Come One! Come All!

What are the Western Highlands of North Carolina?

Mountains and trails, bears and llama trains, waterfalls and pine forests, meandering streams and overgrown deciduous woods, surrounding small towns, rural homesteads and the city of Asheville.

Tourist areas that supplement the economy, by bringing in people who have a lot of money and are ready to spend it on over priced antiques, and even higher priced cottage arts and crafts. Who can say if they are fair, or not? It takes a lot of time to weave a basket, carve a statue, or piece a quilt and the money from selling these things must last long enough to buy food and gas and school necessities for the children. These things might make interesting and romantic movies, but there is really nothing romantic about being hungry, or cold and that is the reality for some of the families around us.

Kitschy little shopping areas that wow the retired set with their 1950’s settings, small shops filled with dolls and fairies, bakeries and restaurants. Elegant art galleries and chic boutiques for the young jet setters. Tie dye and incense for the hippies, potheads and poor, or perhaps those just wishing to reach back into their college days in the seventies. We have novelty in every from, from cute to exotic.

For me this is home now, rocks and rills mixed in among the trees and clouds. Small town living in the twenty first century where the people are mostly good and simple, ready to help each other out and living without many of the frills some folks consider so necessary in today’s world.

My guests come and in three days they can eat in turn of the century ice cream parlors, twentieth century pubs and even the Mellow Mushroom. We have it all!