We ventured to a new state for us this weekend- Will and I spent a couple days in Asheville, NC. What a fantastic little mountain town! We knew very little about Asheville and didn't have a big agenda aside from spending Saturday checking out the Biltmore and its surrounding land. But we lucked out and stumbled upon a festival that takes place in downtown Asheville every year called Bele Chere- how serendipitous! The festival offered some of our favorite things: live music (Rebirth Brass Band, Marc Broussard, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers were among the musical highlights), street drinking (we got to try a few new-to-us brews), day drinking (when paired with street drinking, it's especially magical), art, and amazing people-watching. Asheville is full of colorful characters, from the patchouli-smelling, Birkenstock-wearing hippies to the megaphone-talking, bible-carrying preachers, and every spectrum in-between. I could have sat and watched these people for hours and hours: they are reason-enough for me to want to return to Asheville again sometime!
We took the "scenic" route through Great Smoky Mountains National Park on our way to Asheville...and saw a black bear inside the park!
Not quite as majestic as the Rockies, but really pretty, none-the-less
Gorgeous evening in Asheville
Marc Broussard
Rebirth
Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
How cute is that coffee shop?!
As I mentioned, our main reason behind the weekend was to visit The Biltmore. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was hoping to be blown away, given the admission price (over $45/person! And that was with my Vanderbilt discount!). I can honestly say, though, that the admission price is completely worth it. What an incredible home- and the grounds surrounding the estate were amazing as well. You are given a guidebook upon entering and allowed to wander the house at your leisure. Will and I consider ourselves to be "power" tourers. We can get through museums pretty quickly...but even we spent several hours wandering the massive home. Since our admission was discounted, we splurged and took a supplemental guided tour that taught us about the architecture of the home. It was quite informative, and allowed us to tour parts of the home that aren't open as part of the normal admission. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside the home, but the outside is certainly nothing to scoff at!
Impressive driveway
Not a bad-looking back yard, either
Impressive details
Token self-portrait
Back of the house
We headed back to Nashville via Gatlinburg. What...a difference there is between Gatlinburg and Asheville. At the risk of sounding rude, I'll just leave it at that. I will say, though, that I don't foresee myself going back to Gatlinburg anytime soon.
Gorgeous views en route to Gatlinburg
Our chariot to the top of the mountain
With more beautiful views
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