Amazing Asheville by Lan Sluder is the new guidebook to Asheville and the beautiful North Carolina Mountains. It candidly covers all the best places to stay, eat and explore in Asheville's exciting Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, and elsewhere in the North Carolina mountains. In more than 150,000 words, it also covers the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Biltmore House and Biltmore Estate and the hundreds of thousands of acres of national and state forests in Western North Carolina. This is THE guide that gives you the ins and outs of enjoying the mountains and saving money on your Asheville and North Carolina mountains vacation. Written by an Asheville native and award-winning author of more than a dozen books on travel and retirement, Amazing Asheville provides readable, easy-to-use information on Asheville's many B&Bs, mountain lodges, resorts and vacation cabins. It tells you where to find great food and drink -- from bistros where locals go to five-star splurge places. It explains where to go for the most amazing experiences for your vacation. Amazing Asheville doesn't just stick to the city of Asheville. It covers many interesting small towns and villages in the mountains around Asheville. It details where to go for the best outdoor activities in the Blue Ridge Mountains -- hiking, scenic drives, camping, wildlife spotting, birding, river rafting, boating, gem mining, fishing, rock climbing, exploring waterfalls and the backcountry, and more. Whether your interest is outdoor adventures, art and crafts, clubbing and nightlife, music and culture, architecture, outdoor adventures or just having fun in the highest, coolest mountains and most-visited national parks in the East, Amazing Asheville is the guide for you.

"A beautiful young woman dies from a fall in Asheville's greatest hotel ... and the Pink Lady is said to still wander the massive halls of the Grove Park Inn. A building is constructed on the grounds of a miserable, ancient cemetery ... now they say you can still hear strange noises at night in the halls of Clyde A. Erwin High School. In 1908, a group of prisoners finally comes to Christ ... after being terrorized at night by a spook in the Buncombe County Jail. A distraught mother hangs herself from the rafters of a looming Beaucatcher Mountain bridge ... and the legend of Helen is born. These stories and more can be found within the pages of this remarkable book. A surreal mixture of history and myth, it searches for the fading morsels of truth while examining the feasts of folklore. These are the tales that linger in the minds of Asheville, as old and flavored as the mountains themselves. From secret chambers in aged castles to cryptic etchings on forgotten tombstones, this mountain town is filled with the lore and intrigue of the mysterious side of life."--Publisher description

Whether you're hopping between microbreweries or hiking the Appalachian Trail, get to know this charming Southern hub with Moon Asheville & the Great Smoky Mountains. Inside you'll find: Flexible, strategic itineraries, from a weekend in Asheville to five days in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, designed for outdoor adventurers, foodies, history buffs, and more The best local flavor: Indulge in award-winning cuisine on a food tour, discover the microbreweries that earned Asheville the title of "Beer City USA," and catch a live show from a local band. Admire the art deco architecture downtown, gallery-hop in repurposed warehouses, or check out an indie bookstore Unique outdoor experiences: Hike through the mountains and meadows along the Appalachian Trail, take a dip in the hot springs dotting the hillsides, or break out the binoculars for some top-notch wildlife-watching. Set up camp in the Pisgah National Forest, peep the changing leaves in autumn, or go rafting, kayaking, or canoeing on the French Broad River Honest advice on when to go, where to stay, and how to get around from North Carolina local Jason Frye Full-color photos and detailed maps throughout Thorough background on the culture and history, wildlife, and geography Helpful tips for hikers and campers, LGBTQ+ travelers, and travelers with disabilities Find your adventure with Moon Asheville & the Great Smoky Mountains. Exploring more of the South? Try Moon Carolinas & Georgia. Looking for more Southern city charm? Try Moon Charleston & Savannah.

If you're thinking about where you want to move to live out your dreams, or if you're considering retiring to an exciting new area, MOVING TO THE MOUNTAINS by award-winning author Lan Sluder covers everything you want to know about Asheville and the North Carolina mountains, consistently rated as one of the top places to live in the United States. Asheville native Lan Sluder covers all the pros and cons of living in hip, liberal Asheville and in the low-cost small towns and villages in the highest mountains in Eastern America. In nearly 600 pages and about 190,000 words, Lan gives you the straight facts about living in Asheville and the mountains, outdoor adventures and sports in the Great Smokies and Blue Ridge Mountains, how to get the best values for your real estate dollar, health care, crime and safety, culture, art and crafts and more in the mountains. As the author of more than a dozen books on retirement and travel including Amazing Asheville, Fodor's Belize, Frommer's Best Beach Vacations, Easy Belize and Living Abroad in Belize, Lan understands what you want to know. He tells you the unvarnished truth. Here's a sampling of what you'll learn in this comprehensive book on moving to Asheville and the beautiful mountains of North Carolina: • Why Choose Asheville and the North Carolina Mountains for Retirement or Relocation? • 10 Reasons to Consider Asheville and the NC Mountains • Amazing Asheville and Western North Carolina • Getting To and Around Asheville • National Kudos for Asheville • Brief History of Asheville and Western North Carolina • History of Asheville and WNC: A Timeline • Mountain Climate and Weather • Bugs, Beasts and Bad Weather • Establishing Residency in North Carolina • Taxes in North Carolina • Crime and Safety in Asheville and WNC • Economy of Asheville and the Mountains • Organic and Natural Farming in WNC • Health Care in Asheville and WNC • LGBT Asheville • The Arts in Asheville and WNC • Historic Architecture of Asheville and WNC • The Best 100 Museums in the Area • Asheville Authors and the Literary Scene • Blue Ridge Parkway, America's Most Scenic Road • Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Most-Visited National Park in America • Biltmore House, the Largest Private Home in America on 8,000 Acres in Asheville • Asheville & WNC Outside ... Naturally: Hiking, Camping, Sightseeing, Birding, Boating, River Rafting, Golf, Tennis, Ziplining, Caving, Rock Climbing, Gem Mining and More • Clubs and Volunteer Organizations: How to Get Involved and Meet New Friends • Colleges, Universities and Schools • Shopping in Asheville • Where Will You Live? Real Estate Information about Asheville Including Home Values • Living in Other Parts of WNC: Small Towns, Villages and Rural Areas • Asheville By the Numbers • Moving Checklist • Scouting Trips: Travel Practicalities • Best Lodging in the Asheville Area • Best Restaurants in the Asheville Area • Beer City USA and BEE City USA • Clubs and Nightlife • Wineries and Distilleries • Serious About Coffee? • Mmm...Chocolate Asheville! • Festivals, Fairs and Concerts • Asheville and WNC Tours • Best Freebies in Asheville and WNC • Resources to Learn More • About Author Lan Sluder

A New York Times bestseller with an "engaging narrative and array of detail” (The Wall Street Journal), the “intimate and sweeping” (Raleigh News & Observer) untold, true story behind the Biltmore Estate—the largest, grandest private residence in North America, which has seen more than 120 years of history pass by its front door. The story of Biltmore spans World Wars, the Jazz Age, the Depression, and generations of the famous Vanderbilt family, and features a captivating cast of real-life characters including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Teddy Roosevelt, John Singer Sargent, James Whistler, Henry James, and Edith Wharton. Orphaned at a young age, Edith Stuyvesant Dresser claimed lineage from one of New York’s best known families. She grew up in Newport and Paris, and her engagement and marriage to George Vanderbilt was one of the most watched events of Gilded Age society. But none of this prepared her to be mistress of Biltmore House. Before their marriage, the wealthy and bookish Vanderbilt had dedicated his life to creating a spectacular European-style estate on 125,000 acres of North Carolina wilderness. He summoned the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to tame the grounds, collaborated with celebrated architect Richard Morris Hunt to build a 175,000-square-foot chateau, filled it with priceless art and antiques, and erected a charming village beyond the gates. Newlywed Edith was now mistress of an estate nearly three times the size of Washington, DC and benefactress of the village and surrounding rural area. When fortunes shifted and changing times threatened her family, her home, and her community, it was up to Edith to save Biltmore—and secure the future of the region and her husband’s legacy. This is the fascinating, “soaring and gorgeous” (Karen Abbott) story of how the largest house in America flourished, faltered, and ultimately endured to this day.

Make sure you’re preparing with the most up-to-date materials! Look for The Princeton Review’s newest edition of this book, The Best 386 Colleges, 2021 Edition (ISBN: 9780525569725, on-sale August 2020). Publisher's Note: Products purchased from third-party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality or authenticity, and may not include access to online tests or materials included with the original product.

A survey of life on the nation's campuses offers detailed profiles of the best colleges and rankings of colleges in sixty-two, along with a wealth of information and applications tips.