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The boardinghouse that inspired the works of one of America�s classic literary figures, Asheville-native Thomas Wolfe, has once again open its doors to visitors, six years after an arson blaze ravaged parts of the home. Born in the mountains of Asheville, Thomas Wolfe grew up in his mother�s rambling boardinghouse, known as �Dixieland� made famous in the novel, �Look Homeward, Angel.� After a $2.4 million restoration of the 29-room, 6,000 square-foot home, the newly renovated Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site will showcase a variety of activities, including living history tours that allow visitors to step back in time through character re-enactments depicting the era during which Wolfe�s mother welcomed guests into the home. Guided trolley tours of Wolfe�s Asheville will also take place during the weekend. �We�ve learned so much from the restoration process,� says Steve Hill, site manager for the Thomas Wolfe Memorial. �So much has changed that people who have been here before won�t recognize it.� Natural experiences like these are what Americans are searching for according to the Tourism Industry Association (TIA). In a recent study, 41 percent of travelers say their vacation experience is better when they can see and do something authentic. The home�s exterior, now a vibrant yellow, is the first visible sign of the boardinghouse�s transition. Detailed analysis of 17 layers of paint revealed its true color during the early 1900s, when Wolfe lived there. Although more than 200 artifacts on display in the house were destroyed by the fire, more than 600 were salvaged. The home now contains original furnishings that more accurately symbolize the daily routine of life that existed as Wolfe knew it in 1916, coupled with modern safety features. In addition, more than a dozen historic artifacts were discovered and put on display at the Visitor Center next to the home on North Market Street. Among them, remnants of two business cards, a campaign button for a 19th century presidential candidate, a Mint Cola bottle that dates between 1910 and 1920, and an 1887 5-cent piece. Shadowed by the Blue Ridge Mountains and surrounded by lush green and vibrant rhododendrons, Asheville has attracted and nurtured some of the most prolific authors of American literature. In addition to Wolfe, writers such as O. Henry, Carl Sandburg, and F. Scott Fitzgerald contributed to a rich, vibrant literary tradition in Asheville. Numerous contemporary authors and poets, such as Charles Frazier, Wilma Dykeman, and Gail Godwin, either grew up here or have made Asheville their home and have been inspired by Asheville's history and beautiful natural setting. Visitors can follow their own muse through Asheville�s literary legacy by visiting the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and biographer Carl Sandburg, gazing upon the real Cold Mountain at milepost 411 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, or staying in the same room F. Scott Fitzgerald resided in at the Grove Park Inn while admiring the view of Asheville�s skyline.
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