North Carolina Wineries & Saturday in Asheville

I visited a winery near Asheville back when I was there in October of 2020. There was a cluster of wineries nearby, so I wanted to check them out as well. My friend was visiting for the weekend, so it was a great opportunity for us to explore the area. 

An idea popped up from Meetup to attend an Italian festival at Raffaldini Vineyards. I purchased tickets and planned the day around it. We stopped by a farmer's market in Wilkesboro, which turned out to be very disappointing. A few vendors selling two peppers and honey; no eggs, nothing else.

After a walk on the nearby greenway, we headed to the festival which turned out to be pretty decent. There were lots of food trucks with a hint of an Italian motif. Vegetable quesadilla and a pizza was all we needed. Well, besides wine, of course! We both were impressed by their dry red wine and enjoyed it quite a bit.

On the way to our dinner reservation, we stopped by at another winery, Dobbins Creek Vineyards, a bit hidden, but with decent signage. The tasting room was relatively small, but the outside area offered amazing views. We did a tasting there trying most of their wines on the menu. We again were pleasantly surprised not only by the variety of wines, but also by the customer service. We sat outside for a bit until a party bus with a bunch of loud 30-year-olds showed up prompting us to head out.

Our next destination was dinner at Southern on Main. This was one of the few restaurants in the area that looked decent. That is one thing that I don't like about the area, not a lot of good places to eat. I was pleased with shrimp and grits and mildly surprised by the sweetness of my brussels sprouts which I consumed in full when I got home.

Shrimp and Grits

Brussels Sprouts

After a satisfying meal, we headed home. The drive was pleasant and sunny. I haven't been able to sleep well for days, so I was hoping to get some sleep tonight by going to bed early, which I did after we watched (and I re-watched) Our Souls at Night.

The following day, we went to Blowing Rock where we visited The Blowing Rock, a nice overlook point that is a bit more commercialized than I hoped it would be. It offered nice views, but nothing else too exciting. For $9 per person, I wish we had gone on a hike somewhere.

A small pond in The Blowing Rock

We had lunch at The Speckled Trout Restaurant, which was reasonably good, but somehow I expected my Develish Eggs would be less rubbery. Kilwin's Chocolate, specifically their chocolate ice cream compensated for lacking quality of food at the restaurant. Let's be real though, you put "chocolate" in pretty much anything, and the dish/day/event becomes better.

It was a great weekend, and my friend headed back home while I got back to Boomer for the rest of the Sunday to recover from the list of activities. 

Mid-week I scheduled an appointment to get my hair highlighted and cut. I had zero expectations given my previous experience in Knoxville. LaBelle Salon's owner Miranda totally blew me away by not only cutting my hair exactly how I wanted, but also coloring it in the exact shade. I will be back here regardless where I am...

The following weekend, I had plans to go to Asheville to spend Saturday eating more chocolate and re-visiting Blue Ridge Parkway. It was now over a week without decent sleep, and I was grasping at straws about what to do. My brain was not functioning properly, even with coffee. I couldn't let it change my plans. After a quick stop at the local coffee shop to rejuvenate my brain (or at least make it believe that it got more sleep than it really did), Blue Ridge Parkway awaited.

A lookout point along Blue Ridge Parkway

A few lookout points in and a few fabulous pictures later, Craggy Garden Trail was next on the hiking list. It was a short 2-mile trail with two areas with great views. The sky became clouded (probably just as my brain), and the rain drops fell after a bit of hiking. It wasn't too cold though, so I really enjoyed the views.

The chocolate tour at French Broad Chocolate Factory was scheduled at 3 PM, so there was time to stop by Ginger Revenge right next door to it. I LOVED their ginger beer so much that I wanted to come back right after the tour. It reminded me of kombucha that is not as popular on the East coast as it is back in California. I later regretted not having purchased something to bring home.

The chocolate tour was informative and included a tasting. I must admit that I tried the most delicious chocolate raspberry bonbon. It had genuine raspberry flavor, and not just flavor, they actually incorporate raspberry puree into it. I like Asheville more and more. 

The final touch to the day was Jettie Rae's Oyster House. While my fish and chips was pretty decent, I was not overly impressed by the shrimp appetizer that was very overdone. Sourdough bread was top notch though. I was getting tired and headed back home. It was a wonderful day which made me wish I lived closer to Asheville. Perhaps this might be my destination next year? Who knows.