If you are traveling west to the mountains for the holidays, you may want to make a stop in Asheville at the Grove Park Inn so that you can see the magnificent display of gingerbread houses that competed in this year's National Gingerbread Competition.

Going on now through January 3rd, you can tour the Christmas displays around the inn and view the houses for free except for the $10 valet parking fee.  For something a little more in-depth, you can participate in "Stories of Gingerbread" guided tours where you will go behind the scenes and to the front of the lines with our newest addition to the world of gingerbread!

Your group’s guide will lead you on a detailed tour where they will share stories about the gingerbread house’s artists as well as their creations including details about the construction of unusual entries and a behind-the-scenes look at what goes in to judging such a competition. The cost of the tour is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 12 and under. For more information and to reserve your space you can call 800-438-0050 at extension $4094.

So if you have a love of gingerbread and all of its creations, take advantage of this festive time of year and take a trip to the Grove Park Inn and Ashevile and indulge!  An educational prelude to the trip could include making your own gingerbread house and researching how this came to become a holiday tradition.  The resort is located at 290 Macon Road in Asheville and is about four hours from Raleigh.