Three Days In Asheville
So hubby and I just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary last Sunday. In order to truly observe the day and not get caught up in the day to day minutiae of life I suggested we get away for a long weekend. Kudos to hubby for choosing Asheville, NC.
We were there three full days which happened to be Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I know, we are retired and could have gone midweek which may have been less crowded, but our actual anniversary was on Sunday. So the weekend it was!
Friday was see the Biltmore day. We had timed admission tickets that let us enter the house at 10:00 AM and we got back to our hotel at 6:00 PM. All the time in the middle was spent on the grounds of the Biltmore estate. To say that the estate is large would be a bit of an understatement. Large, magnificent, beautiful and every other word you can think of that means grand applies.
The first two hours we toured the house with the self directed audio tour. (Tip: if you go, spring for the extra $10 for the audio tour, it is well worth it.) The house which was built in the 1890s has roughly 4 acres of floor space; 250 rooms, including 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, three kitchens and 19th-century novelties such as electric elevators, forced-air heating, centrally controlled clocks, fire alarms, and a call-bell system. It also boasts a gymnasium, a bowling alley and an indoor swimming pool. Lavish appointments everywhere you look.
Once through the house we decided to go and look at the gardens - there are 9 of them with all sorts of trails that go off in every direction that you can explore. There are spring gardens and summer gardens, azalea gardens and rose gardens. There are fountains and statues. We hiked to a pond with a boathouse that then sort of naturally led to a path to waterfalls and meadows and goats. Yes, goats. We went to the conservancy where we saw the most amazing display of orchids I have ever seen. We went to the winery (yes of course there is a winery) and did a wine tasting and then we moved on to the wine bar where we drank more wine.
When we finally got back to our hotel my Fitbit told me I had walked roughly 7.5 miles without leaving the Biltmore grounds. And I would venture to say we saw maybe a third of the estate.
On Saturday we went on a beautiful hike in the Dupont State Forest where we saw at least 4 different waterfalls and a covered bridge! I am a sucker for covered bridges and who doesn't love a beautiful waterfall. And to make it even better, two of the waterfalls we hiked to were the location of some water scenes in The Hunger Games movies. So that's cool. I could almost picture Katniss running through the woods as we hiked.
On Saturday evening we went to a 53 year old Asheville tradition Shindig on the Green. Basically if you are a musician and you want to play you show up at the square downtown. Folks gather with their lawn chairs and blankets and from 7 to 10 PM watch people play music. It is a great fun to watch!
Then on Sunday evening we went to dinner at the Sunset Terrace at the Grove Park Inn to celebrate our anniversary. It is a beautiful spot nestled right into the mountains. The view from the terrace was amazing. The wait staff was attentive and fun and the food was delicious. And we were surprised by a lovely dessert in honor of our big day.
We were there three full days which happened to be Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I know, we are retired and could have gone midweek which may have been less crowded, but our actual anniversary was on Sunday. So the weekend it was!
Once through the house we decided to go and look at the gardens - there are 9 of them with all sorts of trails that go off in every direction that you can explore. There are spring gardens and summer gardens, azalea gardens and rose gardens. There are fountains and statues. We hiked to a pond with a boathouse that then sort of naturally led to a path to waterfalls and meadows and goats. Yes, goats. We went to the conservancy where we saw the most amazing display of orchids I have ever seen. We went to the winery (yes of course there is a winery) and did a wine tasting and then we moved on to the wine bar where we drank more wine.
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| This is a "Fried Egg Orchid" |
When we finally got back to our hotel my Fitbit told me I had walked roughly 7.5 miles without leaving the Biltmore grounds. And I would venture to say we saw maybe a third of the estate.
On Saturday we went on a beautiful hike in the Dupont State Forest where we saw at least 4 different waterfalls and a covered bridge! I am a sucker for covered bridges and who doesn't love a beautiful waterfall. And to make it even better, two of the waterfalls we hiked to were the location of some water scenes in The Hunger Games movies. So that's cool. I could almost picture Katniss running through the woods as we hiked.
On Saturday evening we went to a 53 year old Asheville tradition Shindig on the Green. Basically if you are a musician and you want to play you show up at the square downtown. Folks gather with their lawn chairs and blankets and from 7 to 10 PM watch people play music. It is a great fun to watch!
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| One of many performers at the Shindig |
On Sunday afternoon we walked the Asheville Urban Trail which is a self guided walking tour of 30 points of historical interest in downtown Asheville. It leads you all around through shops, restaurants and outdoor performances. It is a great way to see some of what makes Asheville quirky up close and personal.
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| A stop on the Asheville Urban Trail |
All in all, it was a fabulous long weekend trip. The weather fully cooperated, the people of Asheville were genuinely friendly and all of the scenery was beautiful. And I had the best travelling companion a girl could hope for!
Here's to another 40 years!
As always, thanks for reading.
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