Anyways, we just recently got back from our second trip to Asheville, NC. I failed to blog about our first experience in Asheville (which was the trip that made me absolutely fall in love with this place), so even though it's been almost 3 years, I'm going to do a comparison between both of our trips so you can see the difference between the seasons if you ever choose to go there.
In November of 2015 we went there for a wildlife conference Josh was presenting at.. that he attended with his wife and two dogs in tow (yes, once upon a time we actually only had 2 dogs!). We stayed in the Renaissance Hotel right in downtown Asheville where his conference took place. We lucked out that the hotel was dog friendly. I'd be lying if I said Weiner and Manny didn't enjoy having their own bed. Below you'll see my snazzy husband getting ready to present his research with Mr. Manny there for support (Manny enjoyed running the hallways as his daily exercise!). While Josh was in sessions I explored the shops and culture of the "weird" town we were staying in, taking in every bit of art, funkiness, delicious food and fun.
When Josh got breaks in his schedule we headed to the neighboring mountains. Pretty much every trail in the mountains (outside of Smoky Mountains and other National Parks) is dog-friendly! My favorite and our first hike was Graveyard Fields, a site right off the Blue Ridge Parkway going South of Asheville. The weather was kind of crappy as far as it was damp and foggy out because of all the rain (which in the mountains means low visibility), but if anything I felt the mist made the visit eerily beautiful and breathtaking. I still see this place in my dreams. This is an easy hike as I recall it being on all even and established trails with a mix of different habitats to explore. The colors of the fields are explosive in the fall, making the brush look like it's on fire.
Our next hike was to Black Balsom Knob. Graveyard Fields come to life in my dreams where this next experience in particular comes to life in my nightmares..... we failed to check the length of the hike before doing it, and zero visibility and not-clearly marked trails resulted in us getting lost for a few hours. As beginner hikers at the time and it being our first trip to the mountains we look back on this day with a laugh, but we were pretty freaked out at the time being at the top of a Knob that promised an aerial view of the gorgeous mountains around us, but instead being trapped in a thick white cloud. The following picture of Weiner on a rock should have had a backdrop of dazzling colorful mountains, but a dense fog is what we saw instead. There was no one else on the entire hike that we encountered, so it definitely was an appropriately eery hike to be doing so close to Halloween. The feeling was a bit frightening, but this is supposed to be a spectacular hike, so I would LOVE to go back another time to experience it on a clearer day (and despite our experience I highly recommend doing it!). We still managed to get some stellar photos in the "enchanted forest" at the beginning of the hike that I fell in love with, and we got some killer calf muscles from all the climbing. Parts of this hike were more challenging than Graveyard Fields. I recommend going when the visibility is better so you can see the beauty all around you.
Finally, before leaving, we dedicated a day to Dupont State Forest. If you love waterfalls and want to go to one location with a bunch of different hikes, this is the place for you. There's several waterfalls and the trails are pretty easy and tourist friendly. Many great photo ops and we met a lot of friendly people along the way. They're open til 10PM and have a visitor's center and gift shop.
What I liked best about our trip in the fall was obviously the colors of the leaves changing. Hands down, fall is the most beautiful time to visit the mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, but you've got to time it right to be at or close to peak color change. Too early and the leaves will be green and too late they'll be done. We went Halloween weekend/first week into November and it was a perfect time. It wasn't too cold when we were there, but this time of year it easily could be so if you're camping you'll want to be prepared.
Our favorite and recommended restaurants from this trip were the Bean Vegan Cuisine, Rosetta's Kitchen, Hop Ice Cream, and the Laughing Seed. The Bean Cuisine was our favorite by far, affordable and outstanding options, and their burgers are incredible with loads of awesome toppings. Rosetta's is a fully vegetarian cafe with vegan options, all comfort foods and is also affordable and conveniently has late night hours (we went there two times in a row it was so good!), Hop Ice Cream had vegan ice cream and sorbet options, and the Laughing Seed is a nice vegetarian and vegan sit down restaurant with plenty of wholesome and raw options. All fantastic, but we became kind of obsessed with the Bean :)
Since our first trip we have been itching to go back. There was no better calling than coming across a Veganfest event on Facebook that was taking place in Asheville in early June! VeganFest was hosted by Brother Wolf Animal Sanctuary & Rescue, a non-profit rescue that had 2 days of free talks and lectures with evening benefit concert to fundraise for the rescue, followed by a big festival in town. We knew we had to go so we booked a campground and originally had planned to bring the dogs until we sadly found out that due to a city ordinance, dogs weren't allowed at the event. My mom and her good friend joined us on our trip, so we had a great extended weekend of hiking, exploring the town and enjoying the festival. The contrast between this trip and the last is that we were camping this time vs. staying in a fancy hotel, and the colors of the autumn leaves were absent, but the weather was just perfect and good for swimming (and the visibility was much better!)
We camped at Lake Powhatan, which is really close to downtown Asheville (less than 15 minutes) but still in the Pisgah National Forest area. There are several hiking trails and even the NC Arboretum that you can access by foot from the campground (and you can save $14 by walking to the Arboretum instead of driving and parking there). It's right on track to several hikes along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and isn't far from the hip town of Brevard, which is considered one of the coolest small towns in America. It's close to Mt. Pisgah and a series of gorgeous waterfall hikes (and Sliding Rock!), so you can easily hit up several of those areas and the town of Brevard in a day or two. We loved this campground, and highly recommend it (even though there was usually a line for the bathrooms). You can also fish in the lake and along a creek, and swim right off a man-made beach. This is also a visiting area to check out even if you aren't camping, you can still come hang out for the day.
Our first night there, Josh and I ate at Rosetta's Kitchen in town for dinner. It had been a favorite from last trip and we knew they were open late. Then we got lost in the woods and hiked some of the trails between Lake Powhatan and Bent Creek Experimental Forest. We stood in total darkness on a bridge and just watched all the fireflies for a long time, mimicking the full sky of stars that were not interrupted or affected by clouds or light pollution. It was just perfect.
We hit up the waterfalls the next day, starting with Sliding Rock. My nice description of this experience would be that it was refreshing, thrilling, and unlike anything I've ever done before. My more realistic recap would include that the rock was like going down a rough slip and slide that may give you a major wedgie, and the water was ice cold and if you stay in it too long you may actually not remember how to breathe. That being said, I dragged Josh down Sliding Rock at least 3 times and I would absolutely do it again if we went back! The water is somewhere around 55 degrees, which to most is considered absolutely freezing. Our natural springs in Florida are around 72 degrees and I thought that was frigid! If it's warm outside though, you'll dry off in no time and the warm sun will make the experience more refreshing. I definitely wouldn't recommend doing this during the colder months of the year though! All in all, it was a blast. Oh and it costs a few dollars per person to enter the site when you arrive. Well worth it! The photo below cracks me up, Josh almost had a panic attack because he thought he lost his keys on the way down (but fortunately he left them behind during our slide). The site is family and dog friendly (but obviously dogs can't slide down the rock!). They have lifeguards so you can feel safe with small children sliding down the rock. We went on a weekday and it wasn't crowded, but I can see this place getting packed on the weekends during the summer.
Next stop, Moore Cove Falls. This place was super cool and the trail (easy to moderate) leads to a beautiful cove behind a stunning waterfall. Wear your swimsuit or quick dry clothes if you want to stand under it and let the refreshing clean water cool you off. Also keep in mind that people have died in the past couple years after attempting to climb to the top of the fall. We were adventurous and did it without realizing (very strenuous and difficult climb) and didn't find the danger sign until we were leaving.. whoops!.... (it was really cool up there but do so at your own risk!). To be safe, follow the trails and don't explore further once you reach the cove.
This place is fun and beautiful and a lady was hanging at the base of the fall playing a banjo. That's just the vibe in the mountains and you gotta go with it.
Next up.. super easy to access tourist destination: Looking Glass Falls. Super close to Sliding Rock and Moore Cove, you can easily check these all out in the same day (or even half a day). You can access Looking Glass Falls from the road and there's a direct set of stairs that lead down to the waterfall. Be prepared, if you go to the bottom it's misty and wet! Not something you may enjoy if it's cold out. Beautiful and very picturesque, this easy access fall is a must see. Josh had to get in the water and explore a little further from the rest of the eager tourists.
Next stop was Skinny Dip Falls. This trail can be accessed right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's easy but a little rocky, and leads to a boardwalk and beautiful swimming area with waterfalls and a stream. Bring your swimsuit for this site, and make sure you go on a hot day! We only got to explore minimally before it began to downpour. My mom was having some chest intense chest pains on our way out, but we all got out okay and it sure was an experience to remember to say the least... gotta go back here, it was so much fun!
When driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway, leave yourself some time to stop along the scenic overlooks and snap some photos. If you're lucky enough to have a clear day with nice visibility, you'll be gifted with the best views without having to take more than a few steps away from your car. The full length of the parkway goes all the way from Virginia down to the Smoky Mountains. There are hiking and camping designations along the entire thing and tourist attractions include mountains, waterfalls, caves, fields, picnic spots, overlook stops, visitor centers, a cool Folk Art Center and more. You can literally plan an entire trip easily by just driving along the parkway and making any stops you see along the way. If you're staying in or near Asheville, there are plenty nice hikes north and south on the Parkway within about an hour of town.
We finished the day by heading to the cool town of Brevard, NC for some dinner. We ate at Square Root, which had food that pleased all of us. They were slim on the vegan options though but had a tasty asian inspired tempeh noodle bowl on their special secret vegan menu (that only exists if you ask for it). It was tasty. The funky town has several restaurant options along with funky shops and artsy stores. Josh enjoyed the toy store which had lots of lego-figures that were pre-labeled and super affordable. Most shops close around 6 so get there earlier if you want to explore the town. If you talk to the locals you won't be able to avoid being told the origin about the famous white squirrels. There's even a white squirrel shop!
Next day Josh and I did a morning hike to the NC Arboretum. We didn't explore the whole thing as it was a far hike from our campground but it was really neat to check it out and see some of the gardens! Worth checking out if you have the time. We then drove North on the Parkway up to Craggy Gardens. This place is my favorite! So cool! Definitely recommend doing the garden trail up to the dome and the hike up to the summit. This is a moderate hike, a little rocky but not too long or hard. The 360 degree view at the top earned by climbing up rocks and passing through the land of twisted mountain laurels and rhododendrons is breathtaking. It almost literally took my breath away when I crawled to the edge of a small outlook spot that was nothing but a tiny overhanging cliff over the vast view of greenery. Definitely check this out, everything is blooming in the summer! They even have a visitor's center with a gift shop and bathrooms. My mom got a plush opossum there which she named Sesame... and he (and his later acquired twin Sesame which now belongs to me) accompanied us on our trip. If you plan to go to Craggy Gardens bring some extra layers.. the elevation is higher and it's about 20 degrees colder than back in town.
We weren't far from Mt. Mitchell and I regret that we didn't go that day, but a little farther north and you can get to the tallest mountain in the region and do a hike up to the summit! Next we went back down to the Folk Art Center on the Parkway and went to the Bean Vegan Cuisine (my favorite from our last trip!) for an early dinner. I got a loaded veggie burger with fried jalepenos and a side of mac n cheese. We got chips and crabby dip as an appetizer and some fried cauliflower bites.
We headed downtown to hit up some shops and scope out parking areas for Veganfest the next day. This being said, we skipped out on the first two days of workshops and speakers for Veganfest because we had so much to cram into our trip, but made sure to be in town for the festival on Sunday. You can easily scope out all the downtown shops in Asheville within a day, plus there's the River Arts District which is cool and some surrounding areas of town.
The next day we got to town early, found out perfect (free!) parking spot, and then hit up some of the stores before the festival started. Once it started we attended and it was amazing! We have Vegfests in Florida but this festival brought new food vendors, new rescues and sanctuaries, and lots of cool and hip vendors. We got some cool shirts and stickers as we collect at every Vegfest, and my mom started getting me stuff as early birthday presents. Most items purchased benefit non-profits and the ones that don't help support local small scale companies and artists. Orgain, our favorite protein powder had a booth and a cheap special for protein so we stocked up while we were there. There were so many food vendors, trucks, tents and treats. We got a delicious eggplant parm with brussel sprouts and Korean BBQ cauliflower bites. There were baked goods and cheese samples, tarot card readings and massages, live music and kids activities.
We finished the day by going to Vortex Doughuts, which to our disappointment only had 2 vegan types to choose from. We hit up the French Broad Co-op where I got some vegan ice cream, and then we hopped aboard the Lazoom Room Comedy Tour Bus which took us on an entertaining city tour around Asheville! We had wanted to do the Haunted Ghost tours but they were sold out. This tour was really fun and is a great way to get a tour of the city!
Our last dinner together was at Poblanco. This was literally what I call a "hole in the floor" kind of place. There literally, was a hole in the floor. I won't get into details about our experience there as I feel like litereally EVERYTHING that could have gone wrong did, but despite them being understaffed that night (not prepared for the vegan crowds coming in from Vegfest on a Sunday evening) our waiter had a great attitude and let us borrow his iphone charger to charge all our phones while we were there (we had no electricity at the camp ground). The food was phenomenal. Everything was Mexican style and they have an entire vegan menu with so many delicious options. This was one of my favorite places.. I highly recommend checking it out if you're in town.
Our last day we hit up Mt. Pisgah before our long drive back to Florida. The hike was a workout which was nice, and the cool brisk air was refreshing. The few from the top was awesome! This hike was a bit strenuous but not super long or anything. A good way to get straight up to the summit and see the view. There's a couple nice look out points in the parking areas to check out before or after you go up as well.
When you're done, take a break and check out the Pisgah Inn. This was recommended to me by a friend. It's a beautiful place to stay overlooking the mountains. As a visitor, you can check out their gift shop and eat in their surprisingly affordable restaurant with a gorgeous window view. There's a nice deck outside where you can just stand and take in the awestricken beauty. We didn't have much time to eat but we explored the Inn and got some fries to go on our long drive home. Til next time Asheville!
Overall both experiences were astounding. Asheville and the surrounding North Carolina mountains do not ever disappoint. Going in the fall had it's beauty from the fire of colors, but the weather couldn't be matched for our early summer exploring which wasn't too hot, but just warm enough to take a dip in the refreshing waterfalls or take a slide down Sliding Rock. Between downtown Asheville and the city of Brevard, there are countless cool art shops and boutiques to explore and purchase unique gifts in. The reputation of the ultimate "foodie" town is true, as there are endless lists of restaurants to eat at regardless of your diet preferences (and especially Vegans!). There are breweries around every corner, and specialty shops of some kind all around that are worth checking out. The town overall is very dog-friendly, and besides the Veganfest festival, our dogs could have accompanied us nearly everywhere that we went if we had brought them this time. If you go, you will have a great time regardless what you do! There is enough outdoor exploring to do if you stayed for months, and enough hot spots to check out if you're just in the area for a couple days. Enjoy <3 !
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