Can you recommend an NC vacation spot?

spunkarella

I'm looking for somewhere to spend a few days (my honeymoon) in October. We are thinking Sunday - Wednesday. Do you have any recommendations?

Ideally, we would like a place with a good mix of adventure and relaxation. I'm picturing a nice B&B with views of mountains and apple orchards with hiking and rafting nearby. Thanks so much!

ETA: Good local restaurants and a quaint, walkable downtown would be major pluses!

Vermont.Bride

My first thought is Asheville.  DH and I spent our 1st anniversary there (in July) and loved it!  It has a cute downtown that is walkable - full of local restaurants, cute shops, antiques, art galleries, local brews.  We stayed at a B&B that was walkable to downtown, but I also know there are some that are further out & cabin rentals as options, too (with hot tubs, etc).  The Biltmore is neat to tour, and we did white water rafting while we were there (although I do not know if they run tours into October or not).  You would have to book early, though, because the fall is a VERY popular time in the mountains of NC.

terpbrideinnc

I ditto Asheville. I've heard many recs for the Grove Park Inn there, though I don't really know if it's the B&B atmosphere you're looking for, many have said that the restaurant is really nice. You can go rafting nearby and there are tons of places to hike off the Blue Ridge Pkwy. I would think for a honeymoon I would enjoy renting a cabin or something that has a hot tub and a little space to ourselves, but that's just me.

spunkarella

Good point about the cabin, and that is probably what we will do. I was looking more for a town with B&B kind of atmosphere, if that makes sense. It sounds like Asheville might be the place!

Jessica82799

Grove Park Inn!!! If you opt for a hotel, I highly recommend it. Super romantic for honeymooners in Asheville and in October you will probably see the leaves changing. Hit the spa at night and you can order champagne in the outdoor hot tub I am 100% biased because we got engaged there, but I love it.

sala

I think Asheville would be exactly what you are looking for.  I haven't stayed at this cabin, but it looks awesome, and I've read really good reviews on it.

http://www.bittersweetcottage.com/ 

CurbsideProphet

I agree that Asheville sounds like what you are looking for.

Temp790631812507809

We honeymooned in Blowing Rock and Asheville.  It was in December, so we skied in Blowing Rock, but there's lots of hiking around there, too.  It's a lot smaller than Asheville, but still very nice and the downtown is adorable.  We stayed at Chetola Resort.  The restaurant there is wonderful and so is a place called Twigs.  The Blowing Rock Cafe is great for a casual meal.

In Asheville, we stayed at a B&B, A Bed of Roses.  

spunkarella

Thanks so much! It sounds like Asheville is unanimous. Do you think the Biltmore is a "must do" if I'm in the area? It honestly doesn't sound that interesting to me, and it seems like it would take up a huge chunk of time.

Huge house, nice furniture and decor, gift shops, crowds. Am I missing something? Asheville is about a 7-hour drive, so if I don't visit it on this trip, I am unlikely to return anytime soon.

duke_girl

We visited Asheville a couple years ago (in the summer) and stayed here:

http://www.innonmontford.com/

We stayed in the William Morris room, which was actually part of a separate little building, not part of the main house. We had a bit more privacy and space that way, and our own private little garden terrace. It was awesome! Two other rooms- Cloisters and Rossetti- are also part of the separate little house.

I'd say that the Biltmore is a "must-do," at least IMO. You can get headphones and listen to a guided tour as you go through the house, which I thought was really really interesting.

Unknown

http://www.theyellowhouse.com/ . It is a B&B close to Ahseville (about 30 mins). We got engaged there. It is close to the Natahala, which has some white water rafting (however the rapids are pretty tame) and great outdoor center where you can sit on the patio and have lunch and watch the kayakers and rafters. There is a cute, quaint little downtown area five mins away, tons of awesome hiking spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the house is amazing. We stayed in one of the Pond House suites. It was like your own little house. They bring your breakfast up to you every morning and set it up for you wherever you like.