Have you ever gone out to eat too many days in a row and just felt a tiny bit terrible about yourself? On vacation, you tend to treat yo self and are likely to be dining out more frequently. While I was in Asheville, I thoroughly enjoyed this city’s plethora of amazing restaurants and craft breweries but started to feel a twinge of guilt. I think a perfect vacation day consists of the following equation: one part activity + two parts good food/drink + a dash of history + a teaspoon of touristy sites. Today I’m going to chat about the first part of that equation…activities!
- Paddling down the French Broad: Hiking, biking, kayaking…you name it, most likely Asheville has it. Brooke and I greatly enjoyed our seven-mile kayaking adventure down the French Broad River courtesy of the Asheville Outdoor Center. We paddled through the Biltmore Estate property, got a tan and worked out our core. At the end, we felt tired but good about ourselves. I would highly recommend renting kayaks through this company (cool space, reasonable prices and attractive mountainy men instructors.)
2. Hiking Chimney Rock: It was hot and muggy, but Brooke and I took on the challenge of climbing hundreds of steps to see this beautiful view! It costs $13/person to get into this park but I think it is well worth your money. We also took a short hike to see the 400+ foot tall Hickory Nut Falls. It is one of the highest waterfalls east of the Mississippi and it is breathtaking.
3. Exploring Lake Lure: Talk about a scenic view. Lake Lure is surrounded by the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and it is gorgeous! The weather was off and on that day, so we opted to forgo the beach for walking on the boardwalk, stopping and smelling the beautiful blooms on the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, and enjoying a cup of joe at Carolina Moon.
4. Getting Lost errr Walking in Pisgah National Forest: Jenny and I had asked a native Ashevillain where we should go for a short hike. This gentleman suggested Pisgah National Forest but no exact location that we could plug into our Google Maps app. We decided just to go for it and ended up in a semi-residential area (fail), but we made the best of it and just started walking down this rural street. In summary, we got spooked by two dogs (one pictured below that followed us for a 1/2 mile), walked up a person’s driveway which we thought was a path, snapped a photo of some pretty awesome scenery, and got told by a sweet old lady in her Sunday best that we should watch out for bears. We promptly left. 🙂
What I learned: Always ask for directions…but go with the flow and make the best of the situation you are in.
Question for you: What makes up your perfect vacation day equation?
