Moments in Asheville

I recently had the pleasure of celebrating one of my friends' birthdays with a weekend in the charming city of Asheville. Having lived in Charlotte for over 15 years, this was only my second time visiting Asheville. No matter how often one visits, there is always a new restaurant or undiscovered speakeasy to get lost in.

We started our trip with a waterfall hike, so at 7:30 AM, we took to the road for a 2 1/2 hour drive to Catawba Falls Trail. We hiked for around 1.5 miles to a waterfall where you can take stairs to the top. I don't know about you guys, but hiking 1.5 miles and then trying to climb almost 500 stairs (I wish I were kidding) to get to the top was not doing it for me. A state of delirium hit when my friend decided this was just like the stair master, and we had to sing the Pussy Cat Dolls to pass the time...One 'Buttons' by The Pussy Cat Dolls later, and we made our way back down the stairs to hang out at the falls. Totaling 3.13 miles, we finished the trail and decided to award ourselves with a full-fat Dr.Pepper and French Fries.

(Insert waterfall photos)

The girls and I went to downtown Asheville to grab what was lovingly called, Girl Lunch, at Wicked Weed Brewing. Girl lunch consisted of cute cocktails, a Caesar salad, and Asheville Hot chicken wings.

After lunch, we decided to do some local shopping. We popped into a few different ones, but the most notable was a shop called Chevron Trading Post & Bead Company. This shop had floor-to-ceiling beads with various clasps and strings; the 10-year-old in me was screaming!

Later in the evening, we got ready for dinner and headed back into town. The theme was Denim Dinner, and boy, did we deliver!

My Outfit:

Top- The Carrie Tube from Free People

Denim Skirt - Similar Denim Skirt

Boots- Vintage Black Men's Lucchese (I thrifted them, don't yell at me)

Pre-dinner festivities included a stop at a speakeasy called Crow and Quill for Espresso martinis. With no signage out front, the only thing to distinguish this lounge was a gorgeous dark green door with gold detailing. When you go inside, it is a sultry, dark vibe with hanging dried flowers, vintage furniture, and an abundance of spirits along the walls. My friend described the decor best as femme Edgar Allan Poe.

After some espresso martinis and a ramakin of olives, we walked over to dinner at Stada Italiano for a rooftop dining experience. When I say every single thing we ate exceeded expectations, I mean it. For an appetizer, we shared the Arancini. And if you're as uncultured as I am, I took this description straight from their website; fried mozzarella & risotto balls with a sherry tomato cream sauce, pecorino romano, and balsamic reduction. For dinner, I had the Tortellini Alla Vodka. Other dishes we loved at the table included their Short Rib Bolognese and Spaghetti Burrata.

Rounding out the evening, we waddled our way to a small craft cocktail bar called Little Jumbo for a nightcap. To our surprise, we not only got a nightcap but an incredible jazz performance that packed out the bar. Featured within the bar is an art installation revamped periodically by local artists and merch along the wall by a variety of artists and businesses in the area. This bar gave us an authentic Asheville feel, and I am very grateful we were able to stop by.

We woke up the next day and headed out for breakfast. Our Air BnB host noted upon our arrival to be alert when we were coming and going as a family of bears lived close by. After not seeing these bears all weekend, we thought nothing of it, walking out the door for the last time until I heard my friend say, "So nobody panic..." I turned to my left, and there she was, a momma bear digging through our neighbor's trash, maybe 100 feet away. We hurried to the car but were stopped at the site of 3 BEAR CUBS playing across the street. I don't think we could have moved faster, knowing we were the only thing standing between this mama bear and her cubs. Getting the HECK out of there before we were mauled to death, we made our way to brunch.

Brunch was at a Sunny Point Café, a family-owned restaurant with an indoor, patio, and garden seating surrounded by dozens of Sunflowers. On a Sunday morning, this place was SLAMMED. For drinks, I got their Mocha Iced Latte, and my friend got their Watermelon Agua Fresca, which was nothing short of refreshing. To Share, we ordered one of the daily specials, the Roasted Garlic and Shallot Prosciutto Dip, a four-cheese dip with roasted garlic and shallots, topped with hot jam and prosciutto served with crostini. For my main meal, I ordered the Chicken and Waffle sandwich with pimento cheese, jalapeno jam, and maple-black pepper bacon. Probably one of the best chicken and waffles I have ever had, and the portion sizes were huge! Also on their menu was the Green Shakshuka. A rich veggie broth with sautéed greens, two eggs, feta, avocado, chili crisp, and served with a pita. One of my girlfriends ordered that one and really enjoyed the flavor pairings.

After an action-packed couple of days, we traveled back to Charlotte talking about our next trip and playing the most aggressive game of The Alphabet Game.

A couple of places I loved on my previous trip to Asheville have been listed below. Happy travels!

Itto Ramen: If you love ramen with a lot of flavor and spice, this place is for you.

Bebettes: This was my first time trying beignets in this hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, and I wanted 30 of them to go.