Travel

Nashville Travel Journal

April 2, 2026April 2, 2026 Beth DeFriesLeave a comment

How y’all doin’, friends? Last week, we packed our carry-on bags to near-bursting and flew down south to Nashville for a change of scenery, some good music, and some truly amazing food. This was our second visit to Music City, after going in December of 2022 and, this time around, we made it our mission to venture beyond the bright lights of downtown to experience some of the city’s beautiful, vibrant, and quirky surrounding neighborhoods.

East Nashville Food Crawl

The first day of our trip was a delicious adventure and my mouth is watering just remembering it. Temperatures in the eighties and abundant sunshine had us wanting to be outside, shaking off the frost that we’d accumulated, up north, this icy winter. Mike scoped out some recommended spots in the culinary wonderland that is East Nashville and we took a Lyft from our hotel in SoBo to our first stop for the day, Sho Pizza Bar.

Stop 1: Sho Pizza Bar

Sho Pizza Bar was a bright, airy, open kitchen-style, Michelin Bib Gourmand establishment. We arrived soon after opening and were seated at the bar, a perfect location to spectate as the chefs prepared the ingredients for the day’s orders. Scents of hickory, oak, precisely fermented dough, and simmering vegetable stock permeated the space as we perused the menu for what would be the most appropriate pizza for breakfast, taking into account that we planned to do a lot of eating for the rest of the day across the sprawling neighborhood.

We settled on the “Supermarg”, which was similar to a traditional Neopolitan-style margherita pizza, but with buffalo mozzarella, an ingredient that the restaurant flies in each week from Italy, according to their website. As we waited for our pizza to be ready, we watched the chefs behind the bar rolling out dough on the countertop and spreading it with fresh toppings before nestling the soon-to-be-deliciousness into the massive wood fired oven.

When our pizza was served, we were advised to use the provided shears to cut our own slices. We did as instructed and took our first bites. Somehow crispy and airy at once as well as both light and flavorful, this pizza was the perfect way to warm up our bellies for the day. We each paired our meal with a Peroni 0.0% and were soon off to our next stop, on foot.

Stop 2: Southern Grist Brewing Co.

Our walk from Sho Pizza Bar to Southern Grist Brewing Co. took us through some of the residential streets and main thoroughfares of East Nashville. On our journey, we noticed an abundance of new and in-progress construction, as well as homes that represented the former appearance of the neighborhoods. Many of the new homes appeared to be very recently built, residual dirt from construction still dusting the sidewalks and street that corresponded to each renewed property.

Warm from walking in the sunshine, we snagged a spot in the shade on Southern Grist’s front patio. We ordered some beers, a Handsome Devil (NZ Pilsner) and a Teal (NE IPA), to start, and enjoyed chatting, sipping, and planning our next move. Soon, a freight train rolled in on the nearby tracks and we noticed the traffic starting to accumulate at the crossing.

Enjoying some brews at Southern Grist Brewing Co.

We learned later in the day, from our Lyft driver, that the freight trains that come through East Nashville are notorious for causing loooong traffic delays. He said that if you’re gonna get stuck at a train crossing, you might as well have packed a lunch. That being said, I took the below pictures thirty minutes apart.

We stayed at Southern Grist for one more brew to share, enjoying the warmth and pleasantness of the patio area, opting for a Toro y Oso (Mexican Lager). We adjusted our next stop plans based on the lack of movement from the train, opting to head in the direction of Five Points vs. McFerrin Park, not wanting to be trapped by the motionless freight train later on.

Stop 3: East Side Banh Mi

After our beers, Mike was feeling a banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich and I had never had one, so we took a little detour on our way to Five Points to give East Side Banh Mi a try.

A quick service-style spot, serving up brilliant Vietnamese flavor, we ordered a Pork Banh Mi to share. The sandwich came on a pillowy baguette and was packed with pork shoulder and crunchy vegetables, both pickled and fresh, and an ignorable hint of creamy shallot mayo. Let’s just say I won’t shy away from this food option next time it’s a contender in a list of lunch options.

Stop 4: Five Points Alley Shops

Ok guys, so this one isn’t a food stop, but our stomachs needed a little break from consumables for a little bit. Instead, we decided to feed our hunger for some Nashville culture and wandered into Five Points Alley Shops, a collective of tiny shops in small, hut structures, selling things like vintage clothing and accessories, used books, and creations by local artisans. I had fun perusing the racks of vintage clothing, pulling out things like a cropped and de-sleeved Destin, Florida tee and a pair of red an green tartan knee-length, high-waisted, culotte shorts which I turned to Mike and said “Christmas shorts?” and he replied, “I mean…”

Stop 5: Hunters Station, Everbowl

“I’m feeling like a smoothie,” I said to Mike as I came out of Defunct Books, coming up empty on my latest used bookstore search, a copy of Shakespeare’s MacBeth.

Mike did a little tappy-tap-tapping on his phone and found a place in Five Points called Everbowl that looked like it might be a decent option. As a side note, Everbowl looks to be a chain that is located all over the US, but there is not one in New Jersey and this was our first time trying it.

Everbowl was a located inside a vibey, food court-style setup called Hunters Station where the air conditioning was cool and necessary and many cozy corners and counter seats contained artsy-looking individuals staring intently at their laptop screens, their ears invisible beneath noise-cancelling headphones.

We surveyed the menu over the counter at the Everbowl stall and decided on a “Whatever Smoothie” with a mango base, frozen bananas and spinach, and peanut butter. Friends, have you ever been really craving a food or drink, but you can’t quite put your finger on exactly what it is that you want? And then you order something random and by the miracle of all the Gods in the Heavens, it hits your tastebuds in all the right spots and then some? Well that was this smoothie for me. Too much? I don’t care. Moving on!

Stop 6: Lockeland Table

The final stop on our East Nashville food crawl was a beautiful little spot situated in the Lockeland Springs neighborhood.

Lockeland Table advertises something called their “Community Hour” on their website, a trademarked coinage for their own spin on the traditional happy hour, only with a mission-based twist. This service is open to diners from 4-6pm Monday through Saturday, and unlike a regular happy hour, it has a purpose that stretches beyond the confines of the restaurant’s property and accounts. Some of the proceeds from Lockeland Table’s “Community Hour” go directly toward Parent Teacher Organizations for schools in Nashville and the surrounding areas. Who could resist a good deal on drinks and small plates, especially when it comes with a side of community enrichment.

We were seated on the patio out front by a friendly hostess and ordered the black eyed pea hummus to share and a couple of muddled old fashioneds off the “Community Hour” menu and then added some red Thai curry steamed PEI mussels off the main menu, for good measure.

The staff at Lockeland Table were so friendly and welcoming, making this a perfect last stop on our East Nashville food crawl for the day. We ordered a Lyft and made our way back to our hotel in SoBo, in Nashville proper to prepare for our planned evening activity.

NHL at Bridgestone Arena: Predators vs. Devils

We didn’t realize it was going to be pride night at Bridgestone Arena when we entered, but the sparkly, excited atmosphere made the game all the more enjoyable. The Bridgestone staff, the LGBTQ+ community, and the arena full of allies in attendance really made the night a celebration of love, community, and, of course, music, that was fun to witness. There was glitter. There were performers. There was a custom Pride night Predators logo designed by a local print artist, Tiffany Evans.

During each intermission, we got to experience the incredible talent of performer, Brady Riley, who looked fab in a pair of knee-high, heeled, silver boots, glittery makeup, and a long, custom Preds jersey. Brady’s versatile setlist included covers of songs by Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Ozzy Osbourne, all amazing.

Brady Riley and band performing at Bridgestone Arena

We have been to away hockey games before where the home fans are less than kind to fans of the visiting team. This was not our experience in Nashville. The fans were, for the most part, respectful, and there to have a good time and support their team and not dole out animosity toward the other fans, aside from the normal hockey chants which you’ll sit through at any game.

In the end, the Devils won, serving as the cherry on top, for us, though the Predators fans would disagree. Still, afterwards, we saw lots of Preds fans out having a great time in the city, despite their team’s loss.

We enjoyed some music at Legend’s Corner on Broadway after the game.

Day 2: 12 South, Centennial Park, The Ryman Auditorium

Virgin Hotels Nashville

We checked out of our first hotel of the trip, Holiday Inn & Suites in SoBo and headed to our second, Virgin Hotels Nashville, in Music Row.

We checked in early, having called ahead about storing our luggage, only to be told that our room was already ready. The check-in process was smooth, informative, and welcoming. The hotel also had a dedicated welcome ambassador who was present at check-in to offer us some witty remarks, welcome info, and heaps of character.

We dropped our bags off in our room and took in the details of our home away from home for the next two nights. We were not disappointed. Having booked this hotel through Chase Rewards, our stay also came with certain amenities like included breakfast at the Commons Club Restaurant in the lobby and a daily property credit that could be put towards experiences, dining, or drinks in the hotel. Part of our welcome package was a box of “GooGoo Clusters” which we tried immediately, our breakfast of champions, savoring the chocolate, caramel, nougat, nutty goodness before heading out to our next stop, in search of some real food.

12 South

If you find yourself wandering around downtown Nashville in the morning and are wondering where all the bachelorette party herds have gone to, I have the answer for you! They are dressed to the nines, parading, dining, and shopping their way through the cute, boutiquy, and culinary hub that is the 12 South neighborhood.

Our goal was to get a nice breakfast at The Buttermilk Ranch, a plan quickly thwarted by the lack of availability due to the visiting bachelorette party community that Nashville has become somewhat famous for.

No sweat, we thought, we’ll just try our back up option, which honestly looks pretty darn good too! We headed to The Frothy Monkey and put our names in for the 50 minute wait. We took to window shopping along 12th Ave South to pass some of the time, peeking into colorful shops like Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James before just having a seat on a bench and deciding to people watch instead. We wondered aloud to each other if the plethora of ladies in their cropped boho tops, short skirts, and cowboy boots were freezing, while we pulled the tabs of the zippers on our rain jackets a little higher.

The Frothy Monkey

We were seated in the interior side porch section at Frothy Monkey, a pleasant room just off the main restaurant. Outside the bright windows, it was growing increasingly gray and chilly and inside it smelled like roasted coffee beans and warm bread. I ordered a chai latte with almond milk, craving something warm and cozy (craving coffee to be really honest with you) and, influenced by the influencer-esque crowd all around us, a mimosa as well.

For breakfast, I ordered the Broadbent Omelette, fresh eggs with bacon, cheddar, onions and roasted peppers, which came with a side of fresh sourdough. Mike opted for the Shrimp and Grits, blackened shrimp with andouille sausage, tomatoes, peppers, and onions over smoked gouda grits. Mike’s meal ended up being among my favorites of the foods we tried on this trip. So, so good.

Five Daughters Bakery

After breakfast, we walked off a couple of bites by zigzagging the bungalow-lined residential streets of 12 South with the goal of making room in our bellies to share a doughnut from Five Daughters Bakery.

From the array of offerings, we opted for the chocolate chip sea salt and wouldn’t you know it, we seemed to have made just enough room to split it!

Full of breakfast and dessert, we thought we ought to walk to our next spot via a scenic route.

Belmont University & Vanderbilt University

Our ultimate destination was Centennial Park and we decided we’d walk through the scenic campuses of Belmont University and Vanderbilt University to get there. Belmont University had a quintessential, “collegiate” feel to it. The pretty campus had lots of Greco-Roman architecture on display, statues of gods and goddesses, as well as sprawling, lush, green lawns that would be an enticing draw for most prospective students, I’d imagine.

Vanderbilt’s campus was more sprawling, with picturesque pockets of courtyards, pathways, and bridges sprinkled amongst a satisfying mix of both traditional and modern architecture.

A photo of some of the Vanderbilt campus from our previous trip

Centennial Park

On our previous visit to Nashville, one of my favorite experiences was going inside the replica of the Parthenon, built for Nashville’s Centennial Celebration in 1897, to see the 42-foot statue of the goddess, Athena, that the structure houses. Unfortunately, on this trip, the Parthenon was closed for HVAC refurbishment.

Because we could not go in to visit the beautiful, big lady this time around, I will add some photos from our previous visit, as Athena made such an empowering impression on me last time that I was so looking forward to seeing her again. This was a learning moment for me, friends. Even if there is an activity you think you’ll definitely do on your trip, so much so that you don’t even need to research more about it, just save yourself some day-of disappointment and check that it will be open.

We made it back to Virgin Hotels Nashville on tired legs and feet after spending most of the day walking. We decided to just kick off our shoes and rest a while before our next activity.

The Ryman Auditorium

We visited the Ryman on our previous trip for the tour of the venue and the Rock and Roll Museum that they have onsite. This time, around, we were there for the music.

If you’ve read my past travel posts, you’ve seen me mention a certain band a few times now, one of our favorites who we seem to have a tendency to follow around. Anyway, they are called Trampled by Turtles and they are an Americana band made up of wildly talented string musicians. Getting tickets to Trampled’s show at The Ryman was actually the catalyst to us planning this entire trip.

The Ryman Auditorium, also dubbed “The Mother Church”, is a stunning, historic music venue with stained glass windows, wooden pews, a wooden stage, and a wooden ceiling. Wood is excellent for amplifying acoustics and so, the sound in this venue is something else. What I didn’t consider when I got so excited about seeing our favorite band at the Ryman was that the atmosphere would be more akin to that of going to the symphony rather than a lively concert experience.

As the Ryman is located in a historic venue, in a super touristy area, you might get a mix of people who are fans of the band and people who just want to experience some music in a famous venue, they could care less what it is. For fans, this makes for a somewhat lackluster concert-going experience.

Despite the different-than-expected experience, we still had a good time, though, I’m sorry to say, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to see a favorite band perform at The Ryman again since I enjoy the community experience that comes from being in a crowd of like-minded fans that just want to stand up, sing along, and dance to their favorite music.

Day 3: Exploring Our Hotel & The Station Inn

Virgin Hotels Nashville Rooftop

We decided to give our tired legs and feet some more time to rest before heading back out to explore some of the city’s offerings. We grabbed a delicious brunch in the hotel lobby at Commons Club, then took a nice long nap before venturing up to the rooftop to grab some cocktails, views, and a bite to eat.

The Station Inn, The Gulch

We left our hotel late in the afternoon to catch a show at the legendary Station Inn, an iconic bluegrass venue in The Gulch, taking our turn being the spectators going to a show to experience the venue. Lucky for us, Station Inn is more of a sit and listen type of place on the regular.

On this visit, the Station Inn was taking part in hosting the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival and we got some tickets to see Marla Cannon-Goodman, Jaida Dreyer, Kylie Frey, and Stephanie Lambring. Each performer was incredibly talented and entertaining, their songs ranging from heartfelt to hilarious.

We also learned on this visit that one of the performers we got to experience at The Station Inn on our previous visit to Nashville, Ronnie Bowman, had passed away the week before due to a motorcycle, vehicular accident. It was evident amongst the performers and the people behind the bar that this loss was felt deeply amongst the Station Inn community and it was emotional to see the performers paying tribute to their late friend with songs they’d co-written or performed with him previously.

Ronnie Bowman, Rob McCoury and the Sparkomatic Coaxials with surprise guest, Billy Strings, December 2022

Germantown

We trekked from The Gulch, across Downtown, to Germantown. We were in pursuit of Bao, brews, and a big, hot pretzel.

The bao at Steam Boys in Germantown was up there among my favorite things we ate on this trip. I ordered the beef gua bao, which was packed with spice and warm flavor on a satisfyingly squishy bao bun. Mike opted for the chicken which he also said was excellent.

Next, we headed to Von Elrod’s Beer Hall & Kitchen and grabbed a couple seats at the bar. I got the M.L. Rose Owl Lager, brewed in Asheville, NC and we ordered a Classic Bavarian Pretzel to share.

Day 4: Cheekwood Estate & Heading Back Home

On our last day in Nashville, we had some breakfast at our hotel, checked out of our room and had the concierge desk store our bags.

We ordered a Lyft to take us to the Cheekwood Estate, a historic home and botanical garden located about a twenty-five minute drive from Downtown Nashville. I recommend booking your tickets for this in advance, if this is an activity that you are interested in, as we had noticed tickets were sold out when we originally planned to go, the day before. The Cheekwood Estate staff encourages visitors to take ride shares to the property, as parking is somewhat limited. They even gives discounts if you can provide proof of your rideshare dropping you off at Cheekwood, so that is pretty nice!

We enjoyed exploring the grounds of the Estate which was blooming with tulips on our visit. We purchased the house and gardens ticket and went into the house to explore some of the estate’s beautiful, private rooms.

We returned to our hotel to pick up our bags and ordered an Uber to whisk us off to the airport. In the terminal at BNA, a musician was playing a live acoustic set, taking requests from the travelers in the vicinity, giving us one last reminder of what Music City’s all about before we boarded our flight to head back to reality, once more.

Travel

Asheville Travel Journal

April 29, 2025September 14, 2025 Beth DeFriesLeave a comment

I’m working out how to start this post to the soundtrack of Charles Wright’s “Express Yourself“, one of my complimentary souvenirs brought back from our second trip to Asheville, NC this past weekend. Our first trip to this funky little city back in February 2022 marked our second longest road-trip and the beginning signs of our old car’s drawn-out decline. There’s no apprehension quite like that you get parked outside of a Subway in Hagerstown, MD, four hours into an eleven hour drive when your means of transportation decides to play games with your psyche. We made it the rest of the way and back with a whole lotta hope and a couple visits to the Meineke Car Care Center in downtown Asheville and agreed that, next time, we’d fly.

We flew back from Asheville Sunday morning and left the suitcases, still packed, crowding the entryway of our condo when we got home. If you’re still living out of a suitcase, you are still on vacation; no? As I unpacked yesterday morning, pulling hiking clothes with mud-flecked ankles that shed the glitter of North Carolina mountain dirt on the entryway rug, I realized we left a part of us behind in the mountains and the mist, in the balsam and the rhododendron, in the blueberry brambles and the water eroded summits.

I wonder if the black bears can smell my fabric softener lingering on the trails. I wonder if they’ve walked in our boot prints yet as they await the promise of spring’s looming abundance.

Day 1: Downtown Asheville & South Slope Brewing District

We arrived in Asheville on Thursday in the mid-afternoon, intent on going to a brewery for lunch. Among many things Asheville does well, beer is one of its notable strengths. We headed to Terra Nova Beer Co. in the South Slope Brewing District for a brew and some Mission Pizza. The brewery took the place of the former Bhramari Brewing Company which we visited on our previous trip. I opted for the Svêtlý Ležák 12°, a Czech Pilsner, while Mike went for the Lumos Haze Hazy IPA, of which I stole many sips 😋. To eat, we chose Mission’s Sausage Giardiniera pizza, hefty Roman squares stacked with flavor and crispy, airy crust. More please!

More than satiated with pizza and beer, we headed up the hill to check into our hotel, The Cambria Hotel Downtown Asheville. The hotel was perfectly situated for exploring downtown Asheville, was very comfortable, and had the quickest mandatory valet parking I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. We savored the view of the mountains from our room for a very short while before deciding a nap might be necessary in order to be functioning human beings later in the evening.

Post-nap groggy and disoriented, we made ourselves get up, get out, and explore. Our next stop beckoned us back down the hill, Antidote Cocktail Lounge & Coffee Bar. The hostess seated us at a little cafe table by the window and we perused the leather bound cocktail menu while taking in the vintage apothecary setting. Red, velvet drapes were tied back from a window in the wall, revealing the distilling works of Chemist Spirits, next door.

I ordered the House of Leaves, intrigued by its holiday nostalgia inspiration, while Mike chose the Vieux Carré in memory of a past trip to Hotel Monteleone’s Carousel Bar in New Orleans. We sipped and chatted and lost track of time a little, then moved on in pursuit of dinner.

Just thinking about Chai Pani to write this post is making my mouth water and I know I am not even hungry. Indian Food is my favorite cuisine and Indian street food sounded like the right idea for dinner Thursday night (and maybe every night, but gotta try different things, ya know?).

Chai Pani was packed when we arrived. We added our name to the waitlist and saw it would be a while before we were seated and decided to pop around the corner to Burial Brewing Co., a favorite from our previous visit.

Burial’s beer is incredible and I also appreciate the place’s strong theming. From the toe tags on the tap handles to the landscaping weaponry on display, Burial leans heavily into the theme of death and eternal rest and yet the place has a bright, happy, natural vibe about it that packs down some of that creepy with the back of a shovel. I remembered the mural (or “the murial”, as one Reddit poster referred to it as and I think it should henceforth be known as such) from our previous trip. It depicts Sloth from The Goonies and Tom Selleck, all buddy-buddy, but Mike and I agreed that it is actually Sloth from The Goonies and my dad.

As we refreshed the waitlist for Chai Pani at one of the barrel tables in Burial’s outdoor tasting area, we shared a Shadowclock Pilsner and reminisced on our memories of the place from our previous trip and how cold it had been that day. With memories of a chilly, bygone, February day in our minds, we were next on the waitlist for Chai Pani and hustled back around the corner to the restaurant.

Chai Pani was bursting with warmth and the aroma of spices. The ceiling and windows were strung with marigold garlands, the walls- painted with turquoise, magenta, and goldenrod. Above the hostess stand climbed two Bengal tigers up an ombre wall. The restaurant was beautiful and I loved it already without even having seen the menu. I was determined to eat there for a different reason anyway, but the surroundings were a welcome addition.

According to an article by Kay West published on Eater.com, when Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina back in September 2024, amid much structural and emotional devastation, local business and residents were also left without power and potable water. World Central Kitchen arrived in the region within 48 hours after the storm and quickly partnered with local restaurants in order to establish access to clean water systems and feed the victims of the storm and the emergency responders who came to the region’s aid. Chai Pani was among many Asheville restaurants that prepared and distributed free meals for those in need in the wake of Helene’s devastation despite high costs of daily water deliveries and the storm’s heavy blow to regular restaurant operations. That, along with my preference for the cuisine, made eating there a high priority on my itinerary for this trip.

We filled our bellies with Aloo Tikki Chaat, Sloppy Jai, and Chili Chicken and washed it all down with Athletic Brewing’s Atlética Cerveza, which was decent but not my favorite Athletic brew. Afterwards, we rolled ourselves back up the hill to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Day 2: Montreat & Downtown Asheville

We parked our rental car in the small, upper lot of the Lookout Mountain trailhead in Montreat Friday morning and changed into our hiking boots. Mike walked over to the posted trail map and after a moment said, “Welp, I don’t love that.”

“What?”

I joined him in front of the trail map and he pointed at a paper plate someone had written on and tied to the board.

“That was yesterday,” said Mike of the reported black bear sightings at the summit, “And the day before.”

“Yeah,” I said, “I don’t love that either; I don’t love that one bit.”

We debated whether or not we should stay. The view was supposed to be one of the better ones in the area and we had been pretty lucky to get a parking spot at the trailhead, but the possibility of encountering a bear seemed too likely. We had seen a large group of women embark on a different hike from the lower parking lot, Rainbow Trail, and took an ounce of comfort in the thought of safety in numbers. Our decision was made. We left our trail snacks in the car.

Trekking through the trees and the rhododendron, turning our heads about like two large owls, we made our way along the Rainbow Trail. It was very green and we kept up a steady conversation, not wanting to seem sneaky to any potential bears in the vicinity. Thankfully, we did not cross paths with any bears, despite every dark object raising cause for speculation and our adrenaline levels. We got comfortable enough on the trail that we decided to take the spur that led up to the Lookout Mountain summit, after all. The trail to the summit was a steep, short climb, and had a decent amount of hikers on it scrambling up and down the rocks as we made our way up. The view did not disappoint, but all the same, we didn’t linger.

We reached the parking lot unscathed, relieved, and craving chicken and waffles. We got back in the car and headed back to the city to freshen up and get some brunch.

On our first trip to Asheville, we went to Tupelo Honey for brunch our first morning there and then went right back again the next day. There was no question where we would be eating brunch this time around. We asked to sit at the bar and ordered the chicken and waffles, avocado toast, and some Athletic Brewing Upside Dawn Golden Ales, still very relieved that we hadn’t encountered a bear on our hike.

After a nice little post-brunch nap, we set off to visit a brewery we’d skipped last time around, Green Man Brewery. We brought our beers up to the third floor and headed out onto the terrace. The sky was full of overlapping gray and purple clouds, but it was warm and the terrace was covered anyway. Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band played through the speakers. Ex-pressss Yourself! – Whatever you dooo-uhn– dooo it good-uhn! walking tiptoe on top of that swaggering bass line. It’s the kind of song you can’t help but move to. On top of that, it seemed like a good mantra for the eclectic, funky, colorful, denim-patched pocket of the world that Asheville is. Have I got anyone else listening with me yet, I wonder? So, let the horns do the thing they do y’all.

After another non-creepy visit to Burial Brewing and sharing an appetizer of their intriguing broccolini, we headed back up the hill to get some real dinner at Crêperie Bouchon. I ordered a glass of red wine and the Ma Poule savory crêpe. It did not disappoint.

After dinner, we walked a few blocks over to Sovereign Remedies, a low-lit cocktail lounge that I’d wanted to try last time, but we didn’t end up getting to. I liked Mike’s drink, the No. 27, better than mine and we ended up ordering a second to share because the place was cozy and relaxing and it just seemed like the right thing to do, okay?

Day 3: Blue Ridge Parkway & Asheville Yards

The Saturday forecast was the nicest for our trip and so we chose to do the higher elevation hikes that day instead of Friday. If we were going to hike up a mountain, we wanted to see vistas at the top, not just clouds. The roads leading up the mountain are also very winding and it is safer to take them when it’s not all foggy out.

Hurricane Helene wreaked some havoc on the Blue Ridge Parkway and sections of the National Park Service-governed road are still closed to the public. Since Mike had first researched the hikes we’d take, back in February, the sections we wanted to try had opened up again and so, we drove our little blue rental car up the winding roads and along the scenic parkway, passing by vistas on the way in hopes of snagging a parking space at the trailhead.

Graveyard Fields was first. It’s not as creepy as it sounds. According to signs posted near the trailhead, the name came from a natural phenomenon caused by a heavy windstorm the felled many trees and over time left the stumps and trees to rot and become overgrown with mounded dirt, giving the appearance of tombstones. Since a forest fire blazed through the valley in 1925, these tombstone-esque stumps are no longer there. The only actually creepy thing about Graveyard Fields to me was, once again, the fact that the area is home to a high population of black bears. Mike remembered that my backpack had a built in whistle on the strap. We gave it a try and it was nice and loud which gave us some sense of security, if only a little. But hey, you take what you can get on the trail.

The Graveyard Fields loop traversed muddy trenches, spongey boardwalks, and stream crossings and offered waterfall views. We started off towards the lower falls, the more impressive of the two large falls on the 3.2 mile trail. We wound our way through the rhododendron and the sparse blueberry bushes, along the packed down dirt and the mud, and across boardwalks and bridges to get to the lower falls view point. We were owls again, looking all around at frequent intervals, wary of rocks and dark tree stumps in the distance that were bear-shaped only in our minds.

After spending a few minutes taking in the lower falls, we continued back along the trail toward the upper falls following the few and far between blue blazes that marked the way. There was a little rock scrambling involved to reach the upper falls and the sound of the rushing water was soothing, the mist- cool and refreshing on our overheated faces after the climb.

The parking lot was more than full when we got back and we were happy we’d done at least one of the hikes we’d planned to. We hoped to be lucky enough to get a spot at the next trailhead that led up to Black Balsam Knob. Luck was on our side as we found a space along the road by the Art Loeb Trail Access that connected to where we wanted to go.

I think the Art Loeb Trail was my favorite of the hikes, albeit, the shortest. The trail was steep and cut through tall, fragrant, spruce trees, emerging out upon a water-eroded, rocky summit that’s surface resembled waves of glitter. The ground in the forest was red with damp, shed spruce needles and smelled fresh and earthy. There were many hikers in our view at all times, but not too many to take away from the enjoyment of the trail.

We joined up with the trail leading up to the Black Balsam Knob summit, climbing those sparkling waves and meandering dirt paths to reached the 360 degree views of the round-topped, Blue Ridge Mountains.

Winding our way back down the Blue Ridge Parkway, we pulled into every vista overlook to take in the view. It looked very similar from each one and we got to see Looking Glass Rock from multiple angles which was neat. With tired legs and feet and hungry bellies, it was time to head back to the city.

We got some lunch at Twisted Laurel, downtown, which we visited last time- pesto chicken pizza and a cauliflower curry bowl with fried chickpeas. Both were decent. We were excited for a concert we were going to at the new Asheville Yards later on that night, but we were tired from our earlier excursion into the mountains. Our daily vacation nap was in order if we wanted to make it through hours of standing later on.

After our little sojourn at the Cambria Hotel, we headed back out to squeeze in a downtown brewery before the show, DSSOLVR. We enjoyed our beers in the pleasant back patio area amid a little artist market that was going on.

We headed down the hill again, to the concert, the opener already playing when we arrived. I had never heard of Mipso before, but I’d listen to them now after enjoying a few of their songs. My favorite of the songs they played was probably “Coming Down the Mountain”, but I was very excited to see who we’d come to Asheville for.

After seeing Trampled by Turtles perform in Harrisburg, PA back in October, we knew we wanted to go to another show. When Asheville popped up on their tour schedule, we thought that would be a really fun experience and would probably have a fun crowd. We were right. The set list was full of familiar favorites and a couple of songs we didn’t know, but for the most part we sang along and moved to the rhythm of the strings. This time they played one of my favorites called “Burlesque Desert Window“, which I dare you not to shake your tail feathers to, if you give it a listen. 🦉

With growly bellies after the show, we headed a few blocks away for some late night bites at Daddy Mac’s. The restaurant was full of people in Trampled by Turtles tees and hats and whoever was running the music playlist caught up to speed pretty quick and put the boys on. We finished our meal to “Wait So Long” before settling up and heading back up the hill to our hotel for our last sleep of the trip.

To end this post, I’ll suggest Trampled by Turtles cover of Iris DeMent’s “Our Town” for some easy listening. I’m listening to it now as I type these final lines, thinking of Asheville and the good memories made there this trip and last. All I can do is look forward to the next visit and the next after that. The mountains have patience like no other and the water is slow to break them down.

“Go on now and say goodbye to our town, to our town, can’t you see the sun’s setting down on our town, on our town. Good night.” -Iris DeMent

Travel

Pennsylvania Getaways: Harrisburg & The Poconos

November 12, 2024November 21, 2024 Beth DeFries5 Comments

Hey friends! For today’s post, I am going to continue our little adventure through scenic Pennsylvania. We’ll make a brief stop in the state’s capital for some good music before visiting a region renowned for its access to the great outdoors. So, go grab some tea or coffee and get settled in a comfy place. Ready? Ok! Let’s get started.

Harrisburg

Our stop in Harrisburg in mid-October was brief, our long journey there flanked by picturesque scenery, fall foliage, and political campaign billboards for the, then, upcoming Presidential election. Pennsylvania is a “battleground” state in the political sense and the increase in campaign signage for both major political parties compared to New Jersey’s amount was not subtle.

Anyway… back to Harrisburg. Equipped with two Trampled by Turtles concert tickets, a new car that actually works (RIP Silver Bullet), and a hotel reservation downtown, we were lured by the music. The city welcomed us with a majestic view of the state capitol building and complex on our way, which, in hindsight, we probably should have paid a dedicated visit to as it was a spectacle of its own.

Lodging

Judging from the map, the Hilton Harrisburg looked like it would be a close enough walk to the concert venue, XL Live. We checked into the hotel after navigating the labyrinthine parking situation and spent a longer than usual amount of time at check-in due to a friendly reservation agent who was very nice and even gave us some complimentary bags of chocolates upon checking in. As a frequent Hilton guest and Silver member, the chocolates were new, but were definitely a nice touch! We checked into our room, changed for the show, and got to work hunting down a cozy spot for a quick dinner.

Dinner

McGrath’s Pub fit the bill and was a short walk from our hotel. On our walk there through downtown Harrisburg, on a Friday evening- mind, it seemed a little strange to us that there were not many people out. Still, the pub was a welcoming respite after our long drive and we snagged a couple open seats at the bar and ordered some drinks and dinner. McGrath’s had quick, friendly service, a good draft selection, and standard pub fare, which is just what we were looking for. I also enjoyed the warm, comfortable ambiance, pretty stained glass windows behind the bar, and the sculptural light fixture above us that was adorned with various retired tap handles.

The Show

After dinner, we made a quick stop to stow our leftovers in our room and then headed right back out to walk to XL Live. Harrisburg is, perhaps, just not a walking city. On our twenty minute walk to the venue, we only saw three people and also had to turn on our flashlights for one particularly dark section. Still, despite the somewhat eerie walk, the closer we got to the venue, the more excited I got to see the show! We made an agreement to take a rideshare back to our hotel if we didn’t see other people walking toward downtown after the concert and then got in line to go inside the venue.

Walking into XL Live reminded me of walking into the Starland Ballroom at sixteen to see The Academy Is… for the first time. The hot static of nostalgia tingled my neck and made me smile in the way one might when they just can’t help it. I was excited to finally see a band that I’d been listening to for over a decade, hear songs that have been both entertainment and medicine, see the musicians who made it all happen with their calloused fingertips and Minnesota influences. Mike grabbed us some PBRs (or Pabst for those who call it by its other name) from the bar as the opener finished their set and then we wormed our way to the center of the crowd to get a better view of the stage.

Trampled by Turtles (*Mandolin player, Erik Berry, all the way on the left*)

The show was everything I hoped it would be and more. We were happy to hear a lot of the band’s older material along with the new material they were touring, from their EP, Always Here. If you haven’t experienced bluegrass or think you don’t like the genre, I suggest giving this band a listen. The talent can’t be ignored, Dave Simonett’s lyrics are poetry, and it’s evident that the guys are just having a lot of fun performing together. Some particular highlights for us to hear live were Kelly’s Bar and Wait So Long, though perhaps the most mesmerizing spectacle of all was the mandolin player’s hair blowing dramatically in the breeze from the fan at his feet- simply breathtaking.

After the show, more than three people were walking back towards downtown so we chose to walk too. Energized by the show and wanting to stretch the night, we headed back to our tried and true McGrath’s in want of one more drink before turning in. I opted for an Old Fashioned to compliment the evening’s spirit of nostalgia. It didn’t disappoint.

The Delaware Water Gap & The Poconos:

We left Harrisburg the next morning, having done what we’d come to do, and made our way back east to the Mount Minsi trailhead on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware Water Gap. The parking at the trailhead was crowded and there were no spots until about ten minutes after we arrived. It was what we expected since we did not arrive very early in the morning, like most trail guides recommend. After securing a coveted spot, we enjoyed a little lunch to fuel up for our hike- some Wawa hoagies and fruit, then laced up our hiking boots and got started on the trail, doing our best to decipher the mostly-downloaded trail guide as we did to make sure we were headed in the right direction.

We have wanted to hike Mount Minsi since hiking its neighbor, Mount Tammany, across the Delaware back in 2021. It’s funny how sometimes you just don’t quite get around to doing the things you’ve been wanting to do, isn’t it? Well, it felt good to finally get around to this and to be in good enough shape to complete the hike comfortably. Our adventure up the little mountain took us to a couple of scenic view points- one of which mirrored the lookout on Mount Tammany (pictured above) that we had climbed to three and a half years earlier. We also wound our way through multiple rhododendron tunnels and up and down a few minor rock scrambles. We saw exactly one snake, which was one more snake than I had hoped to see, once we were almost done with the hike and that provided a good little startle. We hopped back in the car, freeing up our spot for another one waiting and headed out for yet another bout of hiking elsewhere.

Bushkill Falls

I’ll lead off by saying I didn’t know exactly what to expect pulling into the parking lot of Bushkill Falls. The entrance to the trail had an off-brand theme park vibe that I felt a little resistant to at first, being in a great outdoors mindset for the day. There were multiple buildings, among them a ticket office, visitor’s center, souvenir shops, an apparel shop, fudge kitchen, snack bar, playground, maze, picnic area, and restrooms. There was a silhouette cutout of Bigfoot by the ticket office, proposing the challenge to observant visitors to find two others like him along the trails. The place was also swarmed with families. Had it been a mistake to come to this woodsy Disneyland among the trees? The cost to access the trails to the waterfalls seemed pretty steep at first at $20 each. I think I went in feeling prepared for it not to live up to the price and then I saw the staircases and it all made sense.

Every day at Bushkill Falls is leg day, my friends. The park has an extensive system of winding, wooden staircases and bridges that provide access to beautiful views of the park’s multiple waterfalls. These staircases must require constant maintenance, which explained the ticket price right of the bat, and even made twenty bucks seem like a bit of a bargain.

The grandest of the waterfalls is located right at the beginning of the trail and is aptly named “Main Falls”. If you are looking for a fun outing with your kids, you could spend a decent amount of time just in the park’s entry area and viewing Main Falls without too much grumbling from the kiddos or the less actively inclined participants in your group. We, however, were looking to put some distance between ourselves and the crowds and headed down the stairs of the “red trail” toward the nature trails.

Once we passed a sign that advertised that what lay beyond were trails intended for experienced hikers only, the crowds died down a lot. We passed more people than we did on our walks in Harrisburg to and from XL Live, but had little portions of the trail completely to ourselves. Shortly into the nature trail, we found a Bigfoot silhouette and I couldn’t resist asking Mike to snap these photos before thanking him for putting up with me.

We realized the distances depicted on the map provided by the Visitor’s Center did not accurately represent the actual distances between each waterfall and lookout, nor their actual location on the side of the creek. It made for a journey that kept us a little on our toes and each discrepancy we came across provided a little comic relief. Once we got closer to a waterfall called “Bridesmaid’s Falls”, we caught a glimpse of herds of creatures in their natural habitat. The Poconos are, after all, a popular destination for bachelorette parties. I, myself, can recall more than one occasion of traipsing around the region with a “Bride Tribe” Shot Glass Necklace and even a green wig, in one case. I suppose the name of this waterfall was a particular draw for these herds of women along with one further along called “Bridal Veil Falls”. Bushkill knows its market, I guess.

We ended our hike with a scenic view of the Delaware Valley which had not yet fully blossomed with fall color, but still provided a picturesque sight (and another silhouette of Bigfoot!). With tired muscles from miles and miles of inclined walking over the course of one day, we headed back to the car, which was good an dirty by this point, and drove to our final stop to check into our hotel.

Stroudsburg

We checked into The Penn Stroud in downtown Stroudsburg where our room was comfortable, though the lighting was a bit stark for my taste. If it were up to me, Bright White lightbulbs would be reserved for medical facilities, research labs, emergency exits, and nowhere else. The Penn Stroud, however, seemed to have a different opinion of them and used them in abundance. There was a desk lamp in the room, so we switched that baby on and that provided relief from the bright-as-day lighting. We freshened up and headed back out for dinner.

We tried out Farmhouse Mainstreet in downtown Stroudsburg, which had a very different menu to the all-day brunch menu posted on their website, but we decided to still give it a shot. It looked cozy with a distressed vintage vibe in the pictures online and even would have been if bright-as-day lights weren’t trending in Stroudsburg. I ordered the Apple Arugula Salad with Chicken which was delicious and Mike ordered something that tasted much less impressive. The service was weird and the servers seemed annoyed with one another, which was uncomfortable as diners, but my cocktail and meal were delicious so it could just be that we came on an off day. I hope so.

After dinner, we headed down the street to Down River Brewing Company. The brewery was set deep within a fluorescent lit indoor mall type place and we instantly turned around upon seeing it was karaoke night. Now, I’m a fan of karaoke sometimes, but it wasn’t what we were looking for on a Saturday night on our little weekend away. We switched gears and headed to Finola’s Irish Pub, finally finding a place that suited the ambiance we were craving.

At Finola’s, my perfectly poured pint of Guinness picked up my spirits as we sat there at the bar, puzzled by Saturday night in Stroudsburg (and Friday night in Harrisburg). I followed my Guinness with a non-alcoholic beer to stretch the night a little further before we headed back to our hotel for some much needed sleep after our long day of driving and hiking.

The previous evening’s track record left me a little wary of brunch that Sunday, but there was no need for that whatsoever. The Cure Cafe was a cozy little spot on Main Street that had us leaving Stroudsburg on a high note. We sat outside, bundled up in our jackets and I had my first coffee since May (five months with no coffee- I’m still in disbelief) and enjoyed every sip of it alongside my breakfast. With achy leg muscles, full bellies, and a family birthday party to get to, we got back in the car and headed out, leaving the Poconos behind us until next time.

If you are enjoying these little PA travel journals, great, because there’s one more to come! If not, bear with me and I’ll be sure to write some strictly cozy posts soon. Thanks for reading and have a cozy day! 💖