Hey Guys!
So, as I promised in my last post, let’s start with the Airbnb property we stayed at during our visit to Asheville.
Read Day 1 here
Since our anniversary is in December, the most expensive month of the year for us, I decided to try and find something that was more cost efficient.
However, it had to have a hot tub! We love hot tubs so that’s always a must for us!
I started looking on Airbnb for some homes near Asheville and stumbled upon one that had all 5 star reviews and was less than $200 a night! So, I decided to book it.
The house was in Zirconia, NC which was approx 40 mins outside of Asheville.
Of course, you never know what to expect from Airbnb properties but so far, we’ve had really good experiences with them. They are also usually cheaper than staying in a hotel.
We arrived to the house around 8-9 pm… we had a difficult time finding it as it was located at the top of a hill on a small, narrow & winding road.
Once we arrived, we entered the code in the keypad and hoped we wouldn’t be disappointed!
Thankfully, we were pleasantly surprised!
The house was so cozy & spotless!!
The hosts had turned the gas fireplace on for us and left us a sweet handwritten note along with some snacks!
The house had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, sun room and a huge deck!
The most important thing was the hot tub and it was so nice! We couldn’t wait to get in!
So, that’s what we did! 😉
The next morning, we woke up to see the beautiful views from the house!!
We then got ready and headed out for breakfast….we decided we would eat atBiscuit Head since we had never eaten there.
We had read that this place stays super busy so we weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived.
Thankfully, there were only about 7-8 people in line when we got there.
The line moved fairly quickly. Once we got to the counter to order, I ordered the gluten free biscuit with bacon egg & cheese and the hubby ordered the country ham & egg biscuit with the gouda fries.
It was delicious!!
After breakfast, we decided to drive parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs north and south from Asheville with plenty of spots for roadside picnics, breathtaking vistas, easy to difficult hiking trails, and a reprieve from commercialism.
The 469-mile, non-stop recreational motor road follows the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, connecting Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks.
Our first stop on our drive through the park was the Walnut Cove Overlook at an elevation of 2,920 ft.
The views were beautiful and I can imagine that in the fall, this place is very crowded!
On the parkway, you go through many tunnels.
Our next stop was the Wash Creek Valley Overlook. 
The next stop was the Hominy Valley Overlook (there are a ton of overlooks on this drive)
Next was Mills River Valley Overlook
Next was Buck Springs Gap Overlook
At this same stop, was a one mile trail to the ruins of Buck Springs Lodge...a lodge that was built by George Vanderbilt but was removed in 1963.
The Vanderbilts owned all of this land at one time. We only walked a short distance on the trail as it was too cold to walk the full mile.
After this stop, we continued our drive.
We came up on these old cabins so pulled over to snap a few pics
Next we passed the popular Sliding Rock…..Sliding Rock is a waterfall located near Brevard, so named because visitors can slide all the way down the waterfall into the plunge pool below.
I just took a picture from the road….even though it was closed, you could still walk to it if you wanted to.
Next stop was Looking Glass Falls…
This is another popular stop on the parkway because it’s a roadside waterfall with easy access.
The waterfall is 60 feet tall.
There are steps that lead down to the falls for a close-up view. You can venture onto the rocks in the stream below the falls, and even do some wading and swim underneath the falling water when water flow is lower.
It’s a beautiful waterfall!
We continued our drive and ended up in the small town of Brevard…at this point, we decided to turn around and head back.
On the way back, I spotted a bald eagle perched in a tree!! So, we pulled over to take pictures…This is a rare sighting for us!
As we continued our drive, the sun was beginning to set behind the mountains…..
Later, we arrived back to Asheville and started looking for somewhere to eat…we decided on a place called, Juicy Lucy’s.
As you all know by now, my hubby loves burgers and has to have one on every trip! So, this trip was no exception!
I ordered the mushroom burger on a gluten free bun & he ordered a bacon cheese burger…the food was good but I’ve had better. I thought the burgers were overcooked.
After leaving here, we headed back to our Airbnb to once again, relax in the hot tub!
Sadly, the next morning, we had to check out and head back home …BUT before we did, we took another opportunity to enjoy the hot tub!
Before we left, I took a few more pics of the house from the outside
On the way home, we drove through Maggie Valley because we had heard so many people talk about it.
Once we arrived, we decided to eat. We couldn’t find many places that were open because it was off season and a Sunday.
We found a place called, Pop’s Place.
We did not get a warm welcome from the staff as they were closing in 15 mins from the time we arrived.
We quickly ordered and when our food came out, it was ice cold just like the service!
I definitely wouldn’t recommend this restaurant!!
We really enjoyed our time in Asheville and hope to visit again soon!!
Thanks for reading!!
Read Day 1 here