Insiders' Guide to North Carolina's Mountains, 8th: Including Asheville, Biltmore Estate, and the Blue Ridge Parkway (Insiders' Guide Series) [Paperback]

Constance Richards (Author), Kenneth L. Richards (Author)

Book Description

Series: Insiders' Guide Series | Publication Date: May 1, 2006

Whether seeking an action-packed vacation or a relaxing retreat, North Carolina's mountains offer many things to do for all interests. In this guide find suggestions for jazz, crafts, and food festivals; golf, rockhounding, and skiing destinations; nightlife, resorts, and restaurant options, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

For more than twenty years, the Insiders’ Guide® series has remained the essential source for in-depth travel and relocation information. Each guide is written by locals and true insiders and offers a personal, practical perspective that readers everywhere have come to know and love.
The North Carolina Mountains provide a combination of adventure and serenity that can only be found in this ancient land of the Cherokees. From outdoor recreation and scenic drives all year-round to unique mountain crafts, this authoritative guide will show you how to make the most of the area’s offerings.

 

Inside you’ll find:

• a comprehensive guide to restaurants, lodging, and recreational opportunities
• countless details on how to live and thrive in the area, from where to find the best shopping to the lowdown on real estate
• the inside scoop on popular attractions such as the Biltmore Estate, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the Frescoes of Ashe County
• sections dedicated to children, seniors, and much more

Whether you’re planning a vacation, already living in the area, or looking to relocate, Insiders’ Guide to North Carolina’s Mountains will show you everything you need to know.

About the Author

Constance E. Richards is a freelance writer, journalist, and interpreter based in Asheville, North Carolina. She has written for Time, the London Daily Telegraph, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, Conde Nast Traveler, and many other national and international newspapers and magazines.

Kenneth L. Richards is an editor, feature columnist, poet, winemaster, educator, and tour guide. He has been an Asheville, North Carolina resident since 1979.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Insiders' Guide; 8th edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762740450
• ISBN-13: 978-0762740451
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,753,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good info but poorly organized, October 18, 2007

By 

chucktowndoc (Charleston, South Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Insiders' Guide to North Carolina's Mountains, 8th: Including Asheville, Biltmore Estate, and the Blue Ridge Parkway (Insiders' Guide Series) (Paperback)

While there's some very good information contained within this 450-plus page guide, it is very difficult or impossible to access quickly. Speed is what most travelers want in a guide right after quality information. The Richards have the quality down but need to work on the index in the next edition. There's just not an excuse in this technology-driven age (with "word search" engines, etc.) to not include highlights in the index that *are* included in the text. The organization by chapter headings (Restaurants, Art & Culture, Recreation,etc.) rather than by geography makes this particularly necessary.
Several times in the week we spent in the Western North Carolina mountains we sat in the car on the highway shoulder thumbing through trying to find info on a particular historic spot. We came up empty by using the index only to later discover there was something in the guide afterall. . . .five miles down the road! Very frustrating. "Historic Johnson Farm", anyone? Nothing in the index under any of those three words and yet it was in those 450-plus pages somewhere. The challenge would be to find it *again*....much less the first time for anyone. The glorious North Carolina Arboretum (just outside Asheville)? Couldn't find it anywhere. A serious mistake to have missed including or an offense that one can't access the info? Either way an irritating loss.
A better way of organizing this guide would be to follow the 'tried & true' Fodor's formula which divides first by geography and then subtitles 'Restaurants', 'Places to Stay', etc. It's only because of a dearth of North Carolina guides that I feel this earns three stars. With much competition it would have been two.....even with all that good information. If you can't access it how much good is it to you? Few people have the time to read a guidebook from front to back and certainly not while they're on site.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Almost like a textbook, June 19, 2007

By 

Speedo (McLeansville, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Insiders' Guide to North Carolina's Mountains, 8th: Including Asheville, Biltmore Estate, and the Blue Ridge Parkway (Insiders' Guide Series) (Paperback)

I use this book from to time when I'm in the mountains in NC. I find it more of a textbook rather than interesting reading. Don't get me wrong, it's a good book but not what I was looking for.