An annual getaway to the mountains is a beloved tradition for our family, dating back to our first fall in North Carolina. These trips have looked different over the years, from low-budget affairs in our first few years to extended-family (on both sides!) meet-ups and now, adventures with kids in tow. Our trips often center around Asheville, though we’ve visited other mountain towns like Boone and Blowing Rock, too.
This year, we booked our trip in February, a few weeks before the coronavirus appeared on the scene. I am so grateful that we were still able to take this trip even with all the intervening uncertainty, and wanted to share a few photos and details with y’all today!
2020 is John’s 10-year anniversary with his company (wow!) and one of the rewards is a few extra days of vacation in their tenth year. Because of this, we opted to take off both Thursday and Friday instead of just Friday. And with an extra day, we opted to go an extra hour southwest of Asheville, to the lovely town of Highlands.
John and I had been to Highlands once before, in the winter of 2012. We very kindly got to stay one night at the glorious Old Edwards Inn on a press trip for my work, and cobbled together the rest of the trip on a meager budget. Our big dinner out consisted of $2 cheese slices at the pizza shop around the corner and a free Dove bar apiece back at the Inn :)
What I LOVE about the mountains, though, is that you can have a magical trip on a big or small budget. From that visit to this one, the things we loved stayed very much the same – gorgeous waterfall hikes, breathtaking views, lovely fall leaves, and charming downtown shops. Even the best food is often not very expensive! (See: White Duck Taco, where we stopped for lunch to break up the drive!)
The winding drive into Highlands along the Cullasaja River sets the tone, especially when the leaves are as brilliant as they were in our October 22-25 visit. We arrived on a perfectly sunny day and had all the windows open, pulling in the crisp fall air!
We stopped at Dry Falls on our way in – it’s an easy stair step down from the parking lot that pays off in a big way with a walking path behind the falls. The falls were roaring when we visited and the mist was floating in the air!
Where to stay in Highlands, NC:
We settled into our Airbnb in the early afternoon. Once again John’s researching skills struck gold – I couldn’t recommend our cozy cottage more highly!
Every detail was attended to, from the snacks left as a treat to the comfy bed, storybook bunks for the kids, heated floors in the bathroom, and cozy screened porch where we ate breakfast most days.
It was so fun to page through the guest book and read about all of the anniversaries, birthdays, girls’ trips, and family weekends that have been celebrated in this special place!
Our kids made themselves right at home :)
One other major selling point: a 20-minute walk through the woods takes you directly from the cottage to downtown (!!!). We walked this path multiple times in the morning and late afternoon, often with one parent accompanying the kids and the other taking the car into town. (Splitting up allowed us to either continue on to the day’s adventure after eating breakfast, or travel back to the cottage after a post-sunset dinner without a moonlight walk through the woods!)
What to do in Highlands, NC:
Though it was a bit rainy while we were there, we didn’t let that stop us from getting outside and exploring the beautiful mountain scenery! We hiked Glen Falls and to the top of Sunset Rock. Glen Falls is pretty much straight down and then straight back up via a set of staircases – round trip, it took us about 2.5 hours.
Sunset Rock was about 45 minutes up and 30 minutes down. Most other groups brought bottles of wine and snacks to enjoy at the top – we’ll do that next time!
We also panned for gold at Jackson Hole Gem Mine, a must for our little rock lover :) The sluice is outdoors and there was only one other family there for part of our visit, so we found it to be highly pandemic-friendly.
Where to Eat in Highlands, NC:
Our meals were the only aspect of our trip where we would have made different decisions had we been sans-kids or not embroiled in a pandemic. As it was, we mostly opted to bring takeout back to our cottage. We sampled salads from Four65 (yum!), ate on the patio at Ugly Dog Pub (yum!), picked up breakfast from Calders Coffee (yum!), grabbed sandwiches from Highlands Deli (eh), and had multiple meals from Mountain Fresh Grocery (breakfast sandwiches and muffins, pizza, and picks from the prepared meals cases – all yum!). Had we been visiting under different conditions, I would have loved to have eaten at Four65, Madison’s/The Wine Garden, Paoletti’s, and/or the Log Cabin! We also eyed the Blue Bike Cafe for breakfast but couldn’t squeeze it in.
All in all, we had a fantastic weekend away and feel so grateful we were able to do it in this crazy year. From the brilliant leaves to the waterfalls to the hikes to the cottage, we loved it all and hope to be back! :)
North Carolina gained an estimable new resident when my friend Madeline moved here last year. When she mentioned she was hoping to explore more of her adopted state in the coming months, I immediately volunteered my services as informal tour guide. We have gained much from her presence, and now it’s time for NC to give a little something back to her through new experiences, memories, stories, and delicious tastes!
John and I put our heads together and came up with this list of our absolute favorite North Carolina places, foods, sights, and experiences. It goes without saying, but even this lengthy list hardly scratches the surface of all the wonderful things the Old North State has to offer — but it’s a place to start! (And, it must be said, it’s Triangle-heavy, since that’s where we both reside.)
Though many of you live places other than North Carolina, I hope this serves as a helpful guide if you take a trip to our state! From the mountains to the sea, from barbecue to Laotian dim sum, it’s truly a wonderful place.
In no particular order and without further ado…
1. Attend a service at Duke Chapel. 2. While you’re there, stroll through Duke Gardens (we love to bring a picnic from nearby Foster’s Market). 3. And, if you can finagle it, watch a men’s basketball game in Cameron. 4. See an outdoor summer movie at the North Carolina Art Museum Art Park (go early to wander the grounds and see the outdoor art installations). 5. See an outdoor movie or concert at Koka Booth Ampitheatre. 6. Take the ferry to Bald Head Island for the day (or a week). Rent a bike and ride all over. 7. Stay at the European-feeling Old Edwards Inn in Highlands. 8. Swim in the Eno River (we prefer the Few’s Ford access, and like to pack a picnic from nearby Picnic!). 9. Eat a BLT at Merritt’s. 10. Plunge into the icy waters of Sliding Rock, a natural water slide on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 11. Catch the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra at an outdoor concert (often in September). 12. Order a chocolate souffle to-go from the Fearrington House Inn and eat it in the Adirondack chairs facing the cow pasture. 13. Visit the quaint coastal town of Beaufort — eat at Beaufort Grocery, see the wild ponies on Shackleford Banks, and stroll the charming streets. 14. Walk the beautiful neighborhoods of Raleigh: Oakwood, Mordecai, and – my personal favorite – Hayes Barton. 15. Cheer at a Durham Bulls game (best ballpark snacks you’ll ever have!). Park in the parking deck and walk through the beautiful American Tobacco Campus to get to the game. 16. Sip a farm-inspired beverage on the edge of the growing field at the Honeysuckle Tea House. 17. Hike a Southern bald. We’ve done Black Balsam Knob, and have our sights on Grassy Ridge. 18. Experience the magic that is Brewery Bhavana: flower shop, brewery, bookstore, and dim sum restaurant in one. 19. Experience the magic that is the NC State Fair: goats, biscuits, giant watermelons, and more. 20. Check off at least one of James Beard Outstanding Chef award winner Ashley Christensen’s restaurants. (You can’t go wrong with any of them, but we especially love Chuck’s and Death and Taxes. Okay, and Poole’s.) 21. Walk the paths of the WRAL Azalea Garden. It usually blooms right around Palm Sunday and Easter! 22. Climb the fire tower at Hanging Rock State Park. 23. Pick apples in the mountains (try Altapass or Justus Orchards). 24. See a show at DPAC, the Durham Performing Arts Center (it’s where we saw Hamilton!). 25. Get an ice cream sandwich at Parlour. 26. And a cone at Maple View, complete with view of the generous cows who provided the milk. 27. Visit the Saxapahaw General Store (get a BLT there, too!). 28. Eat at Vin Rouge, a French restaurant transplanted into Durham and a vanguard of the Triangle’s impressive restaurant scene. 29. Drive the NC peach trail, including a stop at Kalawi Farm Market for a basketful. 30. Feed the giraffes lettuce at the NC Zoo. 31. Grab a bagel sandwich at Benchwarmers in Transfer Co Food Hall. 32. Last but certainly not least, spend at least a weekend in Asheville. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, tour the Biltmore (it’s so worth it!), hike at Crabtree Falls, white water raft, and for the love of everything good, eat at White Duck Taco.
And now, a few things still on our bucket list: Jolie and Poole’side Pies, the Front Porch Artwalk in Mordecai, a Snap Pea adventure dinner, the Lost Colony performance in Manteo, Chef and the Farmer, Joyce Kilmer forest, the Oakwood Lantern Light tour, and the Fried Turkey Sandwich Shop :)
Now, friends, I know you’ve got them, so let’s hear your additions in the comments! What would be on your North Carolina bucket list?
Here we are at the end of another year — another decade! As always, there have been ups and downs in 2019, moments I wish I could live in forever and things I’m more than eager to leave behind. When you have children, the span of a year brings such dramatic change (see: little bald Shep just sitting up to the big boy we have now!). I find it necessary to pause periodically and soak it in, and so here we are.
These posts are such a treat for me to write, and always some of my favorites to look back on years later. I hope you enjoy this year’s recounting: some of our favorite moments of 2019, in our lives and on the blog.
March is one of my favorite months in North Carolina, not because it’s the warmest but because its warmth is still unexpected after the early spring drudgery of my New England upbringing. We celebrated with a downtown Raleigh scoot (one of my favorite memories of the year) and I shared two posts that get a lot of play in our home: board games for two and our favorite way to print Instagram photos. June also tried soccer for the first time, at a field we can walk to!
There were many slow months on the blog this year, and April was one of them, but it still held a few of my favorites from 2019: tips for finding the right daycare, our experience with a neighborhood meal swap, and the tales of 10 of my favorite purchases. It was a joy to celebrate Easter as a family (and we got to show June faith in action in a very tangible way, too!), we scooted west for a zoo trip with cousins, and June had her first itty bitty dance recital!
We celebrated Shep’s baptism on Mother’s Day and Memorial Day with a flag cake, took our inaugural family bike ride, and traveled to Nashville to visit my sister Kim! I started a book hashtag and we chatted about how we read. We splashed in the neighborhood pool and had lots of picnics.
In a scary turn of events, my sister Kate was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May. She had surgery to remove it and, praise God, it was benign. After a summer of recuperation, she is pretty much back to normal and the outlook is good. This was the most serious medical issue one of my nearest and dearest has faced, and it was a surreal and jarring part of my year. (That train photo above is from one of June’s and my trips to visit her, which was a bright spot.)
June learned the joy of paper chains as we counted down to a week in the Outer Banks with John’s family, giving us lots of material to work with for Volume 4! On the blog, I shared a new insight into one of my Dad’s maxims, and answered your questions about our transition from one to two kiddos in three parts: one, two, three.
July saw us in Maine for lots of cousin giggles and early morning walks. We celebrated three of the best birthdays — John, John Shepherd, and sweet America — and I hosted my first (annual?) book swap party!
After limping through the summer with a string of 2-3-post months, I was grateful to come back swinging in August. We discussed not wearing makeup, the best books we’ve ever read, and our new mortgage plan. John and I kicked up our bike rides to three per week as our race drew ever closer; August was a very sweaty month. A highlight was celebrating Shep’s birthday at Pullen Park with dear friends and family (and the cutest animal party hats!).
We crossed the finish line of our MS race in September, though not without a few twists and turns along the way. Our seventh camping trip almost did us in (but we saw a whole new side of Shep) and I headed to the mountains for work. In honor of our seventh wedding anniversary, John and I answered your relationship questions here, here, and here. I also shared a peek at a few toy storage solutions that have been helpful for us!
Katie struck again with the most darling DIY Thanksgiving banner, our mini session photos came back (!), and we tucked in around the table to celebrate with the Terhunes and my family. I shared one of our go-to recipes (and some thoughts on trade offs) as well as six things on my November holiday checklist and my ideas for helper gifts.
Finally, we had a really wonderful December, one that was full of magic but didn’t feel stuffed. June, it must be said, is a most appreciative audience for all of my magic-making attempts, which makes the holidays a joy. I would bottle her up and keep her here forever if I could.
But alas, I cannot — and so, I stop to appreciate what is and what was. I notice the good things, do my best to facilitate more of them, and remember to thank God for every delight (and for being with us in the struggles) along the way.
I’m about to wrap up my PowerSheets and am excited to share my 2020 goals with you soon. I’m building off of what worked last year and can’t wait to dig in to them little by little over the next many months.
I know I’ve said it before, but I am SO excited for what we’ll discuss here in 2020. Thank you for being here, and for sharing so generously with me! It’s one of the delights of my life. Wishing you a healthy, happy, and abundant new year. I’ll see you soon! :)
