Day 3 - Asheville, NC

A bit of a respite today as we spent all day hanging around Asheville.  I was first introduced to this city in 2003 during our Smoky Mountain camping trip and have loved it ever since.  After breakfast at the hotel, we drove out to the northeast side of town to the Folk Art Center located on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This is a very dangerous store for all of us as they have amazing art for sale:  photos, pottery, textiles, etchings, drawings, glass and more.  You owe it to yourself to stop here anytime you're in the area.  I had a framed piece of art in my hands, but I put it back on the wall before I got to check out.  I walked away empty-handed today, but only because I know I'll find equally cool souvenirs later in our trip.  Franklin picked up his first harmonica and has been serenading us ever since; he's actually getting better!

Our next stop was south of Asheville near Hendersonville.  It was time to go mining at the Elijah Mountain Gem Mine.  This family-run establishment might sound touristy (it is), but it is guaranteed fun, especially if you have kiddos.  We got a bucket full of sand with hidden treasures inside which we scooped into sifters.  A dip in the flowing water, some good old shaking, and gems began to appear.  Garnets, rubies, sapphires, quartz crystals, amethysts, emerald, geodoes, and more were found, resulting in big laughs from us all and wonderful smiles on the kids' faces.  The shop even cracked open Lena's geode for her.  I'm sensing a rock tumbler may be in their future.

We tried to visit the REI store in Knoxville on Friday, but the distance from our hotel and the down pouring rain caused us to delay until today.  Before shopping, we grabbed some North Carolina Bar-B-Que at Luella's.  Between the sweet potato chips, chopped brisket, ribs, andouille sausage, and homemade banana pudding, we all walked away with full bellies.  Lena snagged a new school backpack at REI and we found a perfect sticker for our "stowaway" bin on the back of the car.  

Downtown Asheville is home to many wonderful cafes, restaurants, street musicians, architecture, and more, but we spent some of our afternoon hours at the Asheville Pinball Museum.  For a flat per person rate, you get unlimited plays on old and new pinball machines, plus arcade favorites from when we were kids:  Miss Pac Man, Tron, Dig Dug, Galaga, Burger Time, Donkey Kong, and more.  Who knew frittering away 2 hours could be so much fun?  I did notice that I no longer have to get on my tip toes to see the arcade screens as I've grown a bit since the mid-1980s.

After a quick late afternoon coffee and some decadent chocolate confections we walked around the downtown area a bit and then drove through the River Arts District.  This "new" district is located near the Front Broad River and is in the old industrial area of the city.  Several studios have renovated warehouse spaces and open their doors to visitors.  Because it was late on a Sunday, all were closed, but we decided this would be an excellent way to spend a day with other adults on a future trip.  Back to the hotel early tonight and prepping to head out toward the center of North Carolina tomorrow.  The weather has continued to be completely amazing; it feels very much like fall in the mountains!