Asheville | United States
There is nothing like watching the Blue Ridge Mountains come into view as you drive towards Asheville, North Carolina.
You come over a hill and there they are at the horizon, slowly rising out of the mist and defining themselves against the sky with their shadowy shade of blue. The mountains are covered in a rich green that turns to a sunset in the Fall and a sea of Rhododendron in the summer.
I spent every summer and winter holiday in the shadow of those mountains. My grandmother and her family were raised in Montreat, a small village east of Asheville, North Carolina. The Presbyterian church created the little mountain community for its returning missionaries over 100 years ago, setting up a conference center, hiking trails, and later a small college. My grandmother raised her five children in the old family home with creaking floorboards, a huge picture window, and the ever-present babble of the nearby creek. That home, that community, that area, fills my heart with memories of family gatherings and breath-taking nature.
Stay
Montreat was our home base for exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains. When my grandmother was alive, we would stay in the big old family home perched on the side of a hill. We’d gather around the tiny Formica kitchen table for breakfast, gathers at the picnic table on the side porch for dinner, and celebrate big family milestones with thick slices of my grandmother’s famous pound cake with cream cheese icing and fresh strawberries.
The house was filled with stories; letters from when my great grandfather was a missionary doctor in Congo, pictures of my grandmother’s childhood in Mexico, and toys from my father and uncle’s upbringing that still lived in the room they shared as children. My grandmother and the old family home have passed on, but we still visit Montreat, either renting a house, staying in the historic Assembly Inn, or one day soon, camping along the creek.
Explore
We’ve spent hours, as children and adults, exploring the beauty that is Montreat. In the summer, we would fish for crayfish (crawdaddies) in the creek and ride paddle boats in Lake Susan. In the fall, we would take a picnic lunch and hike all day up Greybeard Mountain, appreciating the autumn leaves, rushing of the nearby creek, and simmering path littered with broken bits of mica. And no visit to Montreat was complete without a run up Look Out Mountain, regardless of weather. The hike is just under a mile and gives the most breathtaking views of the surrounding area.
We loved walking around the few historic blocks of Black Mountain when we got bored of playing in the creek or hiking. We’d peak into antique shops, play on the historic train caboose at the old Train Depot, or wander through the Black Mountain Town Hardware and General Store for hours, making a wish list of toys and gadgets for the next Christmas.
Eat
Montreat doesn’t have a grocery store or any restaurants, but Black Mountain village was just up the road and had everything we needed for food and entertainment. My childhood was filled with runs to Food Lion to get some missing ingredient for grandma’s cake. But recently, a small organic market, Roots and Fruits, opened up and is where we now do much of our shopping.
As we got older, we spent hours in the Dripolator, a local coffee shop on the village’s main street. I’d take long weekends during college to visit my grandmother and would sneak away for a few hours to study at the Dripolator’s counter, distracting myself from memorizing organic chemistry structures by eavesdropping on locals conversation and imagining what my life would be like if I lived in Black Mountain full time.
There are a few bars and restaurants in Black Mountain, the type you would expect in a mountain town often visited by tourists. But there is also Thai Basil, an amazing unexpected Thai restaurant with incredible flavors and exceptional service.
Asheville
Most trips to visit my grandmother would also include a visit to Asheville. We’d jump in the car and take 40 West, past small mountain towns and eclectic strip malls, to Asheville’s downtown. After finding a parking spot, which has gotten significantly harder over the years, we’d walk the streets. Asheville felt like a big city to us as kids, with its green park squares, street performers, and sidewalk art markets.
Eat
My first vegan meal as a child was at the Laughing Seed Cafe, a simple lunch spot in the center of downtown. My father became a vegan when we were young for health reasons, and I love visiting the Laughing Seed Cafe because it is the one restaurant where he can eat everything on the menu. As an adult returning to Asheville, my husband and I would get lost at the Battery Park Book Exchange. We’d drop in for coffee and stay for the dim-lighting, oriental rugs and cozy armchairs, and the unending stacks of books.
Explore
If we were visiting in the summer, we would always make a visit to the Biltmore Estate to wander the huge historic home and beautiful gardens. If it was winter, no Christmas in Asheville was complete without a trip to the Grove Park Inn to see North Carolina’s best Ginger Bread Houses. As a child, we would wander through the display for hours, fascinated by people’s ability to manipulate sugar. As an adult, not much changed except that this tour also included a hot toddy from the lobby bar.
This part of North Carolina, tucked in the folds of the Blue Ridge Mountains, will always be close to my heart, surrounded by memories of family, sounds of rushing creeks, and shadows of the mountains.
