Last week we went on our babymoon in Asheville, North Carolina. It was such a fun time and so good to spend almost five whole days together! Asheville is a beautiful mountain city that we had been wanting to check out ever since we moved to NC. While I’ve visited several mountain towns in California–Mammoth & Big Bear–this was the first time I’d ever been to a city in the mountains and it has a very different feel. Here’s a report of everything we did on our Asheville babymoon:
We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Hickory, NC which is about an hour from Asheville. Our wonderful friends had given us a hotel stay as a honeymoon gift, and we hadn’t gotten the chance to use it. Then we found out we were having a baby, and they graciously suggested we use it for a babymoon trip. I can’t stop thinking about the glorious bed in our hotel room. We have a queen at home, and this king bed with a billion pillows was GLORIOUS. I’m going to be dreaming of ordering a California King for weeks.
Thursday
Our first morning Theo slept in and I was awake at like 6:30 am. Pregnancy problems. He had worked the day before and then hopped in the car and drove us five hours, plus we went to Wal Mart to stock up on water and snacks right after we checked in. It was a long day. So anyway, he slept in, I relaxed in the room, and then we got ready and left for Asheville mid morning.
First stop was Korean House for their lunch buffet. AYCE Korean BBQ was one of our favorite things in Los Angeles, and we were so excited to eat Korean food again. I had read about this particular spot online, and it did not disappoint. There was fried rice, bulgogi, a kimchi tofu dish, chicken karaage, and a full bar of cold dishes like jap chae and kimchi and a variety of salads. Everything was delicious. I told Theo that if I worked anywhere near here I would come once a week for lunch. 
After stuffing our faces, we went walking around Downtown Asheville. We wandered–or waddled in my case–until we found Malaprops bookstore. At that point it had started raining pretty heavily and we had not come prepared with umbrellas. On my bucket list was a lavender latte. I’ve been craving one for months and since we live in the middle of nowhere, there are no lavender lattes to be found. My quick google search for “lavender latte asheville” directed us to Double D’s coffee shop.
Double D’s is a double decker bus that has been converted into a coffee shop. You order downstairs and then seating is upstairs. The barista was super friendly and made me a delicious iced lavender honey latte. After she basically sold us on moving to Asheville (though not on running a coffee shop in a bus, apparently there’s a lot of restrictions) we went upstairs. The rain gave it an even more London-y feel. Theo caught up on his fantasy football leagues (yes, that’s plural) and I took a billion ridiculous looking selfies.
The rain wasn’t letting up, so we made a beeline for our car and hit up the Goodwill Outlet. This was another dream of mine. Basically, it’s stuff from other Goodwills that is unsellable, sometimes because it’s damaged in some way. Frequently it’s perfectly good stuff that just didn’t sell. At the outlet, they sell by the pound for $1.25. It’s intense in there–some people stay all day and make a living reselling stuff. But people were friendly and organized. Every 10-15 minutes the employees would drag out a few new bins and everyone goes crazy digging. I only stayed for a little over an hour, but I ended up with two large bags. I found a cute trench coat, two pairs of shoes, a dress, a button down, a rose gold cup, a book, and a really nice men’s coat. My total ended up being $5! I’ll keep a few items, and the rest I’ll list on Poshmark. If I lived near an outlet I would go ALL the time.
After that we headed back to Hickory and ate dinner at Cici’s (one of Theo’s favorites). I was pretty exhausted after not sleeping well. Also, I just wasn’t really accustomed to adventuring while pregnant. My normal self could walk and browse for hours with boundless energy, no matter how much sleep I get. I got a little sad wondering if I would ever feel like my normal self again, or if I’m just going to feel tired for the rest of my life. Maybe it will be a few years, but I’m praying/hoping it’s not forever!
Friday
Friday morning we had big plans: Avengers Infinity Wars! We went to a fantastic theater which had the lean back recliner seats. The best for watching movies all the time, but especially when you’re pregnant! Avengers was pretty cool.
After the movie, we went to the River Arts District. It was a beautiful drive over along the river. I wanted to check out the Foundation Walls, because they kept showing up on Pinterest. Honestly we weren’t super impressed, but we did have fun exploring the art studios and looking at a variety of art.
From there we went over to the Biltmore Village. We walked around the shops there, and then ended up just sitting on a bench in a little park under the trees. It was beautiful and peaceful. I knew that we needed a balance of sightseeing and fun, but with intermissions so we didn’t arrive home exhausted.
For dinner, we went to Papas & Beer which is a regional chain. The entrees were HUGE. I got the shrimp, steak, and chicken fajitas and it was enough for two. They have a salsa bar with a variety of different salsas, and so we could try as many as we wanted and get refills. Theo got a fajita enchilada dish which was also really good.
Saturday
Saturday morning we were both pretty tired, but we headed out early because we wanted to try Biscuit Head. Obviously famous for their biscuits, this was another spot that had come up over and over. The line to get in was about 30 minutes but it was worth it. I had the Asheville Benedict which included poached eggs, hollandaise, greens, tomatoes, on top of two giant biscuits. Technically it’s one biscuit divided in half, but it’s humongous. We also got an order of the Bonuts–biscuits turned into donuts with a side of lemon curd. Those were amazing. On my wishlist is their cookbook! 
After Biscuit Head we walked around the Grove Arcade area. There were a few street performers out and it was bustling. We browsed through shops and dreamed about the furniture we’ll buy when we get rich. We browsed through the Battery Park Champagne Bookstore which was neat. From there we went to Trader Joe’s where I stocked up on all the neccesisties (our closest TJ’s is like 100 miles away).
In the afternoon we drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway. I think this might have been my favorite part of the trip. The mountains were beautiful! We hiked for several miles and saw rivers and waterfalls. It was so pretty, peaceful, and it felt so good to get out in nature.
For dinner we went out in Hickory to House of Nom Nom. It’s the first result on Yelp for Hickory restaurants, allegedly well known for their kimchi fries. I LOVE kimchi so I had to try these. We weren’t impressed with our burgers, but the kimchi fries were delicious. I also think this mango boba was the best I’ve ever had in my life and I’ve drank a lot of boba.
Sunday
Sunday we slept in till 11 which was wonderful. We made no plans for Sunday, just a day to relax before heading home. Eventually we dragged ourselves out of the hotel and found Starbucks. Next to the Starbucks was a Goodwill. I didn’t feel like shopping, but Theo encouraged me to just do a run through. They ended up having a great infant section and I got five of the most adorable sundresses for our girl. Next we went to Donut Life where I got the last two donuts they had for the day. They make them fresh every morning and then you can choose which cream or jelly you want if you get a filled one! I was so happy.
We walked around Downtown Hickory for a bit and took some pictures. I recently ordered this tripod and it was fun to get pictures together without having to ask a stranger. We always feel so awkward and like we’re intruding, but at the same time we want pictures together that aren’t selfies! The tripod is super lightweight and easy to carry around. Definitely recommend if you want more pictures and don’t have a consistent third wheel.
I’m so thankful that we got to take this trip. Spending time together and exploring somewhere new was just the best. We will definitely be going back to Asheville for more hiking & eating!
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