One memorable getaway that your family will enjoy immensely this fall is a trip to Asheville, North Carolina. If you're looking for outdoor adventure mixed with a little Southern spice, the spectacular mountaintop views, colorful forests and family-style cuisine of Asheville are experiences you won't want to miss.
Surrounded by more than a million acres of forests and rolling mountains, Asheville, North Carolina, is the place for families who like to play outdoors. Bring your hiking boots and a sense of adventure to this down-home Southern city, nestled in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain ranges. In October, the foothills glitter with golden poplars and scarlet sourwoods, and hot summer weather and heavy humidity have disappeared (autumn temperatures are in the 60- to 65-degree range).
On Saturday, we recommend heading first to Chimney Rock Park (800-277-9611) and hiking through underground tunnels and caves and over catwalks to the chimney -- a 500 million-year-old hunk of rock set on a 1,200-foot-high mountaintop. From that peak, you'll see pristine views of the rolling Blue Ridge Mountains and colorful forests. Next, hit the Skyline Trail. The short (45 minutes or so) hike leads to 404-foot Hickory Nut Falls, featured in the movie "The Last of the Mohicans." On the way back, you can take in gorgeous views of the valley along the Cliff Trail.
In total, this is about a 2-hour hike. The trails are moderately strenuous and involve some stair climbing, but kids as young as 6 are able to handle it with frequent stops. If this sounds too ambitious, take the elevator to the top of Chimney Rock and back down again, and try the easier, 1-hour round-trip hike on Forest Stroll Trail, which heads through the woods to the bottom of the falls.
When you want lunch, drive back to downtown Asheville for an outdoor meal at the Cafe on the Square (828-251-5565), then check in at the Radisson Hotel (828-252-8211). On Sunday, end your weekend on a high note with a mountaintop picnic. We like the overstuffed sandwiches and freshly baked sweets from Laurey's Catering (828-252-1500). With your take-out lunch, drive south on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Graveyard Fields Trail, at milepost 419. From here, you can hike an easy 2.3-mile trail to Yellowstone Falls, the ideal spot for a meal and one last look at the scenery.
For more information, contact the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 1010, Asheville, NC 28802; 800-280-0005.
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright write from their office in Newburyport, Massachusetts./font>
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