Mosaic agent Vanessa Byrd knows the Asheville real estate market. Drawing from her experience as a long-time resident, historic-restoration expert, and accomplished interior designer, Byrd provides a multi-faceted approach to every property she handles. Offering clients a uniquely effective perspective focused on staging, renovations and [...]
With the summer season come opportunities to populate your yard and garden with blooms bursting with color. Creating a landscape of vibrant native flowers and trees not only helps to beautify your yard, but also does double duty by helping to preserve [...]
Old Fort, just a half hour east of Asheville, is a tiny mountain town big on scenic, outdoor activities. Surrounded by Pisgah National Forest, Old Fort is overflowing with mountain biking and hiking trails. The history-steeped town is also host to a range of activities and annual events celebrating Appalachian heritage.
Old Fort’s name refers to the pioneer-era Davidson's Fort, constructed to protect area settlers from Native American raids. While the fort no longer stands, its history is shared through a series of downtown murals, The 7 Wonders Trail.
With a population of just under 1,000, Old Fort boasts a range of properties offering space to spread out. Log cabins, rambling ranches, and mountain estates dot the area; for those looking to build their dream homes, lots are plentiful.
Old Fort is one of 15 N.C. Mountain Heritage Trout Towns. This designation allows visitors to purchase a special $5, three-day fishing license good for use in any of the state’s mountain trout towns. In downtown Old Fort, the section of Mill Creek bordering Mountain Gateway Museum is a public portion of this stream. The other mountain trout streams in Old Fort are Curtis Creek, Newberry Creek and the upper section of the Catawba River.
Old Fort is quickly gaining a reputation for its exciting mountain biking and hiking trails. Kitsuma Peak/Young's Ridge, Snooks Nose, Point Lookout Trail, Jarrett Creek and Heartbreak Ridge are just a few favorites in the area, boasting long, rugged trails. The Grandfather Ranger District takes mountain biking to the next level, with extreme descents, demanding trails and remote settings. Catawba Falls Trail, Newberry Creek Trail, Huskins Branch Trail, Point Lookout Trail, and Lead Mine Gap offer miles of trails for hikers to take in dense forests, challenging hills and breathtaking waterfalls.
Festival Fun in Old FortOld Fort’s Mountain Gateway Museum, adjacent to its visitor center, offers a range of exhibits reflecting the region’s history. It is also host to several popular Old Fort festivals: The museum’s Pioneer Day is held every year on the last Saturday in April. The North Carolina Gold Festival is held the first Friday/Saturday in June; and Old Fort's Chamber of Commerce sponsors Octoberfest, held the first weekend in October.
Downtown destinations include Hillman Beer, Kitsbow's Old Fort Ride House, Old Fort Outdoors, and Arrowhead Gallery. Andrews Geyser and the Arrowhead Monument are also popular attractions. Between August and May, Old Fort's Camp Grier offers day passes for visitors to enjoy a disc golf course, horse-riding, a pump track, and walking trails.
For more information about real estate in Old Fort, or anywhere in Asheville or Western N.C., contact us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call us anytime at 828-707-9556.
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Horse Shoe, N.C., bordered to the north by Mills River and the west by Etowah, is a 7-square-mile sliver of picturesque rolling hills nestled in western Henderson County. The French Broad River (the unincorporated community takes its name from a meander in the famed waterway) runs through the center of Horse Shoe, which is 23 miles south of Asheville.
Mountain homes dot Horse Shoe, beckoning with long-range views and proximity to amazing outdoor adventures. The population of Horse Shoe is around 2,300, with plenty of space to spread out.The Asheville Regional Airport and I-26 are mere minutes away. The towns of Hendersonville (6 miles east) and Brevard (14 miles southwest) are also easily accessible.
If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, Horse Shoe is brimming with a wide range of nearby activities. Both Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest are a short drive away, offering daytrips overflowing with waterfalls, hiking paths and mountain biking trails – you can even take a horseback trail ride. The area also boasts renowned destinations like Sliding Rock and the Cradle of Forestry. For water activities, the French Broad River and one of its tributaries, the Mills River, are perfect spots for kayaking and tubing.
Just a short drive from Horse Shoe, Sierra Nevada’s Mills River Brewery – its second in the U.S. – offers a sprawling, state-of-the-art facility and Taproom and Restaurant that draw thousands of visitors from all over the region and the world to enjoy tours, tastings and special events, as well as live music indoors and outdoors, in a relaxed family atmosphere. www.sierranevada.com/visit/north-carolina/
Activities of note in Horse Shoe, NCFor world-class music performances, Horse Shoe is just a short drive from the Brevard Music Center’s Summer Festival, which features everything from bluegrass to classical to operatic productions. www.brevardmusic.org. Other nearby popular spots to visit include the Mills River Creamery, offering a range of locally made milk, cheeses and ice cream (www.millsrivercreamery.com), as well as the Bold Rock Hard Cidery, which has daily tours, tastings, flights and food. www.boldrock.com/visit/mills-river-cidery/
Filled with historic buildings and vibrant streetscapes, nearby Hendersonville’s downtown – the largest in Western N.C. outside of Asheville’s – offers many outdoor dining options, as well as unique shops and galleries, along Main Street. Hendersonville also boasts the Cheers! Trail, showcasing 16 craft beverage producers, plus wineries and cideries in the area.
For more information about real estate in Horse Shoe, contact us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call us anytime at 828-707-9556.
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Mosaic’s Bill Anderson spent years honing his culinary skills as a globe-trotting chef, but real estate was always cooking in the back of his mind. Moving to Asheville and making the career switch to real estate six years ago has proven a fulfilling adventure, affording him the opportunity to share with clients everything he loves about this [...]
When Mike Figura started Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty 11 years ago, the ideas around sustainable development in the Asheville market were gaining traction. Figura’s creation of Mosaic Realty was based on guiding principles grounded in sustainability and community. Possessing degrees from the University of Virginia in Environmental [...]
With many people in Asheville making plans for spring gardening and visits to the local nursery, now is a great time to think about nurturing a native pollinator garden in your yard. Asheville GreenWorks – Western North Carolina’s most active volunteer environmental group and an organization that Mosaic has long supported – offers a Native Pollinator Garden Certification program, which allows you to certify your garden as a pollinator habitat.
The Native Pollinator Garden Certification program educates the community on the important elements of a beneficial pollinator habitat, helps beginner gardeners get started, and recognizes those seasoned gardeners whose pollinator gardens continue to flourish. Not only does creating a pollinator garden help the local ecosystem, but thanks to the fact that it’s already adapted to the region’s environment, a pollinator garden is easy to care for once it’s established, making it a breeze to boost your home’s curb appeal at the same time.
The Native Pollinator Garden Certification program has four tiers of habitat quality, allowing anyone, from patio-planter gardeners to large-scale cultivators, to participate and gain ground in their pollinator-garden aspirations. The requirements for a full-fledged pollinator habitat involve avoiding pesticides, removing invasive growth, and including native plants, nectar sources, trees or shrubs, larval hosts, water and shelter for pollinators. Once your garden meets the requirements, you will receive a certificate and the option to buy an official designation sign for your garden to spread awareness.
Break ground on your gardenYou may already have a garden you’d like to certify, in which case you can visit https://www.ashevillegreenworks.org/pollinator-garden-certification.html to understand tier requirements and decide which level you fall under. If you don’t yet have a pollinator garden, Asheville GreenWorks provides all the information you need to get started, including comprehensive lists of easy-to-find-and-grow plants. You can also visit their site to find local nurseries that carry native plants, learn about bloom times and invasive species, and see a map of certified habitats in the area.
Once your garden is established, you can fill out an application for review. The application fee is $10, with an optional $35 sign fee. Visit https://www.ashevillegreenworks.org/pollinator-garden-certification.html for more information.
For information on real estate in the greater Asheville area, email Mosaic Realty at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call us anytime at 828.707.9556
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Mosaic agent Craig Severance knows North Asheville. Not only does Craig boast deep roots here – his grandparents had a house in Norwood Park (known as The Fred D Severance House), where his father was born and raised – but he calls walkable North Asheville home, drawn to its convenient urban living coupled with serenity and space. Craig and [...]
Mosaic agent Caley Bowman has done it all – zipline tour guide, filmmaker, bartender – and always she’s done it with a sense of adventure. It’s here in Asheville that Bowman has found fulfillment for her thrill-seeking spirit, integrating nearby adventure – both urban and natural – into everyday life. And she revels in helping clients do the [...]
Tucked at the base of Linville Gorge in the Blue Ridge Mountains is Lake James, a large reservoir offering myriad outdoor adventures against a breathtaking setting. The lake, with more than 150 miles of shoreline, is situated between Marion and Morganton, easily accessible via I-40, and only 45 minutes from Asheville. The lakefront communities dotting the area offer a peaceful retreat nestled in natural beauty.
Lake James, which straddles the border between Burke and McDowell counties, is named for tobacco tycoon and Duke University benefactor James Buchanan Duke. The lake, with surface elevation of 1,200 feet, lies behind a series of four earthen dams and was created by Duke Power from 1916 to 1923 as a hydro-electric project (still generating power today).
Lake James State Park is located on the lake’s southern shore. In 2004, the 605-acre park was expanded by 3,000 acres, making it the largest waterfront state park in N.C. The surrounding terrain is covered with hardwoods, pines and hemlocks; it is home to a range of wildflowers, as well as mountain laurel, rhododendron and flame azalea along the hilly terrain.
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Paddy’s Creek and Catawba River are the park’s main areas to enjoy. Paddy’s Creek features a large, sandy beach and swimming area, along with a pavilion, restrooms and concession stand. Hiking and camping spots – including boat-in camping – are plentiful in both areas. Paddy’s Creek offers 15 miles of mountain biking trails for beginners as well as intermediate riders. Two miles east of Lake James State Park entrance sit two boat ramps, Hidden Cove and Canal Bridge, offering access for motorboats, sailboats and small watercraft.
Most housing development around Lake James is clustered along its southern and eastern shores, offering a range of styles including sprawling estates, rustic ranches, and green-build properties, many with long-range mountain and lake views.
Restaurants and breweries in and around Lake James offer a variety of options when you don’t feel like cooking at home. Among local favorites are Catawba Brewing, Lake James Grille, Slices Bistro, Fonta Flora Brewery and Root & Vine.
For information about real estate in Lake James, contact us at Info@MyMosaicRealty.com, or call us anytime at 828-707-9556.
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