TAKE AN ECO-VILLAGE VACATION
Next year, combine a visit to MOTHER's mini-seminars, a
chance to do some camping, and the opportunity to see the
best sights that the western North Carolina mountains have
to offer!
By the time we close the Eco-Village gates for the season
(remember that, as you read this, there are still a few
beautiful weeks of mountain autumn — till October 31
— for you to take advantage of), we'll have played
host, over six all-too-short months, to more than 20,000
visitors. Many of these folks will have taken advantage of
the Eco-Village/World's Fair/camping package that allowed
them to stay on our property for two days . . . enjoy a
daily choice of 10 to 15 Show-Hows (mini-seminars on food,
energy, transportation, and housing) . . . and then wrap up
their visit with a day's travel-and-admission-paid trip, by
chartered bus, to the World's Fair! (We were both pleased
and not a little flattered when some people told
us they found the Eco-Village visit even more educational
and interesting than the big Knoxville exposition!)
BETTER NEXT TIME
All in all, we're pretty happy with the current season . .
. but we're already working up some offerings that'll make
an Eco-Village visit next year even better! Of
course, since our display projects grow and evolve as
research progresses, the ShowHows will have more to show.
Furthermore, new ideas (and some old ones that have been in
the planning stages for years) are constantly getting under
way. Here, then, are just a few of the attractions you can
expect to find on MOTHER's property in 1983.
First (and perhaps foremost), our long-anticipated
Environmental Hall of Fame should be established. At least
12 individuals (one from each year that THE MOTHER EARTH
NEWS ® has been published) will be selected, by
MOTHER's editors, on the basis of work done to further the
protection and preservation of the earth's natural
environment. Of course, another honoree will be added each
year thereafter . . . and displays commemorating the work
of these men and women will be set up.
By next spring, too, we'll have installed an alternative
electrical power system at MOTHER's passive solar,
earth-sheltered house . . . created a children's recreation
area (including a "youngster-powered" energy park) . . .
constructed fishing docks on one of our beautiful lakes,
along with wading pools for safe water play . . . built a
super-low-cost (you won't believe just
how inexpensive) earth-sheltered dwelling . . .
and put in a demonstration homestead fish farm. And in
addition to our improved series of Show-How seminars, we'll
offer free hands-on learning programs in the evenings!
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!
Over the course of this season, we discovered that
Eco-Village visitors really appreciated being able —
on the trip to the World's Fair — to enjoy some of
the region's beautiful scenery without having to
drive themselves. So, since our area is so rich in sights
that are well worth visiting, we've decided to offer our
guests a few other holiday packages next year.
For example, you'll be able to combine a two-day camping
"discovery" of the Eco-Village (complete with Show-Hows)
and a tour, by chartered bus, to any one of the following:
Cades Cove/Gadinburg, Tennessee . On this
jaunt, you'll enjoy a drive to beautiful Smoky Mountain
National Park. There, in a lovely waterfall-bedecked
valley, you'll find pioneer homesteads and churches at a
site where 100 families lived in isolation for a century .
. . and where the old-fashioned homestead techniques and
crafts they developed are still demonstrated each summer.
And after lunch there'll be time for a short trip to the
area's most famous resort city — Gatlinburg,
Tennessee — for sightseeing and shopping.
Biltmore House/Chimney Rock . As a young
man, George Vanderbilt — the railroad heir —
decided to build a mansion in the region he called "the
most beautiful place in the world" . . . and in 1883 his
project was begun near Asheville, North Carolina. Today,
the stately and imposing chateau — situated on 12,000
acres — is the world's largest private home . . .
comprising 255 rooms, a number of which are open to the
public, furnished with antiques and art treasures.
Surrounding this incredible structure are 17 acres of
formal gardens containing (among other plantings) more than
5,000 roses, which bloom from May through October. After a
visit to the awe-inspiring mansion, you'll continue to
Chimney Rock . . . an area of spectacular vistas, nature
trails, unique rock formations, caves, and one of the
highest waterfalls in eastern America.
Grandfather Mountain/Linville Caverns .
The region's native Americans believed this peak (whose
rock formations date back a billion years and are some of
the oldest in the world) resembled the profile of an old
man lying on his back. At its top, a mile-high swinging
bridge connects it to its mate, Grandmother Mountain, and
offers a 100-mile view to those who cross it.
After exploring the mountain's forests and its carefully
created wildlife habitats, you'll travel on to Linville
Caverns under Humpback Mountain, where deserters from the
Civil War once lived with their families. These caves,
which extend about a mile into the mountain, contain
fantasy forests of icicle-shaped stalactites (measuring up
to 10 feet and ranging in color from white to red to dark
brown) and fiat or dome-shaped stalagmites. Here, too, are
clear pools and blind trout, which live in the dark
caverns' underground stream.
Cherokee/Clingmans Dome . You'll find the
drive from Hendersonville to Cherokee — located at
the entrance to Smoky Mountain National Park — to be
a spectacular one, but even more so when you go on to
Clingmans Dome, the tallest peak in the Great Smokies and
the third highest in eastern America. From there, you'll
have a view (on clear days) of five states: North and South
Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
In Cherokee itself, which is situated in the largest
organized Indian reservation east of Wisconsin, you'll be
able to visit a museum containing the world's largest
collection of Cherokee Nation artifacts . . . and
Oconaluftee Village, a meticulously recreated example of
what life was like among these people 250 years ago,
featuring demonstrations of many traditional crafts. In
addition, our travelers will take in the noted outdoor
drama Unto These Hills , a poignant tale of this
nation's history.
The Eco-Village is simply a beautiful place to enjoy.
The Ruby Mines of Franklin. With more than
300 varieties of gems and minerals found in the state,
North Carolina is a rockhound's paradise. And the town of
Franklin, where New York's Tiffany & Co. once mined
rare stones, is dotted with sites that allow visitors
— for a small fee — to do some prospecting of
their own . . . and to keep what they find! Though
the search itself is half the fun, rubies worth hundreds of
dollars — as well as sapphires, garnets, and other
gems — are frequently discovered here. Who knows, you
may get lucky!
The Nantahala River . People come from all
over the world to raft, kayak, or canoe the many waterways
of "The Land of the Sky" . . . and the Nantahala is one of
the most popular. Cutting through the Nantahala Gorge, it
offers an enjoyable combination of mountain beauty and
whitewater excitement that ends with a thrilling ride
through the Class III Nantahala Falls. Ideal for families
or inexperienced paddlers, this adventure will provide a
thorough introduction to the thrills of white-water rafting
. . . and while you drift on the quieter sections of the
river, you'll be surrounded by lush groves of rhododendron,
mountain laurel, and the unusual princess trees.
PLAN NOW, ENJOY LATER
We imagine it's going to be a little difficult to decide
just which of the outings you and your family might enjoy
most (and by the time our 1983 summer program begins, we
may very well have added other options, too). But one
thing's for sure: It's not too early to begin making your
plans. It seems that more and more folks have been getting
the word about MOM's 622-mountain-acre learning center . .
. and our campsites for next summer are limited.
COMING UP
Alternative fuel enthusiasts — especially Show-How
attendees — will want to read about the new ways that
we've put wood gas to work . . . in issue 78.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For further information about our 1983
Eco-Village program, you can write to Seminars, THE MOTHER
EARTH NEWS ® , P.O. Box 70, Hendersonville, North
Carolina 28791.
