Gay and Lesbian Travelers Discover Asheville, North Carolina: Top 10 Things to Do List Compiled
Surprising to many, the mountain resort city of Asheville, North Carolina, has become one of the favorite destinations in the United States for gay and lesbian vacationers. Here are the ten most popular activities for gay and lesbian visitors for 2006 as compiled by RomanticAsheville.com, a popular online travel guide:
(PRWEB) April 4, 2006 -- Surprising to many, the mountain resort city of Asheville, North Carolina, has become one of the favorite destinations in the United States for gay and lesbian vacationers. The welcoming atmosphere is especially evident in the eclectic and artsy downtown with many gay-friendly bars and restaurants. Home to the famous Biltmore Estate, Asheville is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and features a wide variety of activities and attractions. Here are the ten most popular activities for gay and lesbian visitors for 2006 as compiled by RomanticAsheville.com, a popular online travel guide:
1. Dining Out: With more than 50 locally-owned restaurants just in downtown Asheville, there are tastes for every palette. For the most extravagant dining experience, Gabrielle's at Richmond Hill Inn (87 Richmond Hill Drive) offers four diamond dining just north of downtown. Other favorites in or near downtown include Savoy (641 Merrimon Avenue), Café on the Square (1 Biltmore Avenue), The Market Place (20 Wall Street) and Grove Park Inn (280 Macon Avenue).
2. Spend the Night: From elegant bed and breakfast inns to cozy cabins, Asheville has many gay-owned lodging choices including 1899 Whitegate Inn and Cottage, Biltmore Village Inn, Bittersweet Cottage and Compassionate Expressions Mountain Inn. RomanticAsheville.com features information on many other gay-friendly inns and cabins.
3. Happy Hour: There are several options for good drink, whether it’s local beer or international wine. The best spot for local brews is Jack of the Wood, a Celtic smoke-free pub (95 Patton Ave). Barley’s Taproom (42 Biltmore Avenue) offers the most beers on tap and the Flying Frog Wine Bar (corner of Haywood Street and Battery Park) is a friendly bar for a glass of wine. Smokey Tavern (18 Broadway Street) is a small gay bar that is convenient to drop in while walking around downtown.
4. Malaprops: To experience a true slice of Asheville, folks should visit the place voted "Best Independent Bookstore in the Southeast." Lesbian-owned Malaprops (55 Haywood Street) has a spirited atmosphere which draws a diverse crowd for readings and live music.
5. Biltmore Estate: A day-long visit is needed to tour the largest home in America with an amazing collection of art and antiques, stroll through grand gardens, sample wines at the winery, and hike/bike/raft through the estate. There are several restaurants and shops to visit, as well as numerous places to escape from the crowd for a romantic picnic or walk.
6. Live Music or Theatre: To listen and dance to some great jazz and blues, the local favorite is lesbian-owned Tressa's (28 Broadway), which attracts a very mixed crowd. For folk music, interesting variations of blue grass, swing, and more, head to Jack of the Wood, the smoke-free pub (95 Patton Avenue). For a variety of music headliners, check out The Orange Peel (101 Biltmore Avenue). There are several community and repertory theatre groups in town, with several choices for professional theatre during the summer. First-run independent films play at the Fine Arts Theatre (36 Biltmore Avenue).
7. Antique Shopping: Downtown Asheville has several antique shops in close proximity, including Stuf Antiques (52 Broadway). The Biltmore Village area, located near Biltmore Estate, features Fireside Antiques (30 All Souls Crescent) and the sprawling Antique Tobacco Barn. For one of the premier auctions in the country, plan a visit to Asheville around a Robert Brunk Auction.
8. Gallery Hopping: Gay businessman John Cram owns the two biggest galleries in Asheville, Blue Spiral I downtown (38 Biltmore Avenue) and New Morning Gallery in Biltmore Village. Asheville is often called the “Santa Fe of the East” because of the hundreds of artists that have relocated to the area. To visit many of the artist studios in the area, purchase the book Craft Heritage Trails to map out a fun day or two of exploring.
9. Great Outdoors: With the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains and the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park, outdoor activities abound. The best place to see the areas breathtaking scenery is driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. Guides to hiking, whitewater rafting and other outdoor activities are found on RomanticAsheville.com.
10. Clubbing: The premier nightclub for dancing is Scandals, downtown (11 Grove Street near Patton Avenue) in a brick building that looks like a large house. It has a lively dance bar and various areas to escape the madness of the dance floor, including one smoke free lounge, on Wednesday through Sunday nights. There are two other gay clubs nearby, mixed lesbian/gay Club Hairspray (38 North French Broad Avenue) and O.Henry's (mostly gay men, 237 Haywood Street).
Visitors will find a large resident gay and lesbian community that enjoys meeting visitors, since many of them were visitors before they fell in love with the area and moved. For more information on visiting Asheville, go to RomanticAsheville.com.
# # #
Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/UGlnZy1GYWx1LVRoaXItTG92ZS1IYWxmLVplcm8=
Trackbacks/Comments Received
Juccizi spa covers.
from Midwest spa covers. on Oct 5, 2007
|
|
Jacuzzi spa covers. Hot tub spa replacement covers. Custom spa covers. La spa hot tub covers. Spa covers. Hot tub spa replacement covers boise.
|
|
Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/UGlnZy1GYWx1LVRoaXItTG92ZS1IYWxmLVplcm8=
Bookmark -
Del.icio.us |
Digg |
Furl It |
Spurl |
RawSugar |
Simpy |
Shadows |
Blink It |
My Web
|
Share The News
Submit this press release easily to any of these major bookmarking and social media sites.