This month Atlanta Moms on the Move headed to Asheville for a conference. Having not been to Asheville in almost 8 years lets just say a lot has changed. This city is so vibrant and hip. It never lets you down. Only a mere 3.5 hours from Atlanta it’s a great scenic route. I arrived into the south side of Asheville in a newly minted area called Biltmore Park. An area that wasn’t here the last time I visited, so I was anxious to see what it was like. Biltmore Park is only 3 miles from the Asheville Regional Airport. Biltmore Park Town Square is a LEED-ND registered development which includes office, retail, residential, hotel and entertainment uses. I got to stay at the amazing Biltmore Farms Hilton Hotel. The Hilton Asheville was developed to not only be an energy efficient building, but to be a hotel that promotes healthy guests and a healthy environment. Very impressed by the green efforts that this Hilton is doing.
These strategies include a solar hot water system that pre-heats all the water consumed by the guestrooms, banquet facilities, restaurant and pool, 21% of all materials are composed with recycled content, 38% of all materials were extracted and manufactured regionally, 76% of all wood used was extracted from sustainably managed forests as certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Hilton Asheville consumes 30% less water and 25% less energy than a comparable hotel.
The Hilton is breath taking. Located in the corner of Biltmore Park near the movie theater, I got all settled in and took a walk around the area. That day they had a great Farmers market in the middle where homemade goat cheeses , chocolates and vegetables were laid out to enjoy. I grabbed a bit of chocolate before discovering some of the amazing art they have all over. Dragons coming out of the ground. Wind spinners, steel statues. They were great. Inside the Hilton all of the artwork is done by local artists. This nest piece was my favorite. It hangs in the lobby near the side entrance and the Roux restaurant. It is made of metal and the nest is “scratched” into it.
With so many fantastic stores I walked around the Biltmore Park area for a few hours just doing some light shopping. I came across a fun toy store called O.P Taylor’s a family was playing the biggest chess game I’ve ever seen! Any toy you can think of I bet this store has it. Biltmore Farms Town Square reminds me so much of a smaller Atlantic Station. With shops downstairs and condos upstairs. All it needs is a giant blue and yellow Ikea to call it home. I took a small break inside Barnes and Noble to do some light reading and relaxing before heading out the Downtown Asheville and meet with friends. The first evening I enjoyed a lovely Italian piano bar called Vincenzos. It had an old Italian family feel and even better food.
After a lovely dinner I decided to get an early rest so I headed back to the Hilton to snuggle into one of the most comfortable beds I’d ever slept in. The next day I was greeted with a newspaper to read over my morning coffee. I didn’t want to leave my room because of how nice it is. Marble countertops in the bathrooms. I felt like royalty.
On to the second part of my trip which includes an amazing drum circle and restaurants.
Did I mention that I accidentally forgot clothes in my room and the very sweet staff mailed them back to me? Amazing customer service.
Asheville
