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Omni Grove Park Inn
Asheville, North Carolina
There's a certain amount of romance that comes with staying within a historical property. At the Omni Grove Park Inn, which was built in 1913, the history comes alive, offering an additional layer of charm.
The main inn still boasts most of its originally alluring features, including the stacked-granite stone walls, red-tiled roof, and massive, stone fireplaces set throughout the space (they were originally used to heat the airy resort). Today, modernized wings have been added to either side of the main house, which include conference space and ballroomsbut, no matter which section you stay in, the history of the original property is brought to life with imagery throughout, including hallways lined with photos of famous faces that have stayed there throughout the years. Near the Marketplace, one entire exhibit is dedicated to author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who spent time there in the 1930s. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a guest at one point, too.
History aside, the resort has been updated and added on to with luxury in mind, thanks, in part, to its current owners, Omni Resorts, starting with the impressive and stunning on-site spa. The spa revolves around a gorgeous, subterranean mineral pool that resembles the inside of an immaculate cave, with its stone décor and water features. The separate men's and women's locker rooms include hot and cold dipping pools, saunas, and steam rooms, plus treatment rooms that soothe with low lighting. The recent addition of a light-therapy pod offers aura readings, along with heat therapy and aromatherapy.
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To experience a little activity, along with all of that relaxation, the hotel features an 18-hole Donald Ross-designed golf course, as well as a sprawling sports complex, where you can take in swimming pools, tennis, and racquetball, as well as body sculpt and yoga classes, among others.
No visit to the Inn should pass without at least one visit to the sunset cocktail terrace, which, true to its name, offers one of the most jaw-dropping views of the sun's radiance as it falls below the tree-lined mountains in the distance. Couple the experience with a Key Lime Collins and a plate of smoked trout hushpuppies. There are fine-dining options, too, like Vue 1913, or more casual, drop-in restaurants, like Edison Craft Ales & Kitchen, where you can sip a North Carolina brew while cozying up in front of one of the giant fireplaces. Or take in one of their beer brunches, where both the food and drink menus feature products from a local brewery.
The breweries of Asheville, the town's ever-growing dining scene, or maybe a hike in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains might call you away for an afternoonbut the Omni Grove Park Inn, and all of its many amenities, will have you hustling back to relax and unwind.