*Warning: Picture overload!
I had such a great birthday weekend. I’m so glad that my expectations didn’t get the best of me, because while I was looking forward to the weekend, I still had a really relaxing, wonderful time.
On Thursday morning, TC and I dropped off Hudson and Hayes and then we got on I-26 and headed north a little more than 2 hours to Asheville. I hadn’t been there as a destination since high school, so it had been a really long time. I’m so glad we decided to go to Asheville to celebrate my birthday!
TC had done a little bit of research in terms of finding out some recommendations on where we should have dinner and places we should see. We stayed at the Inn on Biltmore Estate and it was absolutely wonderful. It was such a relaxing, comforting stay. The accommodations were so great and the property wasn’t overwhelming or huge.
My absolute favorite thing is that the Inn sits on the 8,000-something acres of Biltmore property. When we stepped outside the hotel onto the patio, there were beautiful views in every single direction. The gorgeous colors on the trees took my breath away.
Our first day there, we explored a lot of the property on foot. We walked down to the outdoor center and rented bikes and rode about 4 miles on some paved trails. It was a super windy day and we bundled up as best we could, but we were cold. It was about 45 degrees and with the wind on a bicycle, I was definitely ready to sit near a fire!
call me Lance Armstrong!
That yellow tree! Maybe my favorite thing about the whole trip.
After the bike ride, we wandered over to visit the barn animals and talk to the man in charge of keeping them. Hudson would have loved being in there with all the goats, chickens and sheep.
My family plays this game when we’re on road trips and I guess you could call it “the hawk game.” We all keep our eyes open and are constantly looking at the tops of trees and electric poles for hawks. And when you see one, you shout, “hawk!”
On our way back from riding bikes, we walked past the little vineyard on the way to the Inn. And sitting right there on the vineyard fence post was a giant hawk. It was absolutely amazing. And then I was a little afraid it was going to come get me!
On our first night, we had dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant called Cucina 24. It was one of the most interesting meals I’ve ever had and I want to go back to Asheville just to eat there again. TC had the most amazing twist on a caprese salad. The mozzarella cheese was the best I’ve ever tasted. I had mussels because I just couldn’t resist. Then TC got a mushroom and truffle oil pizza and I had spaghetti with veal and prosciutto meatballs. Everything was absolutely fantastic.
mmmm… mussels!
We had plans to go to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge for dessert, but our waiter at Cucina 24 brought me some Nutella gelato for an early birthday treat. We ended up walking to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge after that and we passed my sweet friend, Rachel, and her husband on the sidewalk! So funny!
When we made it to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge, there was a line all the way to the door. We grabbed our menus and each picked out a couple of things we wanted. Then I saw that all of these desserts were actually sitting right there in a case. How fresh can a brownie be if it’s just sitting out? But I got a brownie and it was cold and really crunchy. TC got a coconut macaroon and hot chocolate, but he took one sip of his hot chocolate and told me to have a taste and tell him the first thought that came to mind. I took a taste and immediately said, “baby formula.” And he said, “YES!” How awful is that? The hot chocolate smelled like baby formula and tasted the way I imagine Hayes’s formula tastes. We had been so excited about this restaurant and were just so sad that we didn’t like it.
(Sorry to include a negative restaurant review in my post, but I know people want to know restaurant recommendations.)
On my birthday morning, I woke up and we had breakfast delivered to our room. We chowed down on some eggs and toast and then I threw on my robe and went down to the spa. I had the most relaxing massage that morning! The Spa at the Biltmore was wonderful and the staff was so accommodating.
After the massage, I came back to the room and found flowers from my sweet husband.
I got dressed and then we went out to explore around the downtown area and in The Biltmore Village. I grabbed a few goodies for myself and we got some presents for Hudson and Hayes. We drove back to the hotel and warmed up by the fire before getting dressed for dinner that night at The Corner Kitchen.
Our second dinner was just as great as the first. The Corner Kitchen was so delicious. I ordered corn and crab chowder and beef tenderloin and I absolutely loved both things. TC loved his meatloaf and salad, too. The staff was great and the atmosphere was super cozy. We split an order of bread pudding for my birthday dessert. Yum!
I asked to keep a copy of the menu since it had the date, November 11, 2011, on it
mmm beef tenderloin and mashed potatoes
After dinner, we went back to the Biltmore House for the candlelight tour. The house was decorated for Christmas and November 11 was the first night of the candle light tour. It was absolutely beautiful. We couldn’t take pictures in the house, but I did find a few online. The house is so big and so beautiful. I just can’t even fathom the time and effort it took to build it over 100 years ago. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend going.
On my birthday, we saw a wedding taking place just outside the hotel’s back doors. What a breath taking back drop for a wedding! (I snapped this picture through the windows.)
We loved all of the natural wildlife and the efforts to preserve so much of it on the Biltmore property. Every night when we drove to the Inn, we saw the same deer grazing in a field. And then the morning we left town, we saw a flock/herd (??) of turkeys crossing the road. Someone must have given them the memo that they needed to get on the move before Thanksgiving!
And I highly recommend visiting Asheville. There’s so much to see, so much to do and so much to eat! It was a perfect birthday weekend!
TC and I never get pictures together when we’re on vacation. We just always feel bad asking someone to take our picture and then when they do, they’ve cropped off the top of someone’s head and we hate asking for a do over! I did take a couple of iPhone pictures of my outfit choices for dinner while we were there!
We are already talking about going back every year at this time of year. I have definitely fallen in love with this city. The absolute peace and quiet was the best part and then the scenery was also just as remarkable. We loved being somewhere that was so conducive to spending a lot of time outside. When can we go back?
Places mentioned and links:
Sticks. Your legs look like sticks. That is all.
P.S. I am so glad y’all had a fabulous weekend!
Looks like you guys had a fabulous time! Those trees are beautiful!
Erin! Loved reading this post. My husband and I got engaged at the Biltmore a few years ago-we stayed at the Inn and then had our wedding in Asheville. Our rehersal dinner and party were held at the Corner Kitchen-which is quite possibly the yummiest restaurant and then we spent a few days post wedding relaxing and unwinding at the Inn. So glad y’all had the best time-Asheville and the area around the Biltmore are so special.
I love Ashville. Incredibly beautiful and the Biltmore property is stunning! I’ve only been in the Summer. After seeing your photos, I would love to explore the area in the Fall. So glad you had a wonderful Birthday weekend! (I’ve heard that Christmas is fabulous there as well)
My sister lives in Asheville and I agree, it’s amazing! The food scene there is just to die for.
What a fabulous birthday! Sounds perfect. You talking about all that scrumptious food made me hungry! By the way, I love the new hair color. It suits you perfectly and really complements your complexion, coloring, etc.
Looks like you had a fabulous birthday. We went last year with our three children and they were in awe. Such a beautiful place and yes, completely unbelievable that the house was built so long ago.
So gorgeous! The Biltmore reminds me SO much of Bedford Springs where we went for our honeymoon. Those types of scenic, cozy and spa/food vacations are my favorite!! To appreciate God’s beauty and truly relax. So glad you had a wonderful time!
You look great, and your trip sounds fabulous. And thank you for including your honest opinions about each of the restaurants you visited, when all I hear is positive reviews I have a hard time believing every single place a person visited was awesome and then I don’t know where to go!
I want to go to there! Beautiful pictures & I’m so glad you had a wonderful and relaxing time to celebrate your special day! My favorite picture is the one of you on the bike with your helmet, mainly because one of my most vacation memories is of my family taking a bike tour of St. Croix. My immediate thought was “oh Erin and I will have to do a bike tour on one of our 2012 trips” and now I can’t stop giggling! Happy Birthday one more time! Love you, friend!
It looks like you had a great birthday weekend.
P.S.
You look fantastic! This new mommy is jealous!
Happy birthday! That sounds like a fun trip. I grew up in Hendersonville (20 mins from Asheville) and my family still lives there.
You look TERRIFIC! What a fun birthday!!!!!
You look super skinny by the way! So glad you had a wonderful time- if Morgan had been in Asheville instead of working from home last week, you probably would have passed each other- his office is right in the middle of Biltmore Village. I love Corner Kitchen! And happy late birthday!
That looks absolutely amazing. I’m so happy that you were able to take time with the hubs and just relax. You definitely deserve it!
What a wonderful trip! Love Asheville! On a kinda unrelated note, where did you get that adorable red/rust jacket you’re wearing in the picture on the right? Love it!
I’m so glad you did this. Asheville has been on my “list” for a while, and now I really want to visit. Glad you had such a great weekend. And I really like the color of your hair. It fits the fall season very well.
Looks like a great trip. I have a special place in my hear for Asheville. I worked at the Biltmore out of college and met my husband there. It’s certainly a great place to celebrate! Happy belated Birthday!
I’m so happy you had a wonderful time! Great pictures 🙂 What a bummer about the Chocolate Lounge- hot chocolate that tastes like baby formula is not okay. I have had truffles from there and they were just so delicious. It’s always so disappointing when a place does not meet our expectations. But yay for a beautiful candlelight tour and a great birthday weekend overall!!
Looks like a great trip. I have a special place in my heart for Asheville. I worked at the Biltmore out of college and met my husband there. It’s certainly a great place to celebrate! Happy belated Birthday!
Hi Erin! I’m so glad y’all had a great time in Asheville. We went for our babymoon last October, and it was so lovely! I’ve been trying to convince my husband to go back – mainly because the Corner Kitchen’s meatloaf was SO delicious! Glad y’all found wonderful restaurants!
Oh, and I’ve been meaning to ask…what kind of camera do you have? Your pictures are STUNNING!
I am officially dying to go to Asheville now. I’ll be sending this post to the hubs as a subtle nudge 😉
Looks like heaven to me! We are doing a little weekend getaway soon to Eureka Springs, we like it for many of the same reasons you mentioned. Reading your post is making me really antsy! You look adorable in all of your pictures, love your outfits 🙂
I love Asheville & the Biltmore House! I went a few weeks ago and also did not care for the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. I had one of their drinks and thought it was awful. We ate at several yummy places – nothing fancy, but they were great: LAB (Lexington Ave Brewery), Early Girl Eatery, Sunny Point Cafe and Bouchon Creperie. We were there for a girls weekend and had the best time!
What a fun trip! I love the Biltmore, but haven’t been in years. Did you use your new lens? Your pictures look great!
I love stumbling upon a wedding when you aren’t expecting it… What a beautiful location.
You guys had to of had a blast. It looks beautiful this time of year.
I’ve had 2 or 3 friends in the last year go here for a little escape! Makes me want to schedule our getaway now! I’d rather go to the ocean, though. 🙂
I adore the Biltmore, I’m glad you had an amazing birthday. and I agree with the first comment Miss Stick Legs!
I love Asheville! That’s where BTB and I got engaged!! 🙂
I love this post, it makes me want to pack up and go to Biltmore today! : ) I am glad you had a great trip and a wonderful birthday!
I’m so excited about this! As I mentioned to you on Twitter, I’m pretty certain my Christmas gift to my husband is going to be a New Years trip to Asheville, and I am taking in your dinner suggestions! I am also thinking we are going to attempt to try skiing since we will be there for 4 nights. It could be disastrous, but I will try. Haha.
I want to go there someday. It is gorgeous and sounds fun. I’m glad you had such a great birthday weekend!!! You look great in the pics too!
Wow…what a wonderful weekend get-away!!! I’m so jealous…we were planning a trip for our 10th anniversary this past October, but had to cancel because Britton decided to start having serious seperation anxiety issues. I definitely deserve a birthday trip, and Asheville would be a perfect destination. I’m going to print out this post and give it to my hubby just in case he needs a little help planning “my surprise birthday weekend”;)
What a wonderful birthday weekend! The beef tenderloin looks delicious.
Gorgeous!!! I would love to go there, but it’s about 7.5 hours away. Ouch! Your pictures are beautiful! I’m so glad you had a great birthday! 🙂
I’ve been following your blog for awhile now and I LOVE it…I so look forward to your posts! I, too, love Asheville and if you can, next time you go, visit “The Laughing Seed” in downtown Asheville…I’m not vegan but look up the reviews of this place…their food is phenomenal and is 100% vegan. We loved their jalapeno fries, the reuben sandwich, and the Tico Burrito. Oh, and their chocolate cheesecake – also vegan. So stinking delicious. I definitely want to visit again, and soon! That says a lot coming from a total meat eater living in Cincinnati, OH lol. Glad you enjoyed your birthday weekend, Erin!! 🙂
This post makes me so excited!! My husband and I are going to the Biltmore in two weeks….I have never been and this post makes me even more excited than I already was!!!!!!
Love your recap. Looks like the perfect birthday!
What a fun birthday trip—I absolutely love Asheville in the fall. We ran into the same problem at the French Broad Chocolate Lounge—it all looked good, but didn’t live up to the hype. What a bummer. At least everything else was fantastic! 🙂
Loved this review! I actually spend a summer up there, right outside of Ashville working at a Church Camp called Ridgecrest. It was amazing and after that I always said I wanted to move to Ashville as an adult. I love he Bohemian /Artsy vibe they had there. This post makes me think Erik and I should take a weekend getaway!
haha i was thinking the same thing about your leg looking so skinny!! running after those boys is working for you!!
You look amazing!!! Happy Birthday! I need that jacket from dinner # 2 picture. Would you mind sharing your source?
Just re-read my comment and I by no means was implying you’re vegan lol, just had to mention that because it’s unbelievably good and no meat or real dairy is used…blows my mind!! We also love Corner Kitchen – they have the best cinnamon blueberry sauce for their pancakes! MMM!!! Take care! 🙂
Hi Erin! Love your pics…was just wondering which camera/lense you used in the biking pics? You got some great shots on your trip!
What a fabulous birthday trip!! I’ve always wanted to visit the Biltmore and when decorated for the holidays – that would make it even better! 🙂 You look amazing by the way!
This looks like an amazing birthday weekend. I am in love with your red jacket!