Asheville Trip Recap

So…we had a very brief fall break last week, and we decided to make a quick trip to Asheville, NC. We’ve been there quite a few times, and actually, when I got to thinking about it, we’ve gone at least once a year the past few years. Asheville is about a four hour drive for us, and we like the outdoor vibe NC has to offer. Also, Asheville is the city with the most breweries, per capita…which makes it a place Trav loves to visit.

A couple of times, Travis and I have stayed at the Red Rocker Inn in Black Mountain. Actually, the first time I ever went to Asheville (in 2004), we stayed at RRI…and all weekend long I thought Travis was going to propose. He did not. That happened a few months later in May of 2004…but that’s a tale for another time. 😉

I also booked a stay at RRI in 2013 to celebrate Trav’s birthday with a getaway for the two of us.

For Spring break 2018, we visited Asheville with the kids because Hayden wanted to go to the Biltmore. Of course, we did other activities like hike to a beautiful waterfall, but that was one of our main goals of the trip.

Last fall break, we stayed in Asheville one night before glamping with friends in Pisgah National Forest two additional nights.

Anyway, any time we visit, we check out new (to us) restaurants, breweries, and hiking trails, and we always leave planning a return trip ASAP.

Quick note…We stayed at an Airbnb that was cute and close to downtown. Every place we went—downtown, restaurants, hiking trails, etc….followed Covid protocols very closely. I don’t think I saw a single person without a mask in the 48 hours we were there. Of course, when we hiked, we just kept our masks handy if necessary, but everyone seemed to keep their distance while letting other pass and looking at the views at the top of the trail.

And…my only other mental note for a fall trip is to eat dinner earlier. We ate dinner both nights at around 7:00 which is about dark and much cooler outside. So, if we go back in the fall, I will try to remember to rally my crew for dinner at 5! 😉 During the day, with the sunshine, the weather was glorious.

Thursday:

We arrived Thursday around 2:00, found our Airbnb, and unpacked.

The kids were excited to see the bunk beds….but on both nights, Hadley slept on the bottom bunk and then Hayden slept on our floor (don’t ask 😂), and then in the other bedroom the next night.

The 3 bedroom Airbnb was so cute and super clean. I loved the bedding and couch so much that I was trying to find the brand name on the tags of the duvet and the cushions of the couch. There was only one bathroom, but we made do.

There were cute little touches around the house like the Asheville bar of soap on our bed, brochures and books for the area, and a welcome packet with info about the house and electronics.

Then we headed to Highland Brewing. We sat in the “meadow” area where there were picnic tables both in the shade and in the sunshine. I don’t have a good picture, but you can see parts of the hoops that had out for social distancing. If you wanted to picnic in the grass, you sat in the hoop on the ground or put your chairs in the hoop to maintain distance. The picnic tables had larger hoops around them, and they had bricks with a red and a green side for dirty vs clean table. The large hoop around our table was wide enough for the kids to move around a bit if they didn’t want to sit at the table. That being said, it wasn’t very crowded, we we could space out some and give them a few extra feet to roam. When you weren’t at your table, you were to wear a mask…and everyone obliged.

The weather was perfection. The kids got a coke and a lemonade while we enjoyed a beer. Hadley spotted the food trucks, so Travis took her to get something to eat. They came back with tamales and a Nutella crepe. Hayden and I weren’t mad about it! So good.

Travis also purchased a hat within the first five minutes. He didn’t pack one from the trip…and to be honest, many of his hats have been #homered! He was due for a new one.

We went back to the house to freshen up and then went to White Duck Taco for dinner. We love this place, and try to go there to eat with each visit. We’ve passed by the one downtown, but have only eaten at the one by the river. There are tons of picnic tables and the scenery is pretty!

After dinner, we headed to Omni Grove Park Inn for drinks and dessert. A couple of Trav’s work friends were also in Asheville, so we met up with them. The kids did a good job letting the adults have some conversation time…

while they devoured the s’mores dessert…and Hayden enjoyed looking at the wall of famous guests who had stayed at OGPI as well as the history of the resort.

Then, we went back to the house and went to bed.

Friday:

On Friday morning, we slept in a bit. I actually slept until 9:00 which was pure bliss. Then, my crazy crew decided to go for a trail run…

while I ….sipped my coffee and read The Flatshare on my Kindle.

When they got back, we got ready for the day. We decided to head to downtown Asheville, walk around a bit and find a place to eat.

We stumbled upon H&F Burger. We did eat inside because outside seating was all bar top sitting in a row. We wanted a table to sit at, so we went inside. Like the other restaurants, everyone had on masks unless sitting at their table and tables we very spaced out. Also, it wasn’t crowded for inside eating.

I got the ricotta gnocchi with bolognese sauce, and it was amazing!

The kids each got a milkshake, and I had a Diet Coke from a bottle (which Hayden thought was so funny). Travis got a burger, and both kids got the chili cheese dog. Both of them loved it so much, and let me have a bite.

Hayden loved it so much that he borrowed Trav’s phone to leave a review! 😂He’s very into reviews lately…more on that in a minute.

Then, we headed down the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at a couple of lookout points…

Hadley actually dozed off in the car, so it’s only Hayden in this lookout pic.

We drove to the Craggy Pinnacle Trailhead and parked. This was our view when getting out of car…

With the elevation, it was definitely cooler, so Hayden went back to the car for this jacket before we hiked. The hike was only a little over 1.5 miles round trip, but it was pretty much uphill to get to the top.

On our way to the top…

Halfway point…

View from the top. Gorgeous.

Gorgeous part 2:

We snapped a couple of photos and headed back down the trail.

Love this pic of my 3 ❤️

It’s no secret Hayden loves to golf. We haven’t been to a putt putt course in quite some time. Well, Hayden searched for putt putt places in Asheville and stumbled upon Lakeview Putt and Play. He said, “Moooommmm…they have over 100 five star reviews, and their ice cream is supposed to be amazing!”

Honestly, when he gets an idea in his head, he’s like a dog with a bone! So, we fit it into our day after the hike. I am glad we went. We had a good time…and I humbled him by beating him by turning my putting game around for the last few holes. Travis won…and Hadley came in last. Poor girl…she started off strong though!

Of note, we did get a scoop of ice cream after our round, and it is pretty good!

We went back to the house to relax for a bit before a low key pizza dinner.

Travis found All Souls Pizza, and the outside seating was so cute. The pizza was delicious as well. The kids got pepperoni, and Travis and I tried the sausage, fennel, fontina pizza…SO good!

We were pretty chilly, so we didn’t stick around long after dinner. Again, the setting was so pretty, but the temperatures definitely drop quickly when the sun goes down!

We were back to the house around 8:00, hung out, watched tv and read before 10:00 bedtime.

Saturday:

Saturday morning, we eased into the day, but were packed and out of the house around 9:45. We wanted to make a pit stop at Pisgah to see our friends who were glamping and camping.

By the time I went to make a glamping reservation, there were no more tents…which is how we ended up at the Airbnb. So, of the three families in Asheville, we stayed at a house, one family glamped, and the other family camped….like in a tent, on the ground. I’m not about that life! …but would like to try glamping again.

The kids were excited to see their friends and run around for a bit..

while the adults drank coffee and caught up.

We left Pisgah around noon and got back about 4:00 Saturday afternoon…just in time to see the Cats (lose in a heart breaker of a game), for Trav to watch the Preakness race, and to see my mom and Gma who were in town at my brother’s house.

One more day in Asheville would have been perfect, but we are always happy to get home…

Let me know if you have any Asheville questions! It’s definitely a great place to visit.

See you back here on Friday for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Take care,