Erin Brethauer,
Asheville Citizen-Times

The economic news has been getting progressively worse and worse through the fall, politicians tell us we’re in for hard times, something the resourceful people of North Carolina are quite accustomed to. In the mountainous west of the state – designated in the best of times as an officially “depressed region” – the #1 source of income is tourism and our tremendous natural beauty in all seasons still draws millions of appreciative visitors from all over the world.

One of the most famous of the WNC attractions is America’s only genuine castle, the beautiful Biltmore Estate, once home to George Vanderbuilt and his wife Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, the estate continues the tradition of holiday festivities begun by the Vanderbuilts on Christmas Eve of 1895. With 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces, there’s plenty to decorate in the ornate style of the estate’s roots in America’s “Gilded Age.”

Erin Brethauer,
Asheville Citizen-Times

The estate is offering Candlelight Christmas Evenings from November 7 through January 3, featuring tours of the beautifully decorated rooms of Biltmore House with live classical music, story tellers, ballet dancers, marionettes, more than 100 decorated trees, 1,000 wreaths and bows, 1,800 poinsettias and miles of evergreen garland. Each room is decorated with a national theme.

If you’re planning to spend some time in Asheville (or even stay at the Inn on the estate) during the holidays, check out some of the free decorative seminars offered at Biltmore House during the day.

Asheville Citizen-Times

In addition to our many fine ski resorts, many of which offer luxurious accommodations, fine food and snow tubing for the youngsters, there are other regional attractions that go all out for the holidays. Bryson City’s Great Smoky Mountain Railroad is offering its delightful Polar Express train ride to the ‘North Pole’ where Santa boards and greets all the children with a special gift! There will be hot cocoa and treats, a magical story to tell, and a rousing chorus of Christmas carols as the steam train wends its way back through the mountains to Bryson City again.

The excursions continue through December 23, so call GSMR at 800-872-4681 to make your reservations today!

Moving toward the east, there are more great reasons to consider North Carolina’s abundant offerings for family fun when planning getaways and vacations.

11. Mountains to Sea Trail

From the very top of Clingman’s Dome near the Tennessee border to the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the strand of the Outer Banks, North Carolina’s 925-mile long Mountains-to-Sea Trail offers an adventurous way to explore the state’s natural treasures and human wonders. This is an adventure a visitor can embrace in small chunks or in an extended all at once while experiencing the best of NC’s towns and cities, rural agritourism initiatives and natural preserves.

12. Waldensian Valdese

The rich history of the Waldensian sect is preserved in beautiful Valdese, NC in the foothills between Morganton and Hickory. With a world famous winery, a summer festival and outdoor drama, the finest Bocce Ball clay court anywhere and one of the best regional musical venues anywhere, Valdese is a fun and educational stop along the way for anyone wanting to experience some of the best of North Carolina’s homespun heritage.

13. NC’s Arts and Agriculture Trails

In a unique alliance between the North Carolina Arts Council and the NC Cooperative Extension Service, a total of 16 different, well-planned “Arts and Agriculture Trails” have been mapped out for a project called Homegrown Handmade. These trails meander through foothills, across the piedmont and around the coastal regions, allowing visitors to visit wineries, organic farms and dairies, art studios and sidewalk cafes in charming little towns.

14. Cosmopolitan Charlotte and the Sporting Life

From bustling Lake Norman and its posh golf courses and sailboat regattas through the home of NASCAR in “Race City USA” Mooresville, tothe Bank of America Stadium uptown to see NC’s Panthers play professional football, the Charlotte area boasts some of the finest sports tourism opportunities available anywhere. And while you’re there, do check out the busy Charlotte nightlife at famous regional brewhouses and musical venues offering a variety of musicians and styles.

15. Pinehurst – Home of American Golf

Farther to the east between Charlotte and Fayetteville in the rolling Sandhill region, Pinehurst offers golfers the largest collection of Donald Ross golf courses anywhere, and enjoys the distinction of being the “Home of American Golf.” In addition to 10 of the top 20 NC golf courses, the area’s resorts also offer world class tennis courts, spa facilities, exquisite dining and luxurious accommodations. While golf is a regular way of life here, there are also arts, history, botanical gardens, festivals and unique shopping on the smorgasbord of offerings.

Posts to This Series:
Part 1: Reasons 1 – 5
Part 2: Reasons 6 – 10
Part 3: Reasons 11 – 15
Part 4: Reasons 16 – 25

Proudly presented first is the January schedule of events for our wonderful, world-class North Carolina symphony, based in Raleigh.

• Jan. 10, 2008 – Moore County Series: Berlioz, Liszt and Tchaikovsky at the Pinecrest High School Auditorium in Southern Pines. Andrew von Oeyen on piano with Emmanuel Villaume as guest conductor.

• January 11-12, 2008 – Duke Medicine Classical Raleigh Series: Berlioz, Liszt and Tchaikovsky at the Meymandi Concert Hall, Raleigh. Pianist Andrew von Oeyen with Emmanuel Villaume guest conducting.

• January 18-20, 2008 – Fidelity Investments Pops Series: A Tribute to Nat King Cole and Paul Robeson at the Meymandi Concert Hall. Jubilant Sykes, baritone with William Henry Curry conducting.

• January 24, 2008 – Duke Medicine Classical chapel Hill Series: Rameau and Rachmaninoff at Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill. Featuring Yevgeny Sudbin on piano with music director Grant Llewellyn conducting.

Check the NC Symphony Website for further schedules, ticket information and directions to all the venues.

For more populist fare on the NC coast, check out the Down East FolkArts Society series, featuring award winning guitarist, singer, songwriter and storyteller Little Toby Walker and his eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary blues, folk, ragtime and country music. Performances are scheduled for January 11 at the Trent River Coffee Company in New Bern, and January 12 at Clawson’s in Beaufort. Click on the link for ticket and contact information.

Farther west in beautiful Charlotte there are some great musical events scheduled. Chris Brown & Bow Wow will be performing at Cricket Arena on January 19, and Matchbox Twenty will be there on January 29. For some blue collar hilarity, get your tickets now for Ron White at Ovens Auditorium in charlotte on February 15. Tickets may be purchased for all these events (and more!) through Charlotte Ticket Brokers.

Barry Manilow will be appearing at the RBC Center end state in Raleigh on January 20, and I know there are fans who won’t want to miss that! Anita Baker will be at RBC on January 27. Tickets for RBC events are available through TicketWood.

Even farther to the mountainous west, Asheville’s Grove Park Inn will be hosting the “All That Jazz” weekend on January 25-27. Jazz artists include the reunion of Joe Sample & The Crusaders plus Manhattan Transfer, jazz guitarists Bucky and John Pizzarelli with the John Pizzarelli Quartet. Also appearing will be guitarist Vince Lewis, trombonist Rick Simerly, saxophonists Todd Wright and Phil Thomson, vocalist Maddy Winer, and many other regional jazz musicians. This is one jazz festival you won’t want to miss, so get your weekend packages from the Inn right away!

For those with children to entertain, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be in Charlotte on February 2 and 3, moving on to Raleigh on February 9 and 10.

Links:

North Carolina symphony

Down East FolkArts Society

Charlotte Ticket Brokers

TicketWood

Grove Park Inn

The hectic holidays – and the unusually warm spell that accompanied them this year – are behind us. Temperatures dropped into the teens as New Year’s Day came to its early close and snow fell across the western mountains. Snow making machines have been cranked up and are supplying base for the several great snowtubing runs at various WNC resorts, and the higher elevation slopes did manage to retain enough base to keep the skiers and snowboarders happy during the warm spell. From Cataloochee’s page…

As of 8pm. on Tuesday [Jan. 1], it is a chilly 19 degrees and it has been snowing since 4pm. We have received 2 inches of natural snow and the snow is forecast to continue into Wednesday. Snow making weather is in the forecast for most of the upcoming week and we will begin to make it as quickly as the temperatures allow. In an effort to capture the colder weather and maximize snowmaking to improve conditions and open more terrain, Cataloochie guests should expect snowmaking to be in progress during skiing hours if temperatures permit for this week. Please be prepared for winter conditions with hats and goggles and please dress accordingly.

Cataloochie’s TubeWorld runs in Maggie Valley hopes to open on Thursday, January 3 with new base. In the ski area the new snow will add to the 20-36″ packed powder base already present at the higher elevation. Seven trails are open along with 5 lifts, and the area will host an ‘Everything’s Elvis Day’ on Sunday, January 6 which promises to be a lot of fun.

At Appalachian Ski Mountain near Boone there is a current 18-32″ base of packed powder, snowmaking is ongoing during the night, and they received several inches of natural snow. 4 of 5 lifts are open along with 6 of 10 trails. The ice skating rink is open.

Hawsnest is currently open after a delay due to high winds, and their tubing runs are open as well. Ski Beech has 4 of 15 slopes open on a minimal base depth of 8-18″ mixed packed powder and frozen granular. Their ice rink is open as well.

Sugar Mountain resort has 12-38″ of mixed powder and frozen granular. 5 lifts servicing 9 slopes are open, as is their ice rink. Tubing is still closed. On Saturday, January 12, they’ll be hosting the National Winter Trails Day event, offering both snowshoes and guided snowshoe tours free to all comers.

Wolf Ridge Ski Resort has 12-28″ of natural and manmade powder, 5 slopes open and 3 lifts operating. Snowmaking is ongoing and they’ve received 4 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours. Their terrain park is closed, but the tubing park is open. Sapphire Valley ski area is not yet open, though its Frozen Falls Tube Park is open day to day. Now that the weather’s turned cold, they should be opening very soon.

The ski reports are updated regularly at Weather Underground, so do bookmark that page! And for a full roster of direct links to the on-site web cams, resort schedules, directions and trail maps, check out the NC Ski report and snow condition Guide. We’ll see you on the slopes!

Links:

Weather Underground

NC Ski report and snow condition Guide

In the Raleigh area you could get tickets for the North Carolina Symphony New Year’s Eve Extravaganza Package. To include a pre-concert cocktail party at 5 o.m. at the Sheraton Capital Center in downtown Raleigh, the 7:30 p.m. concert, and a post concert dinner and dancing fest back at the Sheraton offering a four-course dinner and big band music from Leon Jordan’s Continentals. There will of course be plenty of champagne at midnight too.

Music Director Grant Llewellyn hosts special guests mezzo-soprano Paula Murrihy and the Red Clay ramblers’ mix of Irish and French folk tunes, classical favorites and bluegrass-rock fusions.

If you’re in the Raleigh area and you’d like to make other plans, check out the offerings at The Twisted Fork, or at Michael Dean’s, Bogart’s, Hi5, or the Red Room. In Fayetteville check out the planned festivities at the Mash House Restaurant & Brewery. Make your reservations now!

ClubZone offers a rundown of New Year’s events in Charlotte, for which you can pre-purchase tickets on line so they’ll be ready to give for Christmas gifts.

You could make plans to be in Mt. Olive for the Annual New Year’s Pickle Drop, or in Clay’s Corner (Possum Capitol of the World) for the midnight Lowering of the Possum. There’s a fairly complete list of events all over North Carolina at the Carolina Connoisseur website.

North Carolina’s ski resorts are planning some fun New Year’s festivities as well. Appalachian Ski Mountain near Blowing Rock offers fireworks, a torchlight parade, night skiing until 11:30 p.m., moonlight ice skating until midnight, and breakfast in the restaurant from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Sugar Mountain Ski Resort near Banner Elk plans a Mountain Style celebration to which the public is invited free of charge. There will be a torchlight parade and fireworks at midnight. Reservations will be required for indoor festivities, so call quick!

Links:

North Carolina Symphony

ClubZone: Charlotte

Mt. Olive Pickle Drop

Lowering of the Possum

Carolina Connoisseur

Appalachian Ski Mountain

Sugar Mountain Ski Resort