Asheville…Take 2.

Our family visited Asheville a year and a half ago and ever since that trip, all we wanted to do was go back. We went over Labor Day weekend last time so the weather was much warmer, but that meant there was opportunity for new adventures in the winter time!

We visited Asheville, NC over Christmas weekend and we were excited to experience the Christmas magic in the mountains. Last time we stayed at The Grove Park Inn and this time we decided to stay downtown at The Foundry. I wouldn’t say this hotel screams kid-friendly, but you can definitely stay with kids here. There is a large grassy area in front that the girls loved to run around on and they had a hot cocoa bar every afternoon. The customer service was wonderful, valet service was great and their restaurant is delicious too!

King Size Room at The Foundry Hotel

We stayed in two connecting rooms and the bathroom was big enough to fit a crib. We were welcomed with two glasses of champagne and they were constantly filling the glass water bottles in our room. No baths in the bathroom, but there is a little bar that has a fridge that isn’t quite as cold as a typical fridge. We have the Amex Platinum so we had hotel credit each day and we used it on breakfast, items from the marketplace and drinks from the bar/lounge which was really nice. This hotel is also extremely dog friendly, we saw so many!

The hotel is downtown, but kind of around the corner in a quiet area. I really liked it like that. It wasn’t a noisy hotel, but still close to the hustle and bustle. It was really close to White Duck Taco which is the famous taco spot that we enjoyed the first night we were there.

Tacos at White Duck Taco

Although I did hear Taco Billy is delicious too. Some other restaurants I saw great things about that were kid friendly were: Mamacitas, Nine Mile, Homegrown, All Souls Pizza, Luellas, Baby Bull, Biscuit Head, Asheville Proper, and Melting Pot Social.

What I love about Asheville is it’s an easy drive from Atlanta. If you want to make it a longer trip, you can definitely stop in the Highlands on the way there because it is literally on the way :) Anyways, the first night we arrived, we got tacos at White Duck Taco and the plan was to get ice cream/chocolate from French Broad Chocolate but the girls were ready for bed. That is the famous dessert spot though! They also have chocolate tours but I felt like it was a little “adult” for the girls.

Fire Truck Play area at Hands On! Children’s Museum in Hendersonville

The next morning, we drove to Hendersonville. Hendersonville is about half an hour away and a super cute town. They have great shops and lots of things for kids to do. We went to the Hands On! Children’s Museum which we enjoyed for a few hours.

Hurricane Simulator at Hands On! Children’s Museum in Hendersonville

And then afterwards, the girls went mining for gems. We got two little buckets but they definitely could have split one. You get a lot of rocks and the experience doesn’t take too long. It was at the Pisgah Forest Gem Mine. It was nice that it was just down the street from the museum. We didn’t have a chance to do this, but there’s a bakery downtown that’s super popular and across from the children’s museum. The line was out the door!! We are definitely getting goodies next time to see what the fuss is all about.

After we played and had lunch (there are several options downtown) we went home for Serena’s nap. During Serena’s nap, Emilia and I went shopping downtown. Mast General is a fun store to visit- filled with souvenirs and old fashioned items.

Old Fashioned Candy Section at Mast General Store

We also found some cute boutiques along Lexington which is the street with the most shops. Make sure to stop by TOPS shoe store. It is quite the store! It is so big and has every shoe imaginable.

Once we returned to the hotel, we got ready to go to dinner. We ate at the Twisted Laurel downtown. It’s typical American food and a good kids menu. We were sitting by a stage where I am assuming they have live music sometimes and the girls became the entertainment that night.

The next day, we visited the Biltmore Antler Hill Village. The farm was really nice and so was the playground. It is a bit pricey though and after visiting the Western North Carolina Nature Center last time, I think the Nature Center is a better animal option for this age. I think once the kiddos are older and we take them through the Biltmore too, it would be worth the price.

Brushing the calf in the farm at Antler Hill Village

The Biltmore Village right outside the the Biltmore is really nice. The Grand Bohemian Hotel is there which Josh and I loved staying at pre-kids and the Courtyard is apparently also really nice! The Corner Kitchen is the famous restaurant there and is delicious. We ate across the street at Well-Bred this time which was also good!

Afterwards we walked around and went to the most adorable kids story called Dogwood Darlings. Highly recommend this store if you have littles. After our busy morning, we went back for Serena’s nap.

Dogwood Darlings Children’s Store

Emilia had some downtime with Josh at the hotel and I did some solo shopping in Asheville. The Loft is a fun store to visit in Asheville and Double D’s is a famous coffee spot that is in a Double Decker bus.

The Loft in downtown Asheville

I also discovered a popular bookstore called Malaprop’s. It was a nice independent bookstore with a coffee shop inside!

I returned after a little and Emilia and I went to the Asheville Art Museum. They have a kid’s section on the second floor. They have a creation station, building, magnetic tiles, a telescope and some more fun items!

I also enjoyed taking Emilia to an art museum for the first time. It was neat explaining to her how people typically browse an art museum so we practiced and spoke about the art together.

The Art Playce in the Asheville Art Museum

My aunt and uncle live outside of Asheville so we went to their house for dinner that night. We ordered sushi that was delicious (the food in Asheville is so good!) and spent the evening there. On Christmas day, we returned to Atlanta and we were back by lunch time! We didn’t go to any breweries this time, but there are so many kid friendly ones. Check out where on my previous Asheville post!

Questions about our trip? Ask below!