From cricket tacos to fried chicken, handmade donuts and award-winning desserts, this small North Carolina mountain town is a foodie destination just waiting to be discovered.
Check out the story that was published in Allegiant’s in-flight magazine. Hendersonville’s Unexpected Food Finds.copy
Cricket Tacos are a hit at NeverBlue
Asheville, NC, skyline
With the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop, the town of Asheville has morphed into more than just a destination for outdoor enthusiasts. This small mountain town, known as the “Paris of the South,” is a hotspot for farm-to-table restaurants, lively music, arts and crafts, upscale shopping and a wide variety of seasonal festivals.
Belle & Beast topiary is one of more than 100 festive topiaries featuring favorite Disney characters.
Richly hued flowers and floating gardens adorn the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
Spring is a great time to visit Walt Disney World and especially Epcot during its annual 90-day International Flower & Garden Festival. Be prepared to be wowed by millions of brilliant blossoms, more than 100 festive topiaries featuring favorite Disney characters, 220 mini-floating gardens and Disney-crafted “flower towers.” During this event from February 28th to May 28th, guests will also enjoy cuisine from 15 outdoor kitchens and top-notch musical acts.
Check my entire article in Allegiant Airline’s in-flight magazine, Sunseeker: Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival 2018 copy
Beech Mountain Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC
Are you psyched for the Winter Olympics? Want to try out some of those half-pipe tricks or finesse your figure skating jumps?
We’re lucky in North Carolina–we have both a beautiful coastline with sandy beaches and gorgeous sunsets, but also stunning mountains with waterfalls, autumn leaves and snow, providing lots of opportunity for all types of sports.
Check out my article for Allegiant’s in-flight magazine, Sunseeker, to read about Beech Mountain Ski Resort, a fantastic winter resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains where you can ski, snowboard, go snow tubing, ice skating and sledding. Then after a day on the slopes enjoy some craft beer and great food at one of the few breweries owned and operated by a ski area.
I just returned from a media trip to Walt Disney World for the grand opening of Pandora–The World of Avatar. This 12-acre addition to Walt Disney’s World’s Animal Kingdom is the fulfillment of a multi-year project by both Disney and the film’s creator James Cameron.
Cameron and the main cast from the movie were on hand for the dedication prior to its opening to the public on May 27th. This amazing, colorful bioluminescent land with floating trees and waterfalls also offers two new rides: Na’vi River Journey and the most realistic 3D ride I’ve ever been on–Avatar Flight of Passage (where you get to fly on the back of a banshee.)
Don’t miss Windtraders, a shop where you can find Na’vi cultural items, toys, science kits and more. The Satu’li Canteen is a great casual restaurant with great food, a bioluminescent frozen cocktail and indigenous beers.
When visiting Animal Kingdom after dark (which I highly recommend) be sure to see the Tree of Life with its animated imagery, the Rivers of Light show, sunset safaris and live-entertainment street parties.
If you plan on visiting Walt Disney World this summer, a great place to stay close to all the action is Animal Kingdom Lodge where you can view animals such as giraffes and zebras right from your room’s balcony!
© Sandra Chambers
Photos by Sandra Chambers
Posted in Disney, Florida, Orlando, Resorts, Theme Parks
Hendersonville, NC, a small town near Asheville in the North Carolina mountains, will celebrate its inaugural Apple Country Cider Jam Saturday, April 22, which showcases eight hard cideries, two producers of nonalcoholic cider, two local wineries and music by the band Balsam Range, winner of 10 awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association.
Henderson County is at the epicenter of NC’s burgeoning cider industry. The county produces 85 percent of the state’s apples and leads the way in hard cider production as well.
“We have world-class cider produced right here, and it all starts with our great apples,” says Mark Williams, executive director of Agribusiness Henderson County and event organizer. “The Cider Jam kicks off the whole season of apple production. It coincides with the apples in full bloom and promotes a product that can be enjoyed year-round.”
Festival cideries must be based in North Carolina and use apples sourced within the state. The eight hard cideries are: Bold Rock Hard Cider in Mills River; Bull City Ciderworks in Lexington and Durham; Crimson Ridge in Mills River; Flat Rock Ciderworks in Hendersonville; GoodRoad CiderWorks in Charlotte; Noble Cider in Asheville; The 1898 Waverly Inn in Hendersonville; and Wallace Ciders from St. Paul Mountain Vineyards in Hendersonville.
Local producers Apple Wedge Packers & Cider and McConnell Farms will provide fresh, nonalcoholic cider varieties, while Burntshirt Vineyards of Hendersonville, will serve apple wine.
The Apple Country Cider Jam runs from 1-6 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include tastings, souvenir cup and live music. Non-alcohol tickets are $10. Food will be available from local food trucks and downtown restaurants.
For info or to purchase tickets, visit www.CiderJamNC.com. For lodging and details about Hendersonville, go to www.VisitHendersonvilleNC.com or call (800) 828-4244.
(Photo by Sam Dean)
Oceanfront hotels are a dime a dozen along the East Coast seaboard, but it’s a real treat to find two that have survived decades and still exist as stunning destinations. Their unique stories are woven into a tapestry of Southern charm and hospitality. I recently had the opportunity to visit the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort located on St. Simons Island, GA, and The Casa Marina Hotel in Jacksonville, FL. Both have fascinating histories and offer unique oceanfront experiences.
The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort
This legendary hotel, a member of the National Register of Historic Places and a member of the prestigious Historic Hotels of America, is located on one of the barrier islands that make up Georgia’s coast. It first opened in 1935 as a seaside dance club. Six years later, the main hotel building opened to the public as the King and Prince Hotel.
During World War II, the hotel served as a naval coast-watching and training facility. The center of Radar operations was housed at the King and Prince which also provided officers’ quarters and classrooms. The bar at the hotel was an after-hours gathering spot for soldiers, their wives and members of the local Civil Air Patrol.
The hotel’s current restaurant “Echo” pays tribute to the hotel’s crucial part in the island’s naval history. As radar sent its electromagnetic waves in and out, the “Echo” became a heartbeat of the War’s impact on St. Simons Island. For history buffs, I highly recommend a Lighthouse Trolley Sightseeing Tour of St. Simons Island, with stops at historic Ft. Frederica and Christ Church.
Over the years, The King and Prince has undergone several renovations and expansions including the Resort’s cherished core–the historic main building. I was privileged to stay in one of the Cabana rooms in this Historic Building with a step-down sitting room off the bedroom and an oceanfront private patio where I enjoyed amazing sunrises and cool ocean breezes. The resort also offers suites, two-&-three bedroom Villas, beach cottages and private homes.
Oceanfront Cabana room in historic building.
The King and Prince Resort is the only oceanfront resort on the island and is the perfect place for family vacations, business meetings, destination weddings, reunions, golf outings and romantic retreats. Its serene setting allows guests the option to stay as busy as they want or to enjoy a low-key get-a-way. Take a walk or bike on the beach; enjoy a game of tennis on clay courts; or play a round of golf on the “best marsh front course on the east coast.” And be sure to book a relaxing massage at the Royal Treatment Cottage.
Sunrise at King and Prince Resort
The King and Prince offers amazing food options from casual beach fare poolside, to Echo’s Southern-coastal breakfasts, lunches and dinners featuring signature entrees such as Shrimp & Grits prepared with fresh Georgia shrimp. Executive Chef James S. Flack is always ready to prepare amazing cuisine for that special wedding or other event. The 5-course wine dinner I enjoyed while visiting the resort was the perfect ending to a perfect island adventure and it even included a gorgeous Georgia sunset to beacon me back again.
Check out this video of the resort:
Located in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, the Casa Marina Hotel (circa 1925) is Jacksonville’s only historic hotel with the designation of Historic Hotels of America (HHA). In its heyday, it was a destination for the rich and famous. Known as the original “Famous Beach” during the Roaring Twenties, the hotel frequently hosted such movie stars as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy, Mary Pickford and later Katherine Hepburn.
It’s Spanish-Mediterranean design boasted a “first” at the beach–a fireproof building composed of stucco-concrete, tile and an automatic sprinkler system. During World War II, the United States government appropriated the Casa Marina for military housing. After the war, Casa Marina went through a succession of owners who converted it into an apartment building, a restaurant, a tea room and then a vintage clothing store. In 1991, the “grand lady” reopened as a hotel.
Sunrise from Casa Marina Hotel
Today, the Casa Marina Hotel & Restaurant offers guests the opportunity to go back in time and experience its history with 23 bedrooms and parlor suites, each uniquely decorated to represent a different era in the hotel’s history. From the front desk to the hallways lined with black and white photos, the hotel still maintains the feel of a by-gone era.
Casa Marina offers a delicious Sunday brunch, complimentary breakfast during the week, and a fun, open-air penthouse bar on the third level that overlooks the ocean. Its tapas menu, craft cocktails, and sunsets make the climb to the top worthwhile.
Checkout this video of the Casa Marina Hotel:
(I was hosted at both hotels as part of a media visit, but the comments and reviews are my own.)
Posted in Florida, Georgia, Hotels / Resorts, Jacksonville, Resorts, Romantic get-a-ways
