Carolina Mornings wants to help you celebrate motherhood

Celebrate Moms the Entire Month of May!

Relax Mom

Different Packages Available for Mothers Needing Value!

Carolina Mornings is looking for Moms who are stressed out, tired of schlepping the kids, dogs and friends all over town, soccer games, dance, making dinner for your family of 19, cleaning house, and looking at an endless list of chores and errands.

If you - or your loved one - suffer from these symptoms, please call Carolina Mornings and let us help you escape to the mountains. We have the perfect remedy for getting moms back into a healthy mind and body.

How do we do it?

Add any of the following Mother's Specials to any of our luxury mountain log cabins!
Our Specials include: massages, Biltmore tickets, and/or dinner to local area restaurants (which means you save money and your mind!).

Choose your elixir of life....

• Add Two Biltmore Tickets and Southern Season Sweet Treat for $100 (a savings of $25).

• Add a $50 Gift Certificate to Zambra's for only $25 (a savings of $25).

• Add a $40 Gift Certificate to Corner Kitchen for only $20 (a savings of $20)

• What Women Want: One hour relaxing aromatherapy massage at Relax and Rejuvenate followed by a spa manicure and pedicure. Delicious strawberries dipped in chocolate and spring flowers in a gift box. Add to any reservation for $129.

Visit our Web site to look at our selection of vacation homes available during the month of May. Then give us a call (800-770-9055) to book your Mother's special!

Mountain colors - in the spring!

Photo from www.biltmore.com. Spring Garden at Biltmore Estate.

We always refer to color in the mountains as a part of the Autumn. But the blooms in spring can be just as beautiful.

Since we fully experience all four seasons in the NC mountains, there is a wide time frame for seeing mountain flowers. Typically blooming begins in March and ends in late June. ExploreAsheville, the official tourism Web site for Asheville, gives a spring bloom schedule. Biltmore provides a bloom report on their Web site, so you'll know what's showing up in their gardens during your upcoming stay.

The largest selection can be seen in May, but the famous widespread rhododendron blooms in June. Take hikes in June and will find yourself completely surrounded by blooming rhododendron. It is a beautiful sight!

Some great places to view spring flowers include:
Biltmore Estate (Festival of Flowers in particular)
The Arboretum
The Blue Ridge Parkway
Grandfather Mountain

Just don't forget your allergy pills if you're like me and get sneezy from pollen!

AVL on the list of 10 Best Places to Live

Yahoo's Real Estate has placed Asheville on the top 10 best places to live. Since AVL is situated at the highest part of the Appalachian Range and surrounded by the Great Smokey and  Blue Ridge Mountains-what is not to like? Also states the low cost of living,  affordable housing and diversity with families and retirees make this one of the top 10 places to live.

Fall leaf colors will be gorgeous

Each Wednesday, those interested in the status of fall color in Asheville and the surrounding Western North Carolina mountains can turn to VisitNC's "Fall Color Guy" - Dr. Howard S. Neufeld, a professor of plant physiology at Appalachian State University in Boone.

The Fall Foliage Report states that, as of October 1, "Cool crisp nights are setting the stage for bright color across the state. A hint of color is present in the highest elevations; lower elevations are still patiently waiting."

The current Asheville area, which is where our Carolina Mornings properties are located, has the following report:

While the colors in this area are still subtle, there is plenty of beauty to be found. County Road, in the Lake Junaluska area, is a quick drive full of twists and turns that is always beautiful and is currently showcasing a large maple tree showing tinges of yellow that is simply beautiful. There are also a few reds popping up along this stretch.

Nights continue to be slightly cool and the days are moderate in temperature.

Sounds like good news for all of our guests planning to come in the next few weeks. If you like the idea of being surrounded by beautiful fall colors, it isn't too late to book with us - we have plenty of Carolina Mornings properties still available and now just a 2 night minimum stay! Check it out on our Web site, or call us toll free at 800.770.9055.

UPDATE: New Minimum Night Requirement for October!

We have just updated our October nightly minimum for all Carolina Mornings (Asheville Cabins) properties. While we usually only accept 4 night rentals, we've decided to drop it down to just a two night stay! Plus, many properties are offering discounts or other specials as incentive to come visit.

Some of our properties are keeping longer requirements, but almost all are allowing weekend-long stays in an attempt to increase bookings for October. This is a GREAT time to visit Asheville - I believe it's even better than a summertime visit (see reasons below). Most years you won't find this kind vacation rental opportunity since many rental home owners bump their nightly minimum for leaf season.

5 reasons why October is a better time to visit than summertime:
1. Fall feels so re-freshing after a long hot summer!
2. Typically beautiful weather, usually warm days and not-TOO-cold nights.
3. Clear mountain views, since they are no longer obstructed by summer smog (I always joke that the mountains hibernate in summer and come back out in the fall).
4. Leaf colors, of course.
5. Downtown Asheville is a bit less crowded with other visitors.

A sneak peak at the Asheville area

Ramp season - NC festivals

Although it doesn't sound like a name for an appetizing (though smelly) treat, 'ramp' actually refers to a vegetable, also known as wild leek, that grows wild in Appalachia every spring.

According to a National Geographic article, ramps come from the same family as onions, garlic, and scallions. Therefore, they taste like a 'garlicky onion' - which, in my opinion sounds YUMMY. Ramps, however, also make you stink. They have a strong pungent odor, which - like garlic - leaks out of your pores after consumption.

Ramps, native to our WNC mountains (and the rest of Appalachia), are harvested in the wild and only grow between the time the snow melts and the leaves come back on the trees. They grow in the Blue Ridge, Great Smokey Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains.

Ramp festivals have become really popular among small-town locals and tourists - causing some to fear that the mass harvesting is harming the abundance of ramps. In fact, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in NC and TN has banned ramp harvesting since 2002.

Read this article, jam-packed with interesting tidbits about ramps.

If this interests you as much as it interested me (I didn't even know about it, and I'm a native North Carolinian who's lived in WNC for over 4 years!), check out some of the ramp festivals happening nearby. It's a great time of year to visit Western NC and Asheville, too.

• Robbinsville Smokey Mountain Romp & Ramps Festival. Sat, April 26. Nature walks, workshops, music, and dinner. Stecoah Valley Arts Center. Call 800-470-3790.
  
  
• Waynesville Ramp Festival - Sun, May 4. American Legion Field. Call 828-456-8691.
  
  
• Crossnore Ramp Festival - May 24-25. Bluegrass music, dancing, and ramp recipes to try. Jim & Jennie's Music Barn and Campground. Call 828-733-2807.