Welcome to the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau’s AAA Training Webinar, this time featuring ‘Winter Fun and Savings in Asheville’. This is a 2-day series, and both webinars are identical.

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Speaking is Brit Martin, I’m one of the Sales & Service Coordinators here at the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau and I am your AAA Asheville contact. Any questions you have related to Asheville, FAMS, Trainings, and Webinars feel free to direct my way. Another contact for you to remember is our Information Specialist, Charlie Reed, who is happy to handle any bulk orders for Asheville Travel Guides. Take note of her, as our 2016 guides will be coming out soon.

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So, let’s start by talking about location. As you can see on this map, Asheville is centrally located in the Eastern United States. It is also located within the Blue Ridge Mountains and boasts 4 entrance/exit points along the Blue Ridge Parkway, which has been coined ‘America’s Favorite Drive’. Asheville is very easily accessible, and, in fact, is within 600 miles of 50% of the population. Here are drive times from some popular Southeastern cities. And, for those of you who have members that choose to fly, Asheville Regional Airport is surprisingly well-connected for an airport of its size, and is only a short 20 minute drive from downtown Asheville. We may be in the mountains, but your members won’t have any problems getting here.

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Next I want to introduce you to our Visitors Center. This is an incredible resource for AAA Agents, especially when members have specific Asheville area questions. Your clients can find the answers to those questions and a thousand-and-one more at the Asheville Visitors Center. We have highly knowledgeable staff and volunteers with, literally, all the answers! Our hours are Mon-Fri from 8:30am – 5:30pm, and Sat and Sun from 9am-5pm.

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• Escape winter’s chill while enjoying the best ticket prices of the year. Get a warm welcome from the beauty of Biltmore House, the Conservatory’s amazing indoor garden displays, and the fun of Antler Hill Village and Winery! Guests can Learn about the Vanderbilt family and their beautiful home with a complimentary audio January 12th – February 4th.

• Incorporates the latest research by Museum Services including information about furnishings, artwork, and stories about the family.

• Audio for younger visitors! Fun and informative and hosted by Cedric, the Vanderbilt’s St. Bernard.

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Couples can relax and reconnect on a fairytale getaway to Biltmore! Whether it is stealing a kiss at the secluded Boat House by the Bass Pond, or cuddling under the blanket on a carriage ride, couples are sure to find a way to stay warm this season!

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Land Rover Experience: Guests of Biltmore have the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Land Rover and experience the abilities of this vehicle on our specially designed, off-road course. Now, we all know that women are indeed the better drivers and have a greater sense of direction. So, here is their chance to get behind the wheel for a day that both of them will remember! Red Wine & Chocolate Seminars: This is an interactive program exploring and tasting unusual pairing of red wine and chocolate. Guests will participate in pairing light, white, and dark chocolate with some of our finest wines. At the winery, rich tradition meets state-of-the-art technology under the masterful direction of Winemaster Bernard Delille. The Winery is housed in a converted dairy barn. Behind-the-Scenes Tour: Guests interested in knowing more about the turn of the century lifestyles of the Vanderbilts and their guests, the estate offers Behind the Scenes Tours. Whether it be the Butler’s tour, Architect’s tour, or Legacy of the Land, guests get to see areas of the house and estate not opened on the regular visit. Incredible time to soak in the history of the estate and savor the treasures. Specialty Tours are offered in addition to the self-guided visit. Guests can get a behind-the –scenes look at how Biltmore House functioned, and a closer look at the design and construction. Plus, one tour takes guests to areas of the estate of several movie settings!

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From grand gowns to delicate dressed, explore centuries of wedding fashion with this new exhibition of movie costumes and family heirlooms. Showcased in Biltmore House, award-winning costumes from iconic movies including Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Out of Africa are paired with exquisite floral designs complementing each film’s era.

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More than 40 costumes from 19 classic films will be displayed throughout the grand rooms of Biltmore House. Costumes illustrate changing styles in wedding fashion from 1700s through 1940s. The exhibition continues in Antler Hill Village with stories of Vanderbilt and Cecil weddings, along with the first-ever display of the wedding veil worn by Biltmore owner Mary Ryan Cecil and her cousin Jacqueline Kennedy.

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Cataloochee Ski Area, located high in the mountains of Western North Carolina is the home of “Great Skiing in the Great Smokies!” One of the first areas in the region to open each season, Cataloochee is committed to making your skiing and snowboarding experience the best it can be by utilizing one the most advanced snowmaking systems in the Southeast.

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With 100% snowmaking on 18 slopes and trails including the Cat Cage Terrain Park, 3 aerial lifts and 2 moving carpet lifts, and over 4,000 sets of snowsports equipment, the Cataloochee experience offers something everyone. We feature a PSIA and AASI member Ski and Snowboard School with instruction for all ages and abilities, and offer our HEAD Kids Adventure Center with ski and snowboard programs for kids ages 4-12 and a variety of terrain for beginners to experts alike. With our new Terrain-Based Learning programs, you will learn quicker and easier than ever before. Group and corporate meeting space is available. In the lodge, a fireplace and cozy atmosphere await you along with our on-mountain restaurant offering three ala carte meals daily and a lounge with full ABC permits. Round out your day on the mountain with a visit to The Shop at Cataloochee, featuring signature gifts and apparel.

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Down the hill in Maggie Valley, we offer Tube World, a snowtubing hill with up to 12 lanes of tubing fun! Cataloochee Ski and Sports, our rental and clothing shop in Maggie Valley allows you to rent your ski or snowboard equipment at a discounted rate, purchase your lift ticket and get everything you need for a day on the slopes. Bib, jacket and helmet rentals are also available at the shop as well. Best of all, you can pick up everything you need the night before and be ready to go straight to the snow on the day you plan to ski or snowboard with no waiting! The sports shop sells goggles, gloves, hats, sunglasses and other accessories to complete your visit. Cataloochee is located only 35 miles west of Asheville, 3 hours north of Atlanta, 1 ¾ hours from the Greenville/Spartanburg and Knoxville areas with easy four lane access from each and offers great midweek packages including our Drive, Slide and Stay and Kids Ski and Stay FREE programs making economical winter fun closer than you think!

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The other ski resort in Asheville’ s general area is the Wolf Ridge Ski Resort -

located approximately 30 miles north of Asheville in Mars Hill. Lift ticket pricing

ranges from $40 weekdays to $56 weekends/holidays. Ski and snowboard

equipment rentals are available as well. They have 15 ski runs, 3 ski lifts, and a

terrain park. The resort features green, blue and black diamond level.

Snow tubing is another popular activity at Wolf Ridge Ski Resort. They’ve

recently added a new Tube Run location. The new run is longer and wider with a

carpet lift to take you back up the hill. This is the second tube run to open at

Wolf Ridge Ski Resort. For a 1 hour session, the cost is $15 per person and for

two hours, it’s $25 per person.

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If skiing is not your forte, winter hikes and biking can provide many wonderful

surprises like better views (since leaves are off the trees), few fellow hikers, no

bugs, brilliant skies with clear distant views on many days and cool

temperatures. I have listed a few hikes in the area that allow for breathtaking

winter views.

To explore other Asheville area trails, it’s an easy 2-step process, just visit

ExploreAsheville.com, then choose the navigation link that says “Great

Outdoors”, then select “Hiking” from the blue sub-navigation.

When hiking in the winter, you might want to keep these things in mind… Check

the weather forecast: Remember that it is often 15-20 degrees cooler in the

higher elevations, Bring a map or GPS: Snow covered trails are difficult to follow

and much of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed during the winter due to snow

and ice on the road so you cannot access many of the hikes there. If the

Parkway is closed however, you can park at one of the entrances on hike up the

Parkway itself. Lastly, dress in layers!

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Pamper yourself in their spa, which is a $50 million dollar, 43,000-square-foot

subterranean spa featuring cavernous rock walls, arches, tunnels and 20 water

features. The main pool area features two therapeutic waterfall pools, a warm

mineral pool and lap pool with 6,500 fiber-optic stars embedded in the ceiling

and constant underwater music. Enjoy exhilarating contrast pools, an inhalation

room and eucalyptus-infused steam room.

The 10 pools are mineral-based and chlorine-free, containing trace minerals of

sodium, potassium, magnesium and zinc. Three fireside lounges await with

overstuffed chairs, warm blankets, light snacks, hot organic teas and herbal

infused waters. Then, you can step outside to enjoy roaring fireplaces, a

whirlpool, and a tiered outdoor terrace with panoramic mountain views.

If you have AAA members looking for that special occasion trip – this is a place

to really look into.

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Once you're here, it’s easy to imagine yourself as the pampered guest of one of

America’s most admired hostesses, Edith Vanderbilt. Your revitalizing journey

begins the moment you step foot into the luxurious facility, designed with

exquisite details that evoke the elegance of Biltmore House and promote

reflection and repose.

Stay for an hour or stay for the day. You can choose from a wide array of

treatments that incorporate the estate’s natural offerings to create a soothing,

rejuvenating, and uniquely Biltmore experience. Note that the Spa services

are available for Inn on Biltmore Estate guests.

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At the Grand Bohemian Hotel, guests will find a myriad of ways to relax and

rejuvenate. Indulge your senses while nourishing your mind and body. Poseidon

Spa is a tranquil escape offering an eclectic blend of traditional spa services and

uniquely Asheville-inspired delights. Experience relaxing massage therapy and

indulgent body treatments, or tantalize your senses with one of their signature

Kessler services. Whether enjoying a hot stone massage or a luxurious Age

Antidote Facial, the stylish atmosphere and unparalleled service will allow you to

truly experience the pampered side of traveling well.

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The Comfort Suites Outlet Center welcomes the opportunity to serve you. We are conveniently located right off of I-26 with easy access to I-40, just minutes from the Biltmore Estate (we offer discounted tickets), historic downtown Asheville, the Blue Ridge Parkway & the NC Arboretum. We are adjacent to the new Asheville Outlets and food pavilion (visit www.shopashevilleoutlets.com) & within walking distance to several restaurants, shopping & pharmacies.

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Trying to taste all that is Asheville can be daunting – there are over 250

independent restaurants in Asheville. But, there is a way to experience the best

of the best in a short amount of time so don’t worry! We have multiple food and

beer tours that can help you get a sample of Asheville food and drink. I counted

and we have at least 9 different food or drink tours!

One of our more unique tours is the No Taste Like Home Foraging Tour. A local

expert will take the group into the nearby woods and teach you how to forage for

wild mushrooms and herbs. It’s pretty unique!

On the food tours, a guide walks a group around the streets of downtown

Asheville and visits pre-selected restaurants. At each restaurant, there are

tasting size portions waiting for you as well as the chef to meet! The beer tours

function in a similar way… sampling the various beers at different breweries and

getting to talk to the brewers who actually make the beer. Most of the tours

include fun history of Asheville as well.

Boasting more breweries per capita than any U.S. city (roughly one brewery per

8,000 people), Asheville is home to 22 craft breweries and counting. On any

given day, about 50 local beers can be enjoyed in Asheville, served on draft and

in bottles. Each of our breweries has its own unique atmosphere and personality

and the same could be said for the beer. Not to mention the vast array of

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seasonal beers you can enjoy at only certain times of the year.

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I want to take just a second to highlight on of the oldest breweries in Asheville, the Highland Brewing Company. It’s a local staple brewery here and they have some exciting projects coming to completion that I’d like to make you aware of. This brewery started in 1994 and opened its Tasting Room to the public in October 2010, and in 2012 built a large stage and outdoor bar. They currently are open 7 days p/week and feature live music on Friday and Saturday nights. They’re latest project includes an event space with panoramic views and a rooftop bar, which will be opening in spring 2016. It features • Re-used concrete from old floors • Live roof reduces energy usage • Infrastructure for harvesting rainwater

The rooftop bar will include a repurposed shipping container that will house the bar and bathrooms. You can see Mt. Pisgah from the roof, and on really clear days, I’m told you can even see Cold Mountain.

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Lastly, I just want to talk about one of the highlights of my winter, the Asheville Restaurant Week. If I can swing it, I try to go out for at least one meal per day during this whole week! As I mentioned before, Asheville is home to over 250 independent restaurants, 20 regional tailgate markets and a growing number of craft breweries. Now you can enjoy our tastiest cuisine during Asheville Restaurant Week, taking place January 19–28, 2016. Participating restaurants will offer a prix fixe menu ranging from $15–$30 per person. Restaurants will offer options such as: Lunch: $15 two-course meal for one person Dinner: $20 two-course meal for two You can check out the list of restaurants at the website listed. And, please let your members know that reservations are recommended for this week!

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Please, also, take note of the next upcoming webinar on February 23 & 24. I and a few partners will be covering Spring in Asheville! Expect an invite in your inbox about 2 weeks prior.

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