Hubby and I are coming up on 15 years of marriage {and 24 years of being together!!} and we were so grateful for a few days away ALONE in Asheville, NC! We had both never been and it was about a 5 hour drive from Nashville. I had always wanted to tour the Biltmore Estate and had heard great things about this small city {good eats, a fun nightlife and beautiful mountain views}. Here is a mini guide of where we stayed, what we did and where we ate!
WHERE WE STAYED:
We stayed at the Village Hotel on the Biltmore Estate and honestly loved staying here! It is a newer hotel and was decorated so cute with farmhouse accents like shiplap and barn doors {just my style!}. We also got a great deal and our stay included a farm to table breakfast every morning at their restaurant, Village Social. The hotel also had a free shuttle service to the Estate which was nice so we didn’t have to worry about parking. Our hotel was also literally right in Antler Hill Village so we could walk out and have access to the small shops and handful of restaurants AND the winery with complimentary tastings. With 8,000 acres, you honestly don’t even need to leave the grounds if you didn’t want to and they had so many outdoor activities and excursions that I wish we had more time to take advantage of. The nice part was if you wanted to go downtown it was about a 10-15 minute drive away!
WHAT WE DID:
We were only here for a few short days and wish we had more time to take advantage of the outdoor activities Asheville has to offer. Our main activity was touring the Biltmore Estate and grounds which was truly beautiful. I honestly felt like I was in France, not North Carolina. The house was gorgeous and impressive and a definite must see. We took the self-guided audio tour which took less than 2 hours and was well worth it.
Both days we were there, we enjoyed access to the Biltmore Winery. Just entering the winery and tasting room was a unique experience. We loved tasting the wines and learning a bit more about the winery and estate. We walked away with a few bottles, including a limited edition bottle of rosé which I can’t wait to open and enjoy!
Also worth the drive, at least for lunch or cocktails, is the Omni Grove Park Inn. We drove up there before heading out and had lunch on the terrace with truly breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a historic hotel with a 43,000 square foot subterranean spa that I would love to check out if we ever go to Asheville again.
WHERE WE ATE:
Just being kid free was the best, but second best to that was all the unique restaurants that Asheville had to offer. You could literally eat {and drink} your way through this city!
Bouchon: We ate here on our first night in town and it is a small and quaint restaurant that serves French comfort food, all farm to table. It doesn’t take reservations but while you are waiting for a table they do have a speakeasy upstairs called L’Ecluse where we hung out and enjoyed a cocktail at. We enjoyed the food at Bouchon and never really hit up French restaurants so it was fun and different. Hubby had a fish dish and I tried their mussels, both were delish and I would recommend going if you are in town.
Old Europe: Recommended by our waitress at Bouchon, we hit this up after dinner for dessert and a cappuccino. They had so many authentic European desserts it was hard to choose! If you like something sweet after dinner, hit this place up!
Green Man Brewery: Did you know that Asheville has more breweries per capita than any U.S. city? They were literally everywhere and if we had time to hit more up we would have. This one came recommended by a friend and we luckily made it right before they closed for the night!
Sunshine Sammies: When we were walking back to our car, we passed this place that had a line out the door. I just had to stop and see what the fuss was all about and am glad I did! Hand crafted ice cream sandwiches had me! I got their most popular one, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in between chocolate chip cookies. Um…can we say the BEST dessert ever?
Village Social: We enjoyed breakfast here every morning. It was included in our hotel stay {and would have cost over $50 each morning!}. It was a delicious farm to table breakfast and a great way to start the day!
Cúrate Bar de Tapas: Honestly, if you have ONE meal in Asheville, let this be it! Maybe we don’t go out enough but this was honestly the BEST dinner we have had in a really long time. We love tapas and this place did not disappoint. We tried as much as we could and enjoyed a few glasses of house sangria along the way! The atmopshere was fun and the place was packed so definitely make a reservation. I would honestly drive 5 hours just to eat here!
Top of the Monk: Recommended by a friend {and I am glad she did} this place was more an experience than anything else. You honestly could have walked past it on the street, but up one tiny flight of stairs is a members only speak easy with hand crafted cocktails and a cute rooftop. What makes it an experience? And yes I am now a member. North Carolina law states that any bar that doesn’t serve food is considered private and members only. After filling out a paper and handing over a dollar, I was issued a membership card and we are now members! Each drink comes with a key and along the back wall is a large vintage post office box. Each box has a bar food snack and you take your key and treat yourself to one. It was fun and quite the experience and we enjoyed one last cocktail before calling it a night in Asheville. A definite must if you are in the city! We truly had a great time in Asheville! It is the such a sweet small city with views that can’t be beat! Cheers to some time away, just the two of us and to 15 years of marriage!
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