Page 253 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

NOR TH C AROLINA  251

A panoramic view of lush vegetation and mountains from the Blue Ridge Parkway
P Old Salem people, a museum relates the Thomas Wolfe State Historic
900 Old Salem Rd. Tel (336) 721-7300. history of the Cherokee people, Site. Asheville is said to be
Open 9:30am–4:30pm Tue–Sat, focusing on the forcible among the healthiest towns
1–4:30pm Sun. Closed Easter, removal of the tribe in 1838 to in the country, with many
Thanksgiving, Dec 24 & 25. & 7 Oklahoma on the “Trail of Tears.” health-food stores, cafés,
∑ oldsalem.org The town of Cherokee itself has bookstores, organic restaurants,
E Museum of Early Southern a large Native American-run and a vibrant arts and music
Decorative Arts gambling casino. scene, patronized by a non-
924 S Main St. Tel (336) 721-7360. conformist and sophisticated
∑ mesda.org populace. It is probably better
4 Asheville known for its 250-room, art-
studded, Biltmore Estate to
* 88,000. @ n 36 Montford
3 Blue Ridge Ave, (828) 258-6129. the south of town. This French
Parkway ∑ exploreasheville.com Renaissance-style mansion
holds a collection of 18th- and
n (828) 298-0398. ∑ nps.gov/blri Surrounded by mountains, 19th-century art and sculpture,
this town’s commercial district and also has the distinction of
A scenic two-lane highway, retains many Art Deco build- being the largest residence in
the Blue Ridge Parkway (see ings from its boom years as America. Beside the main Neo-
pp50–51) runs 469 miles an early 20th- century resort. Classical house, the splendid
(755 km) south from Virginia Downtown Asheville evokes estate also has a winery, a brand
along the Blue Ridge Mountain the period of local author, new hotel, a deluxe inn (see
ridge-line. Its most scenic Thomas Wolfe (1900–38), who p276), and gardens designed
stretches lie in North Carolina, wrote about his hometown in by Frederick Law Olmsted,
where the road meanders for Look Homeward Angel. Today who also designed New York’s
250 miles (402 km) past peaks, the modest “Dixie land” Central Park. Visitors should
waterfalls, and the towering, boarding house described in expect long lines, as the estate
6,684-ft (2,037-m) Mount Mitchell. the novel is preserved as the attracts huge crowds, making
The National Park Service’s it among the country’s most
most popular destination with visited house tours, along
over 23 million visitors every with the White House and
year, the route has a maximum Elvis Presley’s “Graceland” (see
speed limit of 45 mph (72 km/h), p269). Asheville also makes a
which is strictly enforced. It is great base for exploring the
most scenic during spring and surrounding mountain region.
fall. Some sections close in
winter. There are ample oppor- P Thomas Wolfe State
tunities to detour to nearby Historic Site
trails and mountain towns such 52 N Market St. Tel (828) 253-8304.
as Boone and Blowing Rock. Open 9am–5pm Tue–Sat. & 7
The parkway ends at the ∑ wolfememorial.com
entrance to Great Smoky P Biltmore Estate
Mountains National Park, 1 Lodge St. Tel (828) 225-1333.
north of Cherokee (see p264). Open 8:30am–6:30pm daily; House:
Here, at the reservation of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, one of the most 9am–5pm daily. &
Eastern Band of Cherokee visited houses in America ∑ biltmore.com

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