Asheville, North Carolina -
samantha brown's places to love

Samantha kicks off her visit with a drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains, then stops off at a Pop-Up Mini Fair and talks with local artists. At the Biltmore, Samantha takes a tour with Director of Horticulture Parker Andes and geeks out on Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed the grounds of this historic estate and is considered the father of American Landscape Architecture. From there, Samantha dives into a spirit tasting and learns firsthand how every small batch made at the Eda Rhyne Distillery incorporates the Asheville terroir into its one-of-a-kind Southern Appalachia spirits. Eagle and Market Streets, known as The Block, were the heart of the African American community in Asheville. Samantha tours this historic Block with Guide DeWayne Barton, who discusses the history, future and resilience of the African-American community in Asheville. Along their tour, Samantha visits Noir Collective and meets self-taught Artist Jenny Pickens, who is giving back to her community with her art and paying homage to her ancestors and heritage. At Chai Pani, Samantha learns about spice varieties from renowned self-taught Chef Meherwan Irani, while digging into his favorite Indian street food dishes. With music on her mind, Samantha meets Founder/Producer/Musician Gar Ragland at Citizen Vinyl, where he is laying down a music track for Asheville Artist, Alexa Rose. They then tour the historic space that houses not only a recording studio but also a record pressing facility, cafe, bar, analog art and record store.

Episode Duration: 26 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 501

About Samantha Brown's Places to Love:

For more than 17 years, TV host Samantha Brown has been exploring all four corners of the world, visiting more than 260 cities in 62 countries, sharing her adventures and introducing new cultures to viewers.

Now, the two-time Emmy Award-winner embarks on her next journey with her new travel series SAMANTHA BROWN'S PLACES TO LOVE.

Unlike a traditional travelogue show with a formulaic itinerary, PLACES TO LOVE delivers decidedly refreshing and enriching travel experiences by taking viewers on a discovery of the emotional heart of travel and highlighting the people who are changing, challenging and strengthening a destination.

From Brooklyn, New York and Monterey, California to Shanghai, China and Donegal in Ireland, Samantha seeks out the little-known spots and haunts where innovators and disrupters are creating a brand new travel experience.

Whether it's through food and drink, art and design, culture or adventure, at the end of each episode, viewers will have a well-curated list of new experiences that focus on not just how to visit a destination, but how to fully immerse in it.

The 13-part series encourages viewers to experience the passion of people and the soul of a place in a way that only traveling can do.

Samantha's career as a television travel host happened by accident.

A producer spotted her work in a commercial and recommended her to the Travel Channel in 1999 to audition for a new show called Great Vacation Homes.

A decade of various series followed, including Great Hotels, Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America, Samantha Brown's Asia, The Trip, 50/50, and many others.

Samantha's fun-loving style has made her a beloved and engaging television personality whose approach is less expert and more a person you would want to travel with.

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