Asheville’s Grove Park Inn Turns 100 in 2013

The resort was the brainchild of Edwin W. Grove, who had made millions with Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic. The original 142-room resort lured America’s elite from the day it opened, with a guest register that has included Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Will Rogers, George Gershwin, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and ten U.S. presidents.

All of those original inn rooms are still bookable today. Plaques on the doors commemorate luminaries’ stays and the rooms are furnished much in the way they were when the inn opened.

There are now 500-plus rooms and suites in the original building and two modern wings, which both stayed true to the original resort’s design. Today’s lucky guests will also find a soothing water- and rock-themed spa, the large Sports Complex (indoor and outdoor tennis, swimming, aerobics, children’s activities, and more), renowned Donald Ross-designed golf, mild to wild outdoors activities with an outpost of the Nantahala Outdoor Center (think whitewater rafting and more), and a variety of farm-to-table dining venues where stunning views are also part of the menu.

KSL Capital Partners, owners of other grande dames like The Homestead and La Costa, acquired The Grove Park Inn in early-2012 and began a $25-million facelift that will extend into next year as The Inn celebrates its anniversary with concerts and more.

Improvements include: refurbishment of many of the resort’s Arts and Crafts-style guest rooms; refreshed corridors with lots of already-popular historic memorabilia; restoration of the Great Hall and huge fireplaces; a new retail corridor that KSL has successfully implemented at other resorts; the addition of a high-energy lounge; and lots of added outdoor areas to takes advantage of The Inn’s mountain setting overlooking Asheville. The work will honor the legacy and historic style of the hotel, while enhancing the guest experience for the future.

The Inn has planned entertainment and activities for the centennial year, including a New Year’s Eve bash to get the party started.

The resort’s Centennial Concert Series is reason enough to head to the mountains this winter and the line-up rivals the possibilities in metro Atlanta on any given weekend. Series officials have already confirmed performances by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Glenn Miller Orchestra (for the 22nd Annual Big Band Swing Dance Weekend Jan. 18-19, the All That Jazz Weekend featuring Pat Metheny and John Pizzarelli Jan. 25-26, Celtic music with Solas (Feb. 1) and Gaelic Storm (Feb. 2), and the Comedy Weekend headlined by Caroline Rhea March 8-9.

Those who really want to celebrate in style should make plans to attend the resort’s special anniversary bash over the Fourth of July weekend. Plans include a special dinner for just 200 lucky guests, mountain music, a just-confirmed B.B. King concert, and fireworks.

Of course, anytime is a good time to head to the Grove Park Inn and all that the rest of Asheville has to offer.

If you go

Sleep

Mountain View rooms feature the Blue Ridge Mountains and the expansive fairways, while Resort View rooms overlook the spa gardens or the historic courtyard entrance. Both options are found in the historic Main Inn or the more contemporary Sammons and Vanderbilt wings.

Suites and themed rooms are available as well, including the Presidential Suite by Bob Timberlake, The Gatsby, Swinging Sixties, the Bruce Johnson Arts & Crafts Suite, and many others. Club Floor options feature oversized rooms, spacious living areas, a Bose Wavetable CD player, seven-jet hydro-showers, complimentary access to the spa facilities, complimentary continental breakfast, evening hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and more.

Thanks to the “We’re Turning 100 Together” package, guests turning 100 in 2013 can enjoy two nights of complimentary accommodations and breakfast and dinner on the house. For those not celebrating their centenaries, there’s the resort’s “Once in a Lifetime” centennial package for two (from $630), which includes two nights of accommodations, spa day passes, breakfast buffet daily, a limited-edition history book (Bruce Johnson’s excellent Built for the Ages) and inclusion in a planned centennial time capsule.

Standard room rates start at $199.

Eat

The Grove Park Inn features a variety of modern dining options, though plans are afoot for “Turn Back Time as You Dine” retro menus based on courses served in 1913.

Blue Ridge Dining Room offers stellar mountain views, while serving up breakfast buffets daily ($16-$22), a Sunday Brunch ($35), and dinner buffets, like their award-winning Friday night Seafood Buffet and Saturday night Prime Rib buffet ($35-$39).

Horizons serves dinner nightly, with innovative versions of classic American cuisine using fresh ingredients from western North Carolina’s bounty. Most entrees are $20-$40.

The Spa Café is an intimate dining spot for lunch ($10-$20) and light snacks before or after a workout or spa treatment.

Visitor info

Grove Park Inn. 290 Macon Ave., Asheville, N.C. 800-438-5800, www.groveparkinn.com.

Asheville is known as “Foodtopia” and “Brewtopia” for good reason. Visitors with time will want to head downtown (trolley and taxi service available) for even more farm-to-table dining and bustling brewpub visits. And of course, an Asheville visit isn’t complete without a first (or fifth) visit to famed Biltmore Estate.

Asheville Visitors Center. 36 Montford Ave., Asheville, NC. 828-258-6129, www.exploreasheville.com.