Monday, January 30, 2012

A Microbrewery in Hendersonville?

With all the talk this last week about beer and the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s
decision to build their east coast brewery just nine miles from our inn, my ears perked up the other day when a friend of mine mentioned that he was going to listen to a singer from Saluda on Saturday night at the new micro- brewery in Hendersonville. I invited myself along and got my chance to go to The Southern Appalachian Brewing Company’s brewery which is located just 300
yards from the front door of the inn (ahhhh, that’s walking distance y’all!).

As we walked in the back door the first thing you notice are the twelve shiny stainless steel tanks standing floor to almost ceiling like wonderful stoic defenders of the realm (in this case “the hops”).

My husband John is the beer drinker in the family and he immediately decided to try a flight of beers. At the Southern Appalachian, that translates into you being able to pick four of the five beers they are currently offering and get a four ounce taste of each. John’s choices were:
1. Belgian Blonde Ale - This golden-blonde Belgian style ale uses a traditional yeast strain which gives a gentle citrusy flavor and fruity aroma. Saaz hops and light spices balance the sweetness from the Pilsen malt and provide an earthy taste. This is a refreshing ale with a crisp, dry finish. 6.5% ABV
2. Copperhead Amber Ale - The Copperhead Amber Ale is a crisp, medium bodied ale with a deep copper color and a rich, caramel, malty sweetness, balanced with a light floral hops flavor. 5.5% ABV
3. India Pale Ale - This IPA utilizes 3 varieties of hops throughout the 90 minute boil and 5 in the fermenter to dry hop. Even at 95 IBU’s the hops flavor is well-balanced from nose to finish. 6.5% ABV
4. Black Bear Stout - Black Bear Stout is a robust, full-bodied beer with a rich roasted malt flavor and hints of dark chocolate and coffee. 5.5% ABV.

They had lots of choices for the non-drinker and the wine drinker also. They served a local wine from Falderal Winery and even had a couple of guest taps. If you need a little food with your drink there was a food truck outside the front door with sandwiches including pulled pork. They also had hot pretzels inside. Yum!

We did not get to meet the owners because they were at a beer class but the staff was friendly and very responsive. They were great representatives in every way. The band was fantastic. Our friend was right about the quality of the band. We really enjoyed the music and the atmosphere. There was a couple with a small child (a quiet small child – I did not know that they existed!) dancing at the front of the room with the music. All we needed was a dog to round out the atmosphere. The evening was so satisfying that our party ended the night there. None of us felt the need to return to the front room of the inn to continue the fun.

We hope we've given you yet another reason to visit the 1898 Waverly Inn in Hendersonville, NC very soon!

John, Diane, Darla & Debbie
1898 Waverly Inn
Bed and Breakfast Hendersonville NC
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Thursday, December 1, 2011

How Do You Spell "Fun"? S E G W A Y

This past Thanksgiving weekend, the Sheiry family and friends took our second tour with segways. Segway rides are definitely fun for a wide range of people and physical abilities. On the first tour the age group was 18 – 54 and it was a beginner’s tour with a guide. There is probably a place near you to do this. Our nearest place is at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville NC.

Each guided tour begins with training conducted by the guide. Twenty minutes of getting used to the mechanics is more than enough. We all felt like masters of our universe by the time we got out of the practice field. That tour was on a paved surface with not a bump or a rock. Easy, peaceful and the scenery was spectacular.

During Thanksgiving quite of few of the young adults (that means 18 – 30 here) decided to tackle the “Off Road Tour” at The Biltmore Estate. Some areas of the estate that guests do not usually see are part of the scenery. A beautiful lagoon with ducks, a field of sunflowers, the pasture where they filmed Forrest Gump’s “run Forrest run” scene and a bamboo thicket are among the sights. The guides are knowledgeable and fun. The guide on the both tours was really funny. They shared lots of local facts and tidbits about the estate that stuck in Tori’s mind. Tori remembers cool facts and wipe out statistics (Definition of wipe out: who fell, how they fell and how far they fell) so I asked her what she remembered the most. Here are a few of her
recollections:
  • Every tree on the Biltmore property, and there are over 4,000, was hand planted.
  • The Biltmore Estate is split into two plots of land. Both plots are 4,000 acres totaling 8,000 acres. They are separated by the French Broad River and could only reach one side from the other via a 25 minute ride on I-40 up until recently when they finished a bridge stretching over the French Broad to connect the two sides for the first time since the 1800s.
  • A tour guide watched a lady drive her Segway into the lagoon by accident.... Oops.
  • And another guy caught the side of the walking bridge with his wheel and flung himself into the French Broad River.

I would like to have been a fly on that bridge when that last one happened! Jessica had a near scare in the field where Forrest Gump ran until his leg braces fell off. She definitely felt a bump. She did not have any leg braces but she jumped off her Segway anyway. Neither she nor the Segway fell over so she claimed it could not be counted as an incident In reality, she wouldn’t even concede any lack of coordination….sheeesh, kids! It will be a great family story in the future as soon as I figure out how to embellish it.

Before turning back, the crowd took a break and enjoyed a beautiful view of Biltmore House.
This two hour jaunt through hill and dale will be one of our highlights for 2011. If you get a chance you really should try on a Segway. You will find out that it fits fine!

We hope we've given you yet another reason to visit the 1898 Waverly Inn in Hendersonville, NC very soon!

John, Diane, Darla & Debbie
1898 Waverly Inn
Bed and Breakfast Hendersonville NC

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Monday, November 7, 2011

Navitat named "one of the best in the nation" in USA TODAY's "10 Great Ziplines Across the USA!"


What could be better than hiking through the last of the color season in Western North Carolina? I have decided that ziplining through the trees and looking out over the mountainous splendor that is locally known as Moody Cove is definitely a better way to do it. This canopy
tour allows participants to experience a secluded mountain cove from high in the treetops in what is advertised as “one hundred percent tree-based adventure.” It is in beautiful acreage about forty five minutes from the inn on the north side of Asheville.

How did you find a zipline company you ask? My daughter decided that a trip to Navitat was the perfect Mothers’ Day gift in 2010. Have I mentioned that I was afraid of heights? Do you think this was a test of love and devotion? I debated this issue and decided that in fact she just thought it would be fun and this was a great excuse to get me out into nature on a Sunday afternoon. So, knowing that there are things that you just have to do for your children, I went out to try my new adventure “gift”.

With encouragement and some fake praise from my family I was soon ziplining like a semi-pro. My fears were no longer an issue and I felt younger and more carefree that I had felt in quite a while. There were ten ziplines that gradually took us farther, faster and higher into the woods. There are also two rappelling experiences. I loved the rappelling. While thinking that I positively was not going to be able to do this, I did it...gracefully. An amazing feat for a woman with two left feet and more than a few extra pounds on my frame! I learned so much from our super human guides about the plants, trees and birds that we saw. They taught me something new on each walk or tree stand. It was three and a half hours of fun that will be repeated often.

Navitat www.navitat.com/asheville/about-navitat/the-navitat-difference closes at the end of November for the winter so you really should get out there as soon as possible. To experience the fall in Western North Carolina from 120 – 1100 foot ziplines is spectacular. It has been an incredible autumn for foliage and the color is not gone yet. Navitat is committed to helping their customers discover the world from a higher and different perspective and it is one of my favorite experiences. There is even a ‘Navitat at Night’ beginning at dark on Saturday evenings. “Zip under a blanket of stars in beautiful Moody Cove. Allow nighttime noises to surround you as you travel from tree to tree by lamplight and learn about life in the cove after the sun goes down.” Their words – not mine. It makes me want to clear my schedule and head out to my next great adventure.

Times and spaces are limited so you will need to make a reservation. Either go to www.navitat.com or call 828.626.3700 to make your reservation.

For those of you that cannot cut loose this month Navitat will open again in the spring for what will feel like a totally different experience because of the topography and seasonal differences of the area.

We hope we've given you yet another reason to visit the 1898 Waverly Inn in Hendersonville, NC very soon!

John, Diane, Darla & Debbie
1898 Waverly Inn
Bed and Breakfast Hendersonville NC
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Best Antique Fair in Asheville



The 65th Annual Asheville Antiques Fair will be
in Asheville during the first weekend in November. It is a brief twenty mile trip from Hendersonville. And, despite the fact
that the color season is slowly winding down, this is still an absolutely beautiful drive. I start singing “Oh What a Beautiful Morning!” and have a hard time deciding which coffee shop to
stop at on my way to the Fair. Oh, and this is not your everyday, dime-a-dozen fair or show either. It is truly an event. Wandering through the old treasures and watching the people is a great way to relax after a long week.

Even the story about the beginning of this fair is my favorite of all of the antique shows in this region. Close your eyes…wait do not close your eyes. You will not be able to read how this annual event started if you do. “It began one day with a conversation on a train bound for New York City. The year was 1945, and two Asheville women, Beulah Harrison and Ava Keener, were headed
to the New York City’s renowned Antiques Fair. The trip inspired the pair, who believed that serious study would foster an understanding and appreciation of antiques, to create the Vetust Study Club of Asheville and later, the Asheville Antiques Fair.” Now, sixty-five years later, the fair has a lot more than just antiques. The Heirloom Roadshow and
the Expert Lecture Series run concurrent with the Fair. I will never be too old to learn something. Last year was my introduction to Stickley furniture. This year I am hoping to learn about something just a bit more affordable.
Bring your treasure to the Heirloom Roadshow and one of three appraisers will be available to give you an evaluation of your heirloom. They charge for the evaluations so do not bring the whole house. But, if you bring the three items about which you are most curious, they will charge you just twenty dollars for their valuations. Obviously, it will be less for just one or two of your treasures. The appraisers will be there on Saturday from 10am – 4pm. To find out more about the appraisers and what they cannot appraise go to http://www.ashevilleantiquesfair.com/events.html

Lecture Series topics include Appalachian Harmonies -- Collecting and Preserving Mountain Music and Crafts and WNC Collectable Folk and Art Pottery from 1845-1950. This year the topics will center on the Blue Ridge Mountains and the culture here.

The Antiques Show is held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel OneResort Drive • Asheville, NC 28806 • (828) 254-3211. Ample parking is available at no charge.

For more information and the specific hours during Friday, Saturday and Sunday go to http://www.ashevilleantiquesfair.com/information.html I will see you there!

We hope we've given you yet another reason to visit the 1898 Waverly Inn in Hendersonville, NC very soon!

John, Diane, Darla & Debbie
1898 Waverly Inn
Bed and Breakfast Hendersonville NC
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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

When Is The Best Time To Hike Chimney Rock Park?

If I could post just two words about Chimney Rock this fall they would be “Hikers Needed!”  When was the last time you hiked to a 400 foot waterfall and stood there all by yourself?  How about hiking a “skyline trail” that enabled you to actually look out at Hickory Nut Gorge, take some pictures of it, and then turn the other direction and have a gorgeous view of colored splendor? When was the last time you had a picnic lunch feeling like you were the only person on the planet at that particular moment?

Well, if any of those images resonate with you, then now is the perfect time for you to go visit Chimney Rock Park.  Why is a visit to the park any better now than any other time you ask?  Well, here’s why….under normal, everyday circumstances, Chimney Rock Park is like every other attraction out there…it’s BUSY.  But, this Autumn (and this Autumn only), the elevator that is normally in service to lift all those folks that cannot or do not want to hike up to the rock, is being refurbished and will not be in service throughout the autumn color season. 
What does that mean for those of you who are able to hike moderate or more strenuous trails?  A gorgeous landscape, a nearly perfect experience and because of the improvements being done at this time the rates to get into the park have been reduced also.

If you want to add to your experience the park has some classes also.  Survival skills workshops, guided nature hikes, crafts demonstrations and music programs are among some of the events.  You can even register for some of their classes such as photography and birding.  They even have rock climbing classes.  Could you have guessed that one?  All events are listed on the website at this page http://www.chimneyrockpark.com/events/month_view.php?monthYear=2011&month=10&category=8&catYear=2011
For those of you that are not familiar with Chimney Rock Park, a little bit of information might be in order.  The monolith, or chimney, is 535 million years old!   Guests have a 75-mile panoramic view of Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure and it has been known to make hikers sit down and revel in the beauty. Hickory Nut Gorge, one of the state’s most significant centers of biodiversity, is home to 36 rare plant species and 14 rare animal species, as well as the second highest waterfall of its kind in the eastern United States.   This park has been entertaining guests for over one hundred years with all of the sights and wonders that nature can provide.  There are five different hiking trails and if you are really observant you will have the opportunity to see rare and indigenous plants, unusual geological formations and lots of native wildlife.
So…put on your hiking boots, grab your water bottle and bring lunch to Chimney Rock Park.  And as they say in their brochure:  Get ready to explore!
Reduced Admission: $12 for adults, $5 for youth (ages 6-15); other discounts still apply
Seasonal hours: Open daily from 8:30am to 7pm with the Ticket Plaza and front entrance gate closing at 5:30pm; hours change in November
We hope we've given you yet another reason to visit the 1898 Waverly Inn in Hendersonville, NC very soon!

John, Diane, Darla & Debbie
1898 Waverly Inn
Bed and Breakfast Hendersonville NC
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