We've been home for almost a week now so I'm going to keep it brief and include pictures when I can. Overall, Asheville was a snooze fest. Evan and I have been there many times but when seen through the eyes of our children I could see how it was a very uninspired choice. Chattanooga was a vast improvement in terms of kid-friendly activities and vibe. We would've enjoyed it even more had it not been so damn hot. Thanks heat dome and climate change...
Our itinerary: Monday, June 16 - Monday, June 23
On the way to Asheville we stopped in Greensboro, NC to see my grandmother's headstone. We were supposed to go to the unveiling which happens a year after someone passes (Jewish tradition), but it was scheduled the weekend after our trip so we opted not to take two trips to NC back to back. I missed my grandmother's funeral a year ago because Aura came down with a fever the night before so this was my first opportunity to pay my respects. We were able to place our rocks on my grandparents' headstones and my great-grandparents' headstones. We didn't have enough for my great-great-grandparents, but in my defense I didn't remember I had that many family members in the cemetery! I've always liked this, also Jewish, tradition. The intention is that rocks or stones are a longer lasting memorial than flowers.
Our Airbnb in Asheville was clean and modern but its biggest cons were a steep driveway, no walkability, and tight quarters for two rambunctious kids. In other words, Evan and I were happy there but the kids were not, which means that we were made to be unhappy.
Day one we bought grounds tickets to the Biltmore. I knew a house tour would bore the kids and Evan and I did one years ago. The most exciting part of this activity was seeing and picking up the latest members of the 13 year cicada brood. There was a small petting farm and playground in Antler Hill Village which we also visited.
One of the many bummers of our trip is that we took the kids to eat at a couple of places that were old haunts for us and they did not live up to our memories of them. First up was Vortex Doughnuts which is more gourmet-like than kid-friendly. For instance, we got the kids chocolate frosted donuts but the frosting was dark chocolate. Another time we got take-out from Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack and the food was good, but not as good as we remembered and definitely over-priced.
We did, however, discover a new (to us) place, Whit's Frozen Custard, that we all liked so much we made sure to go twice before we left town.
Not knowing what to do with ourselves one afternoon we drove out toward Brevard to see Looking Glass Falls. They were beautiful and easy to reach via a medium-sized staircase. The kids wanted to dip their feet in the water and normally we would've been all for it but it required climbing over big, wet rocks to get there and we weren't equipped for that. The kids were disappointed and upset, kind of a theme of the trip. In retrospect, we should've done it.
The mountain views from the top are breathtaking. It's also a nice place to sit and reflect peacefully when you don't have two hyper kids with you. Fortunately, I don't think we offended anyone while we were there. On the contrary, our fellow sightseers seemed to think our little devils were precious. Iris even managed to find a puddle to jump in. Always time for jumping up and down in (muddy) puddles.
There's a spaceship-inspired house on Signal Mountain that Evan found out about somehow. I wish we could've done an inside tour of it but still neat to see while driving up/down the mountain.
The kids loved the children's museum. We spent a good 2.5-3 hours there and would've stayed longer but we were all getting hungry for lunch. This was definitely a highlight for the whole family.
We also happened to see, well, I saw, two reality TV personalities that Evan and I watched on Love Off the Grid on Max - Charlie and Jen. When I pointed them out to Evan he wanted to approach them but I discouraged that since they're regular people too. To each their own. After the fact we wondered if they were checking out a possible wedding venue.
In between the chapel and Greenville we passed through a very cute, small town called Travelers Rest. Isn't that just the most charming name? Not a ton to do/see there but if I lived close by I could see popping over for a walk and meal.
We weren't in Greenville long but it made a nice impression - public art, active outdoor spaces, shops and restaurants. There's a scavenger hunt of mouse sculptures in the downtown - Mice on Main - that I intended to do with the kids, but by the time we had explored some of the highlights we were a sweaty mess and people were hungry. After expressing disinterest in it when I first mentioned it, I thought the kids wouldn't mind skipping it. Wrong! That caused a tantrum. The skies opened up not long after though so it wasn't meant to be this time around.
One more pall over the Asheville portion of the trip was that during some roughhousing Iris bonked one of her front teeth pretty hard. She's not yet 4 so she's definitely not ready to lose any teeth. She cried and bled for a bit but well over a week later she hasn't complained about any pain and we haven't noticed any discoloration. Hope we're all good on that front. *fingers crossed*
We also did a tour of the French Broad Chocolate factory. We've been watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at home and that sort of gave me the idea to do a chocolate factory tour. I knew it would be nothing as exciting or colorful as that but it was so dull I literally forgot we did it until just this moment when I looked at my notes from our trip. Not much of a lasting impression!
We also took the kids to Omni Grove Park Inn which Evan and I have visited in the past to see the National Gingerbread House Competition. It gave the kids the opportunity to walk/run around in air conditioning and be witness to that kind of opulence. We met a nice "Lassie" kind of dog in the lobby named Monty.
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The dark cloud that hung over the entire trip is that something wasn't quite right with our car. Evan is always very diligent about keeping the cars safe and taking them in for regular check-ups. He was particularly focused on making sure the family car was in shape to drive for almost 2,000 miles during our road trip. Well, during the most recent check up the shocks were replaced. Unfortunately, we noticed that the left side of the car sounded clunky and like something was loose. It became most apparent once we arrived in Asheville and were doing city and rural driving. Consequently, it was something that weighed heavily on Evan mentally, and it put a kibosh on some of the plans we had.
For instance, I was really looking forward to driving through the Great Smoky Mountains on our way from Asheville to Chattanooga. It would've been a beautiful drive but since we were concerned about the car driving on those roads we stuck to the highway instead. Another disappointment to add to the others. I did, however, try to find a scenic off-shoot that was on the more direct route.
We lucked out and it was a beautiful but, wait for it, hot day when we drove through Chilhowee Recreation Area.
Our Airbnb in Signal Mountain, TN (about 15 minutes from downtown Chattanooga) was extremely kid-friendly. The girls were happy right way - there was a play-set and sand box and friendly indoor/outdoor cats. The adults weren't as happy. The hosts were lovely and of course, it's always easier on us when the kids are happy, but it wasn't the cleanest home.
We arrived at a decent time so were able to explore part of downtown right away. We parked near Coolidge Park and checked out Chalk Alley, a neat place to be creative and vent your frustrations, the splash park, and the 130 year old Dentzel carousel. Our kids love almost nothing better than a good carousel. We lucked out and the ticket machine was broken so we took two free rides and called it a night.
It was so hot (are you picking up on a theme here?) that we leaned into indoor activities our two full days in town. That first day we parked the car near Coolidge Park to semi-recreate what we did the night before. We walked through Chalk Alley, walked by the carousel and splash park and then under the Chief John Ross Bridge before we then walked on the bridge to cross over to the other side. We were so sweaty afterward that we rode the free shuttle CARTA back over the bridge to then move our car closer to where we were going to be for the day - Creative Discovery Museum.
There's public art everywhere. Love it!
Aura spotted these cliff swallow nests under the Chief John Ross Bridge.
This is the Walnut Street Walking Bridge that we didn't get to use. It's under renovation for eighteen months so nothing we could do about that.
New designs and some that define our times...
Later we had lunch at Five Guys. We can get that at home but oddly enough it was a nice moment of respite for our group. Despite the heat we sat outside in the shade and had calm conversation that didn't devolve into discord.
Our last day we went to the Tennessee Aquarium, which is two buildings. Lots of emphasis on conservation and plastic pollution. This was another highlight for our group. It took up the better part of a day. The kids got to touch sturgeon and sting rays and had a great time.
We made sure to put the kids in their swimsuits (underneath their clothes) so that we could enjoy one of the coolest features of the riverfront. Next to and around the aquarium is The Passage which is a memorial to Cherokees who were forcibly removed from their ancestral land and sent west as part of the infamous Trail of Tears. This public art simultaneously serves as a reminder of our nation's cruel origins and a summer cooling off spot for kids (and adults) alike.
Some more public art:
Once we got back to our Airbnb that evening we were in packing/going home mode. The drive home the next day was long and torturous - our longest trek of the trip so far. After 9+ hours in the car we were all pretty sick of each other. Chattanooga was the high point of the weeklong trip but that time in the car was the low point for sure.
We stopped in Natural Bridge, VA for a pit stop and I was able to get a picture of this LOVE sign.
Just as we had a soundtrack to our road trip last summer, we had a soundtrack to this one. The three songs that were played on an almost constant rotation and now give me PTSD were "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan and Steam Powered Giraffe (I prefer the original but the SPG version grew on me) and "Miss You" and "Cash Machine" by Oliver Tree. I was disappointed when Aura didn't jump at the chance to get matching Pink Pony (as in seahorse) Club t-shirts from the Tennessee Aquarium. What a party pooper.
I would say that both avoidable and unavoidable circumstances contributed to this being a less than successful trip. I probably won't go to Asheville again unless the kids are older and able to hike. Otherwise, not really worth it. I would go back to Chattanooga especially since we didn't get to day-trip to Lookout Mountain and explore that area. I'd really like to go to the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains, too.
As a direct result of this experience we cancelled our second planned road trip for the summer. We were supposed to go to Niagara Falls and Montreal but Evan and I couldn't fathom all that time in the car with the kids again so soon. It's a shame since I specifically got the kids' passports last fall with the intention of taking them to Canada. Another time...
