Finished a three-day scouting trip to Asheville, NC, today and had my schedule clear this morning, so I went for a walk in the neighborhood just north of downtown. I hiked to the Omni Grove Park Inn, a grand arts and crafts style hotel that opened in 1913 and has hosted numerous U.S. presidents and other eminent people. It has its own understated golf course and a scenic view from a terraced backyard patio on the slope of Sunset Mountain.
The inn is gracious enough to allow visitors who aren’t staying in rooms there to tour the property and use its café. I got a coffee and croissant sandwich and found a seat on the patio viewing other Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance beyond the golf course. It was a very relaxing place to read, with a gentle guitar instrumental piped over the tables. The area had a heavy thunderstorm the night before, and a soft mist covered the hillsides in the distance, creating a cool, otherworldly vibe. It made me think of nature poetry like Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey,” which includes the lines:
“For I have learned
To look on nature, not as in the hour
Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes
The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue.”
But there was nothing sad about the music the Inn was playing, and the staff were cordial and helpful. If you’re willing to splurge on a vacation hotel, this place might be worth the premium pricing. In addition to golf, it has a mountain hiking trail and a lavish spa. It looks like rooms go for about $260-$550/night. My own hotel budget is currently in the sub-$100 range, but a man can dream.