The recession and painful gas prices are putting a damper on tourism and traveler’s spirits all over the country, but Asheville seems to offer a balm for both.

Never fear, East Coast travel-lovers! Can’t afford to fly to Europe (man the Dollar-to-Euro ratio is a bummer right now) and don’t want to spend the money to drive great distances? Asheville is a great place to visit when trying to keep your travel cost low but still wanting lots to see and do.

Asheville, for those who don’t know, offers a combination of activities to suit any desires:
Culture - art galleries, performances, festivals, shopping, historic sites
Outdoor activities - hiking, swimming, rafting, Blue Ridge Parkway
Pampering - Tons of spas, outdoor hot tubs in Hot Springs, NC
So, no matter what you are looking for in a destination, a trip to Asheville and WNC can be molded to whatever kind of trip you want to take.

Never fear, Asheville! Looks like the tourist industry is “cautiously optimistic” about this year’s tourist season, pretty much for the reasons listed above (“Tourism will likely stay strong despite economy”). Asheville is a really wonderful place (we know, we chose to live here!) that is convenient to a lot of people in the South East, or even up and down the East Coast.

This is pretty pertinent to those who live here, too. The more money tourism brings in, the more locals get to take advantage of the festivals, traveling Broadway performances, great bands, and other fun things that brought us all to Asheville in the first place. So, if this subject interests you, check out the Asheville Citizen-Times linked above.

Cool Asheville Thing #1:
Today is Dining out for Life. Eat lunch or dinner at participating restaurant and proceeds go to the Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP), a group that helps provide a number of services to those with HIV/AIDS. See the huge list of participating restaurants (as well as more information on Dining out for Life).

Cool Asheville Thing #2:
Day in the Life of Asheville takes place each year, when anyone who wants to can take photos during the designated 24-hour period and submit them for judging. This year’s photos can be see here.

This year also included Citizen Camera, in which disposable cameras were also placed all around downtown Asheville for passerby to take any picture they chose and then leave the camera for the next person. Apparently it was a big success, and you can view Citizen Camera photos here.

If you live in Asheville or know a lot of Ashevillians, it’s worth checking out - you never know who you’re going to see (I saw my roommate from my freshman year at UNCA)!
(To read more about DITLO Asheville and also Citizen Camera, see this blogasheville post.)

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In a society that loves getting and staying fit, the concept of a vacation can throw your health routine into a downward spiral! Sleeping as late as you want and eating as much as you want?!

Well, even if your vacation puts your 7pm pilates or aerobics class on hold, and you want to eat your way through a new destination, there are ways to enjoy vacation and still keep your health (and weight) where you want it to be.

Asheville and the WNC area are perfect destinations for this type of vacation. Even the many delicious restaurants in town tend to be health conscious and (very, very) vegetarian friendly. In fact, I’m spoiled by living in Asheville - I can eat out at nearly any local restaurant and have several healthy, vegetarian options. When I go to most new places or other cities I forget the norm is a (chain restaurant) menu full of option synonymous to big, fatty steak dinner plates! See the restaurant links to the bottom right for local restaurants and their Ashevillian-style menus.

Aside from healthy eating your way through downtown Asheville, you can enjoy desert every now and then too without feeling guilty. This is a destination for walkers, and even those who hate exercise won’t notice they’re doing something healthy. Walk around downtown Asheville all afternoon. Walk around Biltmore Estate house and gardens (an all-day on foot event). Hike among your vast choices of trails and views from Black Mountain to the Tennessee border. The sights are plenty distraction from what your feet and legs are doing!

For novice hikers, check out this article on the benefits of hiking and getting started.

Happy (& healthy) vacationing!

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I stumbled upon this really amazing kids’ fundraiser being held at Lake Lure, Lure of the Dragons.

The event is being held at Lake Lure, the site of Dirty Dancing and a really beautiful and fun place to visit. (About 45 minutes from Asheville.)

Teams (anyone can sign up!) will race small dragon boats just beginning to be exported from China - in fact, this is the first exclusive small boat race in the United States!

The race is held in concert with the Asian-American and Southern Culture Festival, which will offer all day food, crafts, music, dance, demonstrations, games, inflatable play park and a playground for the kids, and a picnic area.

And, the best part of the event is that all of the proceeds go to WNC non-profits or services that work to improve quality of life for children and teenagers.

The Lure of the Dragons - boat race & festival
May 10, 2008
8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Morse Park at Lake Lure, NC

Read more about the event, beneficiaries, and how to sign up for a team at the Lure of the Dragons Web site link at the top of this blog entry.

For those who might be interested in traveling to the area and putting Lake Lure (and this event) on your itinerary, you may also want to check out the Asheville Mountain Discovery Pass, with a free ticket to Lake Lure Tours, and Chimney Rock Park.

Chimney Rock is minutes away from Lake Lure - which makes it an easy extra for a short weekend in WNC.
The Park is open all day, and tickets are $14 adult, $6 youth, free under 6.

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Although it doesn’t sound like a name for an appetizing (though smelly) treat, ‘ramp’ actually refers to a vegetable, also known as wild leek, that grows wild in Appalachia every spring.

According to a National Geographic article, ramps come from the same family as onions, garlic, and scallions. Therefore, they taste like a ‘garlicky onion’ - which, in my opinion sounds YUMMY. Ramps, however, also make you stink. They have a strong pungent odor, which - like garlic - leaks out of your pores after consumption.

Ramps, native to our WNC mountains (and the rest of Appalachia), are harvested in the wild and only grow between the time the snow melts and the leaves come back on the trees. They grow in the Blue Ridge, Great Smokey Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains.

Ramp festivals have become really popular among small-town locals and tourists - causing some to fear that the mass harvesting is harming the abundance of ramps. In fact, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in NC and TN has banned ramp harvesting since 2002.

Read this article, jam-packed with interesting tidbits about ramps.

If this interests you as much as it interested me (I didn’t even know about it, and I’m a native North Carolinian who’s lived in WNC for over 4 years!), check out some of the ramp festivals happening nearby. It’s a great time of year to visit Western NC and Asheville, too.

• Robbinsville Smokey Mountain Romp & Ramps Festival. Sat, April 26. Nature walks, workshops, music, and dinner. Stecoah Valley Arts Center. Call 800-470-3790.
• Waynesville Ramp Festival - Sun, May 4. American Legion Field. Call 828-456-8691.
• Crossnore Ramp Festival - May 24-25. Bluegrass music, dancing, and ramp recipes to try. Jim & Jennie’s Music Barn and Campground. Call 828-733-2807.

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