Asheville

Amidst all the trainings and general business at work, Josh was able to take a good chunk of leave last week.  We decided to take advantage of it and see a little bit of North Carolina that we had been wanting to get to.  Asheville is known for its good food, breweries and eclectic atmosphere and frankly just sounded like a great time so we packed up and headed out that way for a bit.

The drive out there was pleasantly uneventful.  Mara was amazing and slept for about 3/4 of it which is just so NOT like her.   It made for an easy drive and a nice time for Josh and I to chat too.  When we got to Asheville we checked in and emptied our car.  I will never underestimate how much stuff a little one needs again.  Our huge car was packed!

Playing with her feet and getting out all that energy from riding in the car

That night, Valentine's Day, we decided to head downtown for a quick bite then call it a day.  Wanting to jump right into the brewery scene we hit up a local pub, The Bier Garden, for dinner.  The food was pretty good and it was nice to walk around downtown to get a feel of what was there.

Taking a ride on Daddy's sholders

The next day we headed back downtown to check out the local shops and a few of the breweries that were in the area.  It was a bit cold especially with the wind blowing but we bundled up and strapped Mara in her carrier for extra warmth.  The first shop we hit was a fun outdoor gear consignment shop.  We love REI so it was great to browse the racks for some steals.  I tried on a few pairs of hiking pants but didn't have much luck.  Josh found a great windbreaker which he promptly put on to hold off the cold outside!

From there we ducked into an organic home and baby shop.  As always you find a lot of things you'd love to have but pulling the trigger to buy is always hard.  We ended up getting Mara some wool shoe liners to warm her toes!

After that it was on to lunch at a local brewery of course!  It was nice to get in out of the wind and sit down for a bit.  The rest of the day was spent wandering the downtown streets stopping at any shop or brewery that seemed interesting.  We walked hit up the old fashioned general store as well as toured a bead shop.  The end of the day found us at a local Korean restaurant, on a craving of Josh's, indulging in some bulgolgi and mahn doo.

Exploring some galleries

More artwork

The next day we headed down to the river arts district in Asheville.  Its a great little arts community that has taken up home in large warehouses along the river.  Although it was Sunday there were a good number of artists open and we were able to tour a few galleries ranging from ceramics to glass, oils to an artist who worked solely in duct tape.  For lunch we tried to locate a fun taco shop I had read about but were disappointed to see that it was closed after walking nearly a mile to get to it.  We settled for a quaint little cafe before heading over to the local brewery.  

Mara was asleep at this point.  Art apparently doesn't interest her too much.

That afternoon we headed back over to the downtown area to get our growler filled with yummy home brews before checking out Asheville's oldest brewery, Asheville Brewing Company.  Finally our night ended with delicious Indian cuisine at Mela's.  Asheville is definitely one of those cities you can eat and drink your way around!

Downtown Asheville

On President's day we headed out of town towards Bryson City, where we would get our cabin and spend the night.  Along the way we stopped in Waynesville for some lunch (at a local brewery of course!) and to explore their downtown.  I love wandering small downtowns, peering in little shops and finding the treasures that may lie within.  At this stop I found a few things in a small kitchen store that caught my eye!

A unique place to grab a cup of coffee!

From Waynesville we headed to Bryson City to check in with our cabin rental company.  But before heading to the cabin for the night we made sure to stop in to Nantahala Brewing company.  This was one of my favorite breweries solely on looks.  They were doing a ton of construction but it just looked like a fun place to hang out on a summer day when its packed with a band and a ton of people.  

Still playing with those feet

Asheville is a dynamic town with a ton of great places to shop, eat and drink!  I believe it has the highest number of breweries per capita in the U.S.! Its been on our bucket list since we arrived and I'm so glad we were able to take part of our trip to explore it.  Even though we spent a few days here, I don't think we even scratched the surface of this fun town!