Asheville, NC All-American Vacation for First Family

ABC News/ Travel

President Obama Heads to Asheville, North Carolina for All-American Vacation

By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ

President Obama and the first family head to Asheville, N.C., this weekend for a short vacation that is vastly different from last summer's trip to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts and the Christmas journey to a luxurious vacation rental in his childhood home state of Hawaii.

The city on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains features a funky and eclectic downtown, more than 30 art galleries, a large culinary scene and one of the most spectacular estates ever constructed in this country.

Its location just off the famous Blue Ridge Parkway, which connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the Shenandoah National Park, makes it a great launching point for tourists looking to hike, bike or go rafting.

For Obama, the city also offers something else: a chance to appeal to everyday families and generate favorable publicity in a potential swing state.

"Asheville has the virtue of being a place where average Americans go on vacations," said Darrell M. West, director of governance studies at the nonprofit Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

"It's not an upper-income place like Martha's Vineyard. And so it's a much safer vacation spot from the standpoint of public perception. Asheville will have more mainstream demographics and political affiliations. It's more of a snapshot of America than Martha's Vineyard."

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Private Mountain Communities offers a real estate advisory service and cost free buyers resource center that showcases Western North Carolina communities and real estate offerings. You can visit us at our Discovery Showroom, the regions most comprehensive preview center located in the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville or log onto our website and search for properties that are a match for you using our online community finder lifestyle survey.

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