Travel and Leisure is known for its lists. Best places to go for this and that and everything in between! Like ‘the coolest towns’. Asheville North Carolina was recently picked among the coolest. Besides its coolness it has been a favorite travel destination for decades. But it wasn’t always. It went through some hard times in the 70’s and 80’s. Closed store fronts and discarded buildings. What brought it back?
“…starting in the mid-80s, a group of visionary citizens led one of the most amazing economic transformations in the US. Forward to 2015: Calendars full of next-level music / arts / culture festivals, and pound for pound the most thriving craft beer and local food scene in the country.”
It is the visionary people that make all the difference. They feel the heart and soul of a place. Bringing it back and moving forward, that is what it takes. And people will come, they will stay and they will work, play and thrive. And be cool!
This is what happened when two visionary men opened a gate and their hearts and bought the 1889 White Gate Inn & Cottage in Asheville North Carolina in 1999. A beautiful transformation took place inside and out. The southern cottage style house turned Inn has eleven guest rooms and private cottage. Turn every corner and through every door and you find comfort with an elegant feel. Then go outdoors and the WOW continues. I couldn’t describe it any better than this description in an article by Mountain Xpress.
“It’s hard to resist the intimate coves and dense greenery of the 1889 White Gate Inn & Cottage near downtown Asheville North Carolina. The gardens got a modern update when Ralph Coffey and partner Frank Salvo bought it in 1999. Coffey moved approximately 450 of his favorite perennials and shrubs from Lake Norman, near Charlotte, to create the inn’s backyard garden where once there was just an expanse of grass. Conifers, red-veined begonias and flowering hibiscus line the bed-and-breakfast’s meandering paths, and cozy sitting areas create an elaborate maze that lure casual visitors like a Siren’s call.”
Asheville’s location in the Appalachian highland terrain makes it a wonderful locale. Temperatures range from the high 40’s and 50’s in the winter/spring/fall months and the low to mid 80’s in the summer. Great gardening and vacation weather. Travel & Leisure’s criterion for a cool town also requires a sense of place, in other words a town with a heart & soul. This is very apparent in Asheville when you see how the locals take care of their town. They dine, shop and play there. The vibrancy and rich colors that adorn the restored architectural buildings can’t help but draw people to the town. And the locals love to share. Just ask Ralph and Frank.
The 1889 White Gate Inn & Cottage is a prime example of the rich architectural legacy of Asheville. The owners have cared and improved upon this legacy and are now ready to pass it on to new owners with their own vision and… coolness.
Thanks for Listening,
Janet Wolf
