Village Tours –

Asheville is filled with plenty of history, local color and fun and interesting things to do. Often visitors will take the opportunity to orient themselves by taking a tour. A walking tour is certainly an option. There are also two trolley tours of Asheville and one humorous bus tour. Often visitors will use these tours as a way of familiarizing themselves with the main sites. Or, in the case of the Grey Trolley or Historic White Trolley Tours, as a means of transportation from accommodations in Asheville or central locations where parking is available to places like Biltmore Village, the Grove Arcade, the Grove Park Inn and the River Arts District.

Following, I will give an overview of the trolley and bus tours Asheville has to offer, highlighting the advantages of each tour.

Gray Line Trolley Tour

Gray Line Trolleys are easy to spot on the streets of Asheville because they are bright red and fashioned after the trolleys of the early 20th Century, with open-air windows and retro design features that evoke Asheville’s past. Visitors purchase a two day pass and can get on or off at nine trolley stops including: the Chamber of Commerce, The Grove Park Inn, River Arts District, the Haywood Hotel, Biltmore Village and more. The narrated tour lasts about an hour and a half and includes an overview of Asheville’s art, architecture, history and stories about local characters, famous authors and artists and other interesting facts about the Appalachian city that make it unique. There is also a special Ghost Tour of Asheville for visitors who want a slightly different slant on local history. A two-day pass is available with this tour, along with free admission to the Thomas Wolfe Memorial. (more…)

Here are six jaw-dropping adventure spots in the Philippines.

1. Bohol

Bohol is known for glistening white sand beach resorts, extensive coral reefs, world class diving spots, the Chocolate Hills (near symmetrical mounds of limestone formations that look like Hershey’s Kisses), and the iconic tarsier (the oldest species of extant primate in the world). However, this large Philippine Island has lately been a recurring item in the global tourism grapevine for yet another attraction: the Danao Adventure Park. Managed by the local government with the aid of private advocacy groups, the adventure park has become the ultimate hub for eco-adventure activities. The park offers more than a dozen extraordinarily thrilling activities that leverage the nature park’s rugged and profoundly varied topography. Accommodating travelers of any stripe–from calm and composed bird watchers to extreme adventurers, Danao Adventure Park showcases the scenic Wahig River, a forested mountain range, a native cultural community, self-sustained organic farms, and cave complexes that provide hours of spelunking excitement. Popular activities include kayaking, wall climbing, trekking, camping, cave explorations, village tours, educational tours, and extreme in-the-park-only challenges such as the Ziplet, Skyride, Plunge, Suislide, Cliff Rappel, and Root Climb. (more…)