Arbor House News and Views

Come sit and relax.

So many of our guests say they like the fact that Arbor House is so comfortable and new.
The inn is only 8 years old and has all the comforts of home plus some.  If you like to be served a hot delicious breakfast in the morning with a steaming cup of coffee or tea while sitting out on the deck on a clear day this is the place for you.  You can enjoy looking at the flowers in the garden , the fountain in the lake and the view up to the Blue Ridge Parkway .
Come sit and relax and enjoy your stay at Arbor House.

Fantastic
"Fantastic,
  Time
   Place
   People
Oh and the food!
We are coming again - hopefully for the snow!
This was our 28th anniversary.
Love the house and the gardens.
PS.
I'm available for cleaning and cooking - will work for room and board."

NC

Dear Carolyn and Dave,
We enjoyed our stay so much! The accommodations were beautiful and comfortable, the scenery just gorgeous , and the breakfast so delicious.  What a great place to spend out 32nd wedding anniversary.
Our only regret is that we couldn't stay longer.  We hope to come back and stay with you soon.

Greensboro, NC

Awesome,
"Awesome house
Remarkable hosts
Beautiful view
Outstanding food
Restful rooms
High-class haven
Over the top hospitality
Undeniable quality
Splendid surroundings
Excellent B&B"

Salisbury, Maryland

Come enjoy the ever changing clouds that hug the mountains and grace our sky.
Summertime in the mountains is one of my favorite seasons. The mountains take on that smokey blue color and on a clear day you can see forever.
Hiking, biking , sitting by the streams to listen to the water are some of the things that I like to do.
Floating in a canoe, rafting, tubeing
on the French Broad River are a great way to spend a day or afternoon. 
WNC is voted one of the best outdoor locations in the US with active water sports.

We enjoyed our stay
"Carolyn and Dave,
We enjoyed our stay so much. The accommodations were beautiful and comfortable, the scenery just gorgeous and the breakfast so delicious. What a great place to spend our 32nd wedding anniversary. Our only regret is that we couldn't stay longer. We hope to come back and stay with you soon.

Greensboro, NC

Things our guests are saying.
"A wesome house
  R emarkable hosts
  B eautiful view
  O utstanding food
  R estful rooms
  H igh-class haven
  Over -the-top hospitality
  Undeniable quality
   S plendid surroundings
   E xcellent B&B "

Thank you, 
From Salisbury, Maryland
  

The evening blooming primroses are blooming now.  Come check out this evening event around dusk in the garden down by the lake.  Dr. John is usually around to give the facts and history about the blooms.  He is happy to share last years seeds for people to take home and grow their own primroses.

You can enjoy the half mile stroll around the lake and see all the new baby ducks.  One mallard just hatched and she has 6 yellow ones and 4 brown ducklings.   The little yellow ones look like tennis balls in the lake.   Just hope the turtles in the water leave them along and let them grow.  

Misty mountain morning today and it felt good with the cool moisture on my skin .
I walked around the lake early this monring before making breakfast and enjoy the quiet in the mist. Even the ducks were subdued and not chasing each other around  quacking.
The summer flowers are starting to show in the garden and it is nice to go out and pick some to bring into the house.  Sitting on the deck looking at the gardens , listening to the water fountain in the lake and watching the people walking around the lake is a good past time and will slow down a hectic life style in no time.

Can't ask for a prettier day than today.  The temps are just right and the sky is beautiful
Our guests are all out hiking or riding up to the Craggy Gardens on the parkway to see the rhododendrons in bloom . This week is suppose to be peak blooming time.

It is also a good day to ride up to Mt. Mitchelle to see the mountain top on a clear day without rain or fog.  You can walk up to the tower from the parking lot to see several states when the sky is clear.
Mt. Mitchell is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River.  It is taller than Mount Washington in NH.

In the picture above you can see the seven sisters mountain range . The first mountain is Tomahawk and that is were the lake you see got it's name, Lake Tomahawk.  The lake is man made and was constucted as a  goverment work project back in the '30s.  There is a walking path around the lake that is .55 miles . 

Come bring you walking shoes and give it a go.

Come to Black Mountain and let your hair down.  Walking around the lake at Lake Tomahawk you are surely to be surprised at what you might see.  Our B&B connects to the 1/2 walking path that goes around the lake.  The park has a very nice 18th hole golf course , tennis courts and swimming pool.
If you want a mountian hike we have about 20 hikes I can tell you about.  Of course after all that exercise you will want a place to eat and we have lots of good places in Black Mountain to grab lunch or dinner.  Don't worry about breakfast because here at Arbor House we serve a full breakfast from 8-10.

See you soon.

A new sign for the evening blooming primrose garden at the lake.  The Friends of Lake Tomahawk had a sign made for Dr. Wilson's garden.  He has been planting the primroses for over 40 years around the lake and has  people stopping by at dusk in the summer to watch the magic of the blooms opening like a fast time lapse movie.  The blooms have a sweet scent that attracts a certain moth in the evening.
It's a happening things to see around the lake while you are taking a stroll on the 1/2 mile circle trail.

Come check it out.

I love living on a lake, you never know what you are going to see reflected in the water.  Sitting out on our deck you can watch the sunset and see a reflection like this as the day slips by.  We are getting ready for the  free summer concert series on Thursday nights at the park shelter, the blue shelter you can see in this picture.  For seven weeks there is a different band that plays for several hours. Food is offered by  a local vender for a fair price for the evening and all you have to do is pick up on of the many folding chairs we provide and stroll down to listen to the music.

If you are planning to come up for the 4th of July the town will have a parade , a street dance and fireworks.  Check out the SVM plans to hike to the top of Sunset Mountain to get a treat watching the firework looking down on them and also seeing the fireworks displayed down the valley.

With all the spring rains  this year the B&B  grounds look wonderful.  The garden is full of blooms with promises of flowers all summer into fall.  Thanks to Joyce the weeds don't stand a chance with the two of us pulling them out by the roots. She is a welcome addition to help me out in the garden.  Come take a stroll around the gardens and around the half mile circle path around the lake. The path is lite at night and make for a great stroll after dinner.  Black Mountain has several nice places to eat in town and they are a short walking distance from the inn. 
If you are doing the "strive not to drive" then you can just park you car in our drive and head out on foot to enjoy your stay. 

"Perfect"

What our guests are saying.


" Dear Carolyn and Dave,

When reading through the comments the word "perfect" becomes a dominant theme.
Indeed, our trip to Arbor House has been perfect. Your hospiality, hour home, your surroundings are a
"good and perfect gift".
Our anniversary trip have been perfect.
Thank you and God bless you."

New York

What our guests are saying.

"What a delightful spot - thank you Carolyn and Dave for being so generous as to share it will the rest of us!
Mountain views-sweet fragrent air- the lake with its goslings, lovery garden , lots of roses , the bird songs so beautiful for us.
The best sleep we have had in a while, now off to enjoy breakfast."

Columbia SC

Butterfly garden.

It's nice to see the return of the butterflies on the flowers in the gardens.  We are enjoying all the birds in the gardens also that have returned to nest this spring.  The towhee is sitting outside my window singing his song of "Drink you tea" and there are other birds flitting around looking for nesting sites and singing their songs. Yesterday I heard the call "chick burr"  and went out to look for the Scarlet tanager.
Such a beautiful red and black bird he is hard to miss. Dave and I are bird watchers and are happy point out the local birds to our guests and have suggestion for bird watching up on the park way or Chimney Rock State Park.

Greenways of Black Mountain is the theme for tomorrow for the Saturday hike.  I am going to help lead a group of people for National Hiking Day on the greenway along Flat Creek.  Part of the trail has been completed and the hike will be up to Montreat to show people where the new section will be planned.
Looks like the weather will provide a cool sunny day for the hike.
One day the dream is to complete the greenway from Black Mountain to Asheville along the Swannanoa River so you can bike or hike between the two towns.  I am sure it will get lots of bicycle traffic. 

Come check out the green ways we have already, a great little walk.

Wow we had a great May and June is looking good. The gardens are looking very nice since I had a freind helping me pull weeds . Tonight there was a nice rain to water in the new annuals and sounds like another shower tomorrow.
Some of my friends and I are doing the Parks booklet of 30 Trails on the Mountain to Sea trail.
It runs from Mt. Pisgah to Mt. Mitchell. I don't know if we will finish it this year but we are going to give it a good try.  There are so many good hiking trails in our area it's hard to pick which ones we want to hike .

Hope you had a nice holiday weekend.  Our guests enjoyed sittings around the table this morning sharing stories and the other mornings they enjoyed sitting outside on the deck soaking up the sunshine while listening to the water fountain on the lake and looking up to the mountains. 

Come see the gardens and stroll around the lake on the half mile path.

Love a good cup of coffee. In Black Mountain there are several good places to get a cup and relax. The Dripalator is located downtown Black Mountain , The Roasting Company another coffee shop actually roast and grind the beans in house.  Ingles has now added a Starbucks along with a top class wine department.

The Black Mountain shops are in walking distance from Arbor House . While in town check out the two new eateries. Trail Head and Ale House.   Both have local brews and a big selection on tap.  Want to catch a music perforance in a big garden then look on  line Pisguah Brewery not far away on Old Highway 70.

What a busy fun weekend with great weather.  Come next weekend to check out the Old Depot Arts and Crafts fair.  The city pool opened this weekend and the golf course looked really green and inviting.

There is always something fun to do in the mountain. Come check it out for yourself.