Our anniversary is on October 23rd. Around the beginning of the month, Donald asked me if we had anything planned for the weekend after our anniversary. "Nope" was my response. Later that night he told me we were going to Asheville to celebrate. His Aunt's boyfriend, Gary was turning 60 that weekend and some of Donald's family was going up so the boys could ride their motorcycles on The Blue Ridge Parkway. We would go up early and stay at a hotel and do our own thing for the majority of the trip and he would ride with the boys on Friday.
We've been wanting to visit this quirky, mountain town for many, many years. I was so excited to finally be going. We left on Wednesday around 1:30, right after picking Stella up from Mothers Morning Out. She slept for about an hour and a half. Once she awoke and got a little cranky, we stopped to get gas, I nursed her, then hopped in the back to "entertain" her for the rest of the trip.
We checked into our hotel-the very swanky Best Western. Just kidding. Hey, it was "free" as Donald used credit card points in booking it. I would have loved to have been downtown, but it was just a few miles from downtown and again, free.
As soon as we arrived, I had to change Stella. I think of hotel beds as being very similar to rental cars. People do all kind of crazy stuff in them because it's not actually their bed. She took full advantage of the bed and bounced all around on it rubbing that bare hiney all over the pillows!
While I changed the bare butt little girl into warmer clothes, Donald unpacked. We then headed downtown to grab some local grub. We have a strict "no chain restaurant" rule that we try very hard to stick to when we are on vacation. Hell, we don't eat from very many chain restaurants at home, so we definitely don't in a new town.
We found this place while heading to dinner at Seven Sows. We stopped back by after dinner to get a couple of Creme Bru-lattees, but they only served caffeinated coffee and that just wouldn't do at 8 o'clock at night. No sir-ree.
This was just next to Double D's. They even provided the chalk in a little box on the wall. I wanted to think of something clever to write, but it just never came to me.
Dinner at Seven Sows was amazing. In trying new places, we tend to order four or five little things to try instead of the typical two entrees that most do. We get a better "taste" for the place and we also love variety.
We* dined on:
- Hot Buttermilk Hushpuppies with pimento fondue-amazingly delicious. Like a savory doughnut.
- Grilled Baby Octopus squid ink rice and a chorizo chip (so crunchy & delicious)-wanted to lick the plate when it was all gone
- Smoked pork cheek with greens and grits-seriously good
- Donald got an order of oysters (I don't do them)
*By "we" I mean, all of us. As in Stella too. We are trying to get Stella to have a varied palate, not just one that only like chicken fingers, ketchup & fries. She thoroughly enjoyed the octopus, pork cheeks and hushpuppies. This is not to say we don't order from the kids menu on occasion, but this will not be a typical thing. She will eat or at least try what we eat.
For drinks, I had a Brega with rum (on the menu it came with tequila, but I don't do tequila). I don't even remember exactly what this drink was, but it was insanely good. Like, I could have easily guzzled down four more. It had honey which made it amazingly floral and St. Germaine which also added to the floralness. I think lemon was in it. Ugh, just incredible. And now I want one!
Donald sipped on a Brown Betty with his meal.
Afterwards, we walked around downtown, just getting a feel for the place and figuring out where stuff was and places for me to visit on Friday when it would just be me and Stella.
This store was lovely-Kress Emporium (more pictures of the building further down). I would have loved to have purchased mostly everything inside. The honeycomb on the walls is made from the recycled cardboard coffee cup tubes that slip on the to-go cups so you don't burn your hand.
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On Thursday, we walked down to the lobby for breakfast, then headed to Biltmore. It was super cold out-low 20's and very windy. This house was insane. Just really hard to comprehend and fathom how someone so young could have built this monstrosity. The house was packed and we visited on a Thursday in October! I can't imagine how packed it must be during the holidays.
I wore Stella most of the time on my back. The last third of the tour she started fussing more and more. I was near heat stroke status due to an undershirt, sweater, jacket and scarf, so we let her walk for a bit. This didn't work out well.
So I put her on Daddy's back-for the first time. This also didn't go well. She was tired, hot, hungry & tired of riding. She wanted to nap, but couldn't get comfy. We ended up letting her walk a little more and then swapped carrying her back and forth.
We weren't supposed to snap pictures or have snacks, but I broke both rules by snapping a few photos and keeping Stella quiet with freeze dried apples.
This dining room was very impressive. Three HUGE fireplaces, the chandeliers, the seating, the everything really. Just wow!
But the main kitchen in the basement was my favorite part. Of course it was! The cool thing about the stove is the whole surface would be hot. There aren't any eyes to the stove. It's essentially one huge flattop and the cooks would just put a pot wherever. Love that idea.
We made it outside for lunch. The patio had a piazza feel to it and it was gorgeous out. But due to the time of day and the location, only part of the piazza was in the sun and this wasn't a huge section. That morning it was in the 20's and very windy. It didn't feel much warmer than that in the shade.
I was freezing cold by the time I finished my delicious salad.
Notice anything different about the salad? Double yolks!
Donald's meal was a little less photogenic and total man food-A chili cheese and slaw dog with onions and a side of chips. Not my cup of tea.
Despite it being quite chilly out, I could tell Stella really wouldn't have minded much if she were to "fall" into the fountain. She was trying pretty hard to climb in.
Stella loved running around on this gorgeous lawn. She met a "friend" and they played for a few minutes. It took about five minutes for them to say goodbye due to the never ending hugging they kept doing.
My brother and his girlfriend, Jessica went to Biltmore two Christmases ago. They told us to valet instead of doing the shuttle. So worth it! I also liked that the man at the gate just told us to pull up to the front of the house like we owned it. Umm yeah, we can do that!
On the way up the ramp to view the house from this perch, Stella spotted two girls. One maybe 4 years old, the other, or so. She beelined for the younger one and wrapped her arms around her waist, squeezing tight. Then she ran to the older one doing the same thing. Then back to the little one and back again to the older one. Then again. The younger girl had this look of what-the-heck-is-going-on? The older one just kept laughing. The mothers/aunts/grandmothers kept oohing and ahhing and commenting on how sweet little Stella was. I'm pretty sure their ovaries were about to burst from all of the female love being shown.
We walked down to the gardens and Stella just loved the mums. They were truly brilliant in color. She kept rubbing the palms of her hands on the flowers. Guess it felt good to her.
Check out the gorgeous color in these next two roses!
We wanted to see the horses and do a wine tasting but it just wasn't happening after the gardens. Stella was getting pretty clumsy and very whiny. She fell down and actually scraped her knee pretty bad through her leggings. I put her on my back and within minutes she had passed out. We finished touring the gardens and loaded up.
We knew she'd sleep good in the car so we took advantage of naptime and hopped on The Blue Ridge Parkway for some slower paced scenic mountain driving.
I loved going through all of the tunnels.
Donald and I agreed this was one of our favorite parts of the trip. The views were spectacular and the foliage was just stunning. We really picked the perfect to visit Asheville. No really. The town was covered in a few inches of snow the following weekend.
We managed to sneak out for a few "just us" pictures while Stella slept soundly with the car running.
Then we hopped on this road-Pisgah Highway. Donald spotted it on a map and said we had to ride on it. It was insanely curvy and twisted but very beautiful. We only passed two cars (I think) and we were on it for about half an hour.
Stella awoke after a two and a half hour nap. Woo Hoo Blue Ridge Parkway! We headed straight into downtown Asheville for Lexington Avenue Brewery or LAB.
We immediately ordered the sliders with a side of handcut fries for Stella. I knew she was hungry and I felt good about ordering this because their kid's menu had high quality stuff on it. And also because I would eat this if she didn't. Very important. Her food came out really fast. The fries looked delicious. She immediately grabbed a handful and smushed them into her mouth. Then started crying. I'd felt them to make sure they weren't too hot and they weren't so I wasn't sure what the problem was. Then I tasted them. They were delicious.....and spicy. They were coated in a TON of black pepper and other spices. And after each one I ate, my mouth got hotter and hotter.
So we had to them all away from her, but she's like a ninja. She kept finding them or stretching to grab one. And then she'd go back to crying again and putting her fingers in her mouth. I finally told the waitress that while we liked the fries, we thought it was odd that the fries that accompanied a kid's menu burger were spicy.
She says, "Oh all of our fries are made the same way, regardless of what menu they go on." So I respond with, "Yes, I understand, but they are hot in my mouth and I like spicy stuff."
"You can always order them plain."
Well that would have been nice to know. Or to read on the menu instead of finding out about this as my kid sits in the highchair screaming.
This was my only complaint.
Then once again, we basically ordered a bunch of appetizers as our meal:
- Truffled pomme frites-Stella ended up chowing down on these and we ate her fries.
- Belly & Brussels (Brussells Sprouts and pork belly with homemade lemon cheese)
- Flatbread with chicken, squash, tomatoes and arugula
I had a Sweet Tart drink. Good, but nothing like the drink from the night before. Donald sipped on some sort of housebrew.
Then we went to Old Europe for dessert and coffee. After much consideraton, we decided on a French Creamy. It was incredible. I'd never heard of this dessert before and I'm so glad we tried something new. The lattes were half off which added to our excitement. We sat outside on the sidewalk to inhale the delectable confection, then walked around downtown for a while just sipping and relaxing and having a good time.
This is Pack Square Park. We ended up walking past this park a lot in the five days we visited. I liked the view. The mini Washington-esque monument is for George Pack who donated the land. He was quite the rich dude back in his day. In the background is Asheville's very first "skyscraper."
While walking around, I had to use the restroom. What was nice about being downtown is that they have public restrooms inside, just outside of the downtown police precinct. What a great idea!
When we returned to the hotel room, we were so intrigued with the Biltmore, we spent hours and hours looking at the Vanderbilt's wikipedia page learning all about their family, the homes they owned and how they made their money. It's pretty fascinating and yeah, a bit nerdy, but we enjoyed it.
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Friday was the day the boys chose to ride on The Blue Ridge Parkway. They all met up at the house that was being rented and left out around 10:30. Donald said they all enjoyed themselves, the weather cooperated nicely and they made lots of stops to take in all of the scenery around them.
Stella and I headed downtown for some quality girl time together. We went in a bookstore I'd been eyeing. Like most bookstores, I want to buy up all the cute books, toys, calendars and other randomness that's inside. Stella liked the little seat that was her size.
We absolutely went in The Woolworth. I'd already peered through the window several times since arriving. I don't know if the soda fountain counter was original but it had one in it. They served hot dogs, sandwiches and of course, soda fountain drinks-malts, milkshakes, etc. The store consisted of little booths so artists could display pieces of artwork. I love little shops like this. I made my first souvenir purchase-a small clay heart shaped magnet with Asheville NC stamped on it. It's on the fridge now to remind of our trip. I really wanted to venture downstairs, but with the stroller and no elevator I decided against it. I had my carrier with me as always, but Stella was comfortable and happy in the stroller and I'd worn her so much the day before, I just really didn't feel like wearing her if I truly didn't have to.
On this street here, was a yarn store. So they'd knitted/crocheted "blankets" for the trees, benches, cigarette disposers and even an old tricycle. I don't even know how to begin to go about doing that, but it looked really cool.
This was S & W Cafeteria and I loved this building. Especially inside. We didn't get to go inside, but I peeked in the windows several times. I told Donald it reminded me of the building where Allie visits Lon at work before she drives to see Noah on The Notebook.
I also really loved the 5 and Dime building. It had the same concept as The Woolworth where they had individual artist's booths. You entered the 5 and Dime store from one street, but to get to the lower level, you had to walk around the building and down to a lower street. (That store was mentioned further up where the coffee cup honeycomb was on display.) Both were connected, but the Emporium carried home goods and furnishings.
After walking around for a bit, scoping out restaurants, I decided on Bomba. I had one of THE most amazing meals ever here! I ordered a homemade lemonade, The Country Club (turkey, pork loin, goat cheese fritter, greens, tomatoes, pickles, chipotle aioli on pupusa bread with a bowl of butternut squash sopu. Oh My Goodness! Just truly incredible. And totally craveworthy. I'd die for this exact meal right now.
This was my sweet little lunch date. We sat outside on their patio at Pack Square and Stella waved, said "Hi" energetically to everyone, got excited when buses and big trucks drove by and was just the best. She enthusiastically ate what ate for lunch which made me even happier. Here she is just leaning over to smell the flowers. She does this whenever she sees flower. What a wonderful reminder.
While we were eating, some of Donald's family came up to say "Hello" and Janet snatched up Stella and ran off with her. Surprisingly, Stella didn't scream and holler. I wanted to walk around more with them, but it was nearing Stella's naptime. She was doing really great, not fussing or even acting sleepy, but I was out of time on the parking meter and was all out of quarters. I threw her in the car and before I was even on the interstate, she was asleep!
I grabbed her once we arrived at the hotel and walked upstairs only to find my key didn't work. I was furious. I had to go get another one all the while trying to keep her asleep. Success! She ended up for a while and I even got in a little snooze with her towards the end.
We then drove over to the rental house so Stella could play on the playground there. I was telling Donald I wanted to find a park so she could run around and he told me there was a playground at the house. Perfect.
She really enjoyed herself and loved rolling down the hill with her Daddy.
We really didn't feel like sitting in a restaurant that night so we went back to the hotel, ordered to-go (from a chain restaurant because it was very close and we'd never eaten at it before). Donald headed out to pick up our food and to grab some wine/champagne.
Stella & I changed into our pj's and we played and cuddled in the bed. I honestly love sitting in bed watching TV. We don't have a TV in our bedroom anymore so we take full advantage of this on vacation in a room.
Stella ended up passing out on me before Donald got back so when he returned we sat at the table and ate in silence. I had a yummy fried chicken tender salad. Donald ate a stuffed baked potato and chicken tortilla soup.
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I'm a huge breakfast person. I'm instantly hungry when I wake so I really get into it. I'll get up on a Tuesday morning and make waffles from scratch or make a pan of muffins and bacon. We went to King Daddy for chicken and waffles and boy was it so tasty. I had the pumpkin waffle and dark meat with a mimosa. Donald had the pork cracklin' waffle and white meat with a screwdriver. We ordered a side of fruit and Stella munched on everything.
Afterwards, we checked out Whist-a cute little bookstore/giftshop just down from King Daddy. We got Stella a glow-in-the-dark wand with a star on top.
We went back to the rental to load up the motorcycle on the trailer so when it was time to leave, we just had to back up and attach. We left it there because we knew we wouldn't be able to find a parking spot with the trailer.
Stella enjoyed playing with the neighborhood dog.
When Donald told me where we are going for our anniversary, I immediately asked around on a few facebook groups for suggestions on places to eat, stay, and visit. No less than a dozen people said Tupelo Honey for a meal. So we made our final meal one from here. And it was worth it. We called ahead an hour to get a spot for an hour out. They don't take reservations per se, but if you call or stop in an hour before you want to eat, they'll text you and you show up within 5 minutes of receiving it and you'll have a table. I hope all restaurants do this soon. It was so perfect. We walked around downtown again and as the hour neared, we just made our way back over to that direction.
We ordered an appetizer of Southern Popcorn-fried okra.
I had a Rosemary Peach Lemonade-so refreshing. For my meal I had the meatloaf with tomato, herb and shallot sauce, macaroni and cheese and asparagus.
Donald dined on the grilled pork chop with figs, sweet potato and asparagus.
Our meals were served with a homemade biscuit and blueberry preserves. Stella kept sticking her finger in this to taste.
Because they had a good kid's menu, we ordered Stella and grilled chicken breast and sweet potato fries.
Everyone was spectacular. I really loved Donald's meal and he loved mine. He actually said it seemed as though we ordered each other's ideal meal. I was very upset to learn that he left our leftovers in the car overnight when we returned home. So upset.
We didn't make it to Early Girl Eatery. It just didn't work out. But King Daddy is a sister restaurant so I feel good about going to that local gem. We chose it because it wasn't directly downtown and we thought it was a good choice to avoid downtown during brunch on a Saturday morning in the Fall.
We left sometime close 8 I think to return home. We did so Stella would sleep in the car. This worked for about half of the trip. The rest of the trip was a disaster. She woke up screaming at 10 pm and this went on for an hour. We were about 20 minutes from home and we had to pull over because she was so worked up. I got her out, put her in the front seat with me and just held her and whispered to her so she'd calm down. I nursed her and I crawled in the backseat for the remainder of the ride home.
This was a fantastic trip. We had a ton of really awesome food. The weather was great-the perfect fall temperature and bunches of sunshine. We learned a lot and saw a lot of beautiful scenery and architecture. Stella did great eating out. She was pretty over it at our last meal at Tupelo Honey, but nothing too terrible. She's definitely been worse before.
It was a lovely way to celebrate four fantastic years of marriage. And we can't wait to go back to discover more about Asheville. Our first trip was a wonderful success!
