This morning we visited the
Thomas Wolfe House. Wolfe wrote the epic autobiographical novel,
Look Homeward, Angel. It is a portrayal of his family and his hometown of
“Altamont” which is Asheville, North Carolina. It tells about the his life in the boardinghouse that his mother owned and ran. Wolfe died just before his 38th birthday. After visiting the memorial house, seeing a short movie about him. and hearing the local guide talk about his life it seemed to me that Thomas Wolfe is a tragic figure despite his literary success.
We ate lunch on the patio of the historic Grove Park Inn. Opened in 1913, the resort is built from massive native granite stones mined from Sunset Mountain. Designed in the Arts and Crafts style, it features large stone fireplaces, and panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Over its history, it has hosted ten U.S. presidents and numerous global dignitaries. It reminded me of the famous Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley.
The Grove Park Inn has an antique car museum, lots of crafts shops, sculptures in the gardens, and the world Gingerbread contest. The picture of the the gnomes and crooked houses is the winner in 2025. All of the entry has to be edible.
View from the balcony where we ate.
Some of the many cars.
The winning Gingerbread House.
Our hotel is in the center of town so it has been fun to walk around during breaks in out schedule.This afternoon I walked to the public library and to several bookstores. This sculpture is one of several in the downtown area.
