![[photo credit: William H. Majoros]](https://www.innonmillcreek.com/wp-content/uploads/chestnutsided-warbler-wiki-commons-william-majoros-200x200.jpg)
Keep an eye out, especially during spring and fall migration, for our September 2016 pick in our 12 Months of Birding at the Inn blog series: The Chestnut-sided Warbler. And guess what color its sides are. Let’s learn more, shall we?
One thing that sets Black Mountain apart from other small towns in western North Carolina is the depth of fantastic local restaurants. Of course, there’s farm-to-table, but also gastropubs, pizza joints, casual fine dining, several restaurants with international menus, and more. With so many choices, a great way for foodies to expand their horizons is through a guided tour by Creative Mountain Food Tours.
If you’re looking for a super-scenic day trip hike while staying with us here at Inn on Mill Creek near Asheville, NC, consider a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Graveyard Fields. Is it a graveyard? Nope. Is it a field? You could say that… but it’s so much more. Let’s explore.
In the spring, we see lots of migratory birds in western North Carolina — some hang around for the spring and summer, while others are just passing through on their way to another destination. One of those “just passing through” birds is our May 2016 pick in our 12 Months of Birding at the Inn blog series: the Swainson’s Thrush.
Craggy Gardens is a section of the North Carolina mountains accessible via the Blue Ridge Parkway, north of Asheville. It has excellent hiking trails, a picnic area, cool mountaintop balds with wild blueberry bushes and dramatic mountain vistas. Read on to see what we saw on our hike of the Craggy Gardens Trail in early May! Hint: Wildflowers galore and other cool stuff that makes us love love love nature.
The 2016 farmer’s market season is almost here, and that means the Black Mountain Tailgate Market is coming soon! The market features locally-grown food including produce, meat, eggs and honey, as well as arts and crafts. It’s an awesome community gathering.
Looking to get outdoors during your springtime visit to the Asheville area? A waterfall hike can be a great experience for many reasons: a chance to see spring wildflowers and other vibrant spring green everywhere, fewer crowds on the trails than in the summer and fall, and also the snow melt from higher elevations and the occasional spring rain shower make for more water…falling. One waterfall we like happens to be the closest one to the Inn on Mill Creek: Catawba Falls.
It’s Spring! Our favorite season has arrived and one of our favorite places, Biltmore Estate in Asheville, is blooming big. Biltmore has several gardens on an 8,000-acre property, so you might be wondering…when is the best time to see Biltmore’s blooms in all their glory, and where on the estate should I go? Let’s discuss.
The Black & White Garden (formerly just the White Garden) at the Inn on Mill Creek B&B is a small garden space — work in progress — where we’re growing plants with white or black blooms and/or foliage. Let’s take a look and see what’s blooming in June this year.
Combine a scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway — complete with beautiful blooming rhododendron and photogenic verdant ridges — with a picnic lunch and short hike, and you have what we consider the perfect June afternoon in western North Carolina. One option to make this day trip happen is to head north of Asheville to Craggy Gardens, specifically, the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area.
