Thanks for the ideas! They will really help us first time visitors. If we like the camps, we will probably spend a night on the way to drop off at camp and to pick up so this won't be our last trip to the area. We are probably staying closer to Hendersonville since the camps are all around that area. How far of a drive is it to Asheville?

Great timing for this question, as we just got back from our 3 nights there as part of our spring break road trip. Asheville is a cool, funky town and we enjoyed just being there and soaking in the vibe. Stayed at the Hotel Indigo, which was almost perfect but would have been slightly better for us if it had a fridge (and a pool). We had a great time and absolutely loved it. We wanted to do a lot more hiking but the weather didn't cooperate (rained every afternoon). We only got partially up the Triple Falls trail in Dupont State Park before we left due to lightning - it was beautiful and I wished we could have continued. If we we go back, our top priority would be go on more hikes.

We ate amazingly well there. Giant hearty breakfasts at Tupelo Honey and Early Girl every day. One fantastic dinner at Tupelo Honey. (But had to wait over an hour for a table -- definitely call ahead and get on their wait list.) Two insanely delicious meals at 12 Bones. (And if you are food obsessed like I am, make sure you get a fried green tomato sandwich and a smoked turkey/brie sandwich for everyone to try, along with the ribs with blueberry/chipotle sauce.) One delish meal at Chai Pani. Every meal om Asheville was a home run.

We had one fun drizzly afternoon, after one of our 12 Bones extravaganzas, wandering through the art galleries in the River Arts district. (Favorite was the Lift Studio, in a cool old building.) Also had fun just wandering through town. If our kids were older, we'd have taken them to some cafe/restaurant/bar with live music downtown because those places looked legitimately fun.

We never got to the Biltmore.

It took us about 7.5 hours to drive directly from Asheville to NW DC via I-81 on the day there was no road work. So - this is important advice: if you are going to take I-81, make sure you check out the blasting schedule beforehand. They are blasting sections of I-81 for a huge, long project. We got stuck on the way down due to the blasting and it added 2.5 hours to the trip (a boulder rolled onto the highway and there was truck accident which didn't help). You can find out the exact hours of the road closures beforehand and I'd advise organizing your travel to avoid getting stuck.

Have fun!!

How long of a drive is Asheville from the DC Area? Sounds like a trip we may want to take.

All of the above mentioned---
Definitely Tupelo Honey.

also, in west asheville (not right in downtown) there is a huge palce called Fun Depot
http://www.ashevillesfundepot.com/

it has lazer tag, bumper cars, mini golf, and a ton of arcade games. Great if you have an afternoon and have done enough of the outside asheville attractions.

In Western NC there is also: Carl Sandberg's home and his wife's goat farm and the Flat Rock playhouse in Flat Rock NC. DuPont Forest triple falls.

Oh my gosh 5 days is SO not too long. We lived there for years and yearn to find a way back.

Go shopping on Haymarket street downtown. Visit Malaprops Bookstore and check out the local writers section, eat at 12 Bones for BBQ, eat at Tupelo Honey (I have the cookbook - it's fantastic), especially for brunch. The Early Girl Eatery is a close second. If you want some wild hippy food that is SO good, try Rosetta's.

Visit Warren Wilson College for an easy beautiful hike that goes along a river, up a mountain ridge, and through the college's working farm and gardens. Near Warren Wilson College is Ultimate Ice Cream, which hand makes all their flavors the old fashioned way - it's the best ice cream I've ever had.

Hike Mt. Mitchell, which is very close by and is a gorgeous drive on the blue ridge parkway leading to the highest peak in the area. Or go to Whitewater Falls, which is (I think) the highest waterfall in North Carolina!

If you're there on Thursdays, there are cheap ball game tickets for the local baseball game, which is hugely entertaining (and cheap enough so that you could just leave). Or catch a movie at the Asheville Brew and View - where you can order pizza and drink beer and watch a movie for $2 - added bonus for the kids is that they can play arcade games.

Can you tell I miss it??

Thanks PPs. We will be in the area to look at some summer camps so that will probably take a few mornings or afternoons so we really don't have 5 full days. I've heard that the waterfalls in the area are beautiful so we might look into seeing them. We rented a cabin so sitting in the hot tub will also be on my list of To Do's.

Honestly? I think 5 days may be a bit too long. I was there a few years ago, and my husband and I did Biltmore a day. Then did Chimney Rock. Then golfed a day. And...we were done. We had alotted a whole week to Asheville, but couldn't find anything else to do, so we left early and drove east to the beaches for the rest of the week. It was just the two of us, pre-kids.

Just my opinion, but I think Asheville is great for a weekend, maybe not a week.

Lobby and grounds of the Grove Park Inn are so beautiful!

Biltmore estate.
Grandfather mountain

We are planning a 5 day trip to Asheville in August and would love some ideas for fun activities with 2 school aged kids. We plan on visiting the Biltmore one day. Thanks!