Brevard, North Carolina

While staying in Asheville, we stumbled across another treasure. From that point on we found ourselves making daily trips. Brevard is located approximately 20 miles south of Asheville,  Even though the population is under 8000, with the exception of downtown, everything is pretty spread out. I recommend a good road map and an idea of what you want to see each day. To say this city is beautiful would definitely be an understatement. Brevard has gorgeous green mountains, forests, lakes and waterfalls. In fact, Brevard is known as The Land Of Waterfalls.


  
The DuPont Forest is located here. To be precise, Dupont is southeast of Brevard, between Hendersonville and Brevard. Officially, it is The Dupont State Recreational Forest. This is where scenes from the movies, The Last of the Mohicans and The Hunger Games were filmed.

DuPont is loved for its miles of hiking trails, mountain biking, horseback riding, and swimming etc. If your a wheelchair user (like I am) there is no reason to feel left out. When you present your Access Pass to the ranger in the main office, you will be allowed to drive through the park. Triple Falls, High Falls and The Bridge are set up for wheelchairs. They all have parking, a picnic areas and wheelchair accessible Andy Gumps. Be warned… I could see everything and should've been perfectly happy, but I thought I could get a closer look. My front wheel got stuck in a rut and I took a tumble out of my chair. A lot of people came running to give me a hand. No harm no foul… Except for my ego nothing was hurt. After my husband finished giggling, he told me that on the previous day both he and two of his friend fell off their bikes in the same area. I became a proud member of the "I wiped out here club".










  







Also adjacent to Brevard is The Pisgah Forest. I think this is one of the most spectacular places on the planet. Every moment took my breath away. I literally felt like I was living inside a beautiful oil painting. The lush forest is full of high peaks and cascading waterfalls. Most of the sites have areas to pull your car over and take pictures. Also, pack a lunch because there are picnic tables everywhere.

 
On Highway 276, as you enter The Pisgah National Forest you will find Dolly's Dairy Bar. This is a MUST STOP for great ice cream. 


A little further up 276 is the Ranger Station and Visitor Center. Continue up 276 and you will see Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock Falls and a Vanderbilt hunting cabin. 
You can see Looking Glass Falls from the road. There is an accessible overlook for a better view. Stairs go down to the bottom of the falls but they are not very accessible.

Sliding Rock is a fun activity spot. For just $1 per day you can actually slide down and play in the waterfall. This is not an accessible activity, but the viewpoint is.

 



One of Vanderbilt's hunting cabins still stands.







Topping 276 is The Blue Ridge Parkway with several accessible overlooks.

Downtown Brevard is relatively flat and touristy. There are many fun little shops, restaraunts and a retro movie theatre. While you are there I recommend eating and Millberry's café.



 


The co-ed movie theater is a retro experience with first run movies for only $7 during the day and $8 at night.
The popcorn is pretty great, also!



 




* Sidenote… Another reason that I love this place could be because my favorite holiday is Halloween, and Brevard is the County Seat  of Transylvania county.

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is the largest city in Western North Carolina. It is a beautiful mountain city on the east side of the Smoky Mountains. The University of North Carolina, Asheville has a campus here which gives the area a college vibe. The beauty of this area is indescribable. It certainly didn't hurt that we arrived just at the peak of the fall colors.


We stayed at Bear Creek RV Park & Campground
81 South Bear Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 253-0798
camping@ashevillebearcreek.com

Amenities include…
Full hookups
Tent areas
Wi-Fi (signal was hit and miss)
Cable TV
Swimming pool (seasonal)
Playground
Laundry

All of the sites are paved and you will find that some are wider and/or longer than others. The majority of the campground is on a hill but the bottom is mostly flat and fully wheelchair accessible. We chose a spot at the top to take advantage of the view. The entire campground would be accessible in a scooter. The campground is located at the South-West corner of Asheville. Other than freeway access, there is nothing close by and a vehicle is necessary.

There are quite a few interesting and fun things to do while you are in Asheville. Although our primary mission for the trip was to find a new location to live, we did manage to do a few touristy things.

THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY


The Blue Ridge Parkway was built to connect Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Parkway is America's longest linear Park. It runs 469 miles through North Carolina and Virginia. Although the Blue Ridge Pkwy. is not an actual "National Park", the land on either side of the road is owned and maintained by the National Parks Services. Construction began during Pres. Franklin D Roosevelt's administration, September 11, 1935.  It took 52 years to complete. Originally called America's Scenic Highway, the name was changed by Congress to the Blue Ridge Pkwy.

While in the area make sure you take an amazing scenic drive through the Blue Ridge Pkwy. It's hundreds of miles of jaw dropping gorgeous. Be prepared for nonstop picture taking. We couldn't get enough and did the drive twice. Once at the beginning of our stay and one at the end. Each time was completely different. My husband is a cyclist and went back for a long ride through the breathtaking beauty.

Along the route you will find several designated viewpoints to safely get out of your car. The Craggy Gardens Visitor Center is accessible to wheelchairs but some of the amenities may not be. There is a Park Ranger there so you can learn more of the history and buy plenty of souvenirs. Parking, scenic views, and the visitor center are easily accessible. There are also hiking trails and a picnic area(unsure of accessibility). Due to freezing of the bridges, certain areas of the park are closed to vehicles during winter. I recommend a visit during Fall(Leaf Season). Make sure you bring proper attire as it gets cold as you go up the parkway.  Make sure the camera is fully charged with plenty of disk space.






BILTMORE ESTATE

The Biltmore Estate is the largest privately owned residence in the United States. The mansion was built by George Washington Vanderbilt in 1895. The architecture, antiques and gardens are stunning.



* Advice… If you are a wheelchair user or someone with limited mobility, you will be told to have someone drop you off at the mansion and then drive back down, park your car and take the shuttle back. The trip will take that person up to 45 minutes. After touring the mansion someone will have to take the shuttle back, get your car and take you to the gardens. In the rebel spirit we parked in the lot behind the Gardens and toured the gardens first. We walked from the Gardens to the Mansion. A scooter could easily navigate the walk but a manual chair would probably need assistance on the hills.

The mansion does have an elevator that was built for Vanderbelt's mother. However, one of the floors is inaccessible and another is closed to the public. They have a video tour of what you missed (It is more of a slideshow and it feels a bit cheesy). The wheelchair discounted price is around $50. A two day pass is available but personally I don't think it's necessary. Also, if you have hearing or visual limitations you are able to take the audio tour for FREE. Wine-tasting is also available. You have to drive a couple of miles to the winery, which was originally a dairy farm. The wine tasting is really more of sampling before you buy. THE GOOD NEWS IS… they don't seem to limit your samples. The winery, mall, and parking were easily accessible. There is an elevator in the winery to get to the tasting room and store.

 Arrive early to avoid the crowds.

BILTMORE MALL

The Biltmore Mall is an outdoor mall with shops, restaraunts, book store, movie theatre, and more. It is completly accessible and even has a water fountain for dogs.

DUPONT FOREST
The Dupont Forest is in between Hendersonville and Brevard. It has amazing beauty, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. There are trails of all types. From narrow trails that can be difficult in spots to groomed fire roads that would be no problem for a scooter and mostly accessible to a rugged manual chair with assistance. I am not 100% sure but my understanding is that some of these roads are opened to vehicles as well.

RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS
Neo Burrito – Biltmore mall, Asheville
Vinnys Italian restaurant – 641 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville
Flat Rock Wood Room BBQ - 1501 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville




BLACK MOUNTAIN
Black Mountain is a small town close to Asheville. You will find a lot of shops and restaurants. I highly recommend lunch at Black Mountain Bistro. They have a killer chicken berry salad. I swear that I would drive across the country just to have that salad again!