Paris (of the South) in the Spring

Asheville has been called “The Paris of the South” for a century but no one really thinks it can hold a candle to Paris, France. However, we came up with similarities and will let YOU decide.

 

1. People love to get their feet on the street and experience the unique feel of a small town that has quirky, older buildings stuck in time, some with art deco style in between new high-rises. Fresh air filters down the mountains and has been drawing people since the 1890s when the only cure for TB was breathing mountain air.

2. The streets are filled with interesting hole-in-the-wall restaurants that offer local foods with gluten-free, organic, vegan choices or quality animal protein from locally sourced farms. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a chain. Our current favorite is the Creperie Bouchon Restaurant.

 

3. We’ve got the chocolates to prove it. Our favorite stop is French Broad Chocolates. Dan and Jael source their cacao from their own farm (and others) in Costa Rica. Order the “Chocolate Sip.”

 

4. A French chateaux? We’ve got the Biltmore House (1898). This Vanderbilt residence is the biggest, privately owned home in America and is definitely worth the price of the ticket.

 

5. Fashion? Plein air art in the streets? Yep, got that…it’s called walking tattoos. You’ll stare, but that’s OK because people with the tattoos are proud of them. Or you could go to the The River Arts District and see real artists at work in their studios.

 

6. Pan-handlers instead of Paris pick-pockets. Ignore them and share your spare change with the buskers (street performers) that are so musically talented.

 

7. Asheville has “heart.” People are friendly here. You’ll just feel the spirit when you come and if you don’t, then make a point to go to the Drum Circle in Pritchard Park March-October. That will get you jivin’

Paris or not, Spring is a great time to visit Asheville and stay at Cloud 9 Relaxation Home.