We woke up Thursday still having no fixed plans for the day except that wherever we went, it would be by car. We’d already walked between 16.5 and 17 miles over hilly terrain in two days! The first order of business was breakfast. I was hoping to find something a little less rough-and-ready than the places we’d been eating. Table service sounded nice for a change, so I found us a place called Sunny Point Cafè.
I love their logo!
It was kind of a cross between DK Diner in Columbus and the Chattaway in St. Petersburg—not quite as upscale as I was looking for, but okay. It does get a mention in the Michelin Guide, and the food was quite good, as was the service. And it turns out that it’s sister store/bakery, The Rabbit Hole, has really good pastries.
We had a few recommendations for things to do: Terry, the potter we’d met, suggested The Cradle of Forestry in America, where we could learn about the modern forestry techniques developed for the building of Biltmore; the North Carolina Arboretum, whose Bonsai exhibit is fantastic, had been recommended by Nicole, the director of Blue Spiral Gallery; and a hike through Craggy Gardens, a rhododendron forest, was offered by our friend, Wally. The Cradle of Forestry was an hour a way, and the rhododendrons were no longer in bloom, so we settled on the arboretum. (Sorry, Wally. Next time.)
Adding the better part of another 7 miles to our walking, we spent a few hours at the arboretum looking at the gardens and walking one of the (shorter) trails.
It was really relaxing, and I enjoyed trying to identify tree species. I was surprised by the quantity of poplar and sassafras trees but equally surprised by the absence along the trail of some of the invasive and less desirable plants that I’m forever battling in Columbus, especially poison ivy.
Since we had the car, we decided to return to the River Arts District to try to get into some of the galleries we couldn’t visit on Tuesday. The district was much busier with tourists this time around. (Damn tourists. 🤣) We did get to walk through The Wedge Studios, Bottinelli Fine Art, and Kiitos Fine Art, and saw quite a bit of pottery and some glass work. Gail, whom we met at The Asheville Gallery of Art, had recommended Marquee as well, so we end our second trip to the RAD there. It was a neat space filled with a combination of art, crafts, found objects for sale, and small-batch retail items. I think Mark and I were both tired, though, so it didn’t get our full attention. Next time we’re in Asheville, we’ll have to give it another go as well as try to hit some of the galleries and studios we see didn’t see.
We took a brief break at the hotel, and then we returned for a more leisurely walk through Blue Spiral Gallery. I had to ask Nicole a couple times, “Was that here yesterday.” We had definitely hop-skipped through on Wednesday, so I’m glad to have gone back.
Our last dinner in Asheville was at a simple burger-y joint called Twisted Laurel. Good food, friendly staff. We’d skipped lunch, so we ate a little big (and then had ice cream).
That was pretty much the trip. We spent the last evening watching the sunset from the third-floor pool deck. I wish we’d discovered the place earlier. We were in the middle of downtown, but this was our view.
We drove to Niles yesterday (Friday), and today, I’m composing this in my mom’s three-season room. We’ll spend today helping her get ready for her upcoming garage sale, and we’ll be back in two weeks to help make sure the sale goes smoothly.