Road Trips: Awesome Asheville

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Way back at Christmas, my father-in-law gifted everyone in the family with a trip to Asheville for the Chihuly Nights event at the Biltmore House. We were thrilled with the prospect of a trip to Asheville because we love it there, but didn’t start making plans until the spring when if was nearly time for the event to begin. After consulting with the extended family, we chose a weekend in mid-June to head to the mountains and get in some family time along with our visit to the Biltmore House.

We arrived in Asheville on a Friday afternoon and decided our best option was to head to one of our favorite breweries, Burial, while we waited for Nathan’s sister to arrive. My father-in-law joined us and we played with Penelope in the outside area while we enjoyed a beer before dinner. Burial’s vibe is super cool. The last time we visited was several years ago, and they were just beginning to can beers for the first time. Now, they are well-established and the place was hopping! There is an inside bar with a lot to choose from and another outside bar with even more options. Their is limited seating inside, but the outside seating is extensive. If you ever visit, be sure to look for the Tom Selleck and Sloth (from The Goonies) mural painted on the exterior wall. As far as styles go, Burial offers a full variety. Between the three of us we had a Belgian Pale Ale, an IPA, and an awesome Sour. They also do stouts well, but it was really hot the afternoon we were there, so we all went with beverages that were a little more refreshing.

From there, we hit dinner at Foggy Mountain Brew Pub. I was so hot that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to eat much. As a result, the toddler and I split macaroni and cheese and a salad. For beverages, I enjoyed a Perfect Day IPA by Asheville Brewing Company and then went for something super light and a classic I “grew up” on, Miller High Life. The food was solid and put the perfect end on the day.

On Saturday morning, we hit a quick breakfast before heading to the Biltmore Estate. Our plan was to do the gardens for a couple of hours, maybe hit the winery, and then head back to the hotel for a rest before we headed back over to the grounds for the self-guided evening tour of the house and gardens. It didn’t quite work that way.

We ended up walking around the gardens for much longer than we planned and we were starving by the time we finished, so we took the shuttle back to our cars and drove over to Biltmore Village to eat at the pub there for lunch. Then, we realized that P was past due for her nap, so we got her settled with her awesome teenage cousins for a walk and nap while the adults headed to the winery! Our tasting was enjoyable, to say the least, and made infinitely more relaxing by knowing that our toddler was with her cousins who adore her and are used to babysitting her. We each tasted about 6 wines, hit the wine shop, and then we hunted down the kids, who were found relaxing in the air conditioned car. P was still fast asleep, so we transferred her to her stroller and found a shaded spot to relax while she napped and we enjoyed some of the live music being played on the lawn in the village.

After her nap, we enjoyed some ice cream and hung out at the petting zoo, playground, and train exhibit before we headed back to the house.

We had the earliest night entry tickets possible for the house so to keep things toddler friendly, and we finished up on the exterior terrace with a nice glass of wine as the sunset. As the darkness set in, we headed back to the Italian Garden to see the sculptures lit up.They were gorgeous and we definitely could have spent more time going around to the other garden areas, but we were nearing the 12 hour mark, so we decided to call it a day, an exhausting but fantastic day.

What would I say about bringing a toddler to Biltmore? Just a few things: snacks, stroller, and potty. Have plenty of toddler friendly and portable snacks on hand, because that will ensure your toddler can eat while they are hungry, but will leave you the freedom to keep moving and seeing thins. Bringing a stroller should be obvious. There is a lot of ground to cover. For exactly that reason, we brought our BOB, but you should’ve aware that there are a lot of steps so go with a lighter weight stroller unless you have a lot of manpower to help you get it up and down. P walked a lot, but when she wasn’t in the stroller, we used it for her diaper bag. Finally, be prepared and plan out potty breaks. Since we were only three weeks into potty training and the bathrooms are pretty sparse, we “tried” every time we had a chance. And, thanks to our Potette Plus, we were able to take an impromptu potty breakdown in the gardens when the “I have to peepee” signal was given.

We decided we didn’t want to head back to Greensboro without one more adventure, so on Sunday morning we decided to hit the Western NC Nature Center. Thanks to our family membership at the Greensboro Science Center, we were admitted to the Nature Center for free. BONUS!

The Nature Center is set into the side of a hill, so you’re traveling either uphill or downhill as you travel from one exhibit to the next. In addition, there are several play areas which Penelope enjoyed as much as she did seeing the animals. It was a nice way to spend a morning!

After our mini-adventure, we decided it was time for lunch. We had noticed that Highland Brewing was nearby and knew food truck was there for lunch so we decided to sample a couple of beers and enjoyed tamales for lunch followed by a Nutella crepe with strawberries and bananas for dessert. It was a great meal to cap off an awesome Asheville weekend!