Don’t let the name scare you: Rattlesnake Lodge is a neat destination hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway just six miles north of Asheville, North Carolina. The hike has many points of interest and takes you through a pretty area of the mountains.
The fall season is just one short month away and soon we’ll be breaking out our light sweaters and sipping hot drinks while watching the leaves change. The North Carolina mountains have fall foliage that can only be described as excellent.
It’s black. And white. And it warbles. Guess who’s our August 2015 bird in our 12 Month of Birding series on the blog? You guessed it — the Black-and-white Warbler!
In February, we were at one of Black Mountain’s restaurants — a longtime local favorite called My Father’s Pizza & Pasta. While devouring our lasagna, spinach ravioli and tasty artichoke salad, we started talking about how when we arrived in 2007, we noticed how much art by local artists was displayed at restaurants and how awesome it was to be in an area that’s so supportive of its artists.
This has been a great year to view the wildlife in Pisgah National Forest surrounding the Inn on Mill Creek Bed & Breakfast. The North Carolina mountains have an abundance of wildlife, including several species of birds, as well as deer, raccoons, fox, black bears, and more. We and our guests have been fortunate to capture some great wildlife photos this year.
If you have a visit to Mt. Mitchell State Park on your “getaway to the North Carolina mountains” to-do list, there’s much more than just driving up, parking, and checking out the observation deck on the tallest peak in the eastern United States — there are some great hiking trails there as well.
One festival our guests always look forward to is the Sourwood Festival in Black Mountain, NC, a charming small town halfway between Asheville and the Inn on Mill Creek B&B. The Sourwood Festival has been going strong for almost 40 years, and is a highlight of summer in the mountains of western North Carolina.
For some reason, we feel like there’s not enough love out there for the Ovenbird. When people think of warblers, they might think of birds who have “warbler” in their names: Magnolian Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler…you get the picture. But the Ovenbird is like, “Hey, I’m a warbler, too!”
We are proud to support the arts community in the Asheville area. At Inn on Mill Creek, you will see all kinds of artwork displayed (and for sale!) by local artists. From time to time, we also like to feature our artists on our blog. Norman Gill is one such artist.
If you like Pinterest, check this out — we have a new board on our Pinterest page celebrating all things summer around Asheville.
