A Long Weekend in Asheville (Part 3)

 Welcome back to the third (and final!) post about my long weekend in Asheville. So far I've shared where we stayed and our day in Lake Lure, and the day that we explored downtown Asheville (featuring lots of breweries). On our final full day, we got out into nature and got to visit a true mountain town. Let's get into it!

Hiking

Once again, we started our day with a hike. I love getting to hiking spots early in the morning, because the weather is usually nicer and the trails are less crowded! One of my goals for this trip was to do a waterfall hike and a summit hike- and today I got to cross off the second one (don't worry..we'll get to the waterfall later!).

After some research, I decided that Lookout Mountain would be the best option. It's located about 20 minutes east of Asheville in the town of Black Mountain, and was a really fun and challenging hike. It's very easy to navigate but pretty much straight up hill for the entire 1.5 miles. Towards the top there are a lot of rocky areas with a few places that you need to scramble, but wasn't too difficult.

The view from the top was absolutely phenomenal. We had perfect blue skies with a few clouds, so the visibillity was great and we could see all of the mountain ranges around us. It was breathtaking! We were also lucky to have the summit to ourselves for almost a half hour, which almost never happens.

When we made our way back down (at this point it was around 10AM on a Saturday) it was much more busy, so the earlier wakeup call was definitely worth it.

Exploring Black Mountain

After our hike, we headed back into town and parked right on the main street. The entire town was really cute- there was a farmers market happening so we stopped by for some pastries, then strolled around. Of course we also needed some coffee, so our first stop was at The Dripolator Coffeehouse. It's located in an adorable shopping area with stony buildings and cobblestone walkways. I felt like I was in another time period as we walked around! For my drink I got a Iced Killer Bee, which was a latte infused with honey and cinnamon. YUM! 

We visited a few businesses and galleries, as well as an old train station where we learned about some of the history of Black Mountain. Then, I noticed a small lake with a trail around it nearby so of course we had to check it out! It ended up being a beautiful spot where we got to relax and eat our baked goods and drink the rest of our coffee. We also admired all of the beautiful houses around it and dreamed of living up in the mountains one day.

Lookout Brewing Company

At this point it was about lunchtime, so we headed over to Lookout Brewing for some beers and food. The selection of beers was really great, and the lady working was extremely friendly! She let us try a few beers first and gave some recommendations. I liked everything that I tasted and ended up getting a few different ones in a smaller size since I couldn't decide.

Dan ordered some pizza at a shop across the street which was also delicious and went perfectly with the beer. We got a pizza with smoked salmon, caper cream sauce, and red onions, which was so unique and tasty.

Relaxing at the Cabin

We finished up our fun visit to Black Mountain and made our way back to our cabin. We made a quick stop in Asheville on the drive back, and happened upon a huge African-Carribbean festival going on! There was tons of live music, so we just stayed in the area and checked out a few stores before driving back. The rest of the night was spent relaxing- I did a little bit of painting outside, then read in the hot tub.

You really can't beat this! So relaxing!

One Last Hike...

We left first thing in the morning after saying one last goodbye to our beautiful view and cabin. We got to make a final stop at Catawba Falls for a little hike before our drive home. This is a very popular hike and it's easy to see why- the falls are so beautiful and the hike itself is very easy and family friendly. It also has a really big lot and was packed by the time we headed out! I would definitely recommend stopping by here- a lot of my friends say this is their favorite hike- but weekday mornings are probably the best time to check it out and not have to dodge people the entire time.

There you have it- a very busy but also relaxing trip to the mountains! It was great to explore a new city and also reconnect with nature. I absolutely loved every moment and can't wait to get back soon.

Have you ever been to Asheville?

What do I miss out on?

What kind of hikes do you like?