Monday, November 24, 2014

Road Trip: Asheville, NC {Day 1}

Carrie Beth and I are blessed to have a very special group of best friends. These are the kind of friends that we know we can call on in a moments notice for any emergency, will always be there to celebrate life's ups and downs, and will always (ALWAYS) be down for having a ton of fun, no matter what the situation. 

Last year our friends, B & L, planned a getaway for the group that they dubbed "a celebrate life trip".  We had so much fun that we decided to make these "Celebrate Life" trips a much more frequent occurrence. 

Months ago, we were discussing options for a potential trip, and we realized Asheville, North Carolina kept getting tossed out there as a suggestion. After doing some research, we decided this would be the perfect getaway location for our fun crew. Not only was it relatively close to Atlanta (roughly a three and a half hour drive), but it boasted of variety of activities that would suit everyone attending. 

After weeks of planning, Friday marked the kick off of our trip. To say we were excited would be a gross understatement. We planned for this particular trip to be kid free, and the week leading up to the trip half the group came down with a stomach bug and the other half had babysitter complications. Magically at the very last minute everything fell into place and by 8:00p.m. Friday evening, we were all sharing our first official toast of the weekend. 

When arrived our hotel to check in, I just knew it was going to be a great weekend when I saw they had decorated it for Christmas with magnolias. :)


In our trip planning, we decided to choose the Double Tree Asheville Hotel for our accommodations. Asheville has some fabulous spa resorts, but knowing that we had a short stay and that the activities that we had planned lent little down time for us to actually be at the hotel, we decided to go with a more cost effective option. The Double Tree was perfect for our needs. It was in walking distance to the fabulous shopping at the famous Biltmore Village, and was just a quick drive to both downtown and The Biltmore Estate. 

Photo copyright of Double Tree Hotels (a Hilton property)

The hotel was both spacious and clean. It offered a wonderful breakfast buffet, an outdoor garden area complete with outdoor fireplace, a gym, indoor pool and jacuzzi, and most importantly...

Photo copyright of Double Tree Hotels (a Hilton property)

...these delicious cookies! Seriously, they are famous for their cookies, and the cookies are available to any guest at any time. AND they are always warm. 

Always.

Don't be surprised if one of my upcoming Kitchen Confessions is to try to recreate these little chocolate chipped circles of deliciousness.

Photo copyright of Double Tree Hotels (a Hilton property)

After everyone settled into their rooms, and changed out of their travel clothes, we headed to dinner at The Blackbird Restaurant. Located in downtown Asheville, this little gem was definitely a must taste place in my book. Dinner was delicious, the drink selection was excellent, and the desserts were to die for. 

I ordered the Bourbon Braised tenderloin with bacon smashed potatoes, and it was perfection.


And if my taste buds weren't already in heaven, they got to experience the Triple Mocha Mousse Tort. I seriously think I might have heard angels sing. It was that good!


After dinner, we decided to check out some of the Asheville night life. We might not be in our twenties any more, but trust me when I say no one knows how to party harder than a pack of parents having a night away from their small children for the first time in months. 

The fabulous waiters at The Blackbird all gave us some great suggestions, but ultimately we landed at Pack's Tavern. It had a laid back atmosphere, offered a great bar, and most importantly had a live DJ willing to take our every request. 

Photo credit via Pack's Tavern.

The guys had fun playing darts and tasting the variety of beer they had on tap.

The ladies enjoyed a night filled with fun dancing. There might have been a Jolly Rancher shot or two involved as well. ;)

 It was definitely a memorable evening, and the perfect way to end our first night in Asheville. 


Check back tomorrow to see some of our fun day two adventures!
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P.S. - Carrie Beth's Jamberry party is only open for a couple more days. Be sure to place your orders and enter our giveaway. For details click HERE!

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