Asheville, NC Girls Trip

Over St. Patrick's Day weekend I flew to Asheville, NC to hang out with some really special ladies!  It was also sort of a "babymoon" for friends to celebrate one friend's bundle of joy coming later this year.

On Friday afternoon I met Lauren at ABIA.  The other Austinite flew out earlier in the day.  Since SXSW and spring break fell on the same week as this trip, I got to the airport extra early in the event that parking was scarce and lines were long.  TSA Pre-Check was easy so to kill time, I stopped at Vino Volo to try a flight of reds and read my new book - Neil deGrasse Tyson's Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.

We connected through Charlotte and after landing in Asheville, Jess picked us up in a red rental minivan and took us to the bungalow.





Our Airbnb was called Heart of West Asheville and was perfect for the girls trip.  Loved the large oaks in the back and the neat claw foot tub.

Taryn had a really early flight Saturday to join us.  After picking her up from the airport, we had brunch at Bim Beri Bon to start celebrating St. Patrick's Day.  We also stocked up on tasty goodies at the local grocery store, Ingles (not to be confused with "English" in Spanish). 




After some tea on the porch we headed towards the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center.  But first, we poked around the Gypsy Trunk Show.

There I got my NPS Passport stamp and we chatted with a gentleman that was stationed at Bergstrom back in the day about a waterfall sightseeing route.  We had a quick yoga stretch stop at the French Broad (river) Overlook.

We had a slight detour in Brevard, but were able to pop in a cute general store.  White squirrels must be the town's mascot because I spotted them in several places.  Note when you are planning your trip along the parkway, make sure to check out the map so that you can make sure parts are open (example - closed for snow).





The first waterfall stop was at Looking Glass Waterfall.  It was very lovely and close to the road.  Leaving your parking spot along the road can be a tad treacherous along the curve, so make sure a buddy helps you look out when pulling out.

quick pause en route to Sliding Rock

The next waterfall, Sliding Rock, was just down the road.  It seems to be a hotspot in the summertime for a slide/swimming hole.  We watched a couple locals slide down and then Jess was inspired to follow suit!  It was so much fun to watch!  If I cannot handle Barton Springs in the middle of summer, I was definitely not going to check this out with snow melt in the river!!

there she goes!

After hopping back in the minivan, we headed over to DuPont State Forest.  Apparently they filmed Last of the Mohicans and Hunger Games here!  I told the gentleman helping us with the map that I worked for their counterpart in TX!  Turns out this guy went to UT like the four of us!  We were able to hike to High Falls and Triple Falls before it grew too late.

High Falls

 

 

I almost slipped in rock-hopping to get this shot:

We continued along the trail to Triple Falls:

handstand shot!  I still got it!

looking out towards the beautiful mountains on the return hike

Last waterfall for the day was Hooker Falls.

found these adorable cones

We were pretty exhausted after a long day.  Rather than having a crazy St. Patty's day out on the town, we had delicious pizza at Standard Pizza and then watched part of a movie on Netflix before crashing for the night.

Sunday morning was lovely with tea and donuts on the porch all together.  We tidied up the bungalow and packed up the van for the next part of the journey - the Biltmore property!  Along the way we stopped in the quaint downtown Asheville for a bit.  After a stop at High Five Coffee (chai for me), we popped in a couple shops and tried some fresh made chips from the Gourmet Chip Company.  We tried the Parisian chips and they were delicious!

Upon arriving on the Biltmore Estate, we checked into our lovely hotel, Village Hotel, located on property.  The Biltmore Estate is still privately owned and is spread over about 8k acres (was originally 125k acres)!  The check-in lady was so helpful and said that while you may choose a "tour time" for your house tour, if you stay on the property you can ignore the time and go when you want.

After dropping our luggage in the room and parking the van, we caught the next shuttle (part of your ticket) over to the house.  There we started out taking photos out front and then enjoyed the gardens.

The daffodils made the space so cheery - I cannot imagine what the place looks like when spring has completely sprung!  I think we were there a tad early in the season to fully enjoy spring.  Make sure you have time to wonder through the gardens and conservatory.  I do not think I've seen that many varieties of orchids in one place.

Next up was the tour of the sprawling house.  While you do not get to visit all 250 rooms, you have a great sampling of the house.  Made me think of my beloved Downton Abbey because we went upstairs and downstairs.  As we wondered through the rooms, I listened to my rented audio tour, plus there was an exhibit of Titanic movie costumes throughout the house.

Palm Court 

dining room

Titanic costumes!

Loggia

impressive library

loved this stairwell & chandeliers

downstairs hallway

indoor swimming pool

bowling lanes

gym

kitchen

canning area

Mrs. Edith Vanderbilt's room

Louis XV room

last handstand

We made the most of our time at the house and took one of the last shuttles back to the hotel area where we stopped in the winery.  Apparently the former dairy barn turned wine tasting room is one of the most visited wineries in the country.  I guess that is because a free tasting is included with your ticket.  I was actually really impressed with the wines and enjoyed all those I tasted.  Even ordered a case when I got home.....  Hey, I only had a carry on and you got 20% off with a case :)

Dinner was tasty at the Village Social, which was conveniently located in our hotel.  Again we were exhausted from the events of the day, so the rest of our night was low-key just hanging out in the room.





Monday was sadly our last day in Asheville.  After waking up and getting caffeinated, we toured the Antler Hill Barn.

blacksmith

One of our favorite spots of the day was at the farm!  The gentleman there was very informative and was about to be inundated with a swarm of kids on a field trip.  I got to pet a rooster and a cashmere goat.

As we left the property we found some lambs in the field and then went through downtown one last time.  We were blessed with fantastic weather while we were in the area.  Rain started coming in as we returned the van and then headed to the airport.  After one last photo, the Austin girls had to board our flight.

<3

Wow this was such a fun trip - I hope there is another trip in the future!  I will definitely be coming back to town to see more of the sights!