Grove Park Inn

Grove Park Inn Review

This large resort overlooking Asheville is well worth a visit even if you don't stay the night. The oldest section was built in 1913 using locally mined granite stones, some weighing 10,000 pounds, and was modeled after the grand railroad hotels in the American West. Inside you'll find the largest collection of Arts and Crafts furniture in the world. On the grounds are two small but interesting museums: the North Carolina Homespun Museum (www.grovewood.com/homespun_museum.php) tells the story of a training school established by the Vanderbilt family to revive interest in native crafts. A collection of antique cars assembled by a local car dealer is the main feature of the Estes-Winn Memorial Automobile Museum (www.grovewood.com/car_museum.php). Grovewood Gallery, also on the resort grounds in a 1917 English-style cottage, showcases the work of some 500 craftspeople and artists. If you visit in the cooler months, be sure to warm yourself in front of the two enormous stone fireplaces in the inn's lobby.