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A High Perch. Mount Mitchell State Park will begin construction on a new observation platform in spring 2006 .
MORE NEW TO SEE AND DO IN NORTH CAROLINA
(As referenced from 2006 Almanac)
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• Think you’ve seen everything there is to see
at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville? Think again.
The fourth floor of the largest private home in
the U.S. recently opened to the public. The
Observatory, Architectural Model Room, Servants’
Hall and three maids’ bedrooms are the
first new rooms to open in five years. The new
rooms show a different side of the mansion,
detailing how the staff lived. 1-800-624-1575, www.biltmore.com.
• Visitors to Asheville know Pack Square as a
center for the arts. The center is undergoing a
transformation into Pack Square Park, a venue
for new events as well as annual festivals. A
unique feature will be original works of area
artists added into features throughout the park.
Final completion is scheduled for early 2007.
www.packsquare.com.
• Also new to Asheville in 2006: the new
Grove Arcade Arts and Heritage Gallery in the
Grove Arcade Public Market. 828/252-7799,
www.grovearcade.com.
• Mount Mitchell, in Mount Mitchell State Park
in Burnsville, will soon be crowned with a new,
low-profile observation platform. The new platform
will be fully accessible and will replace the
old concrete tower. A circular platform with a
360-degree view of the surrounding mountains
will be the sixth structure on the summit of the
mountain. There will be benches and interpretive
displays in this central observation area.
Construction will begin in spring 2006.
828/675-4611,
www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/momi/
home.html.
• Rock climber Adam Fox and his guides will
begin offering the first climbing trips inside the
park in a new climbing center at Chimney Rock
Park. Climbers will scale the park’s sheer rock
faces. 1-800-277-9611,
www.chimneyrockpark.com.
• Cheoah River is ready for rafting in Graham
County – a rejuvenated Cheoah with thousands
of gallons of water for Class III-IV whitewater
rafting has opened. Water had been diverted
from the river for 77 years. Guided trips by
whitewater outfitters are expected to begin in
2006. www.americanwhitewater.org.
—Gail Fleenor
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6 GREAT WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA HIGH PLACES
(As referenced from 2006 Almanac)
1. Cherohala Skyway, Robbinsville,
1-800-470-3790
2. The Blowing Rock, Blowing Rock,
828/295-7111
3. Appalachian Ski Mountain, Blowing
Rock, 1-800-322-2373
4. Black Mountains/Mt. Mitchell, Burnsville,
828/675-4611
5. Chimney Rock Park, Chimney Rock,
1-800-277-9611
6. Whiteside Mountain, Highlands,
1-800-962-1911, 828/962-1911
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