Trolleys, Corn Mazes, and More

Our one full day in Asheville was forecasted to have 70-80% rain. Disappointing. However, we were determined to see as much of Asheville as we could regardless of weather. Our plan of action was to take the trolley ride. You can enter and exit the trolley at one of the several stops along the way. The trolly drivers spoke of Asheville and the various sites along the way. And we were nice and covered incase it were to start raining!




One of the stops was near a BBQ joint called 12 Bones Smokehouse. It was recommended by a friend. And when the First Family vacationed in Asheville last spring, they ate there not once, but twice! We figured it had to be good! And boy, was it GOOD! I wish we had had time to go two times!



After we ate, we waited for the trolley and took the rest of the tour all around Asheville. Both Jason and I fell deeply in love with this quaint little mountain city. And it was a beautiful time of the year around there!

While on our tour, Jack noticed a billboard advertising a corn maze. We had the good part of the afternoon left, so we told Jack once we got back to the visitor's center we'd probably head that way to check it out! However, once getting the brochure at the visitor's center, we realized that it was only open on Friday-Sunday. We were there on Monday. Jack was so disappointed. He was REALLY looking forward to doing a corn maze. Especially since James' school had a field trip to one and Jack has never been. So, I did a quick Google search (I love Google) for "corn maze Asheville, NC." One popped up that was half the price as the billboard one and was only 20 minutes from downtown...and most importantly, open 7 days/week! So, we decided to take the risk and check out the unknown! Turns out, it was PERFECT!

It started to drizzle on and off while driving out there. It was such a pretty drive there. We were so close to town, but the land was hilly and farm-like. It was downright beautiful!




About a minute after we arrived, the rain started. So, we darted to the barn. Nobody was in there, but we figured we'd stay put while the rain passed (hoping it would pass). It worked out perfectly, because inside the barn was a huge mountain of hay...and a rope hanging from the roof of the barn. It didn't take two (or should I say, THREE) boys very long to put two and two together....and before we knew it, they were rope swinging into the hay stack!





The rain didn't last very long, thankfully. So, we ventured out to see the pigs, horse, and calves we could see from the barn.





And look what the rain left behind!!!



We also got to see chickens and the barrels of apples!




And of course, the part Jack had been waiting for...CORN MAZE!!!





We had a fantastic time at Hickory Nut Gap Farm! I'm so glad we stumbled upon that place. It made our Asheville trip!





After Hickory Nut Gap Farm, we headed to a bookstore in downtown Asheville for some "downtime" then went to an adorable little restaurant down the street. We were heading to a place one recommended to us, but it was closed on Mondays. So, we stumbled upon Mayfel's Restaurant. The owners had Louisiana ties, so the food was southern/cajun style. And it was delicious. The iron gate from the street front is what caught our attention. Then there were metal stairs leading from the gate down to a patio/courtyard atmosphere! PERFECT! They had hula hoops for kids to play with while waiting for the food to come out. Cute white twinkle lights everywhere! Great music was playing! Our luck for the day hadn't worn out yet!





After dinner at Mayfel's, we headed back to the hotel. Near our hotel was one of the landmarks pointed out on the tour. It was a church that has a roof that was designed to look as though it was copper turning green. However, it was really just colored tiles. I wanted to get a closer look at it, so we took a stroll. On the way over, we found a few piles of leaves! Since the boys don't get to play in leave piles here in Pensacola, they couldn't resist jumping right in!





Here's the church with the tiled roof.



As we were walking back to our hotel, we remembered that we wanted to go back to the Grove Park Inn to see the giant fireplace and views of Asheville. The trolly stopped at the inn, but we didn't get out because we thought we'd go back later that evening. So, we hopped back in the car once we got back to the hotel and drove to the inn. The fireplace and views were worth the drive.




That wrapped up our one day in Asheville. We were sad that we would be leaving the city the next morning. But have vowed to return again for another visit! If not to retire there, one day!

Back to the hotel to rest up for travels on the Blue Ridge Parkway towards Virginia.