For my more consistent, loyal readers, you might recall that Rob and I visited Asheville to celebrate our Baby Moon when I was pregnant with Ellie: Our Baby Moon – what I didn’t realize was that when we booked our most recent trip over Spring Break, it fell 6 years to the very day since we were there last!
So this trip initially started as a getaway for me and Rob – one to relax, be kid free, and do fun adult things that I couldn’t really do last time we visited when I was pregnant. However, our childcare option fell through and so rather than cancel, we just decided to pivot and take Ellie with us. While we wouldn’t be able to do the brewery hopping, e-bike touring, and coffee shop scouting we had initially hoped for, I knew we would still have a great time, albeit just a bit differently. I booked an AirBnB in part of a historic home near downtown which offered a hot tub with excellent views, and Ellie was excited about that and the prospect of visiting as many bakeries as possible.
We arrived around 4pm on Saturday, and felt welcomed into our spot instantly! The hostess put a lot of thoughtful touches to make us feel at home. This is a private wing of her home, built around 1880! My favorite part was the view from the back yard – excellent as promised!
She had poured us a welcome drink of Turning Point bourbon from North Carolina and left Ellie a treat! Then of course we hopped right into the hot tub immediately – Ellie had never been in one before and after spending three days in an AirBnB that had one, we are officially getting a hot tub back at home this coming Christmas. The temperature in Asheville was chilly and very windy making it absolutely delightful hot tub weather!
For dinner, we went to Nine Mile based on several recommendations. A tiny brewery and Carribean joint not far from us, we had about an hour wait but it was completely worth it. While we waited, we enjoyed a beer outside and Ellie colored several original pieces of art AND even sold one to a very sweet person who was also waiting to be seated. I knew I would crave this food days after eating it and just looking at these photos again makes my mouth water. The textures, flavors, colors – all incredible! We shared a shrimp curry and rice dish as well as a mahi-mahi curry over noodles and an interesting twist on chips and salsa. Rob can be seen finishing of everyone’s dinner in the last photo.
After dinner we ventured to Old Europe Pastries which is downtown and open until 11pm! I love the idea of a pastry and coffee shop which is open late, and this one had also come highly recommended. We got lucky finding a parking spot down the street, which is tough to do because the nightlife scene in downtown is pretty hoppin’ especially on a Saturday night. The line was to the door when we walked in but it moved fast – lighting was low, dance music played, and in some ways it felt like being transported somewhere else entirely. I’ll admit, my expectations were pretty high – we made a few selections and took it home since there was literally no where to sit, but after getting home and digging in, we were all super underwhelmed with the items we chose! I’m not sure what was up, because the reviews are crazy good, but the chocolate cake I got was bland and uninspiring, and the peanut butter thing Rob got was also very dry and blah, and Ellie’s eclair was mostly just a huge mess (but she maintains it was in her top three favorite experiences of the trip). Oh well! The display case was lovely though!
Day 2 was for the Biltmore! It really is such an incredible home (calling it a home seems ironic) it’s a sprawling estate! Rob and I toured this on our first trip and we figured Ellie was at an age where she would tolerate it (maybe appreciate the memories one day). So we did a self-guided tour and walked around for a few hours. It was not at all crowded which made it really pleasant to move around and see everything we wanted to. Ellie’s favorite part of the day was stopping for a hot chocolate and chocolate croissant in the stable cafe.
After touring the house, we drove around the property, checked out Antler Village and then did a complimentary wine tasting at the Winery there. It was a great experience and they are very friendly to those with kiddos – Ellie sipped grape juice and ate table crackers while Mom and Dad got to sample 5 wines!
We left the Biltmore mid afternoon and decided to make our way towards Asheville Brewing Company on the South slope for some pizza and beer. It was either a really late lunch or an early dinner, so the vibes were very chill and the staff was super friendly. The pizza was SUPER unique and full of flavor – the two we got had coconut flakes baked into the crust which enhanced the texture and flavor. We were able to box up what we didn’t eat and we saved it and brought it home with us the next day and ate it for dinner in Huntsville.
The rest of the evening we spent chilled out in our AirBnB playing original Nintendo and taking a dip in the hot tub.
Our last full day in Asheville was sort of a wild card day. Originally I had penciled in doing the Asheville Science museum in an effort to entertain Ellie but wasn’t really in the mood for that so we considered finding a hike given how pretty the weather was. First stop of the day was Sunny Point Cafe and it did NOT disappoint. I was surprised that at ten am on a random Monday we had to wait 20 minutes for a table, but luckily they have a sister cafe next door that provided us some coffee and Ellie a hot chocolate and pastry to make the wait more enjoyable. Once seated, I enjoyed an incredible avocado toast plate and side salad. The wall paper was also amazing – root vegetables but make it sexy!
From there we made the drive out toward Craggy Pinnacle, which was about 30 minutes north and I had read was a very family friendly hike which offered 360 views once at the top. However, about two miles from the rally point the roads were closed due to the temperatures still being so low at that elevation and a lot of ice still in spots. So we pulled off and found another trail that had some other hikers around and walked out about 45 minutes. I was a little nervous about bear activity, but Ellie did great and actually seemed to really enjoy being outside and we agreed to find more opportunity to hike when we get home! We haven’t hiked as a family since the pandemic when we mostly carried Ellie on our backs, so it was really great for her to actually be part of it. I bought her a pair of real hiking boots as soon as I got home!
After the hike, we made our way down to the Sierra Nevada brewery which was the largest and most impressive brewery I’ve ever been to. Tucked away not far from the airport, the property is immaculately landscaped and looks more like resort than a place where a bunch of beer is made. The weather was perfect for patio sitting and they had a huge outdoor area for kids to explore and play! Ellie made a few friends while Rob and I enjoyed the freshest and most crispy beer under the pines. If we lived here, this would be a frequent hang for us. We spent several hours here relaxing and sampling and then enjoyed some dinner inside. Rob had a burger and I had a very interesting beet and chorizo ..salad? Just..sliced beets and chorizo! And a cup of sweet potato soup which hit the spot on what had been a fairly windy and chilly day. We cruised home and had one last evening in the hot tub before sunsetting our trip in Asheville.
Before leaving town, of course we had to find one last bakery, and we really did save the best for last. OWL Bakery is one of those places that is seriously special, and you know it the moment you walk in.
Filled with caffeine and carbs, we loaded back into the Tesla (our road warrior) and set off toward home. Stopping briefly near Knoxville to visit Rob’s Aunt and fam for a few hours, we made it back to Huntsville to enjoy a beautiful sunset on our back porch. Coming home always feels amazing, but coming home to our house is heavenly. How lucky are we to have a life worth running back to!
The rest of our Spring break was filled with some wonderful moments (riding Evie!) and friends from Texas visiting us, but those will be saved for another story ❤ Asheville is good vibes, and I’m always going to be down for a visit there. Cheers to the next round!
The Wayfaring Friend 