All About Asheville – A Travel Guide

This summer we traveled to Asheville for a second time and fell in love with it even more. If you haven’t been, Asheville is a city on the western side of North Carolina and located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Asheville is known for its history, breathtaking mountain landscape, being home to the Biltmore Estate, and for their booming art district. It’s a great place for a couple’s get away or for the whole family. I wanted to share some of my recommendations and you’ll want to save this post if Asheville is in your future travel plans.

Since I’m a foodie, let’s start with some resturants you need to check out first.

  • White Duck Taco Shop known for its eclectic, ever-changing delish taco combinations, a great patio, and sometimes live music. This is a must.
  • Chestnut Creative cockails, yummy cuisine and don’t forget their desserts – which are made fresh in house!
  • Tupelo Honey Want some real down home southern flare. This is your spot!
  • Cúrate Tapas and authentic Spanish cuisine. People love this spot so much that they now ship some of their stapes nationwide!
  • Sunny Point Cafe We loved this place for breakfast but they serve lunch and dinner and it is also a local favorite.
  • Any restuarant located on the Biltmore Estate, I highly recommend too.

Speaking of the Biltmore Estate, if you are in Asheville this is a non-negoatiable. The Biltmore is magical and a must see. From their website: Once the luxurious family home of George and Edith Vanderbilt, it is a marvel of elegance and charm and as magnificent today as it was more than a century ago. Faithfully preserved and filled with original furnishings and masterpieces of art, no other residence in America offers a more authentic and inspiring view of Gilded Age life while suggesting that the Vanderbilts and their guests are still at home.

You can tour the estate gardens and the Biltomore Village for free. They do offer tours of the house and there are some eateries and shops in the old stables of the estate to visit as well. They have a winery on site along with several lodging acommodations. We like to stay at The Inn at Biltmore due to the incredible views of the 8,000 acre estate and the mountians, but any choice is great. There are hiking trails, biking trails, carriage rides, horseback riding and a wildlife tour and discovery activity for kids. In Antler Village they have live music and fun activites all around the village for adults and families. Check their event calandar for more.

If you’re looking for outdoor adventures, here are some recommendations:

Lake Lure. Lake Lure is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Make it a beach day where you can rent jet skis, water sport equiptment, or you can walk along the flower gardens or go fishing.

Chimney Rock. Located in Chimney Rock State Park, Chimney Rock is a large granite outcropping located on the summit of Chimney Rock Village. If you want the best views in all of North Carloina you have to check out “the Rock”. There are stairs to climb to get to the top (my 5 year old made it to the top by himself), but there is an elevator as well. There’s a great eatery at the top to enjoy a nice beverage while looking out into the mountain views.

Sliding rock. If you want a fun unique thing to do, especially with kids, check out Sliding Rock. North Carolina’s natural waterslide. sliding down a 60-foot all-natural water slide in the heart of gorgeous Pisgah National Forest. Good for all ages, but I recommend being able to swim as you slide into an 8 foot deep pool of water. The water temperature during summer season is 50-60 degrees so it’s definetly a rush! There are some fun adventure parks near by with ziplining, tree climbing, and more, if you want to continue the adventures.

Fred W. Symmes Chapel (Pretty Place). If you are up for an hour drive from Asheville to the border of South Carolina you’re in for a real treat. Pretty Place sits at the end of the road and is one of the buildings of a YMCA camp, yet vistors from all over come to check out these amazing views. Religious or not, this is without a doubt – a pretty place.

Sleeping Just Got A Whole Lot More Comfortable

I don’t know about you, but I love a good night’s sleep. Those nights are often hard to come by because I’m a light sleeper. I wake up if I’m uncomfortable, itchy from my pajamas, if I’m too hot, too cold, you name it.

I sometimes share fashion finds with you and recently I heard about Weekend Made Sleepwear and couldn’t wait to try out their pajamas. It’s hard to come by a good pair of pajamas that are soft, cozy, and last a long time.

Weekend Made Sleepwear is a new innovative brand that features seamless designs perfect for a comfortable night’s sleep. Their sleepwear was created for women and children with sensitive skin or with sensory processing disorders. Their sleepwear is made with high-quality, sweat-wicking materials so you’re able to enjoy them even in summer. They are very lightweight.

The material feels so soft and luxurious, they are easy to care for and made to last. They also have pockets so you have a place to carry your phone. Isn’t everything better with pockets? They have several mommy and me styles and are easy to breastfeed in if you’re a nursing mom. They also have a slight stretch for the ultimate comfort. I can definitely see a lot of cozy movie nights with the boys in these and who doesn’t love a mommy and me look?! We’ve already named Weekend Made as our favorite set of pajamas.

If you want to find out more about the brand and get some mommy and me coziness, check out their website here. Right now if you save 20% when you buy 2 items with code: BTS20. Let us know how you love them!

Headed To Hilton Head – Read This!

If you haven’t been to Hilton Head Island yet, add it to your list of places to visit. Hilton Head Island is consistently named a top island vacation destination in the U.S. It’s located in the low country region of South Carolina and is a short drive from Charleston or Savannah.

Hilton Head Island is known for its beaches, resorts, golf courses, lush greenery, and amazing restaurants. We only had a weekend there, which wasn’t enough time. Now we have an excuse to return – which we can’t wait to do.

There are a plethora of amazing resorts and rental properties to chose from in Hilton Head, but we went with the Westin Hilton Head Resort. I worked for the Westin Brand for a long time and their properties are always consistent in cleanliness and great service. You can’t beat their heavenly beds, either. They have an amazing pool space with lots of activities, a DJ, food and beverage service chairside, along with other eateries with amazing views, and it’s a short walk to the beach.

The hotel was great for families, we could have stayed a the pool the entire weekend. They have cabanas and daybeds for rent, just be sure to reserve those in advance as they sell out fast.

Other popular resorts are:

Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort

Ocean Oak Resort by Hilton

Marriott Beach Club

There are so many amazing restaurants on the Island you’ll have a hard time choosing between them all. Make sure you reserve a table ahead of time at any restaurant on the island as they fill up fast. They also are quite understaffed from Covid, so most aren’t running at full capacity and there are extremely long wait times. In some places the wait isn’t so bad because you can grab a cocktail at the bar and listen to live music, people watch or take in the views. Here is a list of places we loved and others that were recommended to us:

  • The Crazy Crab
  • Dock Side
  • Skull Creek Boathouse – best views!
  • Hudson’s
  • Hinoki – this was our favorite. The inside is beautiful, the service was great, and the food was excellent.
  • Salty Dog Cafe
  • Santa Fe
  • San Miguels

We spent most of our time lounging by the pool and strolling the beach, but there are so many things to do in Hilton Head. Here are just a handful of things we saw and did ourselves:

  • Love to golf? They have some of the best courses.
  • You can rent bikes and ride along the island.
  • Check out the famous Harbor Town Lighthouse.
  • Do a nature tour.
  • Check out the Coastal Discovery Museum.
  • Play some putt-putt at one of the adventure parks. We went to Pirate’s Island Adventure Golf and the boys had a blast.

Have you been to Hilton Head? If so, share your recommendations – I’d love to hear them.