market that stretched easily 300 meters long. It was called Uncle Bill's Flea Market. Across the street was Aunt Fanny's Flea Market. There was a die-hard Trump supporter who was displaying Trump for President 2024.

Although short, we felt good that we were able to get away from our home-bound life. - Jeffrey