Simplify your vacation for 2009 - stay in the NC mountains

It seems like everyone is experiencing some effects from the economic slowdown. But a tough economy doesn't mean you necessarily have to forgo your entire annual vacation. Leisure and fun are important, especially in more stressful times, and it's important to remember to keep money moving through the economy.

How do Asheville & Carolina Mornings help vacationers acheive this?

Visiting Asheville and the surrounding NC mountains is a great way to slim down your vacation costs, support local businesses, and still get away for fun and relaxation. Those in the Southeast will cut costs by sticking closer to home. Those from other parts of the country - especially the larger cities - will often find Western North Carolina more affordable in comparison to home. Those who usually go to faraway destinations can have a really fantastic trip with the arts, culture, food, and shopping that Asheville has to offer - without spending extra money on European (for example) travel costs.

Asheville has many free or affordable attractions. There are many art galleries and studios to visit free. Enjoy theater performances (including impressive traveling national and international acts) at Diana Wortham and Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at affordable ticket prices. Spend an entire day strolling the streets of downtown and window shopping. Eat at nationally acclaimed restaurants for under $20 a plate for dinner, $10 and under for lunch.

There are many reasons Asheville is called the Paris of the South, or the San Francisco of the East. Enjoy the perks and attractions of big city atmosphere in a small community setting - all for less than you would spend in other locations.

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For your affordable Asheville mountain vacation, give Carolina Mornings a call. Our Vacation Specialists will help you find the perfect property for your stay!

Rivertime Specials- the Early Bird gets the good vacation deal

Rivertime is a great getaway for couples or small families. This cozy cabin is surrounded by the natural beauty of the NC mountains, but makes a good base camp for those looking to travel into Asheville and many other area attractions. Achieve ultimate relaxation - sit by the river, curl up in front of the warm fireplace, lay back in the hot tub, or enjoy the cabin's massage table. Don't leave out your furry family members - dogs are welcome at Rivertime too.

The owners of Rivertime are offering these great specials to make your getaway even easier to afford!

Winter Specials:
Enjoy discounted nightly rates - see Web site listing for rate information.
Plus -
Book any two nights during January, February or March and receive a third night for ONLY $11!
Or...
Stay five nights and get your sixth and seventh nights for ONLY $22!

Early Bird Special:
Reservations made between January 26, 2009 and April 9, 2009, for a WEEK'S STAY (seven nights) during the period of April 10, 2009 and December 31, 2009, will receive $90 off the weekly rate!


Visit our Web site or give us a call (800.700.9055) to book one of these great specials and Rivertime can be all yours for the length of your Asheville visit! Great long-term rental rates too.

It's not easy being green. But it does pay off!

I'm sure I've talked about our environmentally friendly programs and practices before.

For those who are unaware, here are some of the actions we take to limit our impact on the environment:
-Online fax (paperless)
-Limiting our paper usage
-Using compact flourescent lights in the office
-Encouraging all of our owners to use CFLs in their properties, both for environmental and economic reasons
-Participating in the Adopt-a-Highway program to keep our highway green spaces as litter-free as possible
-Recycling our printer paper - we use both sides, then when we need to discard altogether we use the 'mixed paper' option at our recycling center
-Recycling everything that can be recycled, and paying attention to recycling numbers (higher numbers are harder to recycle, so they use up more power resources to recycle. This defeats the purpose of recycling, which is to reduce the amount of resources used in production of these items)

What do you do in your daily life to be or go 'green'? We always like to hear new tips.

Carolina Mornings also includes an eco-friendly certification program that our owners can choose to participate in. Certification requires a number of any eco-friendly features.

Some of these many possible features include:
Recycling, Isolene foam in ceiling, cellulose insulation, bamboo flooring, local or recycled lumber, "Trex" recycled decking, recycled and energy efficient doors and windows, recycled paper products, bio-degradable soaps and detergents, compact fluorescent light bulbs, cloth napkins and dish rags, environmentally friendly cleaning products, Energy Star appliances, and No-VOC ICI paint.

Check out our officially certified properties individually for a complete list of the included eco-friendly features. Many of our other property owners also use eco-friendly supplies or appliances, but are simply not certified.

It is not always easy - or cheap - to be environmentally friendly. But we believe that it will pay off, for us and future generations. And of course, as more consumers look for green products any extra effort or monetary value will be worth the cost for those companies who make a genuine effort to be green.

The enviro-friendly trend

Customer demands have influenced companies to go green. In some cases, these companies were already inclined to be environmentally friendly. It seems that some are now using the labels, such as "organic" "all natural" and "green" a little too liberally.

How can you tell if a company has a genuine interest in the environment? Check out their entire product line, materials or ingredients, and try to discern if they have a commitment to going and staying green.

Some examples? Recently I came across My Emma, a e-newsletter service provider that plants trees every time a new customer signs up for their services - to represent how many trees are saved by choosing e-newsletters over traditional paper mailings. I've been using Seventh Generation products for years. They are a green home products company from Burlington, Vermont (one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the U.S.) that has been in business over 20 years. This is a sign that they came along before the recent 'green' marketing movement. In addition, their Web site includes an entire section for learning more about being ecologically conscious in your purchases and within your home environment, including an "Ask Scienceman" section.

Another part of this going green movement has been eco-friendly travel. This is great for us at Carolina Mornings, because our company team is dedicated to being as environmentally friendly as possible in our own lives. This dedication has made Carolina Mornings an eco-friendly business since Shari began the company over 10 years ago.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the ways our employees and our company practices demonstrate our commitment to be environmentally friendly.

Did You Know? about Asheville accolades

Asheville makes it onto the list for several national rankings. Here are a few interesting ones (with some related Asheville links thrown in):

One of "The 50 Most Alive Places To Be" (Modern Maturity)

One of "America's Top 25 Arts Destinations" (AmericanStyle)

The "Happiest City for Women" (Self)

One of the "Best Places to Reinvent Your Life" (AARP Magazine)

The "New Freak Capital of the U.S." (Rolling Stone)

"A New Age Mecca" (CBS News' Eye On America)

The "most vegetarian-friendly" small city in America (PETA)


Plus, Asheville Magazine wrote an interesting story regarding the attraction of Asheville.

Luxury Biltmore Village Villas honoring one stays until April 9!

Our Carolina Mornings' luxury condos - the Biltmore Village Villas - are accepting ONE night minimums through the rest of the winter season.*

The cost for BVV one night rentals is $290.



*Exception: The Hideaway A-300 does not accept the one night stay offer.

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Call a Carolina Mornings vacation specialist at 1-800-770-9055 to book this limited time special.

Vacation in Asheville with Carolina Mornings - now offering ONE night minimums!

For the first time ever, we are offering a selection of our vacation rental properties for just ONE night. These properties are a much better value for you than the area hotels - for a comparable price, you get quality furnishings, private space, a kitchen or kitchenette!

Properties that have agreed to this offer include...
Dogwood Studio (also provides free breakfast with your stay)Red Barn Ladybug Cabin

Phish comes to Asheville!

This just in from BlogAsheville!

Phish will be playing at the Asheville Civic Center on June 9.
Tickets go on sale January 30th and are $49.50 (general admission).
This is the only venue they are playing in the entire Southeast!

So, if anyone will be coming from out of town to see the show (and I'm sure plenty of people will be!), keep in mind that we have plenty of Asheville vacation rentals close enough to downtown to suit your needs. We have several properties downtown or within walking distance of downtown for those who don't want to worry about driving or paying for a cab!

Check out Carolina Mornings on the Web site or give us a call!

Getaway on this month's 3 day weekend!

Martin Luther King, Jr day is coming up - the weekend of Jan 16 for those not keeping track. After the busy holiday season, and going back to work, I'm betting most readers are counting the days until the next extra day of rest and relaxation.

We can help with that.
Carolina Mornings is offering a 2 night minimum for this holiday weekend and we are honoring all of our winter specials and packages.

Also don't forget about our Mountain Discovery Pass. With every reservation you'll get free tickets to area attractions - including free lift tickets at Ski the Wolf.



To make your reservations for a long weekend (or a short weekend!) in Asheville, check out our properties and give one of our vacation specialists a call! 1-800-770-9055. We are looking forward to helping you find your perfect rental for a great relaxing MLK getaway.

2009 is here!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hope everyone had a safe and fun night last night and, like our Carolina Mornings team, are enjoying a day of rest! We'll back in the office tomorrow, and we'll be back blogging next week.

Take care and much happiness, peace, and prosperity in 2009.