The second part of my Asheville trip consisted mostly of the conference I was attending but I have to tell you about the restaurants and the things I saw. On my previous trip to Asheville, I wasn’t old enough to truly enjoy the experience. I was able to walk to everything in the area. This night we went to Zambra, a Tapas bar with an amazing ambiance, trees built into the walls and plenty of pillows to chill out for hours. Around the corner, you will find my favorite stop in all of Asheville. Malaprops Bookstore, an indie shop that you are sure to love. Here is a comment from the owner.
I wanted Malaprop’s to be a place where poetry matters, where women’s words are as important as men’s, where one is surprised by excellence, where good writing has a home, where I could nurture my addiction to literature, and play, enjoy, and entertain people drawn to quality books.
After I snagged an amazing book or two I went for a walk around the city of Asheville where I found musicians, human statues, an amazing drum circle, and more art than I can handle. When I finally made it over to the city center towards the drumming I heard to find a large crowd gathered to listen and dance. I listened for a while before walking around a little more and then finally coming back to enjoy Tupelo Honey Café. Asheville’s New South Kitchen that I was told be handfuls of people I needed to try before I leave. All I can say is Goat Cheese Grits, Big Biscuits with homemade blueberry jam, and Fried Okra. If you aren’t drooling yet then you need to check out their cookbook. Tupelo Honey Cafe: Spirited Recipes from Asheville’s New South Kitchen
I sat in the park eating my dinner as families started to join in the crowd. What started as about 10 drums had turned into well over 40! Children had them, the circle was alive with dancing. Does this drum circle look familiar? Because s I was packing up to walk back to the conference one of the drummers had packed up and was standing next to me. I told him how awesome the group was and mentioned that Atlanta needed one. He proceeded to tell me about the trip they took to Atlantic Station not long ago. Explore Asheville performed a flash mob-style drum circle in the crowded streets of Atlantic Station to show the fun side of Asheville. I wish I had been there for that!
Among the fantastic shops, you can find children playing in fountains and the lovely art scattered around the city. It truly reminds me of a mini Atlanta. If I didn’t love my great city so much, I’d move there. So make sure you check out Asheville, I short drive away and so much to offer. Stay in the Hilton at Biltmore Park if you are looking for the best bed in town.
