May 20, 2020

Traveling - Blue Ridge Mountains

2019 Trip
5/23-5/25 Boone/Blowing Rock
5/25-5/26 in Pisgah Natl Forest
5/26-5/28 in Asheville

Thursday hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/glen-burney-trail
Friday hike:
https://ashevilletrails.com/blue-ridge-parkway/rough-ridge-hike/
Saturday hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/hawksbill-mountain-trail
Sunday Hike:
https://ashevilletrails.com/blue-ridge-parkway/crabtree-falls-nc/

Camp Coffee, Blowing Rock - we didn’t get here! Next time!
Hatchet Coffee, Boone https://hatchetcoffee.com/ This was a great place to hit up before our hike! Our coffee was great and they have little pastries and snacks too, and they also will give you a tour of the coffee roasting.
Juice Boone (juice, smoothies) http://juiceboone.com/ Great, albeit pricey, smoothies and juices.
Melanie’s Food Fantasy, Boone (breakfast and lunch)
Eat Kindly, Boone (Vegan, smoothies)
Our Daily Bread, Boone (sandwiches) https://odbourdailybread.com/ *Proper, Boone http://propermeal.com/ This was a great place for Southern fare, and a great romantic atmosphere. We loved what we ate- I think we both got specials- and ate outside with twinkly lights. The service was awesome, the food was fun and enjoyable, and the night was romantic. Check it out!
The Speckled Trout, Blowing Rock https://thespeckledtrout.com/ This was a great place for a quick, casual sit down meal. We sat outside and ate ravenously after a hard day of hiking on the trails and enjoyed great comfort food and some local beers.
Over Yonder, Valle Crucis - we didn’t get here!

Live Music:
5/23 5:30pm Songwriters in the Round, Hatchet Coffee, Boone
5/24 7pm, Valle Crucis Community Park
5/25 11:30pm, Upright and Breathin, Lost Province Brewing, Boone

Asheville

Hole Doughnut https://www.hole-doughnuts.com/
Trade and Lore Coffee https://www.tradeandlore.com/
Buxton Hall BBQ http://www.buxtonhall.com/ Seth and I had a small tiff when we ate here, but nevertheless the food did not disappoint! More NC style BBQ than what you would expect, but amazing meat, sides, and OH DESSERT!
Chai Pani http://www.chaipaniasheville.com/ We sat outside and had awesome street Indian food. CANNOT recommend more. You will not be disappointed!
Battery Park Book Exchange in Grove Park Arcade http://batteryparkbookexchange.com/ This place was wonderful- book store/champagne bar with small snacks. We sat and relaxed while perusing the books we bought. A great afternoon.
River Arts District We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon perusing art galleries, breweries, and enjoying the sunshine on the river. Not to be missed.
Rhubarb http://rhubarbasheville.com/ We went here to celebrate our anniversary- it was a lovely evening sitting outside and listening to live music in the streets of Asheville and enjoying great farm-to-table food.

Things to do/check out that we have not tried:

Canoe on the river
Owl Bakery https://www.owlbakery.com/
The Admiral https://www.theadmiralasheville.com/
Taco Billy http://tacobillyasheville.com/

2020 Trip: #

Where we stayed:

Hikes:
https://ashevilletrails.com/linville-gorge/linville-falls-plunge-basin-trail/

Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell https://www.ncparks.gov/grandfather-mountain-state-park/trails https://grandfather.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Trail-map.pdf

https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/parkway-map/
https://www.nps.gov/carto/hfc/carto/media/BLRIParkMap.pdf
https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/nc-trails.htm
https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/hiking/
https://ashevilletrails.com/blue-ridge-parkway/
https://ashevilletrails.com/linville-gorge/

Kudos

Traveling - Blue Ridge Mountains

2020 Trip: #

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Thomas Merton