This summer we decided to stay stateside and go on an All American Road Trip. Starting in the The Smokys, we drove the entire Blue Ridge Parkway to Shenandoah and ended with a few days in Washington DC.
This is Part 2. You can read Part 1 here.
---------------
We woke up at Pisgah Inn to rain. We ate a good breakfast at the restaurant and watched the rain and fog roll across the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was pretty to watch from the safety of the dining room, but we weren't looking forward to climbing Mt. Pisgah. So we skipped the hike and headed north, past Asheville. There was restaurant up the road that we had to make by 3:00, so we figured it was worth it. Plus, we are pretty sure we climbed the mountain a while back when we were backpacking in Pisgah.
There's a lot to do/see in Asheville, but my sister lives there so we've seen or will have chance to to see it next time we visit. For your purposes, here are some things worth stopping for:
Art Deco buildings in downtown Asheville
The Biltmore if you have the time. It's pretty cool.
The North Carolina Arboretum
Eat at: 12 Bones, Tupelo Honey, Luella's, Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company, My Father's Pizza in Black Mountain & Early Girl (full disclosure: Early Girl is not my favorite, but Todd and most other people think it's the bees knees).
Craggy Flats |
Todd and his spirit bird at Craggy Pinnacle |
.5 miles away, on the Parkway, is Craggy Pinnacle. We drove. And then realized that we could have hiked up from the Visitor's Center at Craggy Gardens. The trail is a little steeper than the Garden trail and features cool, wind-twisted beech trees among the rhododendron. At the top you will find sweeping vistas that include a great view of the Parkway itself. Todd found his spirit bird here. Then it started to rain.
Brunch at Knife & Fork |
Hot Tub at Little Switzerland Inn |
We split Chicken & Pancakes, Three Cheese Plate, Chicken Wings & Rabbit Wings. Everything was delicious, but the Rabbit Wings were off the charts! I'm going back just for more of those and the great service. Everyone was super sweet and really wanted to know that you were enjoying the food & the space.
After lunch, we checked in at The Little Switzerland Inn (MP 334) and decided to backtrack to Crabtree Falls (MP 339). There were a few other cars in the parking lot, but the rain was really coming down & the fog was getting thicker, so we went back to our lodgings at Little Switzerland Inn and waited it out in hot tub.
Lobby at Little Switzerland Inn |
Little Switzerland is a strange, not in bad way, place. It is very old school fancy & is kept up pretty well, which is good because we spent a lot of time there. We ate in the bar, instead of the Chalet Restaurant. After our amazing brunch, we weren't that hungry, so we had what we called "Blue Ridge Tapas": Swiss Onion Soup, Homemade Chips with Blue Cheese and Carolina Caprese ( fried green tomatoes with homemade pimento cheese & a red pepper puree). They put the game on, so we stayed for a while.
Crabtree Falls, NC |
Linville Falls: Erwin's View |
It stopped raining by the time we left Linville Falls, but we decided to skip Wiseman's View anyway. It sounds like a great hike, dubbed the "Grand Canyon of the East", but is a couple of miles off the Parkway and the drive involves "leaving pavement", which didn't sound like a great idea after all the rain. Instead, we backtracked to the Linville Falls Community (MP 317.4) and had Pimento Cheese Sandwiches and Pie at Famous Louise's Rock House. It was really good and is indeed a rock house. It's also on the National Register of Historical Places, which is cool.
Driving |
Time for more rain hiking, but first, a quick stop at Linn Cove Visitor Center (MP 304.4) to learn how they built the Linn Cove Viaduct, said to be "the most complicated concrete bridge ever built."
Rough Ridge hike in the Fog |
Wet and tired, it was time to head to our most deluxe accommodations on the trip, Yonahlossee. Just what we needed. There were two ladies on the covered porch when we arrived. They were the only other Inn guests (there are also cottages) and have been coming every year since the were girls and Yonahlossee was a summer camp. They were exited to hear about our day's adventure and wanted to tell us all about the trails that they used to hike and the wonderful Manhattans on the terrace at the Crestwood. I think they were a little disappointed to find out that we were only there for one night and already had dinner plans.
We had reservations at The Gamekeeper that night, but had plenty of time to relax in the sauna and big fluffy beds. We skipped the workout room.
![]() |
Todd at The Gamekeeper |
The Gamekeeper is my favorite restaurant of the entire trip. Knife & Fork is pretty close. We showed up early and relaxed at the bar. I thought that it might be a littl too fancy, but it isn't at all. It's a cozy, elegant space and the people are exceptionally nice. We loved our waitress, Sandi, she was very helpful, laid back, but attentive, and she sounded exactly like Amy Sedaris.
We split, as we do, the following fantastic appetizer: Mixed Grill (including ostrich, antelope, rabbit and alligator sausage and bison sausage), Pork Belly, Gazpacho and, of course, the Cheese Plate. It was all fantastic, but I was surprised by how much I loved the antelope... I really, really, really loved the antelope!
I would go back to Yonahlossee just to eat at The Gamekeeper. But, I would also check out some of the hikes the "camp girls" told us about & maybe even have a Manhattan on the terrace at the Crestwood. Fancy!
Part 3 is here! : Blue Ridge Parkway MP 294 - Shenandoah (Including Mayberry, bears and a bridge!)
No comments:
Post a Comment