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Gina DiMartino

~ An Asheville Foodie, Writer, Creator & Dreamer

Gina DiMartino

Tag Archives: North Carolina

Weekends & Windscreens: Asheville, North Carolina

27 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by ginamd in travel, Uncategorized

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asheville, Day trips from Asheville, North Carolina, top things to do in asheville, travel, Travel Blog, Travel blogger, Weekend Trip

Asheville, North Carolina is the place I now call home. Raised in upstate NY, it is a dramatically different place to lay my head, but in this tiny town nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains, sunsets, warm weather, and some of the weirdest people I have ever seen, I am now home.

Asheville is unique. Artistic. Hippie. Hipster. Musical. And full of beer. More breweries per capita than anywhere else in the US. If you have a day to spend in Asheville, here are some places you need to visit.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In Ahseville, its also the most desired meal to go out to eat. Lines form at any place that has a decent breakfast and you will often find yourself waiting for a table in the early morning fog. There are so many places to choose from, it is so hard to figure out where to go. For this weekend, we chose Biscuit Head. You can’t go wrong here. Huge fluffy biscuits, perfectly cooked bacon (with different flavors to thing of), gravies of any kind, and a butter/jam bar that you will not be able to resist.

Spend the afternoon at the Biltmore House. It is the largest private home in America and was built by George Vanderbilt as his vacation home in 1895. Boasting 250 rooms, the Biltmore house is nothing to be rivaled and the grounds and gardens are quite exquisite.

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Grab a cup of coffee from the newly opened Summit Coffee, before heading over to White Labs for an amazing dinner and some very interesting beer choices. As producers of the yeast that brewers use to make beer, White Labs has many beers made with different yeasts so you can taste the differences. The food is nothing to be scoffed at. It is fantastic. We shared, so we ordered several different things and then tried a bit of everything. Crispy chicken sandwich, soppressata pizza, clam pizza, poutine dripping with gravy, pecan pie, bread pudding, and donuts. All delicious.

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Finish your night off with a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to catch the sunset, or for something a little more relaxing, check out the Sky Bar. This bar is located on a fire escape, (yes a fire escape), and overlooks the mountains for a perfect view of the sunset, delicious old-timey drinks and a unique atmosphere you won’t experience anywhere else.

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Want to know more about Asheville? Check out this book, or better yet message me and I’ll give you a personal tour!

Happy Travels!

 

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Weekends & Windscreens: Charlotte North Carolina

03 Tuesday Oct 2017

Posted by ginamd in travel

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Charlotte, Day trips from Asheville, North Carolina, top things to do in charlotte, travel, Travel Blog, Travel blogger, Weekend Trip

What do you do when you only have about six hours in Charlotte, North Carolina? Let me tell you!

We left Asheville early and drove the two hours to Charlotte for our day of adventure. We had to make the most of our time so we decided to go for brunch, coffee, and IKEA (and maybe more coffee). Starting off on the west side of the city, Not Just Coffee in the Atherton Mill was our first stop. The space is an old factory turned into businesses and different stores. The coffee shop is full of natural lights, plants, and so, so beautiful. We sipped lattes under an old skylight while plotting are strategy for the rest of the day.

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The next destination, Little Spoon was our choice for an amazing alfresco brunch. We enjoyed donut holes that were the perfect balance of softness and crispiness, breakfast sandwiches with thick bacon and delicious cheese, and fluffy mini biscuits with delicious gravy. The food was all excellent and beyond even what I expected from it’s reviews. If you go, try the donuts. Well worth it.

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IKEA was up next. Who doesn’t love a good trip to IKEA? We strolled the show rooms and picked up a few fun trinkets along the way. I even scored some baskets I’ve been wanting for an amazing price. Eliza ended up with an adorable plate, Danny found a tiny terrarrium, and Rachel got an amazing wicker light for her bedroom.

We finished up the trip with a quick stop at Smelly Catt Coffee where we grabbed some drinks for the road. I even got a pound of coffee that I am currently really enjoying for my morning coffee. I love buying coffee from local roasters on my trips!

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Taking a trip to Charlotte soon? Would love to hear about your adventure!

Want a good book on Charlotte with some more info? Click here !

Happy Travels!

 

 

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