We stopped at a restaurant in Black Mountain for breakfast last weekend after leaving Asheville…read more We immediately thought the area looked like a cool place and noted they also have a Hampton Inn by Hilton near the exit from I-40. We decided to come up over the 4th of July holiday weekend and booked our stay. We arrived on Sunday afternoon after driving from the Winston-Salem area and making a few stops along the way. We had eaten at Hillman Beer in Old Fort so we decided to park and walk around the downtown area. We noted several breweries and outdoor areas including a small park and food trucks options. There are plenty of free parking lots as well as ample street parking along with public restrooms. We also did not expect to find out that Roberta Flack was born here in 1937. We learned, the town is named for the old train stop at the Black Mountain Depot and is located at the southern end of the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Southern Appalachians. We spent a couple of days in and around Black Mountain and feel like it is a special little spot.

It was mid-week when I decided to drive up the mountain on a crisp September morning out of Chimney…read moreRock to "The Little Town that Rocks!" yep Black Rock, NC a.k.a "The Front Porch of Western North Carolina," breathe deeply and take in the clean mountain air, and relax. This small town is locate just 15 miles from Asheville although it seems much more remote than it really is, especially as you navigate the numerous switchbacks while climbing the mountain - my speed probably never exceeded 45 mph as I took in the scenic countryside while transversing the unfamiliar route as the locals pushed my driving skills as they seemed to be racing their way to hell, most of the curves here are closer to 180 degree turns verses the normal 90 degree turns most non-mountainous people are used to so take advantage of the turn-outs as they appear and let the speed demons make their meeting with the grim-reaper or the other entities that live in this isolated section of the twilight zone, I've never seem a better tuned suspension on a 1980 F-150 than I did today, this cat was bending the needle as he pushed me for a few miles before I could give him room to go around. Now don't get me wrong this ain't no hick-town, my first stop was an ultra modern Starbucks, so I was able to get my non-fat, no foam latte fix while still having five bars on my iPhone, looks like this town is already a step ahead of SpaceX and it's StarLink satellite program. We took some time to explore the historic downtown that's filled with lots of shops and little restaurants, it's apparent the economic development committee has a plan in place to capture the interest and dollars of visitors that happen to stop by. Although our visit here was short we did get to experience some of its small town charm but wasn't here long enough to see any of their struggles. Although I didn't get to experience it Black Mountain owns and operates the Black Mountain Golf Course which is home to the famous 747yd, par 6 17th hole, which at one time the longest hole in the world, now that sounds like a birdie opportunity to me...

Love love love the concept of this place, very mellow yet classy! My partner and I enjoyed looking…read morearound at new books of interest while waiting for our food, we had ordered a charcuterie board and it was filling and I enjoyed going here!! I do wish they had more of a variety of meats for the board, but everything was exceptional! I will say the grapes weren't the freshest, but everything else makes up for it! I do like their hummus that we got for the side and the martini is delicious as always, can't go wrong with that! They had seasoned roasted macadamias and those were very yummy!! The walnuts tasted freshly cracked and not bitter whatsoever and service is great! While exploring around I found out the book I just read has a sequel because of their displays, so that was neat! There was live music and the space was bigger than I had expected, upstairs with children's, games, and history!

Absolutely adorable spot! Came here to for a bachelorette trip and we stumbled upon another…read morebachelorette party at the table next to us. The vibes for book lovers are immaculate. You are also able to order wine and food, which to be honest was just okay, but you're really coming here for the vibes not necessarily the food. The charcuterie was pretty good though! Accessible bathroom available on the first floor!

What an adorable local library. If you have a buncombe address, you can go to any so we opted for…read morethis one last week as it was the closest. Pleased to find an open lot, easy entrance and an adorable exterior. Lots of benches, ads for local events and wildflowers. What a library should show, in my opinion. Looks like this is a true community space we need to show love for. The staff were so welcoming and kind. We got cards here and it was simple (just have a license from the area or a license and some mail). The books were plentiful and well organized. Kids section was inviting and adorable. Overall an excellent experience.

It's everything I want in an older, outdated library. Have normal expectations and you won't be…read moredisappointed. Very friendly staff, decently stock books and rotating selections. I enjoy this library very much.

Why do the short hair lady, and older short haired lady yelling when their right next to each…read moreother. Just sooo loud for no reason

This is the library I use all the time! It is amazing! Everyone is super friendly and very helpful!…read moreGreat selection! Easy to get in and out of. I am unsure why they have two lower ratings... But this is a great library!

Sorry, but this is a review for the library's parking lot when all of the other parking garages…read morewere full on a busy Saturday in downtown AVL. According to the sign, there were six spaces left and we luckily snagged one. When we came back, we entered through the library, used the bathrooms, and our car was on the same floor. It took a bit longer to leave as a truck was blocking one of the exits.

The main branch of the Buncombe County library system, this is in downtown Asheville. Lots of…read moreseating, a fast free wifi and loads of books. Some of the tables have power outlets nearby. This was a great spot to get a brief peaceful rest and browse before continuing on to explore Asheville. Absolutely check out the used bookstore. Cheap, cheap, cheap! [Review 12704 overall, 16 of 2020.]

The book collection is old. Needs better collection development. One staff member is rude and bossy.read more

I am removing one star for rudeness. I had to call the other day in order to renew my books. The…read moreemployee who answered the phone was annoyed that she had to do her job. Chill- you work in a library, possibly the most stress free workplace on earth. Speaking of those books, when we originally attempted to check them out, the lady in the kids' room was rude, too. She acted like I wasn't there, and kept on talking with her friends. I could not tell if her friends were employees or patrons. She finally said that she could not check me out, and told me that I could go the self-check-out kiosk or go upstairs to get checked out. I asked her how to do the self thing, and she showed me the kiosk. I stared at it for several long seconds before telling her that I would go upstairs. Tell me: why do they need a self-check-out if they have time to endlessly yak it up and there are never more than six people in the kids' room at a time, not counting employees? Libraries should feel inviting, not alienating.

It's pretty when you pull up. When you go inside the people there were so friendly and helpful. I…read morereally appreciated that kindness

Sweetly cozy library: Big enough to (usually) have…read morethe books I'm seeking, yet small enough for me to walk from one end to the other in less than 25 long (for me) strides. (I am not a long-leggedy woman.) Staff is warm, completely-helpful when help is sought, yet good at maintaining library silence both amongst themselves and with patrons, thus reminding the rest of us to keep our voices down.

The Friends of the Library books store is an amazing second hand book store for a town that does…read morenot have a book store. If you are a quilter, there are hundreds of quilt books and other crafting books. The staff are very helpful. They are very organized...You can find what you're looking for easily. They have large print section too and jig saw puzzles, childrens' books, cookbooks, videos and DVDS. Don't show up if you have a time crunch, you'll want to poke around.

Truly a wonderful Library. Wow! It's big, well organized, Quiet areas to study & helpful staff…read more Thank you. I use the library all the time to simply catch up on my Email, make copies of items and to just relax and get caught up with life. The staff is very helpful and considerate. So thank you!