at the end of the preamble of the Voyager manual Mike Adams mentioned to visit the Moog Factory, if I’m ever near Asheville. Actually I don’t have any business or other activities in or near Asheville but I could imagine to visit the Moog Factory anyway. And later on maybe to get further inputs from the town and the area too.
I’ve made already an approach to the town via the Asheville homepage, but unfortunately without any reply. So my very basic questions are whether I could visit the factory and if yes what would be a convenient time for that. And is there a possibility to book a hotel (not so fancy) near the factory.
I’ve scanned Asheville by Google Earth but I don’t know were the Moog Factory is located here.
And finally what is the next airport to Asheville?
I flew into Charlotte and drove to Raleigh, NC on business, then drove from Raleigh to Asheville for a visit. I highly recommend it (not the drive; the visit).
Greensboro may be closer / more direct but it’s a drive either way you slice it. I didn’t stay overnight in Asheville so cannot answer that query [Eric K may be able to]. I would simply call them and ask for info on a Factory tour.
The factory is in a single location on the River (the same river that you see in the Moog Movie). It’s really quite a beautiful part of the country, rustic, detached, yet very close to a bustling downtown (J. Peterman).
Jason (Marketing/Artist relations) walked me through. They are gracious and welcoming and the folks on the floor love to meet the people that use their gear.
Just don’t bug Amos, he’s busy !! Hahahaha
If you can, stay in town. I stayed 45 minutes outside of Asheville in Lake Lure (which is a resort/tourust attraction) about 45 miles away from Asheville. Being 45 miles you think thats not a bad commute but the Lake Lure community is up a very winding mountian and it takes like 145 minutes to go 45 miles. Double and triple hairpin turns on top of hairpin turns. Its a beautiful and quiet area with lots of hiking and activities (google chimney rock)
But if I had to do it again Id stay downtown. Thats where everything is and the factory isn’t all that far.
Best to have a gps tell you where to turn but when you head down riverside drive, its very easy to miss. You have to really look for a huge red brick building, there aren’t any really visible signs, but look for a huge red brick building on the left when driving on Riverside drive.
Be sure to call in advance and set up an appointment and go early. I arrived with 15 minutes before closing time and wasn’t expecting a tour but they gave me one anyway. I just went to pay my account off. Bring your camera and some money for some products!
Eric
Also, please don’t show up in the last 15 minutes of the day during or immediately following the Namm show.
That’s cruel and unusual selfishness.
There are plenty of hotels/motels in Asheville at all price ranges. Knoxville, TN is a large airport near it. Unfortunately, Interstate 40 going from K’ville to Asheville is closed from a landslide a few months ago. If coming from K’ville you will have to find an alternative route. The road will be opened in a month or two. The factory is just a few miles north of the city about 2 miles off Interstate 26. I live in Tenn. so I am not all that familiar with N.C. airports. There is another airport about an hour and 15 minutes from the factory: TriCities in Tenn. It’s not a big airport, but it is very nice. It may cost more to fly into it. Interstate 26 is very nearby to the TriCities airport.
Asheville is a pretty hip town and there is plenty to do there. It’s definitely worth the trip. The Moog factory is fairly small, but very interesting. Everyone there is very friendly. It is closed on the weekends.
Showing up to a place of business just to pay off your account is selfish?
They didn’t seem to mind it one bit and were very gracious to give me a tour.
I scheduled an appointment months in advance and was told on our way out the door not to expect a tour. They gave me one anyway.
Screw you Kevin.
Now let’s be nice folks.
We do our best to give everyone the ten-cent tour; if we’re not able to on a given day it would only be because everyone is tied up with pressing work at the time. We are a small company but we certainly try to be hospitable.
Cheers,
Amos
Best to call ahead for an appointment.
Probably a bad time is the few weeks BEFORE namm. This is a really busy time as they are preparing props and hurrying to finish new products.
I was well aware of this back in January but it was Moog who requested me to come down. I knew they were busy and I didn’t want to be overbearing. When it was time to get to work I was pretty focused.
If your in Ashville, try and catch a show at the Orange Peel. Great venue for live music.
Showing up to a place of business just to pay off your account is selfish?
That’s the whole point.
You DIDN’T show up just to pay off your account.
You could have just sent a check.
After all, you scheduled the appointment months in advance.
You had months to just to pay off your account.
They didn’t seem to mind it one bit and were very gracious to give me a tour.
Likely you wouldn’t leave and they feared you’d complain publicly.
I scheduled an appointment months in advance and was told on our way out the door not to expect a tour. They gave me one anyway.
Right there you said it.
You were reminded right as you went out the door not to expect a tour.
So you’re saying that one moment they didn’t want to give you a tour and the next, they did?
I wonder what motivated them to do that?
Your kind and gracious disposition?
Screw you Kevin.
True colors fly.
I can completely see why they gave you a tour.
You probably wouldn’t leave despite them telling you there would be no tour.
Listen Eric.
Namm show is a time where people are tired.
They’ve been on their feet all day and been talking every moment.
The factory has few managers present then.
They’re on a skeleton crew, have worked their butts off and want to go home.
You had months to send in a check and instead showed up in the last 15 minutes during Namm weekend obviously expecting one.
They even saw it coming and told you not to expect a tour.
Then they gave you one just to get rid of you and you can’t even admit to that?
Have some freaking compassion next time and send in your money and LISTEN TO THEM when they say “no tour.”
I’m now awaiting your revisionist version where you edit your post and delete or change things to save face.
True colors, like taking pot shots at me from some argument we had back in October?
Not that I care about what you think or owe YOU an explanation, but since you brought it up lets see who is manufacturing fiction here, Kevin.
Look, I scheduled my appointment in advance with Linda, who told me about namm and to come after the 19th of January (when they would be done with NAMM) initially to pick up my Taurus pedals. She informed me that there was a scheduling delay and that I wouldn’t be able to get my unit that day.
So I called to let them know that I was in town and that I had a tour. They said JD wasn’t there to give a tour and that the sound booth hadn’t made it back from NAMM as Amos and others were on their way back from a cross country drive. They said “If you want to come by and pay your account off, that would be fine.”
Now if you can read it says in my post above that it takes 145 minutes to drive 40 miles (something like that…we found that out when we made the drive). We left at about 2:30, had trouble finding the place, got their just in time to pay off my account.
When I got there, I wasn’t expecting a tour at all. I was going to just pay my account off and Leave, but the Production Manager said “Hey lemme show you around” I was out of there before 5.
So,
Basically what the deal was is that Moog gave me a tour because they are such a great company, not because Im the horroble and unreasonable person you think I am (because of a private argument that we had in October that you insist on spilling over to a public forum) or try to make me out to be.
I know you hate my guts, and I don’t care. But, we have to share this space so we might as well just avoid eachother altogether to avoid conflict.
Please continue this argument via PMs.
Better yet: end it.
I think they should get married
Hello Niko!
Asheville has a regional airport. It’s about 20-30 minutes from the factory.
When I visited Asheville for the first time I stayed here. It’s not to expensive and about 10 minutes from the factory. There are others in that general area.
As for scheduling a visit just call Moog and ask about setting up a date for a tour.
Hope this helps.