Photo Courtesy of ExploreAsheville.com

I grew up surrounded by the beauty of North and South Carolina, yet I am always amazed by the majesty of them both.  One of my favorite places to visit in North Carolina is Asheville.  With the breathtaking Blue Ridge mountains as a backdrop, Asheville lights up the night (and day) with excitement, beauty, good eats, and plain ol’fun!  Imagine spending 2 days relaxing under the calming watch of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Imagine getting into the hot attractions Asheville has to offer for free! Imagine getting your own piece of Asheville’s acclaimed hand made pottery to take home for free! Stop imagining! The super wonderful people over at Asheville’s Convention and Visitor’s Bureau are giving away to one of MY readers (that would be you) TWO Go Blue Ridge Cards and a unique piece of Asheville pottery. Go Blue Ridge Cards get you into 25 different attractions in the Asheville are for FREE! It’s your ticket to a fabulous, fun Spring Break…souvenir included!

So if you’ve never had the privilege of visiting Asheville, you may be wondering to yourself what there is to do in Asheville. Let me give you a little taste of all that Asheville has to offer. Let”s spend the day in Asheville together.

Biltmore Estate

Let’s start our day at the beautiful Biltmore Estate. The Biltmore was built in 1895 by George Vanderbilt and boasts 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 (!!) fireplaces!  Set on the most pristine 125,000 acres you’ll ever see, the Biltmore offers Guided Garden Tours and the Legacy of the Land Tour.  Spend some time walking around the grounds then step inside the estate and grab a snack at any one of the six fabulous dining spots available.  Follow your snack with a leisurely walk around the gorgeous  Biltmore Estate, taking in the history and beauty.  For a more in depth look at the Biltmore Estate and it’s background reserve a specialty guided tour where you have the possibility of viewing parts of the estate not open to the public.  If you get thirsty while visiting, you are in luck! The Biltmore Estate offers a self guided tour of their winery and free wine tasting with your admission! Admission is included with the Go Blue Ridge Card!  Be sure to pick up a couple bottles of their award-winning wines while you’re there.  If you desire to spend the night there (I would recommend it) the Biltmore offers many varying packages that are sure to fit any budget.

Outdoors

Photo Courtesy of Chimney Rock

If you are an outdoors lover, the Blue Ridge Mountains is the ideal travel destination for you!  Whether it’s going for a scenic walk through the Appalachian National Scenic Trail or going for a hike at Chimney Rock (one of my favorite places).  Take a romantic walk in Asheville’s Botanical Gardens or North Carolina’s  one-of-a-kind Arboretum.   Have a relaxing morning of fly fishing at one of their great fishing spots, then mix things up and go for a Segway tour of Asheville’s beautiful downtown.  There are so many great activities you can do outdoors in Asheville, you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Arts

If you’re into the arts, head downtown and check out all Downtown Asheville has to offer! From Asheville’s Art Museum to the many art galleries, Downtown Asheville is the place for art! If theater is more your speed, take in a show at the Asheville Community Theater or be moved by  “Unto These Hills…a retelling” performed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. We saw this last summer when we were camping. Moving. Powerful. Beautiful. Go shopping at the Allenstand Craft Shop at the Folk Art Center and pick something to take home with you.  Asheville’s art scene is alive and kicking, come and be a part of it!

Family Friendly

If you’re looking for great family friendly activities,  stop by Asheville’s Fun Depot and ride some go carts or play mini-golf.  Or head over to Tweetsie Railroad and let your imagination run wild! If you’re interested in reliving history, be sure to check out the Colburn Earth Science Museum, Smith-McDowell House Museum, and the Thomas Wolfe Museum.  The Health Adventure features interactive and changing exhibits to teach your whole family about their bodies and their health.

Nightlife

While you’re downtown, be sure to check out the night life.  The Orange Peel Social Aid and Pleasure Club is the premier international stop for fabulous live music and a great time.  If jazz and blues are more your speed, hop down to Stella Blue.  With many other bars, music joints, art shows and theater shows, you can stay busy all night long…if you can stay awake!

Lodging

When it’s time for bed, snuggle up in a cozy log cabin in the mountains…or stay in a great hotel and be right where the excitement is.  Save $40 with your Go Blue Ridge Card Sunday-Thursday at Balsam Mountain Inn. Try a romantic Bed and Breakfast for service with a smile.  If you’re really looking to be pampered, try one of Asheville’s fabulous resorts or treat yourself to a day at the spa!

Whatever you decide to do in Asheville, you are sure to have a great time and with the Go Blue Ridge Cards, you are sure to save a TON of money while you’re at it.  For more great money saving ideas check out, http://www.CoolAshevilleSavings.com.

Entry Rules

To enter the Great Spring Break Giveaway!! Here’s what you need to do:

1. Head over to Explore Asheville and sign up for the Email newsletter or RSS feed. Comment here.
2. Sign up for Mom of Faith’s email newsletter or RSS feed.

For extra entries

1. Blog this contest. More than a link is required; a full blog post is needed. All links will be checked.
2. Grab my button and proudly display it on your blog.
3. Tweet this giveaway: Using @momoffaith and http://bit.ly/18iP2s Earn an extra entry for every day you tweet this, just be sure to comment with the link to your tweet.
4. Send an email to your friends telling them of the contest, bcc me at amanda(at)momoffaith(dot)com
5. Post this on any other social media site! Facebook, Myspace, Stumble it…just share it, then come back here and provide a link.
   

The Giveaway ends March 20, 2009. Please be sure to Comment once for each entry.

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