Eating Across Asheville

All that I knew about Asheville was the Biltmore House and that the town has become quite popular in recent years.  I wanted to learn more, and it was just 30 miles from the Swag.  We drove the long route – picking up the Blue Ridge Parkway which is a great idea in the fall when the trees are full of color.   We decided to skip the Biltmore, but headed to the Grove Park Inn to get a touch of the origins of Asheville.  Sitting on the rock-built back porch sipping wine and viewing the Smoky Mountains was a nice introduction to the area.



Grove Park Inn



The Turk checks out the fireplace at Grove Park Inn



 

Our B&B wasn’t far from there, in the Montford historical area. This was really close to downtown and had its own charm with large old homes and beautiful trees.  Our B&B was historical, and without ghosts which some would consider a plus.  Seems ghosts are a feature at many Asheville B&Bs.



Our B&B



Flat iron for the flat iron district

I hadn’t realized that Asheville was such a great food town. I needed more stomachs to stay longer!  One chocolate restaurant specializes in sipping and hot chocolates.  I tried their drink based on that of the Aztecs who invented hot chocolate.  It was not sweet, but a rich dark chocolate with a touch of jalapeno chili, cinnamon and anise…really interesting and filling.  There was a potato chip shop where you ordered your hand made chips with different toppings.   From feta cheese, truffle oil and basil on potato chips to a chocolate dip for plantains.  The Turk loved 12 Bones, a BBQ restaurant in the old style with the selection of sides that includes collard greens, corn pudding, cheese grits and smoked potato salad. But Asheville puts their unique flair to everything, so there were Bison ribs in addition to pig. 



River Arts District warehouse/studio



We discovered an interesting converted warehouse district that is now the River Arts District.  The warehouses are now active studios for artists and anyone is welcome to wander through to visit the artists at work.  We got to see some interesting art, ceramics and fiber works and the artists were happy to talk with us. 



Creative fence



wall art



Asheville reminds me of San Francisco with its focus on food, but also its focus on the avante garde. Think the Haight area where people are living in the 60’s.  The clothing and protests were spot on.  I did enjoy the mix of ages at places like the Green Man pub where Sunday night was an Irish music jam. Young and old, local and visitor all gathered and enjoyed local brews and really delicious pub food – of course.

the Turk and his flight of brews



The Turk’s theme for Asheville was beer. There are quite a few breweries in the area and he wanted to try some out.  Its great to have a theme when you go somewhere and we had an excuse to taste lots of beers.  Then the Turk found Bruisin’ Ales  where he could choose from 900 beers with a focus on Belgium beers.  Happy Turk.

Judy is enjoying her birthday

Our last vacation stop was Atlanta to celebrate Judy’s birthday. Another excuse to stop at Trader Joe’s! Great wine, amazing BBQ by the BBQ gurus: Dave and the Turk, and Trader Joe’s carrot cake. The evening was full of stories, Farragamo’s, and testing out boots.

Then back to Florida.

Pampered at 5000 Feet



Great view, food, folks, hikes, double shower!



The Turk and I wanted to do something a bit special for our belated anniversary celebration. The Swag was the answer.  A swag is a dip between 2 mountains that isn’t quite big enough to be called a pass, and this Swag is a beautiful inn. This exclusive country inn was developed by Deener and Dan Mathews originally as a family home and a religious retreat. Dan is an Episcipal priest and Rector Emeritus of Trinity Church, Wall Street, in New York City.  Deener and Dan started opening their inn to guests during the World’s Fair in Knoxville when there was a shortage of hotel rooms. Their experience, and that of their guests, was so positive, they decided to operate as an inn. 



The drive to the hotel

 

The property is beautiful.  It borders on the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and has endless hikes and views to occupy your day.  There are little hideaways throughout the property, each named for a family member who liked their view and location.  There is a tree house for adults, badminton, horse shoe and crocket courts, a hike to an original log cabin from the 1800’s, waterfalls and views upon views. 

one of the hikes





The chef features local produce and recipes for all meals which are gathering times for the guests.  Dinner time is the prime social time.  Hors d’ouevres are served on the porch at 6pm. Southern Living magazine is doing an article in April that talks about the Swag’s interesting appetizers.  It seems unique people are attracted to The Swag.  Deener rings the dinner bell to draw us into the dining rooms where our seats are assigned to continue the interesting conversations.  With no television, the evening conversations are truly the entertainment.



More hiking



The rooms are unique and decorated for comfort and rustic luxury. We would laugh when we returned to our room after a short outing to find it made up, as if by little elves. The beds would be turned down during dinner and the room bear would be sitting on the bed with a small gift. One night, the bear was dressed like the Turk in his favorite fishing hat and sunglasses which cracked me up.

The personal connection with everyone at the inn was very special. It really was a great way to celebrate our anniversary.



After hike!



More fun

mark becomes a bear

sunset



chandelier in the main room



Mark’s favorite souvenirs came from this part of North Carolina, near Waynesville.  His walking stick from The Swag and the 10 ft hickory log he bought for $15 at a firewood shop.

the lazy bear in the raftors



Yurts and Turks

The Yurt

The mystery of a yurt has plagued me for years.  Much more roomy than a regular tent, a 'sun roof', round, camping with furniture and a wooden floor.... My style of camping.

I found a camp site of yurts outside of Bryson City, NC in the Nantahala Forest beside a pond and on a hill.  The bathroom facilities were in a building up the hill and included full sized showers and even a jacuzzi and laundry.

Nice interior

Morning coffee

Mark and our guides

There werent many 'yurters' with us, so we had almost a private location.  After a very quiet and restful sleep, we got up and made our way to the nearby zipline.   The Turk is afraid of heights, so this was going to be interesting.


Banjo playing welcome



We got our harnesses on and trained how to zip, slow down and pull ourselves across the line if we stopped too soon.  Off we went.

The turk survived by not looking down. Our highest point was 70 ft above the ground. We zipped to platforms anchored on trees, platforms without walls.  We walked across swinging bridges with missing planks, and jumped  between trees.  Too much fun!!

View from Clingman's Dome -highest peak inSmokeys

The tallest peak in the Smoky's is Clingman's Dome. So we drove as far as we could and walked the last half mile.  A very steep half mile to a viewing tower. There were a number of exhausted 'bodies' laying about the trail that didnt make it.

Then, off we went to the next stop, the Swag located outside of Waynesville, NC.

mountain climbers!

Critters and Flowers

Turkeys

 The Turk and I headed to Cade's Cove, an area in the western part of the Smokey Mountain National Park. It used to be inhabited by over 700 people in the 1860's but many left in the later 1800's and then when the park was formed in the 1930's, all were gone.

Left behind are their farms and a number of log cabins and structures used by the community. And an active group of animals who like to show off for the tourists. They strut around and stroll in front of cars as often as they can. And we humans apparently love it.

More critters crossing the road

why do I always get the tail shot?

Turk scouts the river trail

Another scenic hike - this time a 5 mile round trip hike to Abrams Falls.  And this time, there was enough water falling over the edge to be a real falls.  Much of the trail was along the river which made a nice hike.  Then we crossed the crest of the mountain and the sides of the trail was now bordered with wild flowers.

There were 4 or 5 bridges to cross.  Each one was a log cut in half long ways so you could walk on it. For my needs, they added a hand rail.  

Finally, falls with water!

Turk on a rock

Baby Bears

Why Goats?

View across the Smokeys

 To the Smokey's for perfect fall weather and the appearance of looking at the fall colors. This is what people do during October. Especially older people.  We don't see ourselves in this category, and the leaves haven't changed color, so I think we are safe.

Gatlinburg is our destination. The cabin is near there and the less we can cross into Gatlinburg or nearby Pidgeon Forge (think Dolly Parton), the better off we are. Think middle America - overweight, fascinated with Rigley's Belief It Or Not Museums and pancakes. The Turk and I skirt as much of this as possible to get to the mountains, the trails, nature and our hot tub.

The Turk grilled some amazing lamb chops, accompanied by hearty red wine, grilled sweet potatoes and salad.  All compiled in a kitchen with a bowl, 2 plates, 3 forks and 1 wine glass. Yes, this is roughing it.  I guess the jacuzzi makes up for some of that.

On Tuesday, we headed out for a day of adventure and were stopped by 2 baby bears running across the street. Once the big momma bear got them rounded up on one side of the road, one would run across to the other side.  This did not help traffic, or calm momma bears' nerves. 

 The bears finally settled to one side of the road so we could continue.  To a hike! What's a mere 3 miles, each way, up a mountain to a waterfall.

Momma bear thinking her cubs are behaving

Deer who jumped into 'our' trail

It was a wonderful, 6 mile-3 hour hike, complete with a deer who joined us for a short time, some interesting fellow hikers, some exhausted fellow hikers, and a waterfall that was really a trickle.

Our energy was also a trickle by the time we finished.  The jacuzzi was calling....

The bridge with railing on only 1 side

Finally - the water fall...er...water trickle

More waterfalls

 Found these cool old cabins. 10 people lived in a space that today would be considered a small bedroom.  There is a glimpse of slight leaf coloring going on... but just a glimpse.

Dinner?  Fresh chicken sausages grilled while the Turk growled and yelled silly Turkish things to keep the bears from checking out the dinner. A growling, grilling Turk is quite a site and sound.  So, no bears ventured near!

Turk checks out the pile of rock foundation