Romancing the Spring In North Carolina Gardens, Galas and Bed and Breakfast Getaways Galore!

By Shirley Anitra Swagerty

Spring colors are in full bloom in North Carolina!  There are spectacular public gardens, interesting cultural activities and fun outdoor festivals to experience throughout the state.

If this will be your first visit to a North Carolina Bed and Breakfast, you are in the right place. North Carolina has an impressive list of firsts. In Fayetteville, Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run and putt-putt golf was first invented. The country’s first silver mine opened near Lexington and America’s first forestry school was established in Transylvania County. Belmont Abbey was North America’s first abbey cathedral and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the first state university in the country. America’s first folk festival was created here and the first state-supported institution to emphasize the performing arts was the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.

So what are you waiting for…summer? To entice you to come out of winter hibernation and to convince you that spring has finally sprung, American Historic Inns (AHI) and iloveinns.com have found these North Carolina Bed and Breakfast and Country Inns that offer specials for the season.

IN THE MOUNTAINS
The lush Appalachian Mountains and the popular Great Smoky Mountains offer gorgeous scenery. Wind your way along the famous Blue Ridge Parkway to arrive at one of these relaxing inns.

 

Spring arrives at the famous Biltmore Estate with incredible colorful displays inside and out. The gardens at Cumberland Falls Bed and Breakfast in Asheville are also spectacular and the Procrastinator’s Spring Special is perfect for a last-minute getaway. Stay in Black Mountain at the highly acclaimed Red Rocker Inn and attend the Great Southeastern Hiking Festival. View the wonderful collection of handmade, artistic birdhouses and floral displays at the annual Sunset Mountain Spring Celebration at The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa.

Special spring packages are offered at Mast Farm Inn. Stay in a farmhouse guest bedroom, private getaway cottage or historic rustic cabin and enjoy organic gourmet fine dining. Located in Valle Crucis, near Boone and Blowing Rock, tour the twelve separate gardens in a preserve at The Daniel Boone Native Gardens and make reservations for MerleFest, The American Music Celebration.

Experience a mountain getaway for all seasons at The Chalet Club at Lake Lure. This perfect blend of an all-inclusive family-oriented resort, small inn and B&B offers accommodations in the chalet and guest cottages. There is an abundance of indoor and outdoor activities to enjoy.

IN THE PIEDMONT

Gently rolling hills with occasional rock outcroppings cover the Piedmont region which also boasts large cities with dynamic economies and renowned universities with incredible gardens.

Along with spring cleaning comes the time for caps and gowns. Davidson Village Inn in Davidson offers a graduation weekend special and Greenwood Bed & Breakfast in the historic Fisher Park neighborhood of Greensboro is perfect for college reunions.

Burke Manor Inn Bed and Breakfast is located in Gibsonville near the college town of Chapel Hill which also boasts the North Carolina Botanical Garden and Coker Arboretum.

Celebrations and entertaining spring to life at The Duke Mansion Historic Inn and Meeting Place in Charlotte and The VanLandingham Estate Inn & Conference Center in historic Midwood.

AT THE COAST
Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the coast is lined with pristine beaches, sand dunes, wetlands and the perfect population for spring.

Just steps from the waterfront, Old Seaport Inn Bed & Breakfast in Beaufort has a clear view of the Outer Banks, a chain of barrier islands. The Cove Bed and Breakfast is on Ocracoke, an island hosting a surf fishing competition and folk festival. Bald Head Island is known for its beauty and Theodosia’s B&B features spring specials. Cape Carteret on the Crystal Coast is the stunning backdrop for the romantic Harborlight Guest House on the waterfront of Boque Sound. Seafood festivals are plentiful and not to be missed.

While staying at the award-winning Graystone Inn in Wilmington, take time to visit Airlie Gardens from the 1920s, New Hanover County Extension Service Arboretum with a huge display of native and cultivated plants, the Victorian elegance of Bellamy Mansion Museum Gardens, the 18th-century Burgwin-Wright House Gardens, the ten-acre wildflower preserve at UNC-Wilmington Arboretum and the old growth forest and lush foliage of Cape Fear Botanical Garden.

Many of the properties listed above are also in the best-selling bed and breakfast guidebook Bed & Breakfasts and Country Inns with a Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night-Free Certificate.