We live where the star is and Asheville is way over on to the west, close to the TN boder. It took us about 4 hours from Raleigh. Before moving here I never realized how wide NC is. But how many states have mountains and an ocean on either side?
Asheville was such a cool place! Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the views are breathtaking. It has been called the East Coast's Seattle, minus the water! Amazing downtown, rolling hills and funky architecture. Asheville was by far the greenest city I've ever been too. The downtown was neat, I couldn't get over how well the area was thriving. Small businesses galore, it was great! Not too many places exist like that in the US anymore. There's a coffee/chocolate lounge on every corner, organic restaurants, Yoga centers, art galleries and the most diverse range of restaurants imaginable.
It had a sort of had a European-esque quality to it. Seemed like a great place to live, and definitely a fun place to visit if you are ever in Western NC.
Day One
We started out the afternoon at a taproom getting acquainted with the city and drinking micro brews and eating pizza
too many choices, dangerous!
then it was off for a walking tour of the city and a stop at this very cool building, home to a swank wine and cheese bar and many other neat shops.
once again too many choices! we forgot wine and beer don't mix, oops.
the night gets a little foggy from here on out but i was told we stopped at a couple other bars and ate dinner too : ) no i'm kidding i do recall this just not as clearly as i wish. lots of fun though! Luckily John was smart enough to book us a room at a Sheraton right downtown. We played it safe and did lots of walking.
Day Two
8am
how is it I forgot to pack the Advil? have never been to a city that didn't have a drugstore on every corner. we never did find the Advil = headache for the better part of the day! We got up and moving early. went to breakfast in Biltmore Village. An old Victorian house converted into a breakfast place. Cute idea, and yummy food. it was even romantic with a fireplace right by our table and views of the street. I almost forgot about my headache.
After breakfast we made our way to the Biltmore. History lesson. The biggest house in America. Built by the Vanderbilts. Ring a bell. 175,000 sq ft house built in 1897(I think?). 63 bedrooms, 45 baths. it was unreal! John and I opted to do the audio tour and being that I'm not much of a historian I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
After breakfast we made our way to the Biltmore. History lesson. The biggest house in America. Built by the Vanderbilts. Ring a bell. 175,000 sq ft house built in 1897(I think?). 63 bedrooms, 45 baths. it was unreal! John and I opted to do the audio tour and being that I'm not much of a historian I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
the clouds reminded me of Central NY, yuck!
of course they have an estate winery at the biltmore. so we had to stop. john told me it would cure my hangover. i believed him! supposedly it is the most visited winery in the US. not sure why the wine was not that good(maybe it was the hangover?) and not very cheap!
the shops were neat though, this place had it all.
the wine cellar so cool!
DAY 3
there's lots of hiking and outdoor activities to do in Asheville and the surrounding areas. we had high hopes for ourselves, but the weather didn't cooperate so much. it was freezing sunday morning. freezing is all relative though. 39 is now cold to me! and with the wind whipping, brrr..
anyway we layered up and drove what seemed like forever up and up winding narrow roads to hike Chimney Rock State Park.
We aren't really the outdoorsy type and I think this is the first time I've gone hiking (or climbing I should say). It was fun but a tad scary, i'm not big on heights or tight spaces. It wasn't as much of a workout as I had hoped but the thin air does do a number on your lungs.
another gloomy day. the pictures don't show it but you could see for miles and miles.
views from the top
breaking the law
we followed some germans(I think?) and busted through the gate to get a closeup. luckily no ice yet
we left late afternooon for home. stopped at a ruby tuesday for our last alone meal and make it back home about 7pm. as always it was nice to get away but just as nice to return. we had such a good time, and are so thankful my mom is sweet enough to watch the monsters.
2 comments:
What a great get-away for you guys! I am glad you had a great b'day! :)
Yeah, for you guys (and for great grandma's willing to watch the kids). :)
Post a Comment