Thanks to our gracious parents who babysat our kiddos, Jason and I were able to take a wonderful 5-day vacation to Asheville, NC, in February. Jason had been dreaming about a getaway trip to celebrate his conclusion of SMP, and Asheville seemed like an ideal mountain town where we could relax, hike, and explore. We stayed in a cute little cabin in Weaverville, which was just north of Ashville.
We were warned just before arriving that a couple black bears had been sighted near the dumpsters by the cabins. Thankfully, we didn't see any bears during our stay, but we did spot some deer on a few different occasions just outside the cabin.
The morning after we arrived (Sunday), we woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground. Due to the cold temps and the chilly winds, we decided to cancel our zipline tour for that morning-- brrr!!! Instead, after worshiping at a Lutheran church that morning, we spent the day shopping and exploring downtown Asheville.
On Monday, most of the snow had melted, so we visited Chimney Rock State Park. This park boasts a 315-foot tall rock formation that you can either climb via staircases or reach the top by riding an elevator.
We took the hike up the staircases and enjoyed amazing views along the way.
We also hiked the brief 1.4 mile Hickory Nut Falls Trail which was a bit snowy, but not too slippery.
We were rewarded by a magnificent view of this waterfall, which apparently was featured in the movie, "The Last of the Mohicans."
After leaving the state park, we did some souvenir shopping at Chimney Rock Village, a small town just outside of the park. This little community had some great mountain views too!
On Tuesday, we toured the Biltmore House, a 250-room chateau built by a guy named George Vanderbilt in 1895. The family lived in and entertained out of the home for many years but then opened it up for public tours during the Great Depression. It was such an impressive estate and made me think of Downton Abbey all during our visit.
We took the self-guided audio tour throughout the Biltmore House and learned so much about each of the rooms.
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| the conservatory |
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| the banquet hall with a 70-foot ceiling! |
This particular room was closed off to the public during WWII, as it was used to house various important White House artifacts for safekeeping. No one who visited Biltmore even knew the treasures were being kept there!
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| the amazing library with over 10,000 volumes! |
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| The Tapestry Hall contained tapestries woven in the 16th century. Many depicted Biblical events. |
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| A view of the estates from one of the bedroom balconies |
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| This room housed portraits of the home's architect and the man who designed all of the gardens. Both men were close friends of George Vanderbilt. |
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| George Vanderbilt's suite |
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| Edith Vanderbilt's suite, attached to George's by a sitting room where the two would plan out the activities of the day with the household servants |
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| One of the many guest rooms (and one of 65 fireplaces in the home!) |
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| the Louis XV Room, where Cornelia Vanderbilt was born and later Cornelia's own son was also born |
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| an indoor bowling alley! |
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| This indoor pool is no longer filled with water, as it had various leaks. Because many adults in that day didn't know how to swim, the Vanderbilts installed ropes alongside the pool's edge so guests could safely go into the pool's deep end. |
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| one of two impressive kitchen areas |
One downside of visiting Biltmore during the winter months is that we weren't able to see the beautiful gardens and landscaping. We were allowed to walk through a couple greenhouses, however, and see a few of the colorful plants that are later pulled out onto the estate grounds.
Because the estates take up a whopping 8,000 acres (!!), there are quite a few hiking trails on the grounds, Jason and I walked along a few trails close to the Biltmore Gardens.
Along our drive from Weaverville to Asheville, we found this fun street and had to take a photo for our Cody!
On our last full day in Asheville, we drove along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, due to the recent snow, much of this parkway was closed. We drove as far as we could in both directions, however, and probably got in a total of 12-15 miles of the parkway. Near one end, we stopped and hiked for about an hour along one of the many parkway trails. Even without the green landscapes, the views were still gorgeous!
It's not every day you can lie down in the middle of a highway!
We are so thankful to both sets of our parents for lovingly taking care of our children so we could enjoy this time away. After many, many months of Jason being so very busy, this was such a rejuvenating, enjoyable time to connect!
