(pictures pre-good camera, and even pre-good iphone... so yea...throwback indeed)
It did not disappoint! Asheville is such a cute artsy little town. We wined and dined, and shopped around. The best restaurant we ate at was a place called Tupelo Honey Cafe. It is easy for me to get excited about food in all honesty, but we ate here TWICE on our weekend trip. TWICE. First go round was lunch, and I got a delicious fried chicken blt sandwich with fried okra. Fried okra instead of french fries as a side? My kind of place. (And no, I was not watching my diet on this trip, but for those health conscious peeps out there, they did have quite a few vegetarian options, and they even had a gluten free menu.)
Round two was for breakfast, which is what the cafe is really known for. The most popular dish is their sweet potato pancakes. Of course we had to get them, and again with fried okra. Don't judge. They are also known for their homemade biscuits and homemade blackberry jam. You can see the remnants of which on a plate here. Sooooo good.
I'm still dreaming about those pancakes...but the Inn is what was the real winner. Grove Park Inn has won all sorts of awards, including the best spa EVER. I was lucky enough to go. It's magical. If you are ever in the area, make time to go and at least get a day pass to the spa to use its amenities. It was pure heaven. Better than anything I've been to in Atlanta, that's for sure.
The Inn is set on the side of a mountain basically, so you have a gorgeous view. At times it reminded me a bit of The Shining, not because it was scary, but because it's pretty secluded and you know, mountainous. No ghosts though, and no ax murderer, so that was nice. We spent most of our evenings at the hotel looking at gorgeous sunsets. Did I mention this hotel is beautiful?
Hubs, you can take me back here if you want to sometime. I would gladly except that invitation! Anyone who hasn't been or is on the fence about spending the money, I promise you it is every bit worth the splurge.