Our Asheville Adventure: 11th Anniversary Trip

Last week, to celebrate our 11th anniversary, Hubby and I left the kids with their grandparents, and set off for Asheville, one of our favorite places that's not too far away.

We finally got to leave around 8:00 pm on Thursday night, after a bunch of crazy events that kept us from leaving when we wanted to.  But that's okay.  Such is life. =)

On Friday morning, we decided to leave the hotel early, as in like 7:00am.  When you are used to getting up at 4:30, waking at 6:00am feels like sleeping in!

We set out to explore the area surrounding Biltmore Estate, known as Biltmore Village.  It is where George Vanderbilt had homes built for the workers who were building his estate.  It's such a gorgeous place with the most beautiful homes and cobblestone streets.  Most of the original homes have been turned into shops or restaurants.  

God blessed us with such beautiful weather...seriously, we couldn't have hoped for a more lovely day!

It was SO nice to just be able to slowly walk, hand in hand, and enjoy each others company.  While the photographer in me wants to capture every.single.thing., I tried to just take it all in and enjoy being with my husband.  And sometimes, that just means putting the camera away.  But, that being said, I did manage to get a few pictures. =)

These leopard crocs from Kohls were insanely comfortable for all the walking we did.  Best $20 ever spent on shoes!  I rarely buy brand new shoes, but these were worth it.

Steven and I did take a few pictures of each other, which was fun.  Although I despise being the subject of the camera!

Later that morning we visited Biltmore and went on the guided Architect's Tour.  It was really neat to learn so many details about the construction and also to go in places that are normally off limits.  I loved that we could go out on the roof AND take pictures, which is usually a no-no.

Here's a funny little factoid that we learned...this gargoyle's tail was accidentally knocked off during construction! Since the rail and the statue were all out of the same piece of stone, there was nothing that could be done about it.  So, they gave him a bottom, haha!  

We went on a hike to the waterfall while at the estate and about halfway there found this quiet little spot overlooking the lake. 'Twas the perfect spot for chatting.  And smooching. =D

Saw this sign while we were out and about around Asheville, made me laugh!  

Before our trip, I emailed my instagram friend Alicia and asked her to share her favorite restaurants and places in the area.  One that she suggested was the Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village. 

It's such a charming place with a cute front porch, benches and ferns swinging in the breeze. I loved it so much.  And the food was amazing.  I had this lavender marinated grilled chicken salad with pickled lemons and walnuts, and goat cheese.  It sounded so different that I almost didn't get it, but at the first bite I was so glad I did. Wow, was it ever amazing! Seriously, one of the best meals I've ever had.  

Friday afternoon we hit up one of the antique shops that Alicia suggested.  This place was called the Tobacco Barn and was filled with neat items.  Next week I'll share more about my finds.

Ok, so this is when our trip got a little interesting.  Friday night we decided to check out downtown Asheville and find something to eat.  There were several places recommended by Alicia and some other locals.  We called a few before we left the hotel and they said they didn't take reservations but there was no wait.  

Very quickly we learned a few things about downtown Asheville:

1)  You pay for parking.  And on a Friday night, you are lucky to find a spot within a 1/2 mile  of your destination.  So wear comfy shoes and be prepared to walk. (I was NOT wearing the comfiest shoes.)

2) It's crowded.  And restaurants are tiiiiny.  And hot.

3) We didn't fit in.  Like at all.  Ha!!  =D   How shall I put this....hubby and I are just not artsy enough to be strolling the streets of Asheville and not look like tourists.  For real.  Only the super artsy peeps live here I think.  You would just have to see it to believe me.  Downtown Asheville on a Friday night is just a different world! There were so many things I would have taken pictures of, but seriously, I would have been running into people. 

4) It's loud.  There was one crowd fighting, and then there were musicians everywhere. I did manage to snap this pic of this couple playing a banjo and a coffee can.  Some groups were actually really good, and other's, well...not so good! =D

 So after over an hour of exploring and searching for a place to eat that didn't have an hour wait, we gave up. We laughed so hard about it all...it was an adventure for sure!! We didn't regret it a bit though.  Hey, that's the stuff memories are made of! =)

On our drive back to the hotel we spotted an Olive Garden and decided to eat there. We love trying local places and their food, but at that point we were desperate and quite hungry. I mean, we had to go somewhere since I had gotten all dressed up for the occasion. ;)

On Saturday morning we had a much better Downtown Asheville experience when we went in search of some breakfast.  We did a little more antiquing and then all too soon we had to head back home to our kiddos and prep for church on Sunday.  I wish our trip would have been longer than just 45 hours, but I'm so thankful we were able to go.  And we decided we are never letting 6 years go by without getting away by ourselves again!!  =)

Thank you all for your sweet anniversary wishes, it's so kind of you to celebrate with us as we ended our 11th year and began our 12th!

Hope you enjoyed all the pics.  Have a wonderful weekend, friends.  See you back here next week!