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Begin your first day in Western North Carolina with a City Tour of Asheville. Stop at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site which is the boyhood home of author Thomas Wolfe and the setting for much of his autobiographical masterpiece, Look Homeward, Angel which is considered one of the giants of 20th century American literature. Dinner this evening will be at the historic Grove Park Inn. Featured on Good Morning American and in Southern Living, a must-see is the Gingerbread Village exhibit which is on display through the Christmas holidays.
Day 2 will have you visiting the Biltmore Estate, the nation’s largest private residence. Built by Georgia Washington Vanderbilt, this 240 room French chateau is a filmmaker’s dream with priceless artworks and furnishings in more than 60 rooms. Stroll the spectacular groups and gardens, which encompass 8,000 acres of formal and natural plantings, forest, pastures and trails. Enjoy a leisurely lunch on your own at the Stable Café. Visit the Winery on the grounds. The Biltmore has been the setting for many movies such as Patch Adams, Forrest Gump, The Last of the Mohicans and many others. Time to refresh before dinner at the Deer Park Inn at Biltmore. (Biltmore Estate Candlelight Christmas Tour is where the holidays come alive with a grand celebration complete with a 34 foot Fraser fir which graces the Banquet Hall.)
Following dinner, join Ghost Hunters of Asheville. Offering paranormal enthusiasts three separate ghost tours to hunt spirits in Asheville's supernatural world. These 90-minute tours cover different aspects of historic, haunted Asheville. Our exclusive interactive downtown tour uses ghost-hunting equipment and guarantees paranormal photographs. Historic Montford District's architectural beauty and stunning landscapes serve as backdrop for hunting ghostly specters. Riverside Cemetery beckons to those who dare enter and commingle with the ghosts of eras past.
Day 3 Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and stop at the Folk Art Center. Home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild representing craft artists from Southern Appalachia. Housing three fine galleries and offering daily craft demonstrations, it is also the home to Allanstand, the nation's first craft shop, a Blueridge Parkway information desk and Eastern National bookstore. Continue on your drive to the Western North Carolina Farmers Market where you can stroll among the stands. The Market offers retail & wholesale buildings, deli, restaurant, garden center, and features fresh fruits & vegetables, jams, cheese, bakery items, honey, homemade fudge, hand-made crafts, flowers, plants, & Christmas trees.
Lunch will be at the Moose Café located next to the Western North Carolina Farmer's Market. Its unique location allows the Moose Cafe to feature fresh, local vegetables daily. Warm, scratch made biscuits are there to greet every customer along with signature apple butter. Southern favorites from chicken and dumplings to smoked BBQ and buttermilk fried chicken are among the many home cooked meals offered on the menu. The Moose Cafe has been featured in "Southern Living Magazine", been recognized in the magazine "Where the Locals Eat", and been frequently featured on local TV newspapers! The Moose Cafe is a must if you are in Asheville!! Wave good-bye the beautiful North Carolina Mountains as you head toward home.
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Day 1 Loose yourself in the block-long Groove Arcade, a shopping and dining destination in one location. Built as a planned community in the late 1890s. Enjoy the many galleries and coffee shops in Historic Biltmore Village. . Dinner this evening will be at The Fiddlin' Pig Bluegrass and BBQ is a family place where the barbecue is done right and the fiddlin' and the pickin' is the best any side of the Blue Ridge. Meats are smoked low and slow over hickory wood for ultimate flavor and tenderness.
Day 2 Head to Dillsboro for a scenic ride on the Great Smokey Mountains Railroad. You’ll travel past fertile valleys, through tunnels, across river gorges and even see where the great train wreck of The Fugitive was filmed. Enjoy lunch at the historic Jarrett House. Since 1884 the historic Jarrett House Inn and Restaurant has continuously accommodated guest, who first arrived by train and now by highway, with regional cuisine – be sure to sample the vinegar pie! Sit back and enjoy the beauty of the area as you returned to your hotel. Dinner and entertainment this evening at Carolina Nights Music Show featuring country, gospel and patriotic tunes sprinkled with comedy and magic.
Day 3 This morning travel southeast of Asheville to Chimney Rock Park. Enjoy the 75 mile views from the top of the 500 million year old rock. A stroll will take you to Hickory Nut Falls, a 404 foot waterfall. Next stop is Lake Lure, a beautiful mountain lake with 27 miles of shoreline. The lake provided the perfect location for the 1987 film, Dirty Dancing. After enjoying the beauty of nature, settle down to a picnic lunch before departing for home.
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Day 1 – This day will find you headed to Charlotte, the Queen City. You will find yourself in the center of Charlotte’s art and design district, Historic South End. Working artists, upscale galleries, unique and intimate shops and a variety of restaurants provide the lifeblood of this vibrant area. Experience the Charlotte Vintage Trolley’s history and charm as you travel from the heart of Historic South End to Charlotte City Center. Check-in to your hotel for the evening. Dinner will be at a local restaurant
Day 2 – Visit the Levine Museum of the South. The only regional history museum in Charlotte, as well as in the country, that focuses on the New South Period. The interactive museum takes at look at the history and culture of the South as it has evolved from the immediate post-Civil War era until the present day. People of all ages will find the hands-on history exhibits both educational and entertaining. While in this neighborhood visit the Mint Museum. North Carolina's first art museum, the Mint Museum of Art was the first branch of the United States Mint. It features many famous American and European paintings making it one of the premiere fine arts museums in the Southeast. The major focus of the collections exhibited by the museum traces American related art, including the art of Native Americans and other cultures that influenced the shaping of American culture from pre-Colombian times through Colonial times to the present.
Lunch on own.
Day 3 - Fans ready to immerse themselves in the total speedway experience should embark on the Over The Wall Tour, a three-hour up-close look at Charlotte Motor Speedway including areas that are off limits on race days like the Sprint Cup garage, pit road, and Victory Circle. Break for lunch at the Speedway Club, which overlooks Charlotte Motor Speedway. Home to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Banking 500, this 1.5 mile superspeedway is a favorite for drivers like Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson.
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North Carolina is known as “Hollywood East,” and Wilmington the anchor for the thriving movie industry in the state, is often referred to as “Wilmywood.” As you visit the area, keep your eyes open! You never know who might be sitting next to you in a restaurant or passing you on the street. Weekend visitors can put on their walking shoes and visit Screen Gem Studios, the largest film production facility outside of Los Angeles. Even if you don’t come with stars in your eyes…..you just might leave with them!
Tour part of the 230+ block Wilmington Historic District, one of the largest in the U.S., and learn of the colorful characters and historic events dating back to the 1700’s. Visit the Bellamy Mansion of Museum of History and Design Arts. Evening Dinner Cruise and enjoy the sunset.
From the coast to the country….Travel a little north of Wilmington to Buckner Hill Plantation. If it looks vaguely familiar, that’s because you have seen it on the big screen. The handsome mansion constructed around 1855, stars in the hit movie, Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood. Then stop for lunch at The Country Squire Restaurant and Winery. After lunch at Liberty Hall Plantation, a fine example of agrarian life during the 1800’s. No trip would be complete without a fun stop at the small, taste-savoring Mennonite bakery called the Bulk & More. Everything is sold in bulk sizes flours, grains, candies, spices, pastas, nuts and a complete line of baking items. As you circle back into Wilmington, visit Equine Country, 20 acres of green pastures and wooded trails where you can enjoy a trailed carriage ride. End the day at Mike’s Farm Strawberry Patch and Country Store.
If you are in Wilmington on the weekend tour the Screen Gems Studios.
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North Carolina has a rich history in the coastal area. Wilmington has become one of the most popular places for movies to be shot and has a film lot which is one of the hidden treasures. Poplar Grove Historic Plantation is one of the many outstanding plantations in the area, where you will be greeted by costumed guides for your tour.
As you travel in the state of North Carolina you will find many historic sites with one of the oldest being the Tryon Palace dating back to 1770. It is the colonial capitol of North Carolina and has spectacular gardens.
North Carolina has long been popular for its largest cash crop – tobacco. A stop will be made in Greenville for a tobacco tour which may include local tobacco farms, manufacturing plants or a live auction. While in the Greenville area tour the Voice of American broadcasting station which serves interests of the U.S. by communicating directly with people of the world by radio. Tour will include the major transmission site and learn more about the role of V.O.A. in today’s political world.
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