The 20 water features, including an outdoor mineral pool, are just part of the reason a day pass to the Omni Grove Park Inn spa is a must.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nOpened originally as The Grove Park Inn, the hotel was the vision of pharmaceutical giant Edwin Wiley Grove, who wanted to create a destination of wellness in Asheville\u2019s fresh mountain air. Upon its opening, the 150-room property was touted by newspapers as \u201cthe finest resort hotel in the world.\u201d Its stunning fa\u00e7ade is composed of massive, uncut granite boulders unearthed from the mountain it sits atop.<\/p>\n
Over its long life, the hotel has undergone several owners, renovations and uses. During World War II, it was, among other things, an internment center for Axis diplomats and a rest and rehabilitation center for returning Navy sailors. Beginning in the 1950s, it was owned by the Sammons family, then by investor group KSL in 2012, before becoming part of Omni Hotels & Resorts in 2013. Various wing additions have resulted in a property that today boasts 513 guestrooms, 142 of which are still located in the original inn reached via elevators hidden in the chimneys of the lobby fireplaces.<\/p>\n
Despite the changes, the hotel preserves its storied heritage through antique arts and crafts furnishings from Stickley and Roycroft, and memorabilia from its founding. Some of the most fascinating mementos are the photographs of the property\u2019s famous guests, from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Barack Obama.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d heard so much about this famous property over the years that it was nice to finally experience it for myself. And at just a three-and-a-half hour drive from Atlanta, it\u2019s a perfect escape from the city. We hit the road on a Friday morning, and by 2 p.m., we were enjoying our day passes at the 43,000-square-foot spa, which boasts therapeutic waterfall pools, steam rooms and an outdoor mineral pool.<\/p>\n
Sufficiently relaxed, we spent the rest of the evening watching the sunset with glasses of wine and a charcuterie platter at the Sunset Cocktail Terrace. We then headed to downtown Asheville, only minutes away, for a late dinner at Wicked Weed Brewing, one of the many brewpubs the city has become famous for.<\/p>\n
The rest of our weekend combined visits to downtown eateries with lounging, fireside chatting and catching our breath amid the Inn\u2019s majestic natural surroundings. Although 105 years have passed since Edwin Wiley Grove built The Grove Park Inn, the newest iteration retains its magical mountain touch capable of restoring even the weariest soul.<\/p>\n
THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN<\/p>\n
800.843.6664
\nomnihotels.com\/hotels\/asheville-grove-park<\/a>
\nRates range between $169 to $319 a night, depending on the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A weekend respite at Asheville\u2019s Omni Grove Park Inn STORY: Giannina Smith Bedford Asheville\u2019s Omni Grove Park Inn was originally established as a secluded mountain getaway. Today, more than a century after it was built, it continues to be sought-after for its picturesque locale in North Carolina\u2019s Blue Ridge Mountains. But as Asheville has grown…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":12903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[12991,19,233],"tags":[13031,13025,13028,13033,13030,13034,13032,13026,4453,13029,13027,13035],"thb-sponsors":[],"yoast_head":"\n
PARKING IT – Simply Buckhead<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n