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Asheville, NC
Travel Article
October, 2004
 We
heard and read so many great things about Asheville, NC that we decided
to schedule a short escape trip in October. I had been mulling around
this idea when an ad in Southern Living caught my eye. The ad read,
"Great Destinations Worth the Drive from BMW". As my husband is a big
BMW buff I checked into this promotion. BMW and the Grove Park Inn
Resort and Spa had teamed up to present an incredible two-night escape.
The Grove Park Inn opened in 1913 and for that era offered the very
latest in tools for relaxation: rocking chairs. On the westward side of
the Inn, wooden rockers lined the terrace, treating guests to
invigorating views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and as evening fell, the
dramatic spectacle of a mountain sunset. This resort has continued to
be one of the most famous in the South. Beauty, charm and a genuine
gift for hospitality play a huge roll. Adding a BMW to the mix just
made for perfection.
 Asheville,
NC is a five-hour drive from our home in Beaufort, SC. Once past I-95
and the congestion of Columbia the two-lane highway, lined with
beautiful fall wildflowers and looming mountains turned very peaceful
indeed. We had seen pictures of the Grove Park Inn but nothing could do
it justice as we pulled down the small incline into the parking lot.
The entire center of the inn is a massive stone structure with a red
tiled roof. Through the gargantuan lobby, with fireplaces a man could
stand up in, the beauty of the mountains reigned supreme. This was a
breathtaking experience. Valet and Bell Hops met the car instantly and
we were instructed to enter the lobby and assured all would be cared
for. Check in was a breeze, the valet told us the easiest place to park
near our room and the bellman said he would meet us. We wandered down
the great hallways toward our room admiring many vistas of beauty and
solitude. The Inn had several couches and chairs set up in small
alcoves all along the main floor. They were incredibly inviting but we
were starving and wanted lunch. As the room doors opened once again we
saw that beautiful mountain view along with a view of the golf course,
and spa. The spa was surrounded with peaceful gardens and running
water. Oh yeah, we were going to relax this trip for sure.
 We
quickly freshened up and headed for the Terrace Restaurant, Chops, for
lunch. The Terrace sits right outside the great hall and overlooks the
most spectacular view of the whole inn. It was impossible not to feel
every little tense muscle from the drive just relax and unwind as we
sat down to lunch. We ordered wine and took our time perusing the menu
and view. There was a flirty little breeze blowing across the terrace
that felt like the mountains calling. I ordered duck Marsala and my
husband ordered a Greek wrap. Our server was very nice and we dallied
over lunch for an hour and a half. Now that's an escape. I do have to
say that the food was not very good for this star resort. I changed our
dinner plans for the next night from Chops to the Blue Ridge Dining
Room.
 We
walked back into the Great Hall. The room was full of leather chairs
and couches, rocking chairs, a huge stone fireplace on each side and
even high-speed Internet access hidden quite well. The terrace where we
had lunch had several terraced levels below it leading to the spa, golf
course and private vistas. The inn also offered a sports complex and
convention center. We decided to explore the city of Asheville itself
and puttered downtown a bit. Asheville is not an easy city to maneuver.
It's streets follow no pattern we could discern and often we ended up
back where we started. We decided an approach on foot might give us a
better perspective of the city. We walked the streets and found
ourselves at the Mellow Mushroom. It is easy to see that Asheville is
an artsy community and this place drew the younger set. We sat for a
while and watched the activity and then asked our bartender for some
good directions around the city. Having a local help us decipher the
map allowed us to get back to the inn without the extra circles we
seemed doomed to encounter.
 At
the inn we decided to head down to the Great Hall and enjoy a glass of
wine while listening to the jazz quartet. We were still very full from
a late lunch and thought later we might grab a late bite. By the time
we returned to our room, the sun had set and we were pleasantly tired
from the mountain air, ready for a hot bath and king size bed. Tomorrow
would be another day. Earlier my husband had stopped by the BMW booth
to check on his scheduled drive for 5 PM the next day. Matt Hooper and
Andy Meehan, the reps at the booth told him he could drive three
different BMW's tomorrow if he wanted. (IF he wanted???) So we ended up
scheduled for a 645CI Convertible for an hour in the morning, a Z4
Roadster for three hours after that, and then a 330CI Convertible for
the three hours at 5 as we had planned. Now that is what I call an
escape!
 The
Inn package provided a full breakfast for both mornings. We got up
early and headed for the Blue Ridge Dining Room. This was an incredibly
long walk. Our room was located on the west end of the wing and the
dining room was at the east end of the other wing. It was a pleasant
walk as each new hall turned up even more alcove hiding places. This IS
the place to lose yourself ? literally! I ordered eggs Benedict and my
husband Harry chose the buffet. My meal was okay but Harry really
disliked the buffet. It seemed old and overcooked, but nothing was
going to detract from the BMW day. We headed for the BMW booth in the
great hall and Matt hooked us up with the first car. We only had this
one for an hour so we just headed off to town. We got on the expressway
at one point so Harry could feel the power. The morning fog, which had
blanketed the entire valley, had mostly burned off to bright clear
skies. The air was a bit cool yet welcoming. We tooled around town for
an hour and headed back to the Grove Park Inn to try our second car.
This one we had for three hours. The package provided a picnic
 lunch,
which was served attractively in a backpack, but the sandwiches were
horribly stingy. We decided to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped
by the Biltmore Estates but did not have enough time to do the tour.
This is a must on your visit to Asheville if you are a history buff. I
grew up in RI and saw many a Vanderbilt Mansion. This one is larger and
more spectacular, but I did not mind waiting until another visit (okay,
if I must) since we didn't have the time to do it right this time. We
headed for the mountains and ended up at The Blue Ridge Folk Art
Center. This is a must visit also. All kinds of folk art crafts from
every sort of wood object imaginable to quilts, dolls, leather, soaps,
paintings, and so much more. Once again we needed to head back to the
inn to return this car.
 That
afternoon I decided to rest in the huge wooden bed and Harry decided to
read on one of the many private terraces. After a good rest we returned
to the Great Hall and Andy took us out to our third BMW of the day
--the one my husband actually wanted to drive the most. We decided to
head to Chimney Rock. The drive was lovely and we ended up at Lake
Lure, a popular summer mountain retreat. A little further down we came
to Chimney Rock but the park had closed at five. We continued to
meander through the mountain passages passing pumpkin, apple and cider
stands along the way. There were also a few wood carvers with some
incredible pieces of art. Once again we headed back to the inn after
another full day of fun.
 That
evening we had dinner in the Blue Ridge Dining Room. We had to marvel
again at the size of this inn and its dining facilities. I had rack of
lamb and Harry had steak au poivre. Unfortunately, neither was very
good this time either. We would have expected a first class resort to
offer first class food, but this was not the case and one big fault of
this otherwise superb destination. This should not keep you away as
there are many wonderful places to eat in town. I just truly feel the
entire experience should be first class. The service in all areas of
the hotel was impeccable. The food was the only drawback.
The next morning we had early room service and headed out. That meal
was very good. Fog blanketed the entire valley and we drove off toward
home relaxed and pleased with our fabulous destination find.
NOTE: The BMW package is available until Oct 31, 2004. Matt Hooper
and Andy Meehan did a super job of helping us in every way they could.
My husband was a very happy man. They told us that they work for the
marketing firm who came up with this BMW drive destinations package
offered in Colorado, California, etc. There's still time if you want to
experience this great destination in a BMW and also lots more time to
enjoy the fall splendor and grand holiday traditions. The Grove Park
Inn sponsors a wine and food fest in early November and the
International Gingerbread Contest every Christmas season. I can only
imagine how gorgeous this resort is decked out in fine splendor.
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