RTP Corvettes invites you to Drive . . . Americas Sports Car to Asheville, NC for a Candle Light Tour of the Biltmore Estate and a ride on the Tail of the Dragon November 8, 2008.
Hello Fellow Corvette Enthusiasts,
RTP Corvettes would like to welcome you to RTP Corvettes' "Corvettes@Biltmore" for 2008. This event was created as an end of year event for all to join. Our club's motto is "Drive . . . America's Sports Car" and we do that on a regular basis around North Carolina and the US. The Biltmore Estate is approximately 250 miles from RTP (Research Triangle Park) in the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) area of North Carolina. This years event has been moved up one week to keep our fellow Corvette friends out of the snow. The first year we had snow to the north and last year we actually had snow to the south. So we look forward this year to be able to have no snow for our fellow travelers. This event is just to relax after a great season of traveling to meet other Corvette Friends during the summer show season without a show. The natural beaty of the Biltmore Estate is the greatest backdrop for pictures in North Carolina.
We do several things during Corvettes@Biltmore that are of interest to all. Some of you may want to visit Downtown Asheville; it is considered the Berkeley of the East and has many fine dining, shopping and art venues to wander through. There will be three trips to drive on the Tail of the Dragon, some of you may know what it is and some may not. The Dragon is one of the premier motorsport roads that runs between the North Carolina and Tennessee boarders in an area called Deals Gap. The Dragon boasts 318 turns in 11 miles running along the TVA water systems. You will see by the dashboard pictures it is great. Added in for those who are coming a second year or want to Tame the Dragon another time we will be running across Skyline Drive to the Dragon on Saturday. This drive will add in even more beauty by driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This event we think is a great weekend, the beauty of the a morning Corvette photo shoot and an evening candle lit tour of the Biltmore Estate. We do not have a paid professional photographer for this event.
The past two years we have had Michael Bell, a fellow Corvette owner, shoot for us. As you can see by our group photo his work is great. It takes approximately an hour in the morning to get the cars lined up. For those of you that are looking to practice your talents in the Photo World, this is one of your chances to show your stuff. We hope that Michael will be able to again shoot our picture and put again another outstanding Corvette Photo.
Touring the estate is a great experience and we recommend that you wear comfortable shoes knowing you will walk approximately 4 miles during the day from early dark in the morning to late in the evening. There are great tours, I especially recommend the rooftop tour or the segway tour of the grounds. The evening tour after dinner is exceptional and I ask of you to take note of your surroundings during the day, you will get a different perspective in the evening under candle light. Now coming to the food portion of the event, I know I like this part the best. You will be served a Hunters Breakfast southern style in the Carriage House. This breakfast is the best overall breakfast served outside of my kitchen ever. Moving on to dinner at the Deerpark Inn, dinner is a traditional Biltmore dinner off the menu of the Vanderbilt. The food is outstanding and is served table style. So after a long day of touring the estate you'll be able to fill up to start again for the candle light tour of the estate.
So I thank you in advance for joining RTP Corvettes for another year at the Biltmore Estate. We look forward to seeing you all for another Holiday Season in North Carolina,
Andy Cochran
2006 - 2008 Corvettes@Biltmore
President, RTP Corvettes