This, however, is about as close as we got to it. Shockingly, they charge $45 per person to tour the monstrous mansion and that just was not in our budget this trip. To my delight after some quick research I found that Asheville (and the surrounding areas) is loaded with craft breweries (yay beer!) Even better yet, there was one within 3 miles of where we were staying so we hopped in the car and headed off to discover what Southern Appalachian Brewery was all about.
We arrived around 7:00pm to a group of 5 or 6 families, children and even dogs included, camped out at tables in front of the brewery (it was an unusually mild day for January). Obviously this is not what you expect at an establishment that's main purpose is the making and serving of alcohol. As we entered the building we were greeted by the sounds of folk music being played live, right in front of the tanks of beer.
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| Todd Hoke performing at Southern Appalachian Brewery |
After taking in the scene a bit we approached the bar and decided it would be a good idea to order their sampler tray which consisted of four 4oz beers. For such a small brewery I was immediately impressed by the IPA. Jade's father liked the Belgian amber. It was similar to a Blue Moon but darker in color and a bit sweeter. Jade and I ended up settling on the Copperhead Amber ale. This was not too hoppy but had enough body and flavor that it was enjoyable. I enjoyed it so much that before we went home I went and purchased a growler to bring back with us.
On day two of our trip we decided to brave the rain and go explore downtown Asheville. Asheville has the appeal of a smaller city but has the vibe of a city that is also experiencing rapid growth. The downtown scene is a very artistic and organic one. The city was nicknamed Beer City after being named "Beer City USA 2010" in an online poll during American Craft Beer Week. The city, with a population of around 80,000, has about 1 brewery for every 8,000 people. Asheville also is home of the #3 rated beer retailer in the world, Bruisin' Ales and hosts 5 annual beer festivals. Needless to say if you live on the Eastern seaboard and love craft beers you should plan a trip to Asheville.
The night of day two saw Jade and I depart on our own to check out the nearby city of Greenville, SC. It was about a 40 minute car ride to downtown Greenville. The area we were in had to be one of the cleanest and most secure feeling "downtown" environments I have ever experienced. There was no trash on the sidewalks and it seemed like there was a uniformed police officer on every corner. Main Street was still lit up with Christmas lights and the streets are lined with various restaurants, bars and retail shops. The most amazing part of downtown Greenville is the Reedy River splits downtown from the historic district. Greenville has built a park around it. It truly is a sight to behold because the part that runs through the city is actually a series of waterfalls.
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| The entrance to Falls Park in downtown Greenville, SC |
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| The falls of the Reedy in Greenville. (Pardon my poor photography) |
After walking around the park's suspended bridge that overlooks the waterfalls it dawned on us that we hadn't eaten and we were both pretty hungry. With the microbreweries of Asheville fresh on our minds we decided to check out Blue Ridge Brewing Company. We again decided that the beer sampler was the way to go (and also seem to have started a new obsession with beer tasting.) On tap that night, and maybe every night, were the Kurli Blonde Ale, Colonel Paris Pale Ale, Rainbow Trout ESB, Total Eclipse Stout and a special Brown Ale. I'm not much for blonde ale's so the Kurli wasn't for me. The Pale ale and ESB were both drinkable and had good flavoring but the real winners at Blue Ridge Brewing were the Total Eclipse Stout and the Brown Ale. Well, at least I think they were the real winners, Jade downed them both pretty quickly (she discovered a new love for stouts.)
While the stout and brown ale were both excellent the most impressive thing we had were the South Dakota Sliders with smokey pimento cheese. The sliders are made with mini buffalo patties so the meat is very tender and flavorful but the real kicker is the smokey pimento cheese, which is made in house using applewood smoked cheddar and roasted jalapeno peppers. Two thumbs up!
Day three meant it was time to make the 7 hour trek back home. While venturing down the road we decided we couldn't possibly go to North Carolina and not eat any barbecue. Jade, using her wonderful new Trip Advisor mobile app, set out to find us a place that would have what we were looking for. This led us to Hickory, North Carolina. Sadly when we reached our destination it wasn't open (that will teach us to not check the hours of operations in the future). We remembered seeing another BBQ joint on the way so we doubled back and ended up at Hannah's BBQ South.
It is a quaint little restaurant but the aroma of slow-cooked pork smacks you in the face as soon as you walk in the door. We both settled on something called "The BOB". It is a pork BBQ sandwich served on ciabatta bread with pickles and their homemade spicy coleslaw. The ciabatta gave it a different feel than a normal BBQ sandwich and the coleslaw was excellent. I haven't the slightest clue what they used to make it but it didn't taste like any slaw I have had before. After securing a cinnamon apple empanada for the road we loaded our overly stuffed bodies back into the car and made our way home.
