It’s been a whirlwind getting back into our routine and catching up with life the last couple weeks. We took a long weekend trip earlier this month and it was everything we hoped for. It’s no surprise us Nebraskans have been fed up with the southern heat and humidity and just needed some cooler, crisp termperatures and desciduous trees with falling leaves. We headed to beautiful Asheville, North Carolina where mountains roll as far as the eye can see. We planned our trip fairly well too, as the foliage were just at the beginning of their peak week of color change.
Our favorite element of traveling anywhere is eating locally. It's such a fun way to experience a new city because the local eateries are where all the locals hang and we always learn so much by eating the cuisine and visiting with new people. Our first night we tried Asheville Pizzeria + Brewery. It had a unique outdoor area which quickly filled with dozens of eclectic people from all walks of life. There were different outdoor games setup and a long bench that lined one side of the perimeter where couples just lounged and sipped on drinks. Mike and I each tried in house beers that were both delicious. I had a raspberry and blueberry infused wheat beer that was pink!
We definitely wanted to get in some sort of hiking with the babes and ventured over to Chimney Rock State Park. You guys...it's an understatement to say it was breathtakingly gorgeous. Every photo I took just couldn't do it juistice; it's something you have to see for yourself. As we drove through the winding roads the leaves danced in colors as they fell like snowflakes. Kensi squealed every time she would see a mountain in the distance, not understanding we were literally driving up a mountain. Silly girl.
Our favorite element of traveling anywhere is eating locally. It's such a fun way to experience a new city because the local eateries are where all the locals hang and we always learn so much by eating the cuisine and visiting with new people. Our first night we tried Asheville Pizzeria + Brewery. It had a unique outdoor area which quickly filled with dozens of eclectic people from all walks of life. There were different outdoor games setup and a long bench that lined one side of the perimeter where couples just lounged and sipped on drinks. Mike and I each tried in house beers that were both delicious. I had a raspberry and blueberry infused wheat beer that was pink!
We definitely wanted to get in some sort of hiking with the babes and ventured over to Chimney Rock State Park. You guys...it's an understatement to say it was breathtakingly gorgeous. Every photo I took just couldn't do it juistice; it's something you have to see for yourself. As we drove through the winding roads the leaves danced in colors as they fell like snowflakes. Kensi squealed every time she would see a mountain in the distance, not understanding we were literally driving up a mountain. Silly girl.
Once we made our way back to the bottom on Chimney Rock we hit a few different shops we saw on our drive. We found the most amazing old house turned gift shop completely decked out with pumpkins....and flags. The gift shop itself was a dud, but the house and fall decor had all of us dying. To say Kensi and I wanted to stuff every pumpkin into the back of the car to take home would be an understatement. Seriously, just look at this beautiful house! I would really love to buy this beauty and renovate it...this is just everything fall and halloween, right here.
After a full day of hiking we ventured to Historic Biltmore Village which was originally built for the estate workers of the famous Biltmore estate. The character here will literally smack you down, it’s so ridiculous. We grab a bite to eat and decided to do what we do best, wander. Kensi asked why we wander in new cities and we told her it’s the best way to discover something new, something that’s hidden, something we wouldn’t expect. So on our wandering journey we stumbled upon the cutest little Christmas shop that was unfortaantely closed, but right around the corner we found this quaint little bakery tucked between two extensions of the original building and a courtyard. Inside were the largest cookies we’ve seen in real life. Of course we had to try a few different treats and walked out with a ginger molasses cookie (always one of our favorites) and a double chocolate orange cookie (which is now a new favorite). Wandering together paid off well....in delicious cookies and hot cocoa.
After we finished breakfast at the City Bakery we headed to Hendersonville for Stepp’s Orchard. In hopes of hitting the pumpkin patch and orchard at the same time, this trip was a semi-fail. The orchard part was great, we all picked really great tasting apples, got some great photos and had so much fun, but the pumpkin patch left a lot to be desired. On top of our pumpkin disappointments, it must have been ‘the day’ to go to the orchard because everyone and their brother was there. The staff informed us they had never been that busy and everyone was in a constant state of mayhem.
A final trip to a city park with our pals to let all the kids burn as much energy off before hitting the road to go home was the perfect end to our trip. We had so much fun trying so many new places and can’t to venture back! Until next time Asheville...
\\Good Eats\\
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