Category: North Carolina

Posted on

Old Places – Brown Summit Grocery

I love finding art made by local people about local places in North Carolina – it goes back to that old mystery for me personally –  I’ve never understood why this southern area resonates so hard in my soul but it does. I’ve felt like this is my HOME more years than I ever did anywhere else.

And sometimes the emotions are just really unexpectedly strong at times – like with this situation.

We found this at an estate sale, pretty much forgotten, just hanging on a wall, dusty – no price tag. It appeared nobody was interested but I think it’s beautifully done – pencil drawing of a small town grocery store: Brown Summit Grocery.

 

I’ve been excitedly looking for any information on the artist and the place and today, I found the location where it used to be on Google Maps. And ya’ll.

My heart is literally a little broken from what it showed.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/7230+Brown+Summit+Rd,+Browns+Summit,+NC+27214/@36.2126433,-79.7133136,3a,75y,152.67h,76.56t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIYa9Ax10HYOEx52AcOof8A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m9!1m2!2m1!1sgreensboro+nc+history!3m5!1s0x8852de4b96470c75:0x5f677875b0392e51!8m2!3d36.212515!4d-79.7132348!16s%2Fg%2F11c13yfs9q

 

May 2015 is the last time in Google that it had activity – looks like a local salvage kind of sale.

The first pic I found (below) just broke my heart.

 

Gets even worse the more I looked – I found this article 

STORE’S PART-OWNER CRITICALLY WOUNDED / SHOOTING STUNS COMMUNITY

    • BY BERNIE WOODALL Staff Writer

Nov 15, 1992

They had this follow up article.

I still haven’t found any information about the artist but seems good that this little place is remembered in a good way for people like me to find years later.

Posted on

North Carolina Towns & Cities Alphabetical

Did you know that there are 760 towns and cities in the state of North Carolina? Note that there are none that start with “Q” or “U”. 

Here’s an alphabetical list: 

  • Aberdeen, NC
  • Ahoskie, NC
  • Alamance, NC
  • Albemarle, NC
  • Alliance, NC
  • Altamahaw, NC
  • Andrews, NC
  • Angier, NC
  • Ansonville, NC
  • Apex, NC
  • Arapahoe, NC
  • Asheboro, NC
  • Asheville, NC
  • Atkinson, NC
  • Atlantic Beach, NC
  • Aulander, NC
  • Aurora, NC
  • Ayden, NC
  • Badin, NC
  • Bailey, NC
  • Bakersville, NC
  • Banner Elk, NC
  • Bath, NC
  • Bayboro, NC
  • Beaufort, NC
  • Belhaven, NC
  • Belmont, NC
  • Benson, NC
  • Bessemer City, NC
  • Bethania, NC
  • Bethel, NC
  • Beulaville, NC
  • Biscoe, NC
  • Black Creek, NC
  • Black Mountain, NC
  • Bladenboro, NC
  • Blowing Rock, NC
  • Boiling Springs, NC
  • Bolton, NC
  • Boone, NC
  • Boonville, NC
  • Bostic, NC
  • Brevard, NC
  • Bridgeton, NC
  • Broadway, NC
  • Brunswick, NC
  • Bryson City, NC
  • Buies Creek, NC
  • Bunn, NC
  • Burgaw, NC
  • Burlington, NC
  • Burnsville, NC
  • Butner, NC
  • Calabash, NC
  • Calypso, NC
  • Candor, NC
  • Canton, NC
  • Carolina Beach, NC
  • Carrboro, NC
  • Carthage, NC
  • Cary, NC
  • Casar, NC
  • Castalia, NC
  • Castle Hayne, NC
  • Catawba, NC
  • Cerro Gordo, NC
  • Chadbourn, NC
  • Chapel Hill, NC
  • Charlotte, NC
  • Cherryville, NC
  • China Grove, NC
  • Chocowinity, NC
  • Claremont, NC
  • Clarkton, NC
  • Clayton, NC
  • Clemmons, NC
  • Cleveland, NC
  • Clinton, NC
  • Clyde, NC
  • Coats, NC
  • Cofield, NC
  • Colerain, NC
  • Columbia, NC
  • Columbus, NC
  • Concord, NC
  • Conetoe, NC
  • Connellys Springs, NC
  • Conover, NC
  • Conway, NC
  • Cooleemee, NC
  • Cornelius, NC
  • Cove City, NC
  • Cramerton, NC
  • Creedmoor, NC
  • Creswell, NC
  • Crossnore, NC
  • Cullowhee, NC
  • Dallas, NC
  • Davidson, NC
  • Denton, NC
  • Dillsboro, NC
  • Dobson, NC
  • Dover, NC
  • Drexel, NC
  • Dublin, NC
  • Dunn, NC
  • Durham, NC
  • Earl, NC
  • East Bend, NC
  • East Flat Rock, NC
  • East Spencer, NC
  • Eden, NC
  • Edenton, NC
  • Elizabeth City, NC
  • Elizabethtown, NC
  • Elk Park, NC
  • Elkin, NC
  • Ellenboro, NC
  • Ellerbe, NC
  • Elm City, NC
  • Elon, NC
  • Emerald Isle, NC
  • Enfield, NC
  • Erwin, NC
  • Etowah, NC
  • Fair Bluff, NC
  • Fairfield, NC
  • Fairmont, NC
  • Fairview, NC
  • Faison, NC
  • Faith, NC
  • Falcon, NC
  • Fallston, NC
  • Farmville, NC
  • Fayetteville, NC
  • Flat Rock, NC
  • Fletcher, NC
  • Forest City, NC
  • Fort Bragg, NC
  • Fountain, NC
  • Four Oaks, NC
  • Franklin, NC
  • Franklinton, NC
  • Franklinville, NC
  • Fremont, NC
  • Fuquay Varina, NC
  • Garland, NC
  • Garner, NC
  • Garysburg, NC
  • Gaston, NC
  • Gastonia, NC
  • Gatesville, NC
  • Gibson, NC
  • Gibsonville, NC
  • Glen Alpine, NC
  • Goldsboro, NC
  • Goldston, NC
  • Graham, NC
  • Granite Falls, NC
  • Granite Quarry, NC
  • Grantsboro, NC
  • Greensboro, NC
  • Greenville, NC
  • Grifton, NC
  • Grimesland, NC
  • Grover, NC
  • Halifax, NC
  • Hamilton, NC
  • Hamlet, NC
  • Harkers Island, NC
  • Harmony, NC
  • Harrisburg, NC
  • Havelock, NC
  • Haw River, NC
  • Hayesville, NC
  • Hays, NC
  • Henderson, NC
  • Hendersonville, NC
  • Hertford, NC
  • Hickory, NC
  • High Point, NC
  • High Shoals, NC
  • Highlands, NC
  • Hildebran, NC
  • Hillsborough, NC
  • Hobgood, NC
  • Hoffman, NC
  • Holly Ridge, NC
  • Holly Springs, NC
  • Hookerton, NC
  • Hope Mills, NC
  • Hot Springs, NC
  • Hudson, NC
  • Huntersville, NC
  • Icard, NC
  • Indian Trail, NC
  • Ingold, NC
  • Ivanhoe, NC
  • Jackson, NC
  • Jacksonville, NC
  • Jamestown, NC
  • Jamesville, NC
  • Jefferson, NC
  • Jonesville, NC
  • Kannapolis, NC
  • Kelford, NC
  • Kelly, NC
  • Kenansville, NC
  • Kenly, NC
  • Kernersville, NC
  • Kill Devil Hills, NC
  • King, NC
  • Kings Mountain, NC
  • Knightdale, NC
  • Kure Beach, NC
  • La Grange, NC
  • Lake Junaluska, NC
  • Lake Lure, NC
  • Lake Waccamaw, NC
  • Landis, NC
  • Lattimore, NC
  • Laurinburg, NC
  • Lawndale, NC
  • Leland, NC
  • Lenoir, NC
  • Lewiston Woodville, NC
  • Lewisville, NC
  • Lexington, NC
  • Liberty, NC
  • Lilesville, NC
  • Lillington, NC
  • Lincolnton, NC
  • Littleton, NC
  • Louisburg, NC
  • Lowell, NC
  • Lucama, NC
  • Lumberton, NC
  • Macclesfield, NC
  • Madison, NC
  • Maggie Valley, NC
  • Magnolia, NC
  • Maiden, NC
  • Manteo, NC
  • Marion, NC
  • Mars Hill, NC
  • Marshall, NC
  • Marshville, NC
  • Matthews, NC
  • Maxton, NC
  • Mayodan, NC
  • Maysville, NC
  • Mc Adenville, NC
  • Mc Leansville, NC
  • Mebane, NC
  • Micro, NC
  • Middlesex, NC
  • Millers Creek, NC
  • Mineral Springs, NC
  • Mocksville, NC
  • Monroe, NC
  • Montreat, NC
  • Mooresboro, NC
  • Mooresville, NC
  • Moravian Falls, NC
  • Morehead City, NC
  • Morganton, NC
  • Morrisville, NC
  • Morven, NC
  • Mount Airy, NC
  • Mount Gilead, NC
  • Mount Holly, NC
  • Mount Olive, NC
  • Mount Pleasant, NC
  • Mountain Home, NC
  • Nags Head, NC
  • Nashville, NC
  • New Bern, NC
  • New London, NC
  • Newland, NC
  • Newport, NC
  • Newton Grove, NC
  • Newton, NC
  • Norlina, NC
  • North Wilkesboro, NC
  • Norwood, NC
  • Oak City, NC
  • Oak Island, NC
  • Oak Ridge, NC
  • Oakboro, NC
  • Ocean Isle Beach, NC
  • Ocracoke, NC
  • Old Fort, NC
  • Oriental, NC
  • Oxford, NC
  • Parkton, NC
  • Patterson, NC
  • Peachland, NC
  • Pembroke, NC
  • Pikeville, NC
  • Pilot Mountain, NC
  • Pine Level, NC
  • Pinebluff, NC
  • Pinehurst, NC
  • Pinetops, NC
  • Pineville, NC
  • Pink Hill, NC
  • Pittsboro, NC
  • Pleasant Garden, NC
  • Plymouth, NC
  • Polkton, NC
  • Polkville, NC
  • Pollocksville, NC
  • Pope A F B, NC
  • Powellsville, NC
  • Princeton, NC
  • Prospect Hill, NC
  • Raeford, NC
  • Raleigh, NC
  • Ramseur, NC
  • Randleman, NC
  • Red Oak, NC
  • Red Springs, NC
  • Reidsville, NC
  • Rhodhiss, NC
  • Rich Square, NC
  • Richfield, NC
  • Richlands, NC
  • Roanoke Rapids, NC
  • Robbins, NC
  • Robbinsville, NC
  • Robersonville, NC
  • Rockingham, NC
  • Rockwell, NC
  • Rocky Mount, NC
  • Rolesville, NC
  • Ronda, NC
  • Roper, NC
  • Rose Hill, NC
  • Roseboro, NC
  • Rosman, NC
  • Roxboro, NC
  • Roxobel, NC
  • Rural Hall, NC
  • Rutherford College, NC
  • Rutherfordton, NC
  • Saint Pauls, NC
  • Salemburg, NC
  • Salisbury, NC
  • Saluda, NC
  • Sanford, NC
  • Saratoga, NC
  • Saxapahaw, NC
  • Scotland Neck, NC
  • Seaboard, NC
  • Seagrove, NC
  • Sedalia, NC
  • Selma, NC
  • Severn, NC
  • Shallotte, NC
  • Sharpsburg, NC
  • Shelby, NC
  • Sherrills Ford, NC
  • Siler City, NC
  • Simpson, NC
  • Smithfield, NC
  • Sneads Ferry, NC
  • Snow Hill, NC
  • Southern Pines, NC
  • Southport, NC
  • Sparta, NC
  • Spindale, NC
  • Spring Hope, NC
  • Spring Lake, NC
  • Spruce Pine, NC
  • Staley, NC
  • Stanfield, NC
  • Stanley, NC
  • Stantonsburg, NC
  • Star, NC
  • Statesville, NC
  • Stedman, NC
  • Stem, NC
  • Stokesdale, NC
  • Stoneville, NC
  • Stonewall, NC
  • Stony Point, NC
  • Stovall, NC
  • Summerfield, NC
  • Sunset Beach, NC
  • Swannanoa, NC
  • Swansboro, NC
  • Swepsonville, NC
  • Sylva, NC
  • Tabor City, NC
  • Tarboro, NC
  • Taylorsville, NC
  • Teachey, NC
  • Thomasville, NC
  • Toast, NC
  • Tobaccoville, NC
  • Trenton, NC
  • Trinity, NC
  • Tryon, NC
  • Turkey, NC
  • Valdese, NC
  • Vanceboro, NC
  • Vandemere, NC
  • Vass, NC
  • Waco, NC
  • Wade, NC
  • Wadesboro, NC
  • Wagram, NC
  • Wake Forest, NC
  • Walkertown, NC
  • Wallace, NC
  • Walnut Cove, NC
  • Walstonburg, NC
  • Wanchese, NC
  • Warrenton, NC
  • Warsaw, NC
  • Washington, NC
  • Waxhaw, NC
  • Waynesville, NC
  • Weaverville, NC
  • Webster, NC
  • Welcome, NC
  • Weldon, NC
  • Wendell, NC
  • Wentworth, NC
  • West Jefferson, NC
  • Whitakers, NC
  • White Oak, NC
  • White Plains, NC
  • Whiteville, NC
  • Whitsett, NC
  • Wilkesboro, NC
  • Williamston, NC
  • Wilmington, NC
  • Wilson, NC
  • Windsor, NC
  • Winfall, NC
  • Wingate, NC
  • Winston Salem, NC
  • Winterville, NC
  • Winton, NC
  • Woodland, NC
  • Wrightsville Beach, NC
  • Yadkinville, NC
  • Yanceyville, NC
  • Youngsville, NC
  • Zebulon, NC
Posted on

Side Trips off I-40 in North Carolina

We are always so busy and scheduling time to kind of do nothing and just turn off the highway for interesting landmarks is a rare occasion but I think that side trips off Interstate 40 and just exploring small towns is my 2023 goal. Not a resolution, I don’t do those but a couple side trips off I-40 on our way back from Biltmore NC trip really showed that we can find fun and interesting places without spending a DIME!

That’s a great goal as we try to settle in and chill out on the travel for a couple months for a few reasons – money and just enjoying the moment in the moment without trying to schedule and plan every single weekend with something as I tend to schedule/schedule/schedule and then am completely exhausted all the time. 

So we are going to try to just do more of the stopping when we see a sign that interests us instead of saying, “next time”. The way life is these days, it’s never guaranteed to be there “next time”. If you have a few minutes or 30 minutes, it’s probably at least driving by and checking it out. 

 

Posted on

Asheville, NC – “Take 2 – and Action!”

Our last experience in Asheville was quite memorable because of the bus. THIS time Jason was like, “NOPE. No Airbnb. We aren’t paying to clean someone’s shit.” So, Hotel Indigo it is. We shall see how that goes….

We’re going for the Candlelight Christmas at The Biltmore Estate. He’s never been and I’ve only been once and we wanted to do something different for NYE. Note: if you want to be an extra in a Hallmark movie, they are filming one at the Biltmore in January!

We have reservations for dinner tomorrow at Jettie Rae’s and on Saturday at The Stable Cafe – Biltmore. I’d also like to check out the S&W Cafeteria – one of the coolest food halls in US apparently.

 

Depending on how much I’m freezing to death, I’d LOVE to get a Banana Split from The Hop Ice Cream place. We are most DEFINITELY getting a drink from The Times Bar.

Posted on

Historic Sites in North Carolina

How many of these listed historic sites in North Carolina have you been to? 

https://historicsites.nc.gov/

Honestly, before I looked at the list I thought there’d be more. I used to live down near Harnett County and never did make it to the Bentonville Battlefield – in my defense, I’m not really big on history. The beauty is that most of these sites are free and quite accessible and even when there is an admission fee it’s usually $2-$5. 

I’ve been to:

  • Fort Fisher near Wilmington – the NC Aquarium is near there as well
    • Until the last few months of the Civil War, Fort Fisher kept North Carolina’s port of Wilmington open to blockade-runners supplying necessary goods to Confederate armies inland. By 1865, the supply line through Wilmington was the last remaining supply route open to Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. When Ft. Fisher fell after a massive Federal amphibious assault on January 15, 1865, its defeat helped seal the fate of the Confederacy.
  • NC State Capitol building several times, it’s actually super cool and in downtown Raleigh. Free entry and has public bathrooms. 
  • Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson I went with my Mom and my  youngest daughter several years ago. Orton Plantation is nearby and so is Beaufort and those are definitely worth a visit.  
    • A major pre-Revolutionary port on North Carolina’s Cape Fear River, Brunswick was razed by British troops in 1776 and never rebuilt. During the Civil War, Fort Anderson was constructed atop the old village site, and served as part of the Cape Fear River defenses below Wilmington before the fall of the Confederacy. Colonial foundations dot the present-day tour trail, which crosses the earthworks of the Confederate fort.

 

Posted on

Raleigh Christmas Parade 2022

I love parades – the marching bands and the dancers especially. J and I went for the first time last year and we went again this year.

Sadly, about an hour into the parade there was a horrible accident – a truck pulling a float couldn’t stop and the driver ran over one of the dancers. The parade was canceled at that point. We didn’t know at the time but she was pronounced at the hospital. She was 11. Such a tragic and traumatic event during what is normally a very joyful time. 

I can’t even begin to process the overwhelming grief and shock the families are going through. Or the children and other parents who saw it happen. I’m so grateful that we weren’t witnesses to that. 

Posted on

Keep Up – It’s Holiday Season!

We have a ton of things already booked to do on the weekends for November and December.

The first weekend in November we went to a Craft Cocktail class and this past weekend was Moonlight in the Garden at the JC Ralston Arboretum.



This coming weekend is one of my faves: Raleigh Christmas Parade and the Homewood Gardens Christmas Open House for the poinsettias!

Then, Thanksgiving is the following week and we are going to Wilmington to stay with my Mom and Ray. 

After that comes the first weekend in December we are in NYC for the Amon Amarth concert for Jason’s birthday.

Wikipedia describes this band as: Genre: Heavy metal, Death metal, Viking metal, Metal, Melodic death metal, Folk metal, Technical death metal Types: Melodic death metal

Swedish Melodic Death Metal at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC? Why not? (insert OMG emoji because dude.)

Second weekend in December is the Historic Oakwood Candlelight tour and we are porch hosts. More on that later. 

The third weekend in December is our “downtime”, then Christmas, which I’m sure we’ll be at my Mom’s, and then New Years Eve and we will be in Asheville for that at the Biltmore Candlelight Christmas Evening. 

 

 

Posted on

Trams & Air Gondolas Wish List

I am absolutely obsessed with trams, ski lift rides, air gondolas, and all things like them. 

The first one I ever rode was the Roosevelt Island Tram in NYC and every time I go to NYC, I go and ride the tram.  It’s not a big or long one, it’s the location on this for me – It’s very much a part of my personal NYC experience. The tram system accepts only Metrocard and you need to swipe on each leg of trip AND exit tram. Runs on a regular schedule except holidays. Noted. 

North Carolina

For my second airlift ride – our NC State Fair added the State Flyer and it’s a permanent fixture but only runs on certain occasions (i think?) and it’s the BEST view of the entire fair. Highly recommend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjyZFPWP1dB/

I didn’t realize it was made locally in Sanford NC AND cost $1 million! Wow. This is also a must do for me when I go to the fair. LOVE IT – this video below is pretty cool too. 

Tennessee

When we went on the first and likely only, family vacation to Gatlinburg Tennessee, we found the coolest tram and sky chair there! So we rode both of those. The Gatlinburg boasts that it’s The Home of North America’s longest pedestrian cable bridge – you can ride the Skylift to get to that AND have a beer and a app at the top. We had such a fun experience here – I believe the tickets were $35 each for adults. 

Now, the Skylift and the Skybridge are fun but y’all. They ALSO HAVE A TRAM!

Ober Gatlinburg – We just happened to stumble onto this one and it’s only $22-25 per ticket! SCORE! You can visit a bunch of things at the top – including a mountain coaster which we ALSO rode. LOL. We had a blast in Gatlinburg. This one happens to be one of the largest and each car can carry 120 people.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVkqCAzr-ID/

Once we reached the top, we went to the Wildlife Encounter and watched some ice skating and went on the mountain coaster. That was my very first ride on one of those and um, wow. I did it! lol Jason freaking LOVED it. He was going so fast that it automatically slowed him down a few times. Me? No worries there – I used my brakes judiciously. 

Now, I have started creating a list of “MUST RIDE” trams and gondolas and all things like that. 

Canada, Spain

1. Vancouver Skyride

This is the big boy – North America’s largest aerial tram system! The tram operates year round and departs every 15 minutes. Tickets are not the cheap side at about $70 for an adult ticket but that is a round trip and access to the mountain top attractions that are open. AND they also offer a Skyride SURF – where you can ride on TOP of the tram. YES PLEASE! 

2. Madeira, Spain

Funchal Cable Cars 

 

If you know of one, tell me about it! Sharing is caring!

Posted on

Asheville, NC – Overnight trip

It’s leaf peeping time – Asheville, North Carolina

We hadn’t been to the mountains at all this past year so I booked us an overnight stay in Asheville. I used Airbnb and found a cool looking renovated old school bus to spend the night…I dream of living a life in a van or overlander – I have some old gypsy blood in my heart or something. I’ve always found it fascinating to actually live a mobile life. 

Anyway, we will talk about that bus later…let me just say that $335 for ONE NIGHT should yield a very comfortable stay that one doesn’t have to worry about stuffing towels and blankets in the cracks and over windows because the heater left to be plugged in kept blowing the converter in the bus that was supposed to supply electricity…..

Regardless of this minor (albeit irritating) issue; it was fun! 

We had a great time – first time for Jason and only the 2 time for me. We missed the “peak leaf” by one week I believe but it was still so beautiful and we were lucky that Green Knob Lookout wasn’t fogged or cloudy. It was pristine, sunny and so much fun!

The Devil Is In The Details

I planned out our route so that we could do a quick little hike during the good early afternoon light because did you actually go to the mountains if you don’t do at least ONE HIKE?  

 We took the normal route out of Raleigh to Asheville but we had planned to hop onto the Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Marion, NC and just do a loop down to Asheville which passed the Mount Mitchell State Park. 

I’m so glad we did! We found the neatest little dam at Lake Tahoma on the way to the BRP. We pulled over to take a look around and explore a bit. 

Honestly, I didn’t even realize how CLOSE we were going to be to Mt. Mitchell otherwise we would have planned on adding that since I’ve never been there and neither has Jason. But by the time we got to our actually reason for going on that twisty winding road (to see the Green Knob Fire Tower) that we were pretty hungry by the time we saw we were basically at the entrance to the park. 

Unfortunately, we couldn’t go on with our planned route because apparently it snowed a few days prior and our route out was closed since there was still ice on the road. We were a bit bummed because we had to backtrack and go a different direction but whatever. It was fun and we saw stuff, etc.

This image shows a closeup of the Green Knob Fire Tower on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.

Green Knob Fire Tower is not accessible above the ladder – they have it locked. Not sure if it’s year-round or just when we were there. But we still climbed the steps and took some pics. Short intense hike from the Green Knob Overlook. 

 

 

 

Future PRO TIP aka Hindsight is 20/20 – Check the weather at the actual park before committing to a route. Higher elevations and lack of ability for snow plows to get in (it’s a state park, no snow trucks!), can make having a couple route options a smart idea. 

Downside to the detour, we were STARVING by the time we actually made it to Asheville and OMG IT WAS SO FUCKING CROWDED. We THOUGHT we could just stop in Wicked Weed or something and grab a bite. Dude. Not happening. 

FOOD & DRINK

Future PRO TIP aka Hindsight is 20/20 –  During high peak seasons like fall foliage and summer, make a reservation somewhere OR take some snacks and be okay with a long wait. 

We ended up getting a table after a 30 min wait at The Twisted Laurel – we just took a chance on it since I had not read reviews, etc. Please do yourself an IMMENSE favor and get the focaccia. This was just absolutely stunning – apples, whipped ricotta, toasted pistachios, honey. Ugh. I’d eat myself sick on it. The pizza was good and the smash burger was YUM. That was our late lunch and dinner – we ended up heading out to find the Stoked bus before dark (so so glad we did!) and later went to grocery store and grabbed firewood, Firestarter, beer, and ICE CREAM. Perfect. 

 

Breakfast next morning – was at Mayfel’s. The beignets were good but wow that sausage gravy and biscuit would sink a ship! VERY big and solid. 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkD4CeYvRLz/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkCa5Hrr0NF/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkIuIGZsKLt/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkGzZuLs8YN/

 

https://www.romanticasheville.com/mtmitchell.htm

Posted on

Stoked – An Airbnb Review

I’ve been trying to find a nice way to say that I would never in a million years rebook this listing or recommend it…. I guess that sentence is enough for clarify on how I feel.

Maybe it’s just my expectations that when I agree to pay almost as much money for a one night stay in a cute looking Airbnb rather than a high end hotel within walking distance of town, I kind of expect a certain level of comfort regardless of what the package looks like.

Airbnb isn’t doing itself any favors lately though from what I’m seeing and reading. The cleaning fees are outrageous in many instances and it does require a certain level of “cleaning” up after yourself. Which, if I’m paying $100 cleaning fee, you’d think that would apply….

Which brings me back to Stoked.

The saving graces for this experience is that I absolutely knew it would be an “experience” considering it’s a renovated bus.  J and I have talked about having an Overlander or living in a tiny house (or boat in his fondest dreams) so it’s best to know if small space living would even work AND to see how other people do their renos so we know what we like and what we don’t like and that it was for only ONE night. So worst case scenario, we can manage that if it’s at all even viable and I’d say it’s not viable for us.

I am not a cold weather person, I don’t need it to be 70 or above when sleeping, actually get better sleep in a cooler environment, but it’s nice to control the drafts and environment itself. With that, I am SO FREAKING GLAD we brought the heating blanket and my woobie.

It’s good points is that it’s just a few miles away from a grocery store and a couple more miles back towards downtown Asheville.

But honestly, for $335 bucks a night? There are better options out there. Keep looking.