“Oh My Sweet Carolina”

Asheville, North Carolina September 5 to September 9, 2023
Flat Rock, North Carolina September 9 – October 9, 2023

The last several times we visited Asheville, we did not stop at the Biltmore, but this time we did. We spent one day touring the house, the conservatory, the gardens, and of course wine tasting. The second day we toured the grounds on our bikes and had a lovely picnic by the river/creek that runs through the grounds. The weather was beautiful for the couple of days we spent at the Biltmore.

The Biltmore had fantastic art!

The next famous home we visited was the Carl Sandburg House in Flatrock. Carl Sandburg was a poet, lecturer, biographer and Pulitzer Prize winning author. He moved to Flat Rock after he was already famous and continued to work. He lived here with his wife for 22 years.

One day we drove to Gaffney, South Carolina to tour Cowpens National Battlefield. This battle is a relatively unknown revolutionary war battle, but was very significant. The battle occurred close to the end of the war and is fictionalized in the Mel Gibson film “The Patriot”. The film accurately portrays parts of the battle where the militia fired a couple of shots at the oncoming British and then ran. Unknown to the British, more forces were hiding and the colonials won the battle. The museum was small but well done and the battle was well marked so you could visualize the battle from almost 250 years ago.

On our way back from Cowpens, we stopped in Greenville, South Carolina for lunch and a quick walk around. Downton Greenville is fantastic. We definietly need to visit again and spend more time.

We were lucky enough to get tickets to see the Goo Goo Dolls (one of my favorite bands) while they were in Asheville. The venue was small and standing room only, but we obtained a great location and enjoyed the concert. The opening band was Fitz and the Tantrums. They were fun, but I only recognized three or four songs. The Goo Goo Dolls were awesome!

We also met a friend of ours from Panama City for lunch and a day touring Asheville. Harry Harper moved north of Asheville (Weaverville) and took us on the town for the day. We toured the city on a La Zoom tour bus. The conductor was hilarious and it was lots of fun. Harry also traveled one day to Flatrock and Steve treated him to a gourmet (my word not Steve’s) salmon meal. It was great seeing Harry.

We also met another friend at New Belgium Brewing Company. We have seen Janet Brannon several times on our travels. She lives near Johnsonville, Tennessee, but drove down to see us. It was nice to see here again and catch up.

Besides New Belgium we visited several breweries in the area. We went to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company a few times. It is a very beautiful Brewery. We also went to 12 Bones Brewing for beer and barbeque. We visited Wicked Weed Brewing and Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville. In Hendersonville, we stopped in D9 Brewing Company with our friend Paula. All of the breweries were fun, but Sierra Nevada is so beautiful, that it is our favorite.

12 Bones Brewing (the quotes change every couple of minutes)

We went back to our favorite winery in the area a couple of times. The relaxing view from Marked Tree Vineyard is a must see if you are ever in the area. We tried a new winery with friends of ours who were in the area for a wedding. Dan and Rita met us at Souther Williams Vineyard for a Sunday afternoon of wine and music. Another awesome winery with awesome friends.