Hello, friends! Thank you for granting me the grace of taking January off from these pages- it was my first true break in over ten years! Crazy! But now I’m back at it and have kicked off this year’s travel with a quick weekend trip to Asheville for a much needed and much anticipated meet-up.
AC and I have been friends for…Lord, over 20 years. However, because life happens and she has three little kiddos at home (and one big kiddo), we don’t often get away together. In fact, our last shebang was to Costa Rica ages ago, so it was definitely time.
Asheville has been on my to-do list forever and weirdly, I’d never found anyone that wanted to go with me. I loved it so much, so hopefully it’ll be a place that we go to there often, there and back again.
(I do love a hobbit reference)
It was a great trip for many reasons- one of those being that we really didn’t have a very strictly mapped out plan. Since the two of us spend what seems like every second of every day scheduled, it was nice to have one thing set for each day, and then let the rest of the time go as our moods dictated.
The weather happened to be pretty good, so we spent Saturday morning soaking in the fresh air after a hearty breakfast at Early Girl Eatery.
There are more trails that one can count around town, but we opted for the Lunch Rocks trail, which was pretty chill but did have a most spectacular view.
I can only imagine what this looks like in the fall.
Powered by fresh air after our hike, we decided to meander towards the River Arts District, a neighborhood revitalized by the creativity of artists of all sorts -sculptors, drawers, potters, etc.
Mentally compiling the wish lists for our own homes.
After a most delicious meal and a good nights’ rest, we set off the next day to visit the Vanderbilts.
Much in the way we did in Newport.
A ticket to The Biltmore Estate tour is very much worth it – we could have spent the entire day there, especially in any season but winter when the gardens are more than dried skeletons of themselves- flowers in full bloom or the fall leaves in all their glory.
Still, the insides weren’t too shabby, if I may say.
After our tour, we made our way across the estate to partake in the complimentary wine tasting.
And some of the most delicious ice cream I’ve had in a bit.
We raced home to get in line for what seemed like the hottest ticket in town for dinner. No reservations, so show up at open or be prepared to wait.
A wait totally worth it (This picture is rubbish but TRUST it was ah-may-zing).
And if you’re not up for the wait, mosey on over to The White Duck. You won’t be disappointed there either.
A most satisfying weekend, in all the best ways.
Until next time, Asheville!
