Region IV Regional Meeting | North Carolina
"Homage to Olmsted" North Carolina Arboretum and Biltmore Tour in Asheville, NC
Thursday, October 18 - Friday, October 19, 2018
Join your GWA friends at the North Carolina Arboretum on October 18th for a day learning in one of the most beautiful natural settings in America! The North Carolina Arboretum invites you to spend the day both prior and after our formal meeting. Please mention you are attending the GWA meeting and follow the delightful entry road to the Education Building. (see below for directions)
On the following day, Join your GWA friends in Biltmore, North Carolina on Friday, October 19th for a self-guided visit of the breathtaking Biltmore House and Gardens, Antler Hill Village, and a complimentary wine tasting at the winery.
Thursday, October 18
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8:00AM - 12:00PM
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NCA invites us to spend the day both prior and after our formal meeting.
At the gate, please mention you are attending the GWA meeting and follow the delightful entry road to the Education Building.
Park in the lot in front of the Education Center. Pick up your name badge and a map of the site from the Visitor Desk in the building.
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Lunch on Your Own
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You may bring your lunch into the meeting room at noon or eat prior to meeting.
The Savory Thyme Café is located on the main floor of the Education Center. The café offers light dining options, including salads, sandwiches and soups, using natural, local and organic ingredients. Open @ 11AM
Bent Creek Bistro offers hand-prepared locally sources, fresh & seasonal food. Sandwiches, hand-cut salads, homemade soups & sweets available. Open @ 11AM
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Noon to 12:30PM
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Regional Meeting, Education Center, Library on 2nd Floor
Overview of Regional Meeting schedule. , GWA-BM and giveaways, Thank You to our hosts and sponsors.
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12:30PM - 1:00PM
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Welcome by NCA Executive Director George Briggs
Presentation by Reid Hargrove, District Sales Manager, McCorkle Nurseries, Inc.
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1:00PM - 1:30PM
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Economic Development using Local Biodiversity – Amanda Vickers
The Arboretum has formed a partnership with Mountains to Sea to create a line of plant-based skin care items. Vickers will highlight the Arboretum's efforts to create economic opportunities within the natural products sector by supporting ingredients sourced from small farmers & wildcrafters from the mountains to the coast of North Carolina.
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2:00PM - 4:00PM
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Break into groups for tours.
Each of the tours will be given twice.
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Friday, October 19
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7:30AM
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Stop at Lodge Gate (Arched entry) and pick up you Biltmore Ticket. Proceed to parking lot A (you will be greeted here).
Walk to the Biltmore Walled Garden (15-20 minutes)
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7:30 - 9:00AM
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Early Morning Photoshoot at Walled Gardens with Parker Andes
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9:00 - 10:30AM
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Guided tour of gardens
Stroll acres of formal and informal gardens designed by America’s foremost landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. From the beauty of the Italian Garden to the breathtaking trees in America’s first managed forest, Biltmore’s lush landscape is a living tribute to Olmsted’s genius. Our horticultural experts continually work to preserve the original vision for the gardens and grounds, including our Rose Garden that features more than 250 varieties.
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Continue to stroll the gardens and visit the Biltmore Greenhouse
Biltmore tickets allow entry to Biltmore Mansion and re-entry for the day.
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For directions, please click here.
Tour Descriptions for October 18
(Tour 1) Tiny Trees Make Big Stories: Bonsai Curator by Arthur Joura
What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimen carefully cultivated with a contemporary, Southern Appalachian form.
(Tour 2) Olmsted's Heritage Infuses the Landscape by George Briggs, Executive Director
Garden walk will highlight the influence of Olmsted on the mission and future of the Arboretum.
Executive Director George Briggs longstanding administrative leadership in landscape architecture-
spanning 31 years and three states-has been expressed through higher education, community development, and program innovation. As executive director of The North Carolina Arboretum, Briggs has molded the Arboretum into a model of planning, implemented best management practices, and provided a high level of service and inspiration. The Arboretum continues to grow rapidly as a significant provider of educational, economic, and cultural benefit to the state of North Carolina.
Amanda Vickers is a medicinal plant enthusiast, amateur rock hound and entrepreneur residing in the 
Appalachian Mountains near Asheville, NC. Amanda is a founding partner of a natural body care company, Mountains to Sea, which creates opportunities to experience more nature every day through a line of pure and wild products. Mountains to Sea operates in an integrated network of horticulturists, conservationists, wild harvesters, small farmers, artisans and makers, who are deeply engaged in exploring new definitions of purity and wilderness in an age of exponential accelerations in technology, connectivity, climate change and human population growth.
Authur Joura has been the Bonsai Curator at The North Carolina Arboretum, in Asheville, N.C., since the inception of the bonsai program in 1992. Joura’s educational background is in fine art. Over the years, Joura has studied bonsai with some of the leading bonsai authorities in the United States and was an official student to the Nippon Bonsai Association in Japan.
Everyone is invited to continue in the garden and then enjoy a self-guided tour of the Biltmore House and other venues on the property.
Estate Travel Distances:
• Reception & Ticketing Sales Center to Biltmore House: 3 miles
• Biltmore House to Antler Hill Village & Winery: 5 miles
• The Inn on Biltmore Estate to Biltmore House: 4 miles
• Biltmore House to Deerpark: 2 miles
• Antler Hill Village & Winery to Deerpark: 2 miles
• Reception & Ticketing Sales Center to The Inn on Biltmore Estate: 2 miles
Event Sponsored by Gardener's Confidence
and McCorkle Nurseries
