1999
ASHE NATIONAL CONFERENCE
SPOUSE / FAMILY ACTIVITIES
Thursday, May 27, 1999
ANTIQUE TOUR – 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Enjoy a colorful shopping spree through antique and craft shops.
| 10:00 AM | Transportation and guide will greet group at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort to load and depart. | |
| 10:15 AM | Arrive at the Asheville Antiques Mall. From antique furniture and estate jewelry to linens and pottery, the selection is impressive and at reasonable prices. | |
| 11:30 AM | Arrive at Red Rocker Inn for lunch. Before lunch be entertained by Col. Jackie Buchanan. Jackie has been around antiques all her life and has managed and owned several antique malls in the local area. Col. Buchanan is a graduate of the Mendenhall School of Auctioneering and licensed in North and South Carolina. This lady is multifaceted and will keep you spellbound with her unbeatable combination of wit, knowledge of antiques, collectibles and history; and how they all relate. Menu to be determined. | |
| 1:00 PM | Arrive in Black Mountain for an antique and collectible shopping spree. Browse through the shops of more than 86 antique dealers and some of the area’s most accomplished artists and craftsmen. | |
| 3:00 PM | Approximate time of arrival at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. |
| All times, with the exception of pick-up are approximate. Time will vary somewhat depending on the group. | |
| The cost per person for the tour and lunch is $55.00. |
BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY AND ARBORETUM – 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Visit beautiful spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway and shop at a variety of arts and crafts shops.
| 10:00 AM | Transportation and guide will greet group at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort to load and depart. | |
| Arrive at the Folk Art Center on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway. The center is owned and operated by the Highland Handicraft Guild. Here you can buy the creations of more than 200 members of the Guild. Both the finest in traditional mountain crafts of the region, as well as the very best in contemporary American crafts are available. | ||
| Arrive at the North Carolina Arboretum. The North Carolina Arboretum is a 426-acre public garden located within the Bent Creek Research and Demonstration Forest of the Pisgah National Forest. Surrounded by the dense folds of the botanically diverse Southern Appalachians, the Arboretum is nestled in one of the most beautiful natural settings in America. | ||
| Arrive at Pisgah View. You will enjoy the casual friendly atmosphere and breathtaking views. | ||
| 2:00 PM | Enjoy lunch at the Woodfield Inn. Built in 1850-1852, Woodfield Inn was known as "The Farmer Hotel" in the Stage Coach Days. The timber used in its construction was cut by slaves and dried for two years. The foundation is hand-hewn and put together with wooden pegs. There are many of the original windowpanes still in different parts of the building. Woodfield Inn was operated all during the Civil War. A company of confederate soldiers, under the command of Captain B. T. Morris, was detailed to take up post at the Inn. | |
| 4:00 PM | Approximate time of return to the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. |
| The cost per person for the tour and lunch is $50.00. |
Friday, May 28, 1999
MOUNTAIN CRAFTS AND BACKROADS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA - 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Adventure into the beautiful mountains surrounding Asheville and visit some of the finest artists in the United States.
| 8:00 AM | Transportation and guide will greet group at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort to load and depart. | |
| Ian and Jo Lydia Craven (Hand Made Porcelain) - This couple has worked together since 1972. For most of that time, they lived in a small mountain village overlooking the Mediterranean in Costa Del Sol. Jo Lydia hand builds exquisite pieces, most of which she impresses with antique laces that are 200-300 years old. Ian then glazes and fires the finished forms with a special technique that gives a depth and complexity to the color. Their pottery has been exhibited in major galleries all over Europe, many private collections and impressive corporate collections. | ||
| Yaffa Silorsky - Todd and Jeffrey M. Todd (Blown Glass) - Yaffa was the second woman to teach glass blowing at Penland School. Since then, both she and Jeff have taught glass blowing together many times. Their creations are exhibited nationally and internationally. Their work is included in many private and museum collections, including The Chrysler Museum in Virginia, The Mint Museum in North Carolina and The North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina. | ||
| Buzz Coren (Laminated Vessels) - Buzz uses an unconventional method to create laminated vessels. Unlike the reductive techniques of lathe turning, he constructs them from a lamination, with minimal waste. The process begins with various combinations of hardwood and veneer glued together. This step can take a day or two, for a simple design, or up to several weeks, involving dozens of laminations and hundreds of individual pieces. This produces a solid laminated block, which he cuts into thinner sections and re-glues to yield a strikingly patterned slab. | ||
| 12:30 PM | Lunch at Nu Wray Inn – Enjoy some local color and a taste of regional delights, which will be served family style on the square in Burnsville. | |
| Hayden Gallery – in Burnsville. This wonderful multi-leveled gallery represents over 150 artists with creations in glass, pottery, jewelry, iron, wood, kaleidoscopes, wearable art and hand-made brooms. Also, while we’re in this town, be sure to visit Bird’s Eye View and the Quilt Shop. | ||
| 3:30 PM | Approximate time of return to the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. |
| The cost per person for the tour and lunch is $60.00. |
HISTORICAL HOMES TOUR - 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Visit private homes in the North Asheville area selected for outstanding architectural and decorative features. Some are of historical importance and are pictured in Cabins and Castles – The History and Architecture of Buncombe County, N. C. .To savor each house to the fullest, the group will tour four of the five homes described below. House selection is determined by the availability of the homeowner. Therefore, each tour will have a different roster. A tour group will consist of 25 people maximum. If more people desire to participate, another group will be added. Your group will visit four of the five homes listed below:
| An authentic reproduction of a Southern interpretation of the Georgian architecture furnished completely with an outstanding collection of American antiques. | |
| A 1926 rendition of an English country cottage with its owners delightful interpretive décor. | |
| A Tudor style home built in 1917 featuring a vast, startling collection of modern art, sculpture and pottery, mostly by local artisans. Lovely oriental rugs accent the contemporary furnishings. | |
| A colonial style home built in 1916 with furnishings that convey a warm, gracious individualistic ambiance. The sweeping grounds contain an English walled garden and a swimming pool. | |
| Featured in magazines as one of the 50 most artistic and unusual houses in America, this fascinating house is the former home of Douglas Ellington, a local architect of Art Deco fame. Mr. Ellington added to a 150-year old cabin to create this masterpiece. |
| 9:00 AM | Transportation and guide will greet group at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort to load and depart. | |
| 12:30 PM | Approximate time of return to the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. Lunch will NOT be served on this tour. |
| The cost per person for the tour is $35.00. |
DINNER AND CANDLELIGHT TOUR OF THE BILTMORE ESTATE - 5:15 PM to 10:30 PM
After a reception and dinner at the Deerpark Restaurant, enjoy a candlelight tour of America's largest home!
| 5:15 PM | Transportation to arrive at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort to load and depart. | |
| 6:00 PM | After traveling the three-mile approach road to the Biltmore Estate, you will become mesmerized by the architecture of the house and the surrounding breathtaking gardens. You'll be able to relax and get acquainted at the reception (Cash Bar) held at the Deerpark Restaurant. The restaurant is located between the 250-room mansion and the state-of-the-art winery. | |
| 6:45 PM | Enjoy a buffet-style dinner at the Deerpark Restaurant. The menu will consist of two entrees, breast of chicken piccata with lemon cream and capers and sliced Biltmore beef with roasted tomatoes and mushrooms, plus all the trimmings. | |
| 8:15 PM | Once inside the Biltmore House, the original furnishings and décor will captivate your imagination and take you back in time to the Gilded Age. A candlelight-guided tour of the Estate will take you through the first, second and third floor family and guest areas, which are filled with treasures from all parts of the world. In addition, you will view the basement recreation area, the kitchen areas (the house has three), the servant areas and the bachelor wing. The tour guide will provide intriguing details about the lives of the original owners, George Washington Vanderbilt and his wife, Elizabeth Stuyvesant Dresser. You will learn fascinating facts such as, how the Vanderbilts had booked passage on the Titanic, but chose to sail on the Olympic instead. You definitely won't be disappointed by the 19th -century charm of America's largest home! | |
| 10:30 PM | Approximate time of return to the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. |
| The cost per person for the dinner and tour is $50.00. (The reception will have a cash bar.) | |
| The tour ticket may be validated for a self-guided day visit to the Biltmore Estate on the following day (Saturday, May 29, 1999 only). |
Saturday, May 29, 1999
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS RAILWAY AND CHEROKEE - 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Travel to the quaint, picturesque town of Dillsboro to board the Great Smoky Mountains Railway for a Tuckasegee River excursion.
| 8:00 AM | Transportation and guide will greet group at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort to load and depart for Dillsboro, NC. | |
| 9:15 AM | ALL ABOARD! Board the Great Smoky Mountains Railway for a ride along the Tuckasegee River to Bryson City. | |
| Transportation will pick up the group in Bryson City and depart for Cherokee. | ||
| Arrive in Cherokee. Visit the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual. This is the most outstanding Indian owned and operated arts and craft cooperative in the United States. The only store offering exclusively Indian Arts and Crafts by local artists. Visit the Cherokee Museum if you wish. | ||
| 12:15 PM | Enjoy lunch at the Jarrett House. For lunch you will have a choice of country ham, fried chicken, baked ham or chicken and dumplings. You will have all sorts of fresh vegetables and home baked breads to compliment your choice. Of course, the desserts are deliciously homemade. | |
| 3:30 PM | Approximate time of return to the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. |
| The cost per person for the tour and lunch is $65.00. |
WHITEWATER RAFTING - 10:00 AM to 4:15 PM
Travel to Barnard, NC for an exciting and challenging rafting trip through the Class I to IV rapids of the French Broad River. Children must be at least eight years old to participate in the rafting trip.
| 10:00 AM | Transportation to arrive at the Sammons Wing of the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort to load and depart for Barnard, NC. | |
| 10:45 AM | Begin rafting trip led by trained river guides from Blue Ridge Rafting. Each raft comes with its own individual guide. You will spend a breathtaking two hours rafting on four miles of the French Broad River. This rafting trip is excellent for beginners, yet exciting for the experienced. The French Broad River’s 70 plus degree temperature is warmer; and its rapids more exciting than many other rivers in the area. Experience some thrilling rapids and see beautiful, untouched mountain wilderness. Enjoy lunch on the river. | |
| Rafters to arrive in Hot Springs for HOT showers and a change of clothes. | ||
| 3:15 PM | Transportation to depart for the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. | |
| 4:15 PM | Approximate time of return to the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. |
| All times, with the exception of pick-up, are approximate. Time will vary somewhat, depending on the group. | |
| DRY clothes and towels are REQUIRED for the return trip. NO exceptions will be made! | |
| Cost per person for the trip and lunch is $75.00. |
CHIMNEY ROCK AND LAKE LURE - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Take a leisurely stroll along a scenic mountain trail and explore the tranquil beauty of Lake Lure.
| 9:00 AM | Transportation and guide will greet group at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort to load and depart for Chimney Rock Park. | |
| Arrive at Chimney Rock Park, the wind in your face and the world at your feet. Chimney Rock Park is the natural fulfillment of your trip to the mountains. Take a deep breath of cool clean mountain air, then head for the top where you can reach the Chimney and the trails. You can take the elevator up 26 stories inside the mountain to the Sky Lounge gift shop and snack bar or hike along an exciting trail to the top of a 500-million-year-old rock located on the edge of a tall mountain. Alternately, if you prefer, you can take a leisurely stroll that leads through several different habitat types, including stretches of rhododendron, laurel and oak-hickory forests. This trail meanders – by way of a boardwalk – through a small wetland area, loops and returns to the top of the Park Meadows. This trail is six-tenths of a mile long and climbs less than 150 vertical feet. | ||
| 12:00 PM | Lunch at The Old Rock Café. Menu to be determined. | |
| Take a tour of Lake Lure via a Tri-toon – the "Mercedes" of pontoon boats. Enjoy the lake vistas as seen in the movie Dirty Dancing. Feel the aura of the rugged mountain cliffs as they tower around you! A historian will be on each boat, telling riders all about the area. | ||
| 4:00 PM | Approximate time of return to the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort. |
| All times, with the exception of pick-up, are approximate. Time will vary somewhat, depending on the group. | |
| The cost per person for the tour and lunch is $60.00. |