Three Days In Asheville

On Monday I headed out for Asheville North Carolina. Asheville is  about three hours from where I live. I had a meeting with a group of tourism people. We meet three times a year. Each meeting is themed around a particular topic and we also get to visit other tourism attractions.

I have been to Asheville many times throughout the years and I love it. This city has something for everyone.

My meeting didn’t start until noon on Monday so I didn’t have to leave until Monday morning. I made the trip easily traffic was not bad. I was really excited because I would be seeing my tourism buddies that I only get to see a few times a year.

The meeting and our lodging was at the Cambria Downtown Asheville. And it was downtown right in the middle of things. The service there was outstanding. Being in tourism myself it’s always something I am very conscious of. They have customer service down pat. This is a fairly new hotel. There is a restaurant and bar on the 4th floor and the food is amazing. More about that in just a minute.

I was on the 11th floor and the view was breathtaking. The hotel is very modern with all new amenities. The view was great both day and night.

 

Our meeting started at noon with a light lunch served in the meeting room.  We had a brief bit of business and then a speaker who was great!!!  He was one of those speakers who keeps you interested and made two hours seem like ten minutes.

We stayed at the hotel for dinner.  The hotel has a bar and restaurant on the 4th floor, Hemmingway’s Cuba Rooftop Restaurant and Bar, and the food there was ahhhhhmazing.  The rooftop bar was just perfect with a light breeze blowing and another spectacular view of the city.  We had drinks there before dinner.  For dinner I ordered the frita cubana, seasoned ground beef and pork sliders with onions and shoestring potatoes, and for a side, congri.  I was a little taken aback by the color of the congri but it tasted fantastic.

After dinner we went on the Lazoom Party Bus.  If you have been to Asheville you may have been on the Lazoom Bus.  This is a comedy bus that takes you through different parts of the city.  Your guide is hilarious.  This particular ride had a haunted theme.  We drove all over the city for an hour and our guide pointed out different parts of the city that were supposedly haunted.  At several of the stops a ghost would get on the bus and make jokes and interact with the group.  It turns out the same person played the role of all the ghosts. He was really talented.   http://www.lazoomtours.com

The next day we did the touristy thing and visited several attractions.  We started out at The Biltmore Estate.  It is beautiful.  I have been here so many times I like to pretend it is my second home.  It is hard to believe that this used to be a private home to the Vanderbilts.  Biltmore currently has a display of period costumes throughout the house.  When you visit each room there is a mannequin with the costume from that time period.  It was really interesting.   http://www.biltmore.com

And of course the gardens were beautiful there were so many different things in bloom.

 

We also visited the Blue Ridge National Heritage Center where we saw a video about local artisans and then on to the Southern Highland Craft Guild and Folk Art Center where we were able to see some of the handmade items.  All of the items on display were for sale.  I probably could have stayed there all day.  The talent displayed at the Folk Art Center just blows me away.  http://www.Southernhighlandguild.org/folk-art-center

That night for dinner we went to the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.  You just have to check this one out for yourself http://www.sierranevada.com  There is a brewery where you can do tours, an amazing restaurant and you can even play corn hole there.  Again the food and beer was great!!!

On Wednesday we had meetings until noon and then everyone went our separate ways.  Our meetings and the events we attend are always super casual. I always get chilly in the meeting rooms.  I took a couple of photos of what I wore to the meetings. I usually wear the same thing into the evenings and maybe just add a different jacket or sweater.

This shirt is the one I bought when I was in Orlando at Macy’s on super clearance sale. I think it was $19.99. I love it.  It is so comfy. The vest and shoes are from Kohl’s and the pants are from Cato’s.

This shirt is also from Kohl’s and the sweater is from Target.  Same shoes and pants I try to pack light when I am traveling and if possible wear my pants or jeans a couple of times.  And we do so much walking I have to have comfortable shoes.

But probably the best part of the trip was on my way home. I was able to stop and have lunch with a precious friend of mine. Laura, I don’t get to see her very often.  She used to live in my area and through the years we have done a lot of fun things together.  She moved to Asheville about three years ago and this was the first time I had seen her since she moved.  The thing about a wonderful friend like Laura is that you can not see each other for a long long time but when you do its like no time has passed at all.  Now Laura is moving out west and it will probably be a long time before I see her again but I know when we do we will pick up right where we left off.

So all in all a short but fun trip.  Catching up with Laura was the best.  It was good to get back home to the familiar and my own bed of course.  Have a wonderful weekend.

Love your day your way!!!