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giradman
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Grove Park Inn - Historic Asheville Mountain Resort
Since this thread has been reactivated, I though a few posts about the Asheville area would be of interest, especially for those who may be traveling through western North Carolina. Although in the last ten years or so, we have invariably stayed at the Inn on Biltmore Estate (discussed & pictured in a number of previous posts in this thread). However, there is a much more famous and historic resort originally called the Grove Park Inn, but purchased and renovated by the Omni Corporation - below a description from the link.
Now in our earlier visits to Asheville (and before the Inn on Biltmore Estate was built), we typically stayed at the Grove Park Inn, but on our last visit about a decade or so ago, we still loved the place but the food had really gone downhill, which is an issue because the property is beautifully situated on Sunset Mountain (so most convenient just to eat there) w/ a spectacular scenic view of downtown Asheville requiring a mandatory drink on Sunset Porch as the sun goes down and Asheville lights up for the night. Well, now that Omni has taken over ownership, the restaurants have likely changed (hopefully for the better) and may warrant a return visit for us, as early as this fall?
The original central stone building dates back to over 100 years (see second quote below from the Omni homepage) w/ additional newer wings added, plus most recently a large spa; a beautiful Donald Ross designed mountain golf course fronts the large property. The inside lobby is spectacular w/ two huge fireplaces (the logs must be about 10 ft in length). Over the years, we've stayed in both the original and the newer wings - Susan likes the latter, but I prefer the old section where the room walls are often made of stone - MANY famous people have stayed there over the decades (if interested, check the first link above - includes nearly a dozen USA Presidents) - in fact, a number of the rooms have plaques indicating famous personages, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald (see last two images below) - the other images are pretty self-evident although I've added some text to a few.
SO, if you are planning a visit to Asheville, at least a short trip to the Grove Park Inn for lunch or late afternoon drinks on the Sunset Porch should be on your list of 'things to do' - Dave
Since this thread has been reactivated, I though a few posts about the Asheville area would be of interest, especially for those who may be traveling through western North Carolina. Although in the last ten years or so, we have invariably stayed at the Inn on Biltmore Estate (discussed & pictured in a number of previous posts in this thread). However, there is a much more famous and historic resort originally called the Grove Park Inn, but purchased and renovated by the Omni Corporation - below a description from the link.
Now in our earlier visits to Asheville (and before the Inn on Biltmore Estate was built), we typically stayed at the Grove Park Inn, but on our last visit about a decade or so ago, we still loved the place but the food had really gone downhill, which is an issue because the property is beautifully situated on Sunset Mountain (so most convenient just to eat there) w/ a spectacular scenic view of downtown Asheville requiring a mandatory drink on Sunset Porch as the sun goes down and Asheville lights up for the night. Well, now that Omni has taken over ownership, the restaurants have likely changed (hopefully for the better) and may warrant a return visit for us, as early as this fall?
The original central stone building dates back to over 100 years (see second quote below from the Omni homepage) w/ additional newer wings added, plus most recently a large spa; a beautiful Donald Ross designed mountain golf course fronts the large property. The inside lobby is spectacular w/ two huge fireplaces (the logs must be about 10 ft in length). Over the years, we've stayed in both the original and the newer wings - Susan likes the latter, but I prefer the old section where the room walls are often made of stone - MANY famous people have stayed there over the decades (if interested, check the first link above - includes nearly a dozen USA Presidents) - in fact, a number of the rooms have plaques indicating famous personages, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald (see last two images below) - the other images are pretty self-evident although I've added some text to a few.
SO, if you are planning a visit to Asheville, at least a short trip to the Grove Park Inn for lunch or late afternoon drinks on the Sunset Porch should be on your list of 'things to do' - Dave
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