Asheville, NC and the Blue Ridge Parkway Summer Vacation – Day 2

I apologize for some of these images being blurry. This happened during import from an old blog site I used to use. Some of the images and all of the content are still good.

We’ve got a friend who just moved to Asheville, so we wanted to visit him. He was a great tour guide! Asheville is an amazingly beautiful area with lots of history and a very quaint downtown area.

As soon as we got there, we were hungry. Go figure! We had lunch at a fantastic Mexican restaurant called Mamacitas.

For a full menu, address and additional info, visit their link: http://mamacitasgrill.com/page/52-Home. We had “Jorge, Asheville’s best burrito roller” take care of us –

They had fantastic food! The place was hopping. There was never a lull in customers. I only wish they were where I live!!

We then went on a drive on the famous Blue Ridge Parkway. We first stopped at a local picnic area which was set in the hills. Nice shady areas to eat. It has picnic tables, grills, bathrooms, and trails. It’s called Craggy Gardens Picnic Ground:

To get an exact location to this area, you can visit or call the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center/Wayside Museum (Milepost 364.4), Elevation 5,500.

Craggy Pinnacle Tunnel:

A river in the valley:

Also nearby is Mt. Mitchell State Park which I hear is beautiful, but we never made it there. You can get more information on them at http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/main.php .

The last place we saw was the historic Grove Park Inn. It’s beautiful! Many famous people have stayed here, including presidents. They’ve got walls lined with pictures. There’s a spa, restaurants, shops, golfing – it’s absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately when we were there they were renovating the exterior, so I was unable to get a good shot.

They’ve got an actual working original elevator from 1913. I’m claustrophobic, but I took a ride on it just to say I did. Once inside it’s got three actual doors that open, depending on which floor it stops on.

This is my absolute favorite picture from here:

Yes, I take my camera everywhere – even in the bathroom! Check out their site to get more information on the history, etc. http://www.groveparkinn.com/Leisure/ .

And then on the way back to Pigeon Forge.

Asheville, NC and the Blue Ridge Parkway Summer Vacation – Day 2

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