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Asheville: Creativity In The Mountains In past decades, when young people traveled, as if in a hive, toward certain cities, it was often to places like New York City’s Greenwich Village and San Francisco’s North Beach. Those places have become so expensive that such restless youth now find other cities. One of them has been the unsuspecting mountain city of Asheville, North Carolina, a resort area long favored by the movers and shakers of 20th-century life. The scenic Blue Ridge Mountains BY JOE SCOTCHIE jscotcHie@antonmediagroup.com
The city’s Grove Park Inn is a famous resort hotel. An image from 1917 dramatized the city’s attraction as the men who literally made the modern world gathered for a photo. The men? Henry Ford (mass production of automobiles), Thomas Edison (motion pictures, electric lighting, long distance phone calls) and Henry Firestone (mass production of automobile tires) were all photographed with Edwin Wiley Grove, founder of the resort. The folk arts center of Western North Carolina, Asheville has enjoyed a history as colorful of any town its size in America. Named for a Revolutionary War hero, the city reached a zenith during The War Between The States. Numbering only 1,000 residents, Asheville gave the state its wartime governor (Zebulon Vance), its attorney general (Augustus
Merrimon) and the president of the University of North Carolina (David Swain). During the war, a battle took place in April 1865, days after Appomattox. Word
so, some senseless bloodletting took place where the University of North Carolina at Asheville stands. With the construction of a
George Washington Vanderbilt’s famous Biltmore House traveled slow in those days and neither Billy Yank nor Johnny Reb were aware that the terms of surrender had been reached. And
railroad hub in 1880, Asheville now had an important link to the outside world, paving the way for it to become a tourist destina-
tion. In time, Asheville would be renowned as an intensely creative city, something that remains true today with its annual Folk Arts festival. In 1929, Asheville native Thomas Wolfe published his autobiographical first novel, Look Homeward, Angel. The thinly-veiled effort outraged numerous residents, so much so that Wolfe did not return to his hometown for a good seven years. However, the novel was a critical success with a London reviewer declaring it to be the American South’s first great contribution to world literature. (It was published the same year as William Faulkner’s masterpiece, The Sound And The Fury.) Wolfe was a highly influential writer, especially here in New York. Such postwar novelists as James Jones, Norman Mailer, John Cheever, Jack Kerouac and William Styron have
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ASHVEVILLE from page 13A long claimed a significant debt to Wolfe’s style. Wolfe was the first great writer to come from North Carolina and he also influenced writers from his own state. That included other Asheville natives, such as John Ehle, Gail Godwin and Wilma Dykeman, whose 1957 book, The French Broad helped to inspire the modern environmental movement. Other writers from Western North Carolina who have put their stamp on American literature include Fred Chappell, Robert Morgan, Charles Frazier of Cold Mountain fame and Richard Weaver, whose critique of modernity in such books as Ideas Have Consequences (1948) and Visions of Order (1964) once made him a favorite of the traditionalist wing of the postwar conservative movement. Over the years, a Richard M. Weaver Award for Scholarly Letters has been given to such luminaries as James Burnham, Russell Kirk, Edward Shils, Forrest McDonald and New York native Eugene Genovese. Literature isn’t the only area where Asheville has flourished. Complementing Southern literature has always been musical talent in a variety of genres. From
Downtown Asheville with the Zebulon Vance monument the Asheville area, contributions have come from the famed pop singer Roberta Flack, the legendary folk musician Nina Simone,
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business. Another first for the city came in the field of medicine. In the 1880s, Elizabeth Blackwell be-
Asheville has enjoyed a history as colorful of any town its size in America.
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Grammy-award guitarist David Holt and Warren Haynes, the leader of Govt. Mule and maybe the hardest-working man in the
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came the first practicing female physician in the United States. In the field of sports, the city has produced Roy Williams, the
schools, including Asheville Christian Academy, Asheville School and Christ School. Located south of Mount Mitchell, the highest peak west of the Mississippi River, the area is home to endless sporting opportunities, including lakes and rivers for fishing and rafting, plenty of game and during the winter, fine ski resorts at Chattahoochee in beautiful Maggie Valley. Finally, in the fall, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. Speaking of a New York-Asheville connection, George Washington Vanderbilt, heir to the famous New York family of railroad magnates, loved the city so much that he constructed his famous Biltmore House in South Asheville, a structure that rivals the mansions of Europe and is also the largest mansion in the United States. That’s just one of the city’s many tourist attractions, which also include the Thomas Wolfe Memorial downtown and McCormick Field, where the city’s minor league team plays to capacity crowds. In 1925, the New York Yankees stopped in Asheville to play an exhibition game.
After the game, Babe Ruth scarfed down so many hot dogs that he nearly died from a stomach ache. New York tabloids showed an anxious Ruth on The Chattahoochee ski resort the operating table head coach of the University of as the doctors performed surNorth Carolina basketball squad, gery. Dig into the history of any Division I All-American Henry town and you’ll be surprised by Logan, 1972 Olympiad swimmer the never-ending tales that make Mary Montgomery and Charlie up the human comedy. “Choo Choo” Justice, the legReferences endary running back at both • Mitzi Tessier, Asheville: A the University of North Carolina Pictorial History. Norfolk: The and later, with the Washington Donning Company, 1982. Redskins. Until his death in • Bob Terrell, Historic Asheville. 2003, Justice remained one of the Alexander: WorldComm, 1997. most beloved athletes in both his home state and the Washington, DC area, where his jersey Joseph Scotchie, number, 22, is among the retired A Gallery of numbers in Nationals Park. Ashevilleans Ashevilleans. Asheville is the largest city in Asheville: Grateful Buncombe County, itself home Steps, 2015. to 200,000 people and seven firstrate public high schools, plus a number of excellent private
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W
ho doesn’t love a good weekend getaway? Short trips require less planning and less time off than an extended vacation. The trick is finding a destination that doesn’t involve lengthy travel time, and that can be explored during a quick trip. Below is helpful info that should give you a head start on planning just such a getaway. The destination is Wilmington, NC, a place where Spanish moss drips from knurly twisted live oak trees, azaleas grow as high as small houses, streets are paved with brick and ballast stone and historic homes have secrets to tell. There’s plenty here to keep visitors busy for days on end, but this itinerary should get you started if you have just 48 hours. Suggested Itinerary: 48 Hours in Wilmington
DAY 1
Check In Get pampered in a luxurious boutique hotel that served as an antebellum home in a past life. Get romanced at a charming Victorian inn. Or get an upclose view of the river at a full-service waterfront hotel. Explore the (Historic) Streets Sightsee in Wilmington’s National Register Historic District via a horsedrawn carriage, Segway, trolley or walking tour. Spanning more than 230
48 Hours:
Wilmington, North Carolina
blocks, it features churches, classic architecture, moss-draped live oaks, brick-lined streets and antebellum homes. Include one of Wilmington’s historic houses, such as the BurgwinWright House, Latimer House or Bellamy Mansion.
Lunch Along the Water After working up an appetite, grab a bite and enjoy some shopping along the water at Wilmington’s Riverwalk. This nearly two-mile boardwalk runs along the scenic Cape Fear River and is lined with independently owned shops and waterfront restaurants. Tour Hollywood East North Carolina ranks among the top states for U.S. film production, and one
of the largest production facilities east of L.A. is located right in Wilmington. See real locations for some of Wilmington’s biggest movies and TV shows during a Hollywood Location Walk. Indulge Your Taste Buds From traditional Southern fare to fresh seafood creations, there are plenty of options for even the most discerning palates, including international cuisines ranging from French and Irish to Greek and Thai.
Walk The Decks Of History Tread along the decks of the battleship North Carolina, one of the state’s most visited attractions, and imagine being at sea in 1942. Discover how this heroic ship and brave crew fought in every
major naval offensive in the Pacific of WWII, earning 15 battle stars for their valiant efforts. Take A Ghost Walk Wilmington is considered to be among the most haunted cities in the world. The Ghost Walk of Old Wilmington guides traverse 275-year-old alleyways while telling stories of poor lost souls that still linger in Port City each night.
Day 2
Discover Natural Beauty Start the day by getting outdoors. Walkers, joggers and off-road cyclists will want to spend some time on Wilmington’s Gary Shell Cross-City Trail. Yogis and Pilates enthusiasts
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is a site on the North Carolina Birding Trail. And film/TV lovers will recognize locations that appear in Nicolas Sparks’ new movie The Choice, as well as other popular films and television shows.
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Take A Cruise Cruise Along the River or the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW): Wilmington Water Tours offers daily sightseeing cruises, as well as theme tours. Cape Fear Riverboats also offers sightseeing cruises of the river. Celebrate A Century Of Gardens Historic Airlie Gardens encompasses 67 acres of formal gardens, wildlife, historic structures, walking trails, sculptures, and its legendary landscape of azaleas and 467-year-old Airlie Oak. Birders should bring binoculars, as this
Get Cultured From theatre productions to art and museum exhibitions to live music, Wilmington has a vibrant arts and culture scene. Catch a performance at Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, one of the oldest theaters in America. Toast Your Visit Wrap up your trip with appetizers and a drink at one of the many venues featuring live music. If there’s time, take in some unique shopping at Old City Market, The Cotton Exchange or Lumina Station. You’ll also find dozens of art galleries and antique shops. There’s even a Fourth Friday Gallery Walk each month.
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