Property at a Glance: Randall Glen

Life’s simpler pleasures are the focus at Randall Glen, a small, rustic resort nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains. You can hike on the nearby hills, milk a cow, tell ghost stories around a bonfire beneath the stars, and then retire to an old-fashioned log cabin. A working farm on the property supplies fresh produce for cookouts.

• Mountain trails lead past creeks, trout ponds, and meadows. Explore them on foot or horseback.
• Wood-burning fireplaces add coziness to each cabin.
• Meet the neighbors: Goats, sheep, and free-range chickens roam the farmland.
• Pan for gold: The resort’s gem mine contains rubies, sapphires, amethyst, and other stones.
• Game room with ping pong, billiards, and foosball
• Internet café with fresh espresso
• Distance from downtown Asheville: about 23 miles

Asheville, North Carolina: Artsy Town in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Downtown Asheville is an eclectic mix of boutiques, restaurants, and art galleries housed in buildings designed in art-deco, Beaux-Arts, and neoclassical styles. The city’s premier attraction is Biltmore, billed as the largest home in the United States. You can take a self-guided tour of the 250-room chateau, which was built for steamboat-and-railroad tycoon George Vanderbilt in 1895. Be sure to visit the gardens designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted—they’re in full bloom in early spring.

While you’re in the area, take one of the most scenic drives in the country: the Blue Ridge Parkway. The 469-mile highway winds through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Stretch your legs on a hike up to the panoramic lookout at Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest, or amble along a portion of the Appalachian Trail; the famed footpath goes past Asheville on its 2,180-mile journey from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia.