As I
mentioned in an earlier post, our RV trip into Western NC was anchored around
providing a place for son Eric to bunk while attending a conference at Lake
Junaluska and do a little visiting with him.
We left Franklin on Jun 9 and moved 40 miles north to the Outdoor
Adventure Campground which is owned by the church and exists to provide a
camping facilities for folks attending the various events that take place.
Its
reason for existence is obvious in the fact that it is not very well maintained
in an effort to attract drive-in campers and I would not recommend it to other
RVers. Other than visiting with Eric,
the highlight of this stop was a drive over to Asheville and lunch at the Grove Park Inn - a place the SIL had been wanting to visit for a long time.
It
is a spectacular hotel, opening in July, 1913 as a place for the rich and famous
to cool it and get well (if ailing) in the North Carolina mountains – not everyone could hang out with ole
George at the Biltmore House. Ten US
presidents along with many wealthy businessmen and celebrities have been guests
– check the Wikipedia site for
some of them.
I’ve
included a few of my photos, but stopping by here is
a must see. My first shot is half of
the outdoor Sunset Terrace Restaurant and the second shot is the view from it.
The
next shots are of the Great Hall which has massive working fireplaces (blurry shot) at each
end, lots of seating, and a bar. I can
imagine a winter visit sitting in front of the fire, watching it snow, and
sipping something warm. The granite stonework in the place is incredible.
These
shots are of the grounds just below the restaurant (upper right) and include the top of the $44 million Subterranean
Spa – through a window made the color a little off.
If in the area, it is definitely worth the short drive to see this awesome place - wish I had the few hundred dollars a night to stay there. From
there we headed down to the famous Farmers Market to pick up a few things for
supper.
Photos
best if enlarged by clicking on them.
Have
a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
Larry
6/9
- 6/14/2013 event dates
Wow, that place is incredible looking! I'm with you.. wish I had a few hundred bucks a night I didn't mind giving away so I could stay there! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Grove Park Inn looks like a spectacular place to visit. The stonework is beautiful. RVing is a great way to see the country. What fun!
ReplyDeleteIt looks amazing! What a massive fireplace. Dinner looks tasty too.
ReplyDeleteLarry, I'd never heard about the Grove Park Inn before. Thanks for the lead! We'll have it on one of our upcoming itineraries for sure... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteI love the fireplace. Like you said, if it was snowing that would make a perfect place to be. Not that I ever want to be near snow again. Dinner looks great.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoyed visiting Grove Park when we lived in western North Carolina. Their Sunday buffets are awesome.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous place! Thanks for taking the time to upload the photos and share. Love the looks of that grill. We don't have any fresh locally grown sweet corn you. c'mon July!
ReplyDeleteMan that fire place is HUGE, it makes the ladies seem like Hobbits they appear so tiny. Gorgeous facilities. I wonder if I could stay for free since the place is named after me? ha ha
ReplyDeleteWe rented a cabin in Black Mountain last year for our annivarsy. We visited the GROVE PARK INN and had lunch on the terrace. What a view. We want return and spend the night - guess we need to win the lottery!
DeleteWe spent some time there as well and enjoyed the grove park inn.
ReplyDeleteLarrry..we found the grove park inn very interesting as well!
ReplyDelete