By Tuesday morning, we were in full vacation mode. We got up at a reasonable hour, got ready, and were on our way to Asheville. As in previous vacations, a good way for us to learn about a city is to take a hop on/hop off tour. Our plan was to ride the trolley all the way through and then go back to any points of interest. We rode most of the way through, hopped off, and then finished the tour. This tour was a little different in that many of the stops were hotels or restaurants, and not necessarily places of interest for us. Eventually we got off near the River Arts District to do a little exploring. It was nice to get to hear a little bit of history of Asheville and some of its beautiful buildings.

The River Arts District wasn't exactly what we had expected. Everything was a bit more spread out than we had realized. We did visit a few places before seeking refreshments. Katie, Mike and I went for a cider and beers at Wedge Brewing Company. It was a hole in the wall type of place with a great patio and the promise of rotating food trucks. We thought we could walk to 12 Bones Smokehouse from the River Arts District, but that didn't work out. We headed for coffee and a quick snack at Ultra Coffee House and then hopped back on the trolley to finish the tour.

Wedge Brewing in the River Arts District

After we completed the trolley tour, we drove to 12 Bones Smokehouse for some highly recommended BBQ. We each tried something slightly different and had a chance to try bites from each other. The turkey was smoked and almost seemed shaved. It was totally different and really great. I loved the jalapeno cheese grits because you have to eat grits when you are in the South. Mike tried the ribs and they were good, but he likes the ribs at our local joint, Big Cat BBQ, better.

Turkey, jalapeno cheese grits, green beans, corn bread

Turkey sandwich, baked beans, potato salad

Cold beer, ribs, mac and cheese, potato salad

There was a Wedge Brewing Company attached to 12 Bones with a clever mural, so we had to get a picture. We spent a little bit of time checking out a few of the artist studios. My favorite was a place that encouraged you to touch the art.

On our way back to the cabin, we stopped at Walmart again for more provisions. After a day of eating, we had snacks in the evening and ended the night with some fun and games.

The New Austonian