Take home a taste of Asheville

Ideally, being in Asheville is the number one way to refresh your soul with a relaxing week of poetic sights, nature outings, world-class accomodations and enriching Asheville-style food.

But, you don't necessarily have to be in Asheville to savor some of the flavor anymore. A number of Asheville-area chefs generously contributed some of their favorite recipes to our Foodtopia site.

If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend you do.

The recipes are seperated into 6 categories, from "Chef's Favorites" to "Only in Asheville," and include an assortment of delectable soups, salads, entrees and desserts, such as Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Sweet Potato Salad, Trout with Crab Remoulade and Blueberry Cream Pie.

You can find the complete of recipes here.

Print one out and give it try tonight!

Asheville Tours: The SegWay

Looking for a cool, 21st century way to explore the sights and sounds of Asheville?

Want to enjoy the outdoors close to the action or natural surroundings, but not have to exert too much energy?

Look no further than these establishments that offer Segway tours of various attractions of Asheville. The trips range from 2 to 3 hours of outdoor touring excitement.

• Biltmore Outdoor Center offers 2-1/2 hour guided tours along the French Broad River. The Biltmore also offers private guided tours for those with Segway riding experience.
  
• Global Guide Tours offers treks along the French Broad River, as well as a "Glitterazi" tour of the hot spots in downtown Asheville. They also will do custom tours upon request.
  
• Moving Sidewalk Tours is located in the lobby of the Asheville Visitor Information Center and offers tours of downtown Asheville three times a day. Tours generally take between 2 and 3 hours.
  
• North Carolina Arboretum has a 2 to 2-1/2 hour tour through the grounds of the arboretum with plenty of stops to examine plants and take pictures.

Don't know how to handle a Segway? Don't fret, all of them offer in-depth training sessions before you hit the streets or smooth trails of Asheville.

Pricing ranges from $30 to $65 per person. (Biltmore's private guided tours are $100 per person.)

Asheville In Bloom -- Part 2

How could I have forgotten to mention the glory that is the Bradford Pear tree. These trees blossom with radiant white flowers in the spring.

You can spot their refreshing sight everywhere these days.

Here's a few cradling the streets of downtown Asheville around lunch time today.

Asheville In Bloom

The chill is slowly leaving the air in Asheville and the land is beginning to wake up. Signs of color are creeping up everywhere on roadsides, treetops and the mountains.

Spring in Asheville isn't just about the flowers and leaves, but their beauty is impossible to ignore as your senses are dazzled daily by a fragrant kaleidoscope only nature can create.

Daffodils, Dutchman Irises, Spring Beauties and Yellow Violets are all beginning to show themselves and light up the landscape.

Soon we will be immersed in the magical colors of 'Cercis' Redbuds, Flame Azaleas, Pinkshell Azaleaas, Red Tulips, Rhododenrons and many more. You can find pics of these and other beauties in the Spring Flower Bloom schedule and flower gallery on ExploreAsheville.com.

And what would Spring in Asheville be without the Festival of Flowers at the Biltmore Estate?

The estate's seasonal beauty is showcased with a stunning tulip display in the Walled Garden, cascades of native and exotic blooms in our natural gardens and walking trails, and delicate arrangements inside Biltmore House.

This year's Festival of Flowers runs April 5 through May 18.

Spring Picture of the Asheville Drum Circle

Spring is a beautiful time in the Asheville area, whether it's seeing flowers blooming, enjoying spring festivals or just experiencing the Asheville scene. You can submit spring pictures and see a gallery of user-submitted spring pictures.

Here is a spring picture of the unique Asheville Drum Circle submitted by Bonni of Orlando, Fla., which gets going on warm Friday evenings in downtown Asheille:


Bonni writes:

As the evening winded down, we were distracted from our last-minute shopping jaunts by distant drumming sounds. My husband, Mike, was the first to break from our pack of friends! As he ran across the street, I followed; the rest of the group soon joined us. It was an amazing sight to see all the drummers and dancers having a blast as the sun went down over the mountains.

Rejuvenate With an Active Getaway

With a growing emphasis on fitness, it's no wonder that travelers are planning vacations around staying fit and eating healthy, according to new research from Travelocity's Travel Plans Forecast for 2008. To keep up with this trend, destinations such as Asheville, Miami, Hawaii and Maine are designing active getaway packages and wellness amenities for this new breed of vacation multi-tasker. In Asheville, being active and healthy isn't a dreaded chore but an indulgent pleasure.

Active Getaway Package

• Asheville has launched a new healthy vacation package: The Highgear® Getaway.
• Travelers who book an active getaway to Asheville this spring will receive a free "Get Fit Kit" to jumpstart their wellness adventure (while supplies last). Package details are available at ActiveGetaway.com.
• Components of the Highgear® Get Fit Kit:
  • VIA Step Pedometer (New Balance Sports Monitors, A Division of Highgear® USA, Inc.)
  • Asheville "Get Fit" Backpack
  • Step-Count and Calorie-Burn Itineraries
  • Walking Trails Guide
  • Healthy Recipes from Asheville Top Chefs
  • Wellness Adventure Coupons (active attractions, yoga, farm-to-table dining, spa, etc.)

Spring in Asheville

Spring travel in Asheville offers stunning mountain flowers bursting with color, as well as countless ways to experience a healthy spring break getaway to rejuvenate and shed that extra winter weight. Plan an active getaway for your next spring vacation in the Western North Carolina mountains.

Find out more: Spring in Asheville