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Asheville Regional Airport is located in southern Buncombe County, just off I-26 near the Henderson County line. The airport is an open, modern facility with wide views of the mountains and calming, comfortable waiting areas. A 40-foot atrium extends the width of the terminal building, offering a clear view of arrivals.

Asheville Regional Airport is 15 miles from downtown Asheville, eight miles from Hendersonville, 36 miles from Waynesville, 59 miles from Cashiers, 58 miles from Marion, 20 miles from Brevard, 57 miles from Sylva and 69 miles from Highlands.

Renovations and highlights include an on-site full-service travel agency, remodeled ground-level commuter passenger concourse, new restrooms, escalators and elevators, expanded restaurant and bar, and a resurfaced runway and taxiway. Technical features include an 8,001-foot long, 150-foot wide primary runway capable of serving large jet aircraft, FAA-rated air traffic control tower operating from 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m., and a windshear detection system.

On behalf of the employees, distributors, readers and advertisers of the Asheville Citizen-Times, we welcome you to the mountains of Western North Carolina. You have selected one of the most beautiful regions of the United States to visit. The fall colors are breathtakingly beautiful. We hope you have an enjoyable and safe time in our area.

This page is designed to assist you in finding the sights and events that you can enjoy. We encourage you to visit unique shops and boutiques and interesting stores and restaurants throughout the region. If you are interested in news, we invite you to pick up a copy of the Asheville Citizen-Times and Black Mountain News to keep you informed of local, state, national and world news, along with entertainment and sports news. Again, welcome to the mountains of Western North Carolina.

The North Carolina mountains long have been a destination for travelers seeking refreshment in a setting of natural beauty and warm hospitality. As a result, guest accommodations are many and varied in the Asheville area. They range from the Grove Park Inn resort established in 1913, to modern hotels, motels, country inns, rustic lodges and bed and breakfast at elegant Victorian homes or working farms. Vacation homes and cabins also are available. Campgrounds are numerous.

Bed and breakfast accommodations are particularly plentiful in Western North Carolina, where there are about 250 such establishments. Asheville alone has more than 50. Many have been established in turn-of-the-century or '20s era mansions when Asheville attracted many wealthy and discriminating travelers, among them George W. Vanderbilt. While a guest in a downtown Asheville hotel, Vanderbilt admired the view and decided to build his home, Biltmore House.

There is something intrinsically charming about being able to say, "We've got a country inn planned for the weekend." The term "country inn" itself, conjures the image of a sturdy old log structure with a broad front porch filled with rockers, fluffy quilts on the beds, and the lingering scent of smoke from cozy fireplaces. Truth is, country inns are just as versatile and varied as hotels and bed and breakfasts these days. Western North Carolina certainly has its share of traditional old inns, too numerous to recount in one go.

One of the great pleasures of staying at a country inn is the dining. Yet you needn't necessarily be an overnight guest to enjoy the culinary treasures of these traditional retreats. Western North Carolina boasts a number of inns whose dining rooms are as famous as their lodgings. Many concentrate on bountiful servings of old-fashioned hearty and fresh country cooking, served family-style or as a buffet, while others pride themselves on gourmet cutting edge a la carte fare. You've got the rest of the autumn to try them all.

There's no better way to get a taste of the mountains of Western North Carolina than to attend some festivals. Almost every town, or certainly every county features a festival, some huge and some much smaller, but all fun and fascinating for what they reveal about the mountains and their culture. Crafters with baskets, pottery and weaving, herbal crafts and food products make one-of-a-kind gifts to take home. Music is a staple of mountain festivals, from bluegrass to old-time mountain ballads. And the food! Sometimes it's festival food you could find anywhere but sometimes it's simply superb.

When autumn pays its annual visit, more than leaves enjoy a peak season. Golf in the fall in Western North Carolina means comfortable temperatures, gorgeous scenery with all its vivid changing colors and the same quality golf courses that are available the year round. Turn in any direction from downtown Asheville and you find public and semi-private courses that offer challenging play at reasonable costs.

To the north in Weaverville is Reems Creek Golf Club, one of the area's most popular 18-hole layouts. A short but demanding course, Reems Creek places a premium on accuracy over length off the tee. Immaculately groomed with bent grass from tee to green, this blend of rolling terrain and true mountain lies will test golfers of all abilities. Farther northeast approximately one hour from Asheville may be WNC's best golf course. Mount Mitchell GC near Burnsville is a relatively flat piece of land surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest. The South Toe River flows through the course and its soothing sounds belie the stern challenge of playing the bent grass fairways and greens carved out of compelling terrain.

Also northeast near Marion is Blue Ridge Country Club, where variety of holes and quality of conditions make this a must-play. A small charming inn on the grounds where golfers sleep to the sounds of the Catawba River flowing nearby adds to the incredible scenery offered on the course. South of Asheville some 30 minutes away is Etowah Valley Country Club, with 27 holes of resort play. The original 18 is old-style classic featuring long par-4s where driver and mid- to long-irons are required. Just east of downtown is Buncombe County GC, a Donald Ross design that is undergoing a renaissance thanks to improved conditions. This public course offers a relatively flat, wide-open front nine that leads into a hilly, more difficult back side that includes two difficult par-3s that can stretch to more than 200 yards each.

Another Ross course minutes from downtown is Grove Park Inn CC, where golfers have savored this classic layout since the 1890s. A bit farther east is Black Mountain GC, which proudly owns one of the world's few and longest par-6s, the 700-yard plus 17th hole. Another course that has made alterations that improved its play-ability, Black Mountain is a not too taxing but quite pleasant 18 holes. To the west are a trio of Haywood County courses, each with its own unique character. Springdale CC throws a wide variety of holes at its players, including a four-hole stretch of par-4s on the front side perhaps unrivaled in difficulty.

Waynesville CC is resort golf at its finest. The 27 holes rarely play long but give accurate players a chance to shoot low scores in a relaxed setting. Maggie Valley Resort & CC offers the opportunity to score well early in the round with a rather flat, accessible front nine. But after the turn the courses get hilly and much more demanding with some of the trickiest greens anywhere. From any point of the compass, fall golf in WNC promises a day to remember for players in terms of good golf and scenic views.