Asheville, NC Travel Photos!

A few weeks ago, Amelia and I traveled to Asheville, North Carolina for Lindsay + Ryan’s wedding at Claxton Farm. We arrived a day early, scouted the location and began getting to know the city. It’s been YEARS since I’d been to that area so it was really nice and refreshing to visit again now that I’m an adult.

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous…a memorable experience for sure. And the entire time spent in Asheville is something I don’t want to forget. If you know me personally, then you know that my memory can fail me at times…so I really enjoy blogging about my personal travels so that I can remember. In addition, if I go again or if someone that I know is traveling there, we can share in the experience!

The first day we arrived, we rented a car (something I highly recommend in a city like Asheville) and headed to the Biltmore. If you’re not familiar, it’s also a wedding venue but didn’t start out that way. It was actually originally a 250-room mansion for the Biltmore family to host their guests. They were involved in the railroad industry and because of their financial success were what would be equated to a modern day celebrity. The home was absolutely gorgeous and took us over 2 hours just to walk through approximately 1/4 of it on the Biltmore audio tour (I would also recommend this).

This was taken on the walk from the parking to the Biltmore.

Isn’t it GRAND? It’s just like in Las Vegas…where you think it’s just a few steps away and you’re walking forever! Check out the scale of the mansion vs the scale of the people/tour buses!

After taking the house tour, we also visited the Biltmore gardens:

We had lunch at the Stable Cafe. Both Amelia and I ordered the chicken breasts. I thought it was good but not great…although we were VERY thankful for a good meal on such a hot day of walking.

That night, we ate at Carmel’s in downtown Asheville! Carmel’s is located in an area which I COMPLETELY fell in L.O.V.E. with. I loved the urban and pedestrian friendly environment. We sat on the corner outside right next to the planters (which were everywhere). The weather was cool and I definitely enjoyed the view.

The next day was the wedding….be sure to check out THOSE photos if you haven’t!

We started the day at the Early Girl Eatery. The wait wasn’t too bad…but the food would have been totally worth any wait! Everything on the menu was health-oriented (actually everything in ALL of Asheville was this way) and the atmosphere was really chill.

I like that the wait staff was able to dress comfortably and the city overall just feels super urban. We looked out onto the street and had a really nice breakfast.

The day after the wedding, we had a full day to explore! After an awesome breakfast at Over Easy Cafe (<—which reminded me so much of NOLA), we walked to an outdoor store where Amelia and I bought pedometers before we headed to Graveyard Fields for a bit of hiking. The drive in and of itself was SUPER cool. Being from Louisiana, it was really cool to see the mountains and lush greens all around us.

I think what I loved MOST about Asheville was the mere fact that you could choose to be in an urban or mountainous environment within an hr in Asheville.

We laughed so much on the drive…felt a little afraid that we’d run out of gas, and then arrived at the hiking area. We really had no idea what to expect. <–I mean, duh, why didn’t anyone tell me there weren’t gas stations on the mountain! LOL

It was about 1 mile to the first waterfall, named the “lower falls” (seen above to the left). We camped out there for a bit until we were ready to hike some more. Some portions of the trail were very manicured…some even paved with wooden planks, while others felt less traveled.

I somehow convinced Amelia to make our way up to the Graveyard area…until we both got a little nervous about the trail splitting off too many times, without anyone around and the sun beginning to set.

So, we continued hiking but this time toward the upper falls….when it began to rain pour!!! So, here we were, two south Louisiana girls, huddled up under a tree for “covering.” Ultimately we were so soaked that we decided the cold, NC rain wouldn’t hurt us and continued the hike in the mud. YES! Thick, slippery mud. But when we finally heard the falls and felt that we’d made it, we both knew it was worth the fight! LOL

Just before the sun hit the horizon, we walked up the final flight of stairs and out to this view. I will never forget this moment….or this crazy view.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to travel, something that I love so much. And it was really awesome to share it with such a great friend!

Thanks for allowing me to share my travels with you. 🙂