Besides the obvious attractions, the Asheville area offers a wide variety of cool things to do to to enhance the trip. Find treasure in the mountain soil during a day of gem mining, take a calm water float trip down the river, explore the 19th Century world of George Vanderbilt, enjoy a vacation with a group of girl friends, or vent your creative urges in a creative lounge. These are just a few of the opportunities that await you in Asheville.
Contact Group Tour Sales at 800-257-5583 for more information and assistance in planning your trip to Asheville.
Murder Mystery Evenings at a Quaint Inn in Black Mountain
"I feel the end approaching. Quick, bring me my dessert, coffee and liqueur." - Brillat-Savarin's Great Aunt Pierette
The 1919 Monte Vista Hotel in Black Mountain presents an evening to remember. That is, if you dare! Themes include...
- Reunion at Beehive High
- Death by Chocolate
- Miss Honeybee Gets Stung
- Star-Spangled Malice
- The Lethal Luau
- Your Cheating Heart
- Abracadaver - coming in summer 2007
- Mistletow Murder - holiday-theme available in
November and December 2007
Murder Mysteries can be customized to fit a group's special needs. Starting time can range from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. with the activity generally lasting three hours. The 2007 price per person is $32.00 and includes
- Entertainment, appetizers, a glass of wine, dinner with desset, taxes, gratuities and some costuming for group participants.
- One complimentary dinner for each 25 paid participants.
- Minimum of 25 participants please.
- An advance deposit of $300 is required and is fully refundable with four weeks advance notice.
For more information, contact Rosalie Phillips, who is the third generation of her family to be a part of The Monte Vista, at 828-669-2119 or visit www.montevistahotel.com.
Biltmore
Now offering more tour options than ever before! Treat your clients to a day filled with style and elegance, peppered with additional viewing opportunities.
- A 250-room French Renaissance chateau.
- Eight-thousand acres, including formal and informal gardens designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
- Built in the late 1880s for George Washington Vanderbilt.
- The largest private residence in the United States.
- First opened to the public in the 1930s.
Biltmore Special Group Options
In addition to touring the house, gardens and winery, consider adding on an extra special option or two. Here is a sampling of what is available. There is an additional cost involved for each option and, in most cases, a minimum and maximum amount of guests applies.
- Guided Evening Tour of Biltmore House
Available at/after 6:30 p.m. Tours are approximately 90 minutes to two hours and showcase the restored areas of the house. Minimum purchase of 50+ tickets is required. This tour is available January through October. - Late Afternoon Guided Tour of Biltmore House
The story of George Vanderbilt and America's largest home comes to life with a guided tour of Bitlmore Houses's restored areas. Tours are approximately 90-minutes long and include 20-25 guests. Available by special arrangements at 5:00 p.m. Minimum purchase of 20+ tickets. This tour is available January through October. - Legacy of the Land Tour
A 90-minute narrated tour on your motorcoach that includes intriguing stories on estate life prior to the construction of Biltmore House. Available with advance arrangements. - Audio Guide to Biltmore Estate
Build this into the price and your group will love you forever! This is like having a tour guide in your pocket. Tour the house at your own pace while enjoying commentary on the architecture and art of Biltmore House and history of the Vanderbilt family. $8.00 per person.
To learn about other options and book your special excursion, contact Pam Collins, Sales Manager at Biltmore - 828-225-1402.
Special Events/Festivals at Biltmore
- Festival of Flowers - April-May
Biltmore ushers in spring with elaborate Victorian floral arrangements in the Biltmore House, garden strolls and live music. - Summer Evening Concerts - August
Performances range from cassic symphony to rhythm and blues. - Harvest Home Celebration - September-October
This festival celebrates a simple time in local history when estate fairs were an annual tradition at Biltmore. - Christmas at Biltmore - November-December
Biltmore Estate dons the sights and sounds of the season with candles throughout the house and luminaries lining the drive, holiday music filling the air and decorations from floor to ceiling. Reservations required.
Blue Ridge Motion Pictures Studio
Tours of the studio are available by appointment and include a walk-through of the soundstage, a view of the water stage and a tour of whatever sets are currently being used. The tour ll conclude with a video depicting the evolution of cinema.
Grove Arcade
The Spa at The Grove Park Inn
E.W. Grove crafted his landmark Inn with a very specific mission in mind — as an idyllic retreat. Looking on his creation, he declared that his Inn was “built not for the present alone, but for the admiration of generations yet unborn.”
The design of The Spa at The Grove Park Inn Resort is nothing short of extraordinary. In The Spa's pool area, sunlight streams in from a glass skylight above, while the chamber's high stone walls and torchieres recall the grandness of another place and time. Dual waterfalls are the capstone to this ultimate water experience.
Be treated exactly as you want to be. The wide breadth of services allows you to create an experience as individual as you are. Call 877-772-0747 for details.
Gem Dandy
Located a short drive from Asheville is Old Pressley Sapphire Mine where the 1445 carat "Star of the Carolinas" was discovered. Open year round with motor coach parking available. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount with advance reservations. For more information, please visit www.oldpressleymine.com.
Compliment your visit with a stop at the Colburn Earth Science Museum, located in Asheville at the Pack Place Education, Arts & Science Center. Called "a mini-Smithsonian of gems" by the Washington Post, this museum offers insight into the fantastic shapes and colors of the mineral kingdom.
Why Paddle When You Can Float?
There are few things more relaxing than floating down a river on a summer day, especially if you don’t have to paddle, fix lunch, or worry about getting wet. Relaxation is inevitable when your only job is to breath in the sweet mountain air, and stare out into the calm, gentle water, and dense, green forest around you and maybe, just maybe, catch a glimpse of a Great Blue Heron, pileated Woodpecker, deer or a family of river otters.
A three-hour calm-water float trip caters to groups of all ages, from 8 months to 80 years young. Trips enable rafters to enjoy a picnic lunch while a guide does all the work of maneuvering the boat. and answering questions ranging from what is that large prehistoric-looking bird perched atop that boulder to what is the population of the area?
Southern Waterways boasts interpretive raft guides, well trained in the history of the Asheville, the French Broad River, area wildlife, and of course, Biltmore Estate, which rafters are able to view as they glide down the river.
For added locomotion on a river adventure, choose the Raft and Rail excursion by Wildwater Ltd. Rafting or the Rapid Transit by Nantahala Outdoor Center. While this 8-mile trip down the Nantahala River does introduce rafters to whitewater rapids, the skill level is rated "easy." This ride is suitable to senior tour participants and includes a two hour train excursion on the Great Smoky Mountain Railway, and a picnic lunch.
For more information on how to add a float trip to your itinerary, please call Southern Waterways at 800-849-1970. Area outfitters offering turn-key whitewater rating packages include French Broad Rafting Company at 800-842-3189, Wildwater Ltd. Rafting at 800-451-9972 and Nantahala Outdoor Center at 888-590-9267.
Get "Fired Up!"
"We make every effort to accommodate the needs of any group, from toddlers to seniors. We want to prove that there is something for everyone at Fired Up!," said owner Franzi Charen.
Ceramic pieces ranging in price from $2 to $40 are available. A one-time per person studio charge of $8 for adults and $6 for children (aged 11 and under) includes use of all colors, brushes, etc., a clear overglaze, and firing of each piece. Fired Up! can accommodate groups of up to 65 people and can ship finished pieces anywhere. A special group pricing studio rate of $4 per person is available for reserved groups of 6 or more.
For more information call Franzi Charen at 828-253-8181 or visit www.fireduplounge.com.
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