Gift a Getaway

October 14, 2026

Experience Gifts from the Old Fort Valley and Greater Asheville Area

The best gift for someone who already has everything is a weekend when they cannot be reached. Wunderland’s Element packages each build a stay around one idea: fire for couples, water for wellness, earth for families, air for adventure, spirit for creative work, and the Dreamer for the season. Pair one with something from Old Fort for a complete gift.

Why give an experience instead of a thing?

Because most people you are shopping for already own enough objects, and because a weekend is the one gift that keeps working after it is over.

There is also a practical case. An experience gift does not have to fit, does not have to match anything, cannot be a duplicate, and does not need to be returned. It arrives in an envelope and becomes a story.

The catch, and it is worth naming, is that an experience gift asks something of the recipient. They have to pick a date. Give one to someone who will actually use it, and give it early enough in the season that the picking of a date becomes part of the fun rather than a chore in March.

What are the Element packages?

Six curated stays, each built around a single element. Every one bundles lodging with the experiences that fit it.

Package Built around What it includes

The Fire Element Two people, slowing down A romantic dinner by the fire pit, a couples massage, and Romantic Retreat stargazing in a fire-lit cabin

The Water Element Rest and recovery Spa treatments, grounding trail walks, yoga,

Wellness Escape and time by the water

Package Built around What it includes yoga, and time by the water

The Earth Element Doing things together Guided hikes, wild food foraging, and outdoor cooking

Family Adventure outside

The Air Element Movement Mountain biking, kayaking, fly fishing, and panoramic villa views

Adventure Package

The Spirit Element Making something Personalized workshops, guided meditation, and

Creative Retreat creative inspiration sessions

The Dreamer The season itself Stargazing, seasonal foraging, and campfire time

Seasonal Getaway

See the packages and current pricing Ultimately, gift cards and packages are purchased via calling our Concierge team at 828.419.4632

Which package suits which person?

If you are shopping for Give Because

A couple who never The Fire Element It is structured enough that they cannot turn it

take time off into a working weekend

Someone who is worn out The Water Element Rest with a plan attached, which is easier to accept than rest alone

A family with restless kids The Earth Element Foraging and outdoor cooking give children a job,

which is the whole trick

A rider, a paddler or The Air Element The trail system here is genuinely good and genuinely underrated

someone who is

happiest moving

A writer, a maker, The Spirit Element A valley with no cell service is the most useful

someone stuck creative tool most people have never tried

Someone hard to buy for The Dreamer The season does the work. Fire, stars and whatever

the valley is doing that month

How do you give a stay?

If none of the packages is quite right, or you want to let the recipient choose their own dates and lodging, contact the resort directly and ask about arranging a stay as a gift.

Phone: 828.419.4632
Email: concierge@wunderlandresort.com
Contact page

Do this in November rather than the third week of December. It gives you time to get the details right, and it gives the concierge time to help.

What can you pair it with from Old Fort?

The strongest version of this gift is the stay plus one small thing from the town it sits above. Both halves of the gift then come from the same place.

Gift Where

Cinnamon rolls Gogo’s, 212 East Main Street. gogosoven.com

A bottle of North Carolina wine Euda Wine

Beer from a small local brewery Hillman Beer Old Fort at 78 Catawba Avenue, or Whaley Farm Brewery

at 178 Catawba Avenue

Pottery Turtle Island Pottery, 2782 Bat Cave Road

Work by a local artist Arrowhead Gallery and Studios, 77 Catawba Avenue,

representing more than fifty artists, open seven days a week

Something for the house The Common Pine, 31 East Main Street

Coffee Seeker Coffee at 39 Catawba Avenue, or the Catawba Vale Business Hub

at 37 East Main Street

Our eat and drink guide covers all of these in more detail. Confirm holiday hours before you drive out, since small town hours shift in December.

When should you book, and when should they come?

Give it in December. Let them use it in the quiet season.

That is not a sales line, it is the honest recommendation. A January or February stay in this valley is the best version of the place: empty trails, the clearest long views of the year, and a sauna and cold plunge that are worth far more in cold weather than in warm. It is also the easiest season to get the dates you want.

Season What they get Booking difficulty

December to March The quiet season. Easiest.

April to June Green up, waterfalls at full volume, Moderate

wildflowers

July and August Full canopy, the pond and Moderate

the plunge at their best

Late September to early Fall color, and the busiest Book far ahead

November weeks of the year

If the gift is meant for fall color, say so when you arrange it and book the dates then. October weekends here go early.

Our cozy season guide makes the case for winter, and the fall color guide explains the timing if autumn is the plan.

What should the recipient know before they go?

Worth writing on the card, because it changes how they pack and how they arrive.

There is spotty cell service. They should download directions before they leave the interstate. This is the single most useful thing you can tell them
It is about thirty minutes east of Asheville, at Interstate 40 exit 73 in Old Fort
They will want a swimsuit, even in January, for the sauna and cold plunge
They should provision in town on the way up. There is no store further up the valley
They will need a car. There is no transit and rideshare coverage is thin

Our drive times guide covers the arrival in full.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good gift for someone who has everything?

Time somewhere they cannot be reached. An experience gift cannot be a duplicate, does not need to fit, and does not need to be returned.

What are the Element packages at Wunderland?

Six curated stays built around fire, water, earth, air, spirit, and the Dreamer, each pairing lodging with matching experiences. See them here.

Can you give a stay at Wunderland as a gift?

Contact the concierge at 828.419.4632 or concierge@wunderlandresort.com to arrange it. Do it in November if you can.

When is the best time to redeem a gifted stay?

December through March is the quietest season, the easiest to book, and the season the property’s sauna, cold plunge, and fire pits are best suited to. Fall is the most popular and needs the most advance planning.

What should you pair an experience gift with?

Something small and local, so both halves come from the same place. Cinnamon rolls from Gogo’s, a bottle from Euda Wine, or pottery from a local studio.

How far in advance should you book a gifted stay?

For winter, a few weeks is usually fine. For October, months.

Give the valley

Wunderland Resort sits on 35 acres at 448 Curtis Creek Road in Old Fort, thirty minutes east of Asheville, with a sauna, a natural water cold plunge, fire pits, a grounding trail, stargazing areas, and direct access into Pisgah National Forest. Lodging ranges from forest villas to glamping pods to vehicle and tent campsites.

See the packages · Check availability · Contact the concierge

828.419.4632 · concierge@wunderlandresort.com · 448 Curtis Creek Road, Old Fort, North Carolina 28762