Sunset in Asheville

It is no secret that we love Asheville — this is not the first post, nor will it be the last. Asheville just has something about it that attracts me. I don’t know if it is the eclectic atmosphere, the food scene, the proximity to the beautiful mountains…just something about that place keeps me coming back for more.

In June 2016, we decided to take our summer vacation there. We found a pet friendly hotel (since we always travel with Piggy nowadays) and headed to the mountains.

Vivian the goat

Our first stop was, by far, one of my favorite places. It is called Looking Glass Creamery. Located about 20 minutes outside of Asheville, this picturesque farm house with wonderful cheese, delicious wine, a perfect outdoor spot surrounded by animals and its pet-friendly status is a true gem. We all loved sampling the cheese while sitting in the backyard with a glass of wine. We also loved feeding grass to the goats…especially one name Vivian.

After cheese, we took Piggy for a walk around the French Broad River Park and then to The Wedge Brewery near the river. The park is frequented by people who like to ride an inner tube down the river, but there are plenty of walking trails as well. The brewery has great outdoor seating and a food truck.

For this trip, we stayed at the Doubletree near Biltmore Village, which is pet friendly, but does have a pet fee. The rooms are small and there is no free breakfast, but it is in a good location. One day for breakfast, we walked over to Well Bred Bakery, which is pet friendly, for some delicious pastries.

Craggy Pinnacle

Like I said before, Asheville has a great food scene with local restaurants that try to buy from area farms. One of those is Rhubarb in Downtown Asheville. They even have cheese from Looking Glass Creamery. A few other great restaurants that we tried while in Asheville include a Spanish tapas restaurant called Curate; White Duck Taco; an Asian place called Gan Shan Station and a tea shop called Dobra.

Another great part about Asheville is the proximity to hiking and walking trails in the mountains. Only about a 10 minute drive from our hotel and off the Blue Ridge Parkway, we found an easy trail through the woods. And because there are so many, none of them, except the tourist attractions, are crowded. Piggy did a great job hiking around and even went up to Craggy Pinnacle. I must admit that I almost had a heart attack watching him hike up, but we made it unscathed.

Now what is the best thing to do after going on two hikes? Get snacks, of course! We checked out Wicked Weed Brewery, which has a pet friendly patio, and enjoyed beer cheese chips and boiled peanuts…a perfect end to hiking. A few other breweries to check out include Catawba and Hi Wire.

Even though Asheville has a lot to offer, there are also great little towns nearby. For this trip, we checked out Black Mountain. It has a great main street with little shops and restaurants. Some other beautiful places in Asheville to check out include the botanical gardens and UNCW’s campus. There is even a special spot on campus where the sunset is absolutely beautiful.

Asheville has a special place in my heart. I love almost everything about it.