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It's everything I want in an older, outdated library.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.

I'm sorry, I'm from New York State, and North Carolina, your library system SUCKS. Southern culture…read moreis more than "To Kill a Mockingbird." Anybody ever heard of a man called William Faulkner? Carson McCullers? Ring a bell? Walker Percy, one of the best American novelists EVER imho? This is an urban library- an urban library in a hip relevant very cool unique city, but when it comes to their library we're talking Harlequin romances in giant print. If you're really community-oriented and intellectual- as this city posits itself, the library should be so much more. It should be a cultural hub. Anyway, I find this library has a relative paucity of material. It needs to expand its section of classics. And for a city that calls itself progressive, how about some progressive literature? Thomas Pinketty, make the New York Times available. How about books on climate change, homesteading, crafting, DIY, farming, animal care, bicycling, Christianity, environmental concerns, Appalachian music, Appalachian culture, animals and plants of the region, history of the region, tourism, the Vanderbilts, the Biltmore Estate, the French Broad River, the Scots-Irish, the American South, the fight for civil rights equality, auto repair, mountain ecology, the Baptist religion, Hee Haw, the Scottish ballad tradition, snake handling, forestry, the Cherokee, Dolly Parton, Mount Mitchell, folk legends, Andrew Jackson, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, the Appalachian Trail, fiddling, clogging, kilts, rodeos, classic cars, logging, But, no. Harlequin romances in giant print, some third-rate hand-me-down same ol' same ol' pablum/fodder. It's like stale standards of the cathedral of general political correctness. Anyway, this is one of the few aspects of Western Carolina that makes me miss my NY roots.

Love our local library system. Stop cutting their budget!!! Pay some taxes folks!!! Jeez this is…read moreAmerica!!! Thomas Jefferson espoused virtues of books and education for the masses. When libraries are laying off because of budget cuts, we miss opportunities for real early child development and a chance at community. Stop being skinflits!!!! Love the library!!!!!

This is an awesome library right on the main street in Weaverville! Your library card is accepted…read moreat many other libraries in the system and they give you a handy list to keep with you. It's comfortable and they help you to feel welcomed. There are computers and printers available. You are welcome even if you don't have a library card. The folks here are super helpful.

While at the Native Gardens, I decided to check out the Madison County Public Library. When I…read morewalked inside the Marshall branch, I was jealous as this library is breathtaking. From the high ceilings to the art work to the cozy sitting areas to the zen boxes, this is an amazing library. I was impressed and even more so by all the programs held here. There was an area to buy books if you'd like your own copy or if you don't live in Madison County to borrow a book. This library is a great asset to the community.

The Madison Public Library system is great. The Marshall public library is the main branch, with…read moreMars Hill and Hot Springs also having facilities. Marshall has the prettiest facility, with vaulted ceilings, a large kids' area (with games), plus gardens, paths, and a playground outside. All locations really serve as community centers, offering classes for the young and for the adults. My grandkids especially enjoy the children's program for ages 0-5 (Kith and Kin associated with Smart Start), the playground, and the back-to-school party. Larger cities stick mostly to book services, but this county provides much more! Staff is also very friendly and helpful. You can order books from anywhere in the state through the Cardinal system and electronically through Libby. Computers are also available to use. Free access to some area museums and tourist sites is provided through Zoom.

Even if you have no idea who Thomas Wolfe was or what he wrote, if you have any interest in what…read morelife was like in an early-1900s boarding house, you should come here. I was interested because I had previously toured a Basque sheepherder boarding house in Boise, Idaho, and I was curious to see how it compared with a more traditional Southern boarding house. I had never heard of Thomas Wolfe or "Look Homeward, Angel" until I watched the movie and went on the guided tour. Now I want to read the book. The tour gives you a fascinating look at two very different sides of Asheville life during that era. If you couldn't afford to stay at a grand hotel such as the Grove Park Inn for around $5 a night, you could see what it was like to stay at the Old Kentucky Home, where at one point you could get a room and breakfast for around $8 a week. But one of the most interesting people I learned about wasn't Thomas Wolfe. It was his mother, Julia Wolfe. Julia came from poverty but had tremendous industry and business sense. She bought the Old Kentucky Home in 1906 and ran the boarding house for nearly 40 years, expanding it over time to 29 rooms. Our guide told us that she could be up before dawn preparing breakfast for the boarders, while Thomas remembered her still ironing after midnight. In addition to running the boarding house and raising a large family, she invested in real estate. I couldn't help comparing Julia with another remarkable woman I had learned about during my time in Asheville: Edith Vanderbilt. Their circumstances could hardly have been more different, but both impressed me with their intelligence, resilience, work ethic, and business sense. Edith helped preserve Biltmore after George Vanderbilt died, while Julia built and operated a successful boarding house and helped provide for her family largely through her own determination and work. I hadn't expected learning about these two strong women to become one of the most memorable parts of my visit to Asheville. The admission fee was only $8 for the guided tour. Tours were offered at 30 minutes past the hour through 4:30 p.m. when I visited. The movie was about 20 minutes, the guided house tour took about an hour, and you should allow additional time for the exhibits. I would plan on about 1 1/2 to 2 hours altogether. The exhibit and film are free if you don't want to do the tour. One thing that may be confusing when you arrive: although the historic house is on one side, you first need to go to the Visitor Center behind the house to pay admission, see the movie and exhibits, and meet for the guided tour. There is also a restroom in the Visitor Center. The house was closed Sundays, Mondays, and holidays when I visited, but check the website for the latest days, hours, tour times, and admission prices before going. I really enjoyed seeing what everyday life in an early-1900s boarding house was like, hearing about Thomas Wolfe's life even though I knew nothing about him when I arrived, and especially learning about Julia Wolfe. I went because I was curious about the house. I left wanting to read "Look Homeward, Angel" and with a profound admiration for the woman who ran it.

Excellent thing to see if you are into history. Or literature, or writers, or books. The museum is…read moreall about Thomas Wolfe and his life. Sit through the 22 minute video, it explains a lot. Lots of things to see and learn about here. They saw all of his books, and some other paraphernalia. You can do the House tour as well for a small fee. We opted out of that, but walked around the outside of the house instead. Very pretty old antebellum style house. I recommend this stop if you are in Asheville.

I had never visited this particular library. Both librarians were super friendly and helpful. I…read morewould definitely return in the future.

We enjoyed walking around the Visitor Center, learning more about Zebulon Vance and the area. We…read morealso enjoyed looking at the buildings on the grounds. Very nice historic site!

The Vance Birthplace is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Weaverville, NC. Admission to the…read moremuseum is free. With Covid, masks are required and the front entrance is closed. You enter through the back of the visitor's center. I did not know much about Vance before coming to his birthplace. I was familiar with Vance County and monument in Downtown Asheville and schools named after him. I wasn't aware that Vance was a NC Governor or in the US Senate just his white supremacy. I still have a difficult time figuring out why all these places were named after a man filled with hatred. The museum did do a great job of telling the history of both Vance and the enslaved people. The Vance family moved to the property once home to the Cherokees. The enslaved put in the labor for the Buncombe Turnpike and farm. The Vance family owned 18 slaves and Zebulon Vance owned 6 of them. Outside shows how life would be on the plantation.

This marker is located in front of the hospital but there is limited parking to stop. I was…read moreintrigued by the "normal" park and so I did some looking. The marker reads, "Asheville Normal School. Presbyterian. Opened 1887 as Home Industrial School. Teacher's College 1892-1944. Stood nearby." Online, "Under the guidance of Dr. Thomas Lawrence, with the generous donation of land by the Pease family, and with the support of the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions, the Normal and Collegiate Institute was born in 1892. The Normal, as it was later called by locals, had its foundations in the Home Industrial School which opened in 1887, in the Pease home located between Asheville and Biltmore Forest. Pease and Lawrence sought to provide education for young girls and train them to become educators." "Financial support from the Board of National Missions ended in 1940 and, to fill the void, local citizens banded together to support the school, changing its name to Asheville College. Attempts to keep the school open failed and it closed its doors in 1944. The property and buildings were sold for a hospital and were later torn down to make way for Memorial Mission Hospital." [Review 12673 overall, 2465 of 2019.]