Living in The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina- A Blog
Enjoy the Colorful Photographic Impressions created by Vann Helms
The James B. Duke Mansion in Charlotte
Before James Duke became the primary benefactor of Trinity College, later named Duke University in honor of his father, he was already involved in hydroelectric power generation in North Carolina. He was a very rich man, and he needed a house that would show his great wealth. In Myers Park, the most exclusive neighborhood in Charlotte, he built his palace. It was the place where his daughter, Doris, would spend her teenage years. Presidents and scions of industry and politics would visit there.
Today, the mansion is a luxury Bed and Breakfast, and is the perfect place for weddings and other special occasions. I was there for a fund raiser for WDAV-FM, the classical music station at Davidson College. It was sunset, with Hurricane Florence churning in the Atlantic.
Doris Duke’s portrait…
James B. Duke
When the house was built in 1915, it was the grandest residence in Charlotte. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.
World Equestrian Games in Tryon
Every four years, the world championship of horse sports is held, alternating with the Summer Olympics. About sixty countries participate, and disciplines like jumping, dressage, acrobatics, and cross country. are judged for medals. This is a very prestigious event, and has only been held one time before in the United States. This year, the F.E.I. World Equestrian Games is being held in the small town of Tryon, North Carolina, and this may just be the largest event ever staged in Mountains.
Fox hunting is the original basis for the sport, and jumping hedges and fences in pursuit of the elusive critter, with the help of a few hounds, required a special skill with the horse. I’m not going to pass judging about the humaneness of the sport, but I will give credit for NOT being the rodeo, which I detest, and horse racing which requires whips and running at break neck speeds, often at great danger to the animal.
I will concentrate on the beauty of the magnificent animals, and the skill of the very experienced riders. The tradition of the sport is a colorful one, and, like it or not, it is a piece of our history, and horses played a major part of that history.
Tryon Mountain
Para Dressage for physically challenged riders…
Medal Ceremonies for the challenged riders…
Each winner was awarded a Longines watch, one of the major sponsors…
It may be awhile before the Mountains see another event of this magnitude. It surely has put the North Carolina Mountains on the international map, and that can’t be that bad.
Apple Valley 2018
Labor Day weekend is always the best time to enjoy the smells, and the colors in Apple Valley, not to mention the 100 varieties of world class apples. Pick up those large South Carolina juicy peaches while you’re at it, and adding a gallon of home made cider will make the trip all the more worthwhile. The best part is the smell of warm Apple Turnovers at Grandad’s Apple House. Waiting in line for fresh Apple Pie, fritters, and muffins is the best people watching you’ll find on the whole weekend.
Grandad’s…
Make sure you put the little ones aboard one of the twenty cars of the Cow Train, and don’t get lost inside the Corn Maze.
The real reason you’re there is to select from many bins of just picked fruit.
At Apple Houses all along U.S. Highway 64, you can watch the fruit being brought in from the orchards and put into baskets and bags to be sold.
You can also take your pick of any number of Pumpkin varieties, and autumn Squash and gourds.
You’ll need a truck to carry one of these whoppers home.
Just make sure you have fun while visiting Apple Valley at harvest time.
Harvest Time in Apple Valley
What a way to start Autumn, and the apples are so delicious.
Just east of Hendersonville, North Carolina, is a fertile valley that is the fourth largest apple growing district in the United States. Over thirty varieties are grow here, and for a month at the end of summer, growers are busy gathering the bounty from their orchards. Because of a certified micro-climate area known as the Isothermal Belt, winters are shorter, and late season hard freezes are rare here.
Everywhere, large apple crates are filled to overflowing with every color apple you can imagine.
Trees are still heavy with juicy fruit waiting for their chance to head for market…
These apples have a little more ripening to do before their time comes..
Goldenrod and Red Bush tell you that autumn is not far away.
Behind Grandad’s Apple House, weekend visitors marvel at the view across orchards and corn fields. Hendersonville hosts its annual Apple Festival every Labor Day weekend, and thousands…
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Harvest Time in Apple Country
Apple harvest is underway all across Apple Valley. The first two weeks of September are the best. Make sure you visit Grandad’s.
North Carolina is the fourth largest apple growing state, and the vast majority of that fruit comes from the valley just east of Hendersonville in a micro climate district known as the Isothermal Belt, because warmer days add weeks to the growing season. From the end of August to the end of September, growers feverishly gather sixteen different varieties of the nutritious fruit.
A trip from my house to Apple Valley, as it’s called, takes less than hour, and I had to go around 4,300 foot Little Pisgah Mountain, the tallest peak between the Piedmont and Asheville, south of Interstate 40.
After Little Pisgah, I drove over Bearwallow Mountain, the second tallest peak, emerging at Grand Highlands, an upscale development that overlooks Apple Valley, 2,000 feet below.
Driving down narrow roads into the valley, suddenly the world changes, revealing an idyllic setting more like Europe than the Southern Appalachians.
Ancient…
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Art, Antiques, and Luxury in Asheville
If you thought the venerable Grove Park Inn was the height of luxury lodging in the Blue Ridge Mountains capital, Asheville, think again. Located at the entrance to the world famous Biltmore Estate is a boutique hotel that rewrites the rules on luxury, and you don’t need to stay there to experience the finer things in life.
During the construction of the mansion in the 1890’s, George Vanderbilt needed a place to house the hundreds of European artisans who were brought in for the intricate masonry, woodwork, and painting that was required for a true French chateau, and those people needed a place to live. In true Gilded Age tradition, he constructed an entire village for that purpose. The buildings all followed the same Tudor-Craftsman style, and that style is still strictly followed on all structures built in Biltmore Village today. Even the McDonald’s and Hardee’s restaurants must adhere to the rules. When the Grand Bohemian Hotel was built in 2008, it also followed those guidelines.
Photo by Marriott Hotels
Recently I had the privilege to spend a night at the hotel, and what I discovered was a true masterpiece of interior decoration and design luxury. Original paintings and sculpture fill every level of the four story hotel. Priceless antiques are mingled with comfortable furnishings, and the Tudor style is mirrored in the hand carved wall panels, and intricate stone work. The theme is the Bavarian Hunting Lodge, with echoes of a Tyrolean castle. Trophies of deer antlers are everywhere, even in the antler chandeliers over the guest beds, and in the guest baths. Antique beer tankards are displayed, as well as intricately etched hunting long guns. The hotel lobby is a masterpiece with teak columns, and a four sided stone fireplace in the center. Here are the images that I made during an early morning stroll.
A lobby art gallery offers American paintings, sculptures, handmade jewelry, and even feather bow ties…
The Red Stag Bar and Grill has a baby grand piano with live music in a warm European atmosphere. The grill room is as breathtaking as the rest of the hotel, serving local entrees with Viennese desserts. 
Tyrolian Mountain Hat…
Guestroom hallways are filled with light and fine art…
The interior atrium and Motor Lobby reflect the style of the Biltmore House stables, with herringbone hand laid bricks, and Craftsman appointments.
The next time you’re in Asheville, go to Biltmore Village for a fine meal and wonderful shopping, and stroll over to the Grand Bohemian for a journey back to the 1890’s. Just tell them, “George Vanderbilt sent me”.
Biltmore Glistens with Art by Chihuly
Glass artist Dale Chihuly is known worldwide for his dramatic colorful creations in blown glass, but combining those delicate assemblages with the nation’s largest private residence is a match made in art and architecture heaven. Using the renowned gardens and reflecting ponds of Asheville’s Biltmore Estate showcases both, and with the addition of illumination, magic is unleashed. Bringing that magic inside the Grand Chateau is the ultimate sensory experience.
Being there at twilight raises goosebumps usually reserved for a modern fireworks display. You must experience this extravaganza in person.
Toward the Smoky Mountains from the Main Floor Loggia…
Inside the house’s Winter Garden…
This once in a lifetime display can be seen into October. Don’t miss it.
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