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Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Activity note: Inn check-in from 4:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon: Assembly Inn check-in 3:00-5:30 p.m. Pull up to the Assembly Inn porch to unload, then park your vehicle in any designated spot close to the Inn or by the lake and check in. Program Registration. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Feel free to relax in your room, meet and enjoy fellowship with other participants in the beautiful lobby, or stretch your legs with a walk around the campus before dinner.
Dinner: 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Galax Dining Room, or if you prefer, outside in the Tea Garden or on Wharton Porch (weather permitting).
Evening: Orientation: 7:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will also meet the instructor. We will have opportunities for early morning stretch sessions led by a member of our staff. On some evenings, there will be entertainment such as a concert, dance, or storyteller followed by opportunities for fellowship in the lobby of the Inn. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We’ll finish up around 8:00 p.m. with some “get to know you” activities and then have refreshments and fellowship in the lobby. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.
Activity note: Coffee out at 6:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. early morning stretch session. Getting in/out of vans; driving about 100 miles round-trip, approximately 2 hours total.
Breakfast: In the Galax Dining Room.
Morning: Professional horticulturalist Steve Frowine will give us a presentation on how to create our own “garden of Eden.” We will learn how to plan our gardens for sunny or shady exposures. After refreshments and break time, we’ll return to the classroom for a presentation about the history, development, and gardens of the beautiful North Carolina Arboretum. The arboretum sits in the middle of a 434-acre public forest and garden located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, surrounded by lush folds of the botanically diverse Southern Appalachian Mountains. It was established in 1986, nearly a century after Frederick law Olmsted — the “Father of American Landscape Architecture” — envisaged a research arboretum as part of his legacy and plan for the Biltmore Estate.
Lunch: In the Assembly Inn dining room.
Afternoon: Next, we will hop into vans for a field trip to explore key areas of the North Carolina Arboretum. Its acres of cultivated gardens include some of the most beautiful, botanically-diverse plants in the region. One of the most popular exhibits is the Bonsai Garden with more than 100 specimens that draw inspiration from bonsai traditions within the form of contemporary, Southern Appalachian influences, set in a charming, specially designed pavilion that salutes their classic beauty. We will then visit the lovely Quilt Garden that is re-designed twice a year, once for spring and once for fall displays. To learn more about the arboretum, visit www.ncarboretum.org. After our Arboretum field trip, we will visit Steve Frowine’s personal garden and see what can be done a small space. From there, we’ll ride on to the WNC Farmer’s Market before returning to the Assembly Inn.
Dinner: In the Assembly Inn dining room.
Evening: An evening program with a storyteller or musician will entertain us as we relax after a busy day. The remainder of the evening is at leisure, with opportunities for fellowship in the lobby of the Inn.
Activity note: Coffee out at 6:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. early morning stretch session. Getting in/out of vans; driving about 10 miles round-trip, approximately 1/2 hour total.
Breakfast: In the Assembly Inn dining room.
Morning: We will gather with Steve Frowine for an illustrated slide presentation showing a broad range of plants we can add to our gardens. We will have a break with refreshments, then hop into our vans and ride into Black Mountain to explore the Black Mountain Community Garden. Founded in 1997 by Dr. John Wilson, about 75% of the garden plots are available for individual rentals; the other 25% are used to grow crops solely for donation. Additionally, each member grows 10% of her/his plot for donation, resulting in 3,000 pounds of food grown annually for donation within the community. Food is distributed through a local food pantry and a weekly meal site. The garden also includes more than 100 fruit or nut bearing trees, bushes, and vines. A greenway trail encircles the garden and connects with the greater greenway system of Black Mountain. Along one border of the garden and paralleling the greenway is a 300-foot long native plant and medicinal at-risk species trail. The trail is on the United Plant Savers national registry of Botanical Sanctuaries. We will return to the Inn after our field trip.
Lunch: In the Assembly Inn dining room.
Afternoon: After lunch, we will venture back to Black Mountain for two more private garden visits, then return to Montreat where Steve will give us a presentation on the fascinating and amazingly productive life of Frederick Law Olmsted, America’s first landscape architect.
Dinner: In the Assembly Inn dining room.
Evening: We'll have another relaxing evening with a musician or a storyteller.
Activity note: Coffee out at 6:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. early morning stretch session. Getting in/out of vans; driving about 50 miles round-trip, approximately 1 hour total.
Breakfast: In the Assembly Inn dining room.
Morning: Steve Frowine will give us an introduction to Blue Briar Gardens at the home of Peter and Jasmin Gentling. The home, founded in 1906, has a rich history populated with figures such as William Jennings Bryan and Herbert Hoover. When the Gentlings became stewards of Blue Briar Cottage in 1971, they began cultivating a unique garden landscape connected to the forest with its trees and flowers, animals and birds. We will then board our van and ride to Blue Briar where we’ll see native plants mingling with woodland evergreens, pruned boxwoods, espaliered fruit trees, and much more.
Lunch: In the Blue Briar garden, we’ll have box lunches.
Afternoon: Next, we will ride to see the private garden of a retired math teacher and enthusiastic horticulturalist who enjoys growing Japanese maples, fothergillas, and golden larches, among others. Randy Harter’s outstanding collection of trees and shrubs is about 15 minutes from the Gentling gardens in Asheville. We’ll learn about his collection. Returning to the Inn, the remainder of the afternoon is free. Take this opportunity to see and do what interests you most.
Dinner: In the Assembly Inn dining room.
Evening: At leisure. We will have an opportunity to view a movie, with a garden theme of course!
Activity note: Coffee out at 6:30 a.m. 7:30 a.m. early morning stretch session. Getting in/out of vans; driving about 40 miles round-trip, approximately 1.5 hours total.
Breakfast: In the Assembly Inn dining room.
Morning: We will gather with Steve Frowine for a presentation on the conservatory and gardens at the Biltmore Estate. We’ll then hop into our van and ride to Biltmore Estate where we’ll explore the conservatory and gardens with Steve and the Biltmore Estate staff. Note: Entry into Biltmore House itself is not included in our field trip. Completed in 1895, the Conservatory displays an extensive variety of exotic plants framed by tall, arched windows. There are more than 30 acres of gardens—formal and informal—adjacent to Biltmore House. The estate’s horticultural experts are always at work maintaining, preserving, and enhancing Frederick Law Olmstead’s vision and George Vanderbilt’s legacy of environmental protection.
Lunch: On the Biltmore Estate grounds, we’ll have box lunches.
Afternoon: Next, we will ride to Shady Slope Garden in Asheville belonging to Judy Hamrick. Judy, an Extension Master Gardener volunteer, will tell us about the garden developed, how the need to remedy a drainage problem created an opportunity to build a recirculating waterfall, and show us more than 60 named hostas. Some are planted in pots in the soil to ward off damaging vole activity. En route back to the Inn, we’ll stop at the B.B. Barns Garden Center and plant nursery.
Dinner: In the Assembly Inn dining room, we’ll have a farm-to-table meal featuring locally-produced and locally-sourced foods.
Evening: We’ll gather for an activity such as a concert, dance, or storyteller followed by opportunities for fellowship in the lobby of the Inn or a movie on the big screen.
Activity note: Coffee out at 6:30 a.m.. 7:30 a.m. no early morning stretches today. Getting in/out of vans; driving about 90 miles round-trip, approximately 2 hours total. Inn check-out 11:00 a.m.
Breakfast: In the Assembly Inn dining room.
Morning: We’ll gather with Steve Forwine for an introduction an orientation to the Botanical Gardens at Asheville. Please plan to check out of the Inn before we leave for our field trip. We’ll then hop in the van and ride to the 10-acre sanctuary next door to the University of North Carolina at Asheville. This independent, non-profit organization is dedicated to the study and promotion of native plants and habitats. Hundreds of native plants grow in a garden of peaceful walkways, all saluting the wonders of the world of plants found in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, one of the most diverse temperate ecosystems in the world. To learn more about the Botanical Gardens, visit their website: http://www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org. We will return to the Inn in time for lunch together. Box lunches will be available for those who choose to leave from the Botanical Gardens (please pick up from the kitchen before you leave Montreat).
Lunch: In the Assembly Inn dining room. This concludes our program.
Afternoon: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!