Hi gang,

Saturday drive & lunch: We will all meet at the IHOP on US-19 just North of I-40. If you can join us for breakfast, great! We will eat at 7am. We will leave the parking lot between 8:30-8:40am...so be there no later than 8:15 please. I will have copies of the route for everyone and PLEASE BRING YOUR FRS RADIOS. We will have several cars to keep us all together, and I will provide cell phone numbers for each of us.
There will be some good photo ops. Lunch will be at the Pisgah Inn Restaurant.
I will post more details later.
Here is a list of attendees for the Saturday drive so far:

Confirmed:
Paul & Mea (CyberZ06 & Mrs)
Bruce & Kathy (Cadillactech & Photogirl)
Jack & Lynda XLR
(OldGuy920) XLR
Kevin & Marion (HD motorcycle)
Frank Phillips
Brian & Teresa (1Trul48)
Norm & Marge (Norm66)
Dick & Mary Ann
Dewayne & Brenda (Dewayne'sC6)
Randy & Phyllis
Jason +1 (JPbabyrange)
Darren & Terri (Darren6114)
(VettinMan) +1
Emil (ejz48)
(RockinC6)
(SSTEVEGS)

Interested/tentative:

(RLeonard) XLR
(Moneypit) XLR
(Dmoore)
(Vettecop1125)
(HoleInOne)
(RickH) ex-XLR
(Catbert)
(NC_EB_Z06)
(94-Vette)
(Smknvette)
(Rich) XLR

If I left your name out, please let me know! If you want to commit, or can't attend, please let me know, so I can update the list.

This is the route we selected:



Thanks! Mea

Names hi-lited in Green are confirmed so far...still waiting for a few pendings that I PM'd.
Please check the names, the details and email me with corrections, missing info or confirmations!
Thank you!!!
Mea

Hi Gang,

I will be working on the Biltmore Friday tours planning today. We have 20 people confirmed to go there, maybe more...so I will negotiate a group rate for the entrance fees and tours... I will post rates and what tours some of us are interested in taking and what time each tour starts, so to better plan the day and have a good idea how long things will take. I know we will eat on property at the Inn for lunch, for dinner we will eat at TGIF's just outside the Estates.
More later.... : M

We can start booking the group general admission rates for the Biltmore starting Tuesday March 31st.
Phone: 866-851-4661 Use Promo Code: MFT You can have them mailed to your home, so you don't waste time stopping at the group desk on our way in to pick them up. They mail tickets only if it is more than 2 weeks to arrival...so if you are ordering less than 2 weeks, then you will need to pick them up at the entrance!

Group rate for General admission is $38 pp. You can also buy the tickets at the gate, but it would speed things up at the entrance if we all have our tickets in order.
Once we are in the door of the House, we can buy the extra tours each one of us would like to go on.

Additional rates for specialty tours above the price of general admission:

-Roof Top tour:Guided + $15pp starts at 9:30am til 3:30pm. Runs every 30 minutes for a 1 hour long tour.
-Behind the scenes Guided tour: + $15pp same times as above.
-Red Wine & Chocolates tour at the winery: Free at 2:30pm and at 4pm daily....it lasts for about 30 minutes.
-Guided Tour is + $15pp once a day starts at 4pm and runs for about 1.5 to 2 hours.
-Audio guide: + $8pp (I was told this was well worth it!)
Gardens tours at our own leisure.
Of course there are more specialty tours, see link below for details.
http://www.biltmore.com/buy_tickets/more_biltmore.asp

I also read that they are opening a whole new section of the House:
New this year: four of the most grand guest rooms in Biltmore House are now open! Meticulously restored to their original appearance, the Louis XV Suite on the Second Floor showcases what made Biltmore House a home: stories about the people who lived in and loved America's largest home. You can enjoy the new stories with our new audio guide.

We will all be at the gate at 9am so we can all park in our own "special section"!
Once we are in we will take pictures with all our babies parked in the "special" area and then we can enjoy the house. I will fill you guys in of another cool thing we will do once we are there before we park.:

I know Paul and I will take the Rooftop tour in the AM and take our camera up with (permission was given) so we can take pics from the top!!!:
We will also do the Audio Guide.
There are several restaurants to choose from for lunch, the one I liked the sound of is the Deerpark Restaurant, which is a short drive deeper into the property. Go online to biltmore.com and check out the different dining choices and their menus. The Bistro also looks good, much smaller Tuscan style. :
We will probably visit the winery for Red wine & chocolates at either 2:30 or 4pm....ahhhhh I just want the chocolates....you guys can have my wine!
We will also visit the gardens near the bass pond which is a 1/2 mile walk or drive and park on the side of the road for pictures. The walled gardens near the gift shop is in the plan as well, park and take photos.

Photos can be taken anywhere on the property except inside the home!
The house has 350 stairs or so for just the general touring, so be prepared to get some serious exercise if you choose to do the extra specialty tours. The Roof top and the Behind the scenes each have additional 250 stairs!! This is why we chose only one and not both, I am not a spring chicken anymore! :
For those of you having breakfast with us at IHOP, we will caravan from there to the Biltmore to arrive by 9am. So we will leave around 8:35-ish. So I would say arrive at IHOP for breakfast at 7am.
I hope I did not miss anything...if so tuff cookies, just kidding, just let me know! Mea

Ok Gang,

Biltmore tickets can be purchased now by calling the group desk at 866-851-4661 $38pp Tell them promo code: MFT

You can ask them to mail it to you so that you don't have to mess around picking them up the morning of. If you order them less than 2 weeks prior to arrival, then you will have to pick it up in person upon entry day of. So to save time, get your tickies vewy soon!
I ordered mine today :

I have been updating the list of attendees spreadsheet, so minor changes will take place as we get closer to the date. Check it once in a while.
Please email me if you have questions, or if you want me to add more info on the spreadsheet.

I would also like all you local's input about Saturday night dinner. Paul and I ate at an all you can eat buffet on 19 called "Asiana Grand Buffet" that was pretty darn good. Located at 153 Smokey Park Hwy., Asheville, NC 28806 (828) 667-0410 They had everything! Fresh made to order stir-fry, sushi, tons of food for all tastes asian and american. I am only thinking of what the masses can enjoy and where we can park our cars safely and easily. If you guys have a cute fancy place that can accomodate our cars and would suit the flavor of the masses, by all means, let's hear it!

Chatted with Brian, as well as Dewayne from the forum last night....this is a fun group of people! Looking forward to meeting you all soon! : Mea

Biltmore is approx 7 miles from the Holiday Inn Biltmore West, where many of us are staying. TGIF's is around the corner of the Biltmore.

Just received our Biltmore tickets in the mail today

Chatting up a storm with some of the people attending, having a great time already with them, and we haven't even met yet!
All of us are soooo looking forward to this Fun trip!

ahhh, finally a decision made! whooo hooo... As Dewayne would say..."Saweet" Both restaurants are 9 miles from our hotel!
Pomodoros South it is for Friday evening! 7pm http://www.pomodoroscafe.com

Which restaurant out of the few they have at the Grove Park Inn do you guys want to eat at...I think they all look fabulous!

Blue Ridge Dining Room on Saturday night has a Prime Rib Buffet 5:30 – 9:30 PM.
The Sunset Terrace needs reservations, so we need to gather our numbers and book for dinner...Sunset Terrace Chophouse is the resort’s classic steakhouse, serving prime beef and fresh seafood for dinner.
Horizon's is the Resort’s flagship restaurant..reservations required....Friday – Saturday 6 - 9:30 PM*
So let's pick one of these fine restaurants....check out their menu at:
http://www.groveparkinn.com/Leisure/Dining

I am very happy with the dinner restaurant choices!
Let's get everyone who wants to join us for dinner Saturday night to let me know, so I can make reservations. Check the list for Friday dinner, just please confirm or tell me about changes!
Thanks everyone for all your input!!!! : Mea

Updated 4-13

Hi Gang,

Some of us will be arriving on Thursday night, and we've been chit chattin as to where we will eat dinner. Yoshida's Japanese Steakhouse was recommended to us by locals when we were there in February. It is close to the hotel, so we are thinking dinner there Thursday night. Have not decided on time yet, depends on when we arrive into Asheville...I would guess right now around 7pm-ish or later.

4 Regent Park Blvd
Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 252-5903
http://local.yahoo.com/info-13376627...ouse-asheville

Feel free to join. Mea

Hi Mia,
Looks like there will be 2 in my car. Paula is coming so the spreadsheet can be updated.

Bob

Whooohoooo! Very glad to hear it!!! See U both soon! M

Updated 4-20

Hi Everyone,

I have been negotiating with the Manager at Pomodoros for the Friday Night dinner about the menu, seating and arrival times. For a large group like this, they wanted to offer a group menu which is very limited in my opinion, so I made it clear we all would like to order off their wide variety regular menu.
In order to do that and have everyone be served in a timely manner, he asked us to make reservations in advance of groups of 6-8-10. Arrivals within about 10-15 minutes apart. His concern was being able to feed everyone at once, which off the regular menu they can not do. I agreed that we would be seated and order at varied times.

Some of the locals can arrive a bit earlier or later than the folks taking the Biltmore tours. Everyone attending (so far 31), please email me, post or PM me as to what time would suit you better to be seated and that way the orders don't come in all at once.
We will all still be enjoying eachother's company and our cars, we just won't be eating at one table and put in our orders all at the same time. :
Thank you for your understanding! Mea

Hi Gang,

Here is what I have come up with so far. I can only put times of request of those of you who rsvp's to me. Others, I just did my best to make it even and easier on seating and ordering. Now this does not mean that is the time you need to be there at, just that this is the seating times. So if some get there earlier and they are able to seat us, great, if not, then we can socialize by the cars. Also we can swap people for times once we are there, as long as we keep it a bit spread out, to allow the restaurant to accomodate us in a timely manner. If you wish to swap times, names, just let me know. Thanks! : M

6:45 - 8pple: Bill & Nancy, Norm & Marge, Bill & Donna, Dick & Mary Ann
7:00 - 5-6ppl: Jack & Lynda, George, Ed & Carolyn
7:15 - 7-8 pple: Bruce & Kathy, Frank +1, Bob & Paula, Mark
7:30 - 6ppl: Paul & Mea, Dewayne & Brenda, Randy & Phyllis
7:45 - 5-6pple: Brian & Teresa, Kevin & Marion, Rich

Gang,

Here is one option for us for parking all together for dinner Friday night at Pomodoros: Jim the Manager wrote:

"Yes, I confirmed this morning we have five parties total for you. Thanks for checking.

By the way you had previously inquired about parking. Here is my suggestion, when you enter our parking lot if you drive straight until you have to make a left or right make a left. You will then see several spots that typically are not used since they are for businesses that are only open during the day. A little further ahead there also several spots facing the woods that border our property that may also be empty. Any questions feel free to give me a call.

Thanks Jim"