As frequent readers of our blog know, we pride ourselves on making the Andon-Reid Inn a quiet, peaceful, and relaxing place to stay where guests can slow down and savor their getaway from the stressors of everyday life. We love to hear that folks enjoyed the breakfast experience or had a great night’s sleep or enjoyed being surrounded by beautiful landscapes. But it’s also just as rewarding to see our guests relaxing around the Inn and taking the chance to enjoy a good book. What could be better on a vacation than being able to finally finish that story or perhaps read a book from cover to cover without the interruption of all our non-stop daily distractions. Sounds amazing, right? The Andon-Reid is a perfect place to do just that, as we have so many cozy places to sit, hot and cold beverages available all day, and many great places in town to search for your next great read.
We have some fantastic independently-owned Book Stores
With that in mind, let’s start by exploring some of the great, independently-owned places to find books to read while on your getaway to the mountains. Our favorite is one of our local gems, tucked away on Wall Street, one block from Main Street. It’s called Wall Street Books and is a great place to browse and explore an amazing collection of used books. We highly recommend a visit to this store during anyone’s trip to Waynesville. For other options, you could also explore Blue Ridge Books across from Beach Mountain Diner in Hazelwood or Sassafras on Main, which has a wonderful book section on the lower floor of their very popular toy and game store across from the courthouse on Main Street. If you are out and about in Haywood County and make your way over to Canton, you shouldn’t miss Blue Moon Books, another great, locally-owned used bookstore with a fabulous selection.
Unique Local History Reads
For those of us who like to dive into local history and learn about the culture and traditions of the regions we visit, all of the above bookstores have great local history and local author sections. Also, at all our amazing attractions, the gift shop and visitor centers have spectacular collections of local history. While here, you could read all about the history of the Cherokee People, the development of the Biltmore Estate, the evolution of the Canton Paper Mill, the building of the railroad through Western North Carolina, the creation of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, or the Fontana Dam, the history of forestry science, or learn about our areas’ connection to moonshining during prohibition. So many great topics to explore if you are a history buff!
Vibrant Literary Tradition
If history is not your thing, then you can also find some great local writers and some famous classic authors to read during your visit. Two of the region’s more acclaimed contemporary writers are Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain, which is a bestselling novel loosely set in Haywood County that was turned into a movie starring Nicole Kidman and Jude Law, and David Joy, who lives in Jackson County and sets all of his novels in the towns around WNC. One of David Joy’s most well-known novels is Where All Light Tends to Go, which was also made into a film. In his books, David Joy tackles many of our region’s most challenging social and cultural issues, like the opioid epidemic in When These Mountains Burn.
The Asheville area is also home to some of the more famous writers in history, like Thomas Wolfe and Carl Sandburg. On your adventures in our region, you could stop and grab some classic literature and poetry at the Thomas Wolfe House Memorial in Downtown Asheville or the Carl Sandburg House in Flat Rock and bring them back to read quietly at the Inn.
Great Spaces at the Inn (and in our area) to Sit and Read
Of course, getting a great read is not useful unless you have a cozy, comfy (and quiet) place to sit. We have that in abundance at the Inn, and we are in a very quiet, residential neighborhood. During the warmer months, we have a wonderful outdoor porch with fans and rocking chairs overlooking the mountain, and we also have Adirondack chairs on our lawn situated in the shade under our beautiful old oak tree (also overlooking the mountains in multiple directions). In the Inn, our guest lounge is the perfect place to read, with comfortable chairs, a recliner, and a sofa perfect for lounging. For more privacy, you could also tuck into the corner nook downstairs in the game room, or retreat to your room, each of which has comfortable glider chairs or recliners available. During the cooler months, our fireplaces provide the perfect ambiance for a day spent losing yourself in the comforts of a good book.
And an out-of-the-box idea is to take your favorite book, head on up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and read at one of the fabulous overlooks with breathtaking views. Sit in the grass on a blanket, get lost in a great story, and breathe the fresh air while enjoying the splendor of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s the perfect way to clear your mind and fill your spirit so you can head home refreshed and refocused. Another great place in our area to sit and read is Lake Junaluska, which has an abundance of benches situated around the lake near the walking path.
So we hope you pack up your bags with all those books you haven’t had the chance to read and visit us to find that cozy space at the Inn to finally finish them. While vacations and getaways can sometimes feel more hectic than normal life, we offer our Inn as a quiet space to escape, slow down, and get back to a leisurely pace where you have the time and mental capacity to read and reflect. We also have little libraries of some of our favorite reads sprinkled throughout the Inn in the rooms, the guest lounge, and the game room. You can find your next great read anywhere!
Hope to see you soon at the Inn!
Your Innkeepers,
–Brenda and Peter
