Locals like to say that God kissed the Earth and called it Asheville. The city is the largest in the Western half of North Carolina and a major tourist destination. If you are thinking about a stay in a bed and breakfast inn in Asheville, you need to decide when to visit. This really breaks down into two times of year, as Asheville has a half of the year that is decidedly better than the other half.
Asheville’s “good” half of the year runs from April through October. April is the first month that there flowers blooming in the gardens at the Biltmore Estate, which a must-see for anyone visiting the city who has never seen it. Different flowers bloom in the gardens there in the months of May and June, so visiting in these three different months yields three different visual extravaganzas.
Beautiful flowers are also to be seen at the local University of North Carolina Asheville botanical gardens, as well as the North Carolina Arboretum. Late May through mid June are also the peak times for rhododendron blooms along the ridge tops.
Summer is when this part of North Carolina is best to be a tourist, as every imaginable and famous attraction within driving distance, from the Blue Ridge Parkway to Grandfather Mountain is open and alive. Things wind down in September, but pick back up a little in the middle of October when the leaves peak in their color change. This part of the state has beauty almost unparalleled anywhere else in the nation for leaf changing.
During the late Fall and Winter months, the Parkway is usually closed and this is the only time of year the weather can get extreme. Still, the snowfall that happens is rarely enough to shut down roads, so visitation is still possible. If your purpose for a bed and breakfast inn stay is a quiet weekend of staying indoors to unplug from the world, this is a great season to do it. The local music scene and culture is alive every night in the downtown area, otherwise known as the Paris of the South.
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