Asheville Bed & Breakfast - North Carolina Bed & Breakfast in South Asheville near Blue Ridge Parkway, Biltmore Estate, Chimney Rock Park, Pisgah National Forest, Dupont State Park, Great Smokey Mountains Park

May & June Newsletter & Contest

What's Happening Here at the Inn
We have been doing A LOT around the Inn for the past two months. Much of the focus has been on the Azalea Room and the outside. We replaced the vinyl floor in the bathroom with tile and we expanded the room by cutting out half of the closet and opening it up into the room. We also replaced the bedside tables and the dresser with new pieces. The next project for this room will be to replace the wallpaper in the bathroom with up-to-date paint and, eventually, we are going to replace the entire tub/shower with a new one. We are also going to be putting in new windows and will be bringing in an additional air conditioner for the room since it sees most of the sun all day.

We've also started to take down the wallpaper in the foyer outside the Holly Room and will be putting up matching wallpaper to go along with the wall treatment in the Holly bedroom. Once complete, we plan to start working on the walls in the Holly bathroom.

We've had the entire property landscaped and we cleaned out a large section along the front/side of the property that had become overgrown with vines, weeds, dead trees and it had become a dumping ground for passersby. The slope has been mulched and is ready for us to begin planting some new privacy trees and bushes.

The Spring has been very nice this year and we have seen a lot of flowers and trees bursting with color. We've also been planting a lot of new perennials around the property and look forward to color for many months to come.

The weekend of May 30th & 31st, we are hosting a Classy Cooking & Biltmore Estate Getaway Weekend Package. Read below for all the details.

We have many special events coming up including a wedding/reception on Saturday, May 10th, a rehearsal dinner on Friday, May 23rd, and a wedding/reception on Saturday, June 7th. Our weekends are starting to fill up, but you can still find last minute rooms the first and second weekend in May as well as in mid- and late-June.

March/April Contest Winner
Congratulations to our March/April Contest winner, Rosemary Truman from Greene, NY. Rosemary won a $100 Blake House Inn Gift Certificate for answering the following question correctly:
Question:
Of the 17 B&Bs in the Asheville Bed & Breakfast Association, six allow pets. Blake House is one of the six. Name the other five.

Answer:
  • Biltmore Village Inn
  • 1900 Inn on Montford
  • Carolina Bed and Breakfast
  • 1889 WhiteGate Inn and Cottage
  • Abbington Green Bed and Breakfast Inn
May/June Contest:
Answer the following question correctly between May 1 - June 30 and you could win a $100 Blake House Inn Gift Certificate, good for one year.
Question:
Formed in the fall of 2002 as a volunteer-based, non-profit organization that is dedicated to fostering a stronger business environment for Asheville's locally owned and operated restaurants, it's acronym is AIR. What does AIR stand for?
Submit your answer via email to blakehouseinn@charterinternet.com or use our Fast Form on the Contact Us Page. Be sure to include your name, address, and email address. The winner will be drawn on July 1st from all entries and the $100 Gift Certificate will be mailed to the winner. Please be sure to include your address in your answer.

Calendar of Events:
  • French Broad River Festival - 5/2 - 5/4 - Hot Springs
  • Festival of Flowers at Biltmore - through 5/18
  • Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) - 5/9 - 5/11 - Camp Rockmont, Black Mountain
  • Tour de Falls - 5/10 - 5/11 - Sponsored by the Friends of DuPont Forest, this is a 12 mile tour by shuttle bus to four of the Forest's most spectacular sites: Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Julia. This weekend has been planned to provide families and those who cannot hike the distance required a chance to see the beauty of the forest and some spring wild flowers. DuPont Forest is located in both Henderson and Transylania counties. Parking for the tour is located adjacent to the Buck Forest parking lot on DuPont/Staton Road. No advance reservations are required.
  • 5th Annual Montford Arts & Music Festival - 5/117 @ 11:00 am
  • Mountain Sports Festival - 5/30 - 6/1
  • 11th Annual Black Mountain Arts & Crafts Show - 6/7 - 6/8
  • River Arts District Studio Stroll - 6/14 - 6/15
  • Shindig on the Green - 6/28 @ 7 pm - downtown Asheville
Classy Cooking & Biltmore Weekend Getaway Package

Dates: Friday & Saturday, 5/30 & 5/31

Costs (excluding applicable taxes): Single Double
Holly/Azalea Room*: $325 $410
Magnolia Room: $345 $430
Dogwood Room: $365 $450
Lilac Room*: $385 $470
Sycamore Suite*: $450 $550

* The Azalea, Lilac & Sycamore Suite sleep more than two (each additional person adds $100).

Included: All instruction and materials including recipes and ingredients Saturday evening's four-course dinner class, 1 Biltmore Estate ticket for each participant, two full breakfasts each morning of your stay, and a Wine & Cheese Social Friday evening after check-in.

Your Instructor: We proudly introduce your cooking instructor, Loretta Jenkins. Loretta was the Valedictorian of her class at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, a Le Cordon Bleu program. She has gained experience as a culinary professional from the Biltmore Estate's Bistro as well as the Inn on Biltmore Estate, the Broadmoor Hotel (a 5-star, 5-diamond hotel in Colorado Springs), and the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She continues her work at Biltmore Estate's Bistro and is expanding her experience to include working with our local B&Bs.

Itinerary: The Weekend Schedule is as follows: Friday:
  • Check-in: 3-6 pm
  • Wine & Hors D'oeuvres Social Hour: 5-6:30pm
  • Friday Night Dinner: on your own
Saturday:
  • Breakfast: 9 am in our Dining Rooms - we serve a full, sit-down, hot breakfast each morning
  • Biltmore Estate: 10 am - 4 pm - you will have all day to explore the Estate and enjoy the Annual Festival of Flowers and free wine tasting at their winery
  • Saturday Evening Cooking Class & Dinner: 5 - 8 pm
    • Class will consist of preparing and eating (the best part!) a four course dinner of:
  • Spinach Salad with Strawberries, Shaved Red Onion, Candied Nuts, with a Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette
  • Tortilla Soup with Avocado
  • Bracciole (Flank Steak filled with fresh Spinach, Roasted Red Peppers, and Bleu Cheese), served with Shitake Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto
  • Kahlua Créme Brulee
    • Dinner: 7 - 7:30 pm
Sunday:
  • Breakfast: 9 am in our Dining Rooms
  • Check-out 11:00
Space is limited and the Package rate is based on what room you stay in. If you have two people staying in the same room, but only one will be participating in the Cooking Classes, the rate is based on the Single Package plus an extra Biltmore Ticket ($49). Taxes will be added to all packages.

Call now to get your room!


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March/April 2008 Newsletter
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