Smoky Mountain Summer~Part I

Confession: At a different time in my life, I may or may not have ridiculed others for going to the mountains in the summer. I may or may not have said something like, "WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANYONE GO TO THE MOUNTAINS IF IT IS NOT COLD??" I was so wrong!

We loaded the car and the adventure began! My husband, sister, niece, T, and myself headed to North Carolina. The car was fully loaded with enough snacks to feed an army, clothes for a month, and enough stuffed animals to fill a claw machine. 

The roads were winding and the weather was rainy, and the cabin was perfect. Better than I had imagined in fact. The staff was so kind and the cabin was super clean! We love Twin Brook! We crashed the first night and woke up early the next day! 

Day One~Biltmore Mansion and Asheville 

Friends suggested leaving the kids in the gardens to fend for themselves while we did the tour. Ha! (It was tempting.) They did get tired toward the end of the tour, but they did great and really liked some of the rooms. 

If you have never been to the Biltmore, GO! It is beautiful and full of history. Bonus: Kids are free all summer and if you book online 7 days in advance, adult tix are only $44. Woo hoo!

A few raindrops did not slow us down!

T taking notes about what he sees.

Did I mention we did a wine tasting? YUM!

The gardens were breathtaking.

No caption needed. :)

 

We loaded our 24 cases of wine into the trunk and headed to Asheville in a true downpour. Seriously, the rain would not stop! 

P and I had a chocolate sipper at French Broad while N stayed behind with the sleeping babes. It was quality sister time!

We finished our Asheville toured and wrapped up the day with dinner at a delish Mexican restaurant. It was a great day!

Stay tuned for more about our family vaca! Have you been to Asheville? What did we miss because of all that rain? Do tell!