Archive for the ‘Cabin Rental’ Category
My neighbor takes her horses out to ride at Dupont State Forest. Another hikes there on a regular basis. There are so many activities one can do there, including mountain biking. There are miles of multiuse trails, waterfalls and lakes straddling Henderson and Transylvania counties. DuPont’s trails are used by hikers, bikers, horseback riders, fishermen. The scenery is spectacular and if you ever wanted to feel you were in the frontier, this is it. You can go for miles and not see another person, still have that all alone in nature appeal.
From your Asheville Pet Friendly Rental Cabin it’s about 30 minutes away. Take your pups with you and hike til you all drop. Prepare your picnic at the cabin and take off for the day. You can set it up anywhere. Just be sure to walk out with your garbage. Take poop bags with you too. You’d want to keep it pristine.
If you’re looking for something fast, fun and skill-free to do this weekend, try snow tubing. Wear warm clothes that are waterrepellent or bring clothes to change into. It’s suitable for any age, small med or large size, And oh my gosh is it fun!!!!! Do you like to tube a river? Well, it’s nothing like that. LOL Your feet stay over the tube, you just go down hill at a good speed, it’s probably more like sledding but even more! After sliding down the snow-covered hill, a magic carpet takes visitors and their giant inner tubes back up the hill.
You can eat at the ski area or have snacks at the tube run. I personally like to pack a lunch and head out from the Asheville Vacation Rental Cabin. That way you don’t have to stop tubing too long. A big thermos with lots of hot chocolate is in order for this sport. There are a number of places that you can tube at here in the mountains, the closest one to your rental cabin is Wolf Ridge.
For many years, the cavern lay in silence broken only by the sound of the water, the animals that called it home, and the occasional human who made their way into it. It was home to many wild animals, used by local people as a home, celebrated by the Native Americans as a place to hold special meetings, a weekend hangout for local kids, and had many other varied uses down through the years. In 1991, it was opened to the public as a show cave for the first time in its’ long and varied history. Since that time, the caverns have had many visitors through its magnificent chambers. It is a bat sanctuary for the endangered gray bats, as well as home to 6 other species, and is a testament to the beauty not only in the world above, but also in the world underneath that many have forgotten exists.
Going to these caves would be a little bit more than an hour and a half trip each way from your Asheville vacation cabin. It would be a day trip, but an interesting and fun one. A stop in Johnson city to put together a picnic basket for a picnic once you get to the caverns would be a really nice idea.
All the National Parks across the country are honoring the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend by waiving admission fees Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Now amongst all the great places that you can go to for free, you will want to check out Carl Sandburg’s home. The home tour itself is usually $5 at other times than this. But there is never a charge to enter the grounds, hike the more than five miles of trail or visit the dairy goats at Mrs. Sandburg’s farm operation. Additional free dates are: April 16-24, June 21, September 24, November 11-13.
From your Asheville pet friendly cabin it is aproximately 35 minutes.
Several animals are being reintroduced into the Smokies successfully. One is the Elk. Elk once roamed the southern Appalachian Mountains and elsewhere in the eastern United States. They were eliminated from the region by over-hunting and loss of habitat. The last elk in North Carolina was believed to have been killed in the late 1700s. In Tennessee, the last elk was killed in the mid-1800s. By 1900, the population of elk in North America dropped to the point that hunting groups and other conservation organizations became concerned the species was headed for extinction. The experimental release of Elk into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park began in February, 2001 with the importation of 25 Elk from the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area along the Tennessee-Kentucky border. I am happy to report the experiment in the Smokies has been a total success and the Elk are thriving and reproducing and the herd is growing.
It’s not far at all from the Asheville cabin you stay at. Simply get on I-40 going towards Tennessee and there will be many opportunities to exit to get into the park all along the road. Once you get beyond Waynesville, you can feel the change from the Blue Ridge to the Smokies. It’s quite interesting.
My favorite day trip is to Cherokee, NC. It’s only 30-40 minutes from your Asheville cabin rental. When I do go to Cherokee, I always go to the museum. It’s absolutely awesome. It’s been newly redone and it’s so impressive. The whole museum is built to tell the story of the Cherokee and their ancestors from twelve thousand years ago through the present, telling stories as you move from area to area designed in a circle with a combination of computer generated imagery, special effects, and audio with an extensive artifact collection. It is to depict the very way the tribes came together and lived in the old days. It’s absolutely fascinating. One of the best museums I have ever been to.
The self-guided tour begins with the “Story Lodge” where ancient Cherokee myths appear through computer animation. You continue through the Paleo Period, when mastodons were killed with simple spears. Through the Archaic and Woodland Periods, people adapted the environment to their needs, creating agriculture, trade, and villages. The elaborate ceremonial activities of the Mississipian Period echo throughout today’s traditions. The period of contact brought trade, disease, war, and many cultural changes.
I had the opportunity to stay at an Asheville rental cabin – pet friendly mind you - with a huge great yard, that was a partner of Biltmore Estate. Basically what that means is that Biltmore Estate allows a facility to purchase tickets wholesale and sell them for whatever price they want. Kind of like legal scalping. LOL
So, I stayed at this cabin and we purchased our Biltmore Estate tickets for so much less than if we purchased them on line or at the gate because these folks didn’t make any money on their tickets. They sell them special to us – their rentors – at the price they buy them at. We couldn’t believe our fortune of picking a place we could do this with. On top of the discounted ticket, for December, the cabin we are renting provides one free ticket with two complimentary candlelight tickets. What a great deal! We’re having a beautiful Biltmore Christmas.
Well I know I should be writing about all the many Christmas events going on and all around Asheville NC but my goodness, it’s snowing! Christmas, Snow, all the mountains all around me, in front of a wood burning fireplace in my Asheville pet friendly vacation cabin with my pup laying at my feet and a big mug of hot chocolate in my hand, I am in heaven.
Lots of snow activities available in the area if you want to brave the cold to be in the snow. First you can snowboard down the hill right here at the cabin. Let’s not forget about the snowmen we can build. But a trip to Beech Mountain Resort, or Cataloochee Ski Area, or Sugar Mountain Resort will put you in some serious snow. Beech Mountain Resort which opened just last Saturday opened with 22 inches of natural snow.
It’s quite an impressive sight to see, every street and every shop in a small town like Dillsboro lit all along the streets and rock walls lining properties. Dillsboro puts on its 27th annual Luminary Festival show this Friday – the 3rd of December. If you miss that night, it will be once again on Dec 10 and 11.
From your Asheville pet friendly cabin, you can load up the pets and the kids and take a little ride out to Dillsboro. Simply take Newfound Road to 40 and get on 40 towards Waynesville. Off at exit 27, then move onto 74. It will take you to exit 441 to Franklin and Dillsboro is right at that exit.
It’s time for the 18th annual National Gingerbread House Competition to be displayed at The Grove Park Inn. Every year from right before Thanksgiving to right after the New Year the “cakes” are on display. This year the dates are November 17th to January 2nd 2011. It’s an awesome event. I like to go to it every year. The gingerbread houses are amazing. I mean AMAZING!!!
The general public viewing is free Monday through thursday only 10 AM – 10PM each week. If you’re staying in an Asheville rental cabin during Christmas, you will not want to miss this. While you’re there, eat at the patio restaurant. Really good food.