Secluded timber-frame mountain home surrounded by national forest — Property 140922

Blue Ridge Parkway:

The Blue Ridge Parkway also is not far away. The Parkway Milepost 360-420 Map (link on our web page) shows the Craggy Gardens area mentioned under 'waterfalls.'. The shortest route that I've been able to find from Brookside to the Parkway is to turn onto Dillingham Road across from the Barnardsville post office. Somewhere between 4 and 5 miles take Stoney Fork Road to the right. (If you are coming back from Walker and Douglas Falls then Stoney Fork Road would be on your left.) It is a gravel road and becomes F.S. 63 when it enters the Pisgah National Forest. Follow it until it ends at the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area on the Parkway, perhaps another couple of miles. F.S. 63 is open to the Parkway during the summer months. The Craggy Gardens Visitor Center (link at our web page)is about 4 miles north (left) on the Parkway.

Hiking:

There is a network of old logging roads on Brookside's 41 acres, some of which are kept cleared. There is a trail to the top of Ivy Knob, a moderately strenuous trek of about a mile. The Pisgah National Forest is open to the public and is pretty clear for hiking, since the hardwood canopy limits brush growth. People who are not very woods-savvy could get turned around pretty easily. However, it would be hard to get truly 'lost' unless a person completely panicked. If you simply keep going downhill you will come to a road before too long. The Carolina Mountain Club (see link on our web page) lists 566 different hikes, but a Brookside guest probably would want to focus on the 69 BRP (Blue Ridge Parkway) hikes. The Craggy Gardens hikes probably are closest to Brookside. There is a folder in the house with nine 7.5 minute series topographic series quadrangle maps for the use of our guests. These are the maps used by the Carolina Mountain Club to illustrate its route maps and profiles.

Places to Eat:

We have tried and like all three of the restaurants in downtown Weaverville: The Sunnyside Cafe, Blue Mountain Pizza, and the Well-Bred Bakery and Cafe. We also have tried the Stoney Knob Cafe and recommend it highly. Its slogan is 'Food from Far and Near' and its eclectic menu lives up to its billing. The Fireplace Restaurant is an inexpensive, family-oriented restaurant with a varied menu and a nice seafood buffet on Friday and Saturday nights. Asheville is filled with restaurants of every nationality and ethnicity and in every price and quality range. We were overwhelmed when we first looked at the restaurant listings in the Asheville Yellow Pages. Happily, there are a good many restaurant reviews available to help you sort them out. Just Google 'Asheville restaurant review' and take your pick. Our web page has more information on the restaurants mentioned above, including directions and links to web pages.