Jim and I spent a couple days in Asheville, NC this week. We drove up Sunday and came home on Wednesday. The leaves were in peak season around Asheville.
Sunday afternoon we drove over to Biltmore Village, had lunch and walked around to see the shops. We were disappointed that the Hot Shot Cafe closed about a year ago. Jimmy's dad used to work at the Hot Shot Cafe and we always ate there when visiting Asheville. The road that runs directly behind the Biltmore Village is London Road and it intersects with Wyatt Street. Yes, the Wyatt family has a street named after them in Biltmore. Jimmy's grandfather, father and uncles all lived on that street. In fact the house that Jimmy was raised in is still there.
We also drove downtown Asheville which was so busy on a Sunday afternoon that we were surprised. Downtown Asheville is full of restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries. We even found one shop that sold all three of my favorite food groups; chocolate, nuts, and caramel. You could find almost anything downtown except a parking place.
View from the hotel room.We stayed at the Holiday Inn Biltmore East which was a great place because it was easy to get to anywhere we wanted to go. The view from the room was great and the room was very nice.
We took a tour on Monday morning which was very interesting. Asheville has a great history. Then we got on the Blue Ridge Parkway and drove to a Gem Mine. We spent the afternoon "mining gems". It was fun and we got some nice rocks. We had one of the emeralds cut and I guess I will see how that turns out.
View from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Tunnel on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a beautiful drive but the average speed is 35 to 40 miles per hour, so don't take this road if you are in a hurry.Tuesday morning we went to Chimney Rock. We had not been to the top before so we went to the top this trip. Some pictures below.
View from Chimney Rock. Beautiful!!
Believe it or not, this is a mural done in the ladies room at Chimney Rock. It was beautiful!
No reason for this picture but to show you my HH (Handsome Husband)
Notice the "death grip" I have on the tree. I am not as "comfortable" as I appear.
During the tour the guide told us about the 12 Bones Smokehouse BBQ. It seems the 12 Bones Smokehouse has been named Best BBQ in Asheville for the last seven years and has been featured on Good Morning America and the Cooking Channel. Of course we had to try it. As you can see from the picture the building is nothing to brag about but we were assured the BBQ was worth it. You have to stand in line to order (no waitress), then get your own drink, find your own table and they will bring your food to you. Everything is served in "tin plates" . Well......the BBQ was OK but, for my money, Sconyers has them beat hands down. We enjoyed Asheville and the fall leaves. I have to say that we take a third party along on all out trips these days and that is our Garmin. The Garmin takes us anywhere we want to go with no problem. We love it and don't leave home without it.
