Recently, Jeff and I hopped in the car for a last minute road trip from Atlanta to Asheville, North Carolina. Along the way, we stopped at a handful of places off the beaten trail, that ended up being just as much fun as Asheville itself (if not more so). Road trips are great for that kind of thing, don’t you think?
So, I partnered with Capital One’s Auto Navigator® site one more time (a one-stop-shop for everything you need to find and finance a car, for road tripping and beyond), to share all of the photos from our trip with you guys and some suggestions for what to do when you get there.
To give you a better idea of what’s in store, we broke up the 3.5 hour drive to Asheville by stopping at some Instagram-worthy spots… a giant sunflower field, an apple farm (complete with a giant corn maze to get into the holiday spirit), and Tallulah Gorge (the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi). We did so much, it’s hard to believe the whole trip from start to finish was just over 24 hours. Crazy what you can do with some energy and a long drive. Click through for all the photos and my favorites spots to stop for pics, etc…
Side note, before we get started… In case you didn’t notice, our current whip is a station wagon. Totally not glamorous, I know, but it’s easier for me to see out of (our old SUV was a challenge in that department), and has a huge trunk for hauling furniture over to the studio / when I get carried away at a thrift store or searching for souvenirs on road trips. So, it’s cool in it’s own way, I suppose. 🙂
Although, Jeff is really dying for an upgrade (we even went car shopping one day last weekend). And Capital One makes it really easy to consider trading in our current ride for an upgrade. So, it’s definitely tempting and we’ve been looking on the website through financing stuff. BUT I’m not fully convinced yet that we need a new car! I need a little bit more buttering up than Jeff in this department.
What do you look for when you’re searching for a new car? If you need some help, Capital One’s Auto Navigator® site is definitely worth checking out. You can search for a car and find out if you pre-qualify for auto financing with no risk to your credit score, in just a few minutes. Get started today or browse the site to get a feel for it first, right here.
Okay! Enough car talk. Onto the trip! Here’s what we decided to hit up along the way…
Road Trip from Atlanta to Asheville
Stop #1… A sunflower farm / fieldÂ
Made an Instagram-worthy stop at a sunflower farm (that also includes horse trails)! And the sunflowers are HUGE – taller than me.
Note: If you happen to hit this at an off time when they’re not open, you can still get to it from the road if you’re up for a little adventure. But you didn’t hear that from me. 🙂 The horse trails are open year round, FYI.
Stop #2… An apple farm (with a giant corn maze)
We went to Jaemor Farms again. Remember it from this post last year? They had a huge corn maze up for Halloween / Thanksgiving, which was really fun, and tons of pumpkins, snacks at the market area, etc. Always a good place to stop!
Stop #3…Tallulah Gorge
Jeff and I had never been here before and we almost missed it, if it hadn’t been for the tiny sign veering us off the highway. It was so beautiful (it was hard to show what was really going on in the photos) AND they have a quirky gift shop with little goodies. I found a new straw hat for $30!
Asheville
Full disclosure…We were in Asheville itself for under 24 hours, so we only had time to explore one area. And that area just so happen to be downtown. We ate at Tupelo Honey (they’re known for their biscuits) and checked out a handful of shops… Horse and Hero was cute for indie art prints and small ceramics.
We found the mural and those cute little apartments with the colorful doors right as we were driving out of the city to go back home. So, we turned around for a few photo ops and then made our way to one last spot…
Greenville
On the way back home from our trip, we stopped in Greenville for about an hour. More or less just to check out a coffee shop, called Methodical. Which I highly recommend. And then, I snapped a few photos of a pink building on our way out (naturally) and we drove all the way through to Atlanta from there.
That about does it. Our trip from Atlanta to Asheville and everything in between. Have you been to Asheville before? What parts should I explore next time that I might have missed?Â
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This post is in partnership Capital One Auto Navigator®. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Paper & Stitch running.
19 comments | Click here to reply
These pictures are amazing, thanks for sharing your trip. I definitely want to try something like this next time I visit Asheville.
HarrietI have been living in Asheville for 8 1/2 years and you definitely want to visit the Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar http://batteryparkbookexchange.com/ (you were so close when you ate at Tupelo Honey) It is the most incredible book store with desserts and wine and live music on the weekends. Also, the Tobacco Barn https://www.atbarn.com/ is a fun explore. In the summer there is a shindig on the Green on certain Saturdays and every Friday night in the summer across the street from Tupelo’s is the drum circle. A great place to mix and mingle to the beat. And next time, try the food at Mayfields next door to tupelo. Hard to go wrong in Asheville since most restaurants are farm to table. Breakfast at Sunnypoint Cafe https://sunnypointcafe.com/ is awesome in West Asheville.
Diana FlegalWe love the old school movie theater called Grail Movie House. It is so charming and they serve booze! Loads of local beers. Was just such an amazing experience.
MATTHEW HOROVITZHi Mindy. The drive was easy as can be and really pretty during some parts. It’s been a while now, so I don’t remember exactly what the terrain was like, but there were definitely some really pretty parts while we were driving up. Hope that helps!
Brittni-Brittni
Lovely pictures! How is the drive itself to Asheville? Are you going through mountains? If so , are they steep?
MINDY[…] didn’t go to this Tupelo while we were there, but I’ve been to the one in Asheville (my Asheville travel guide)Â and it was delicious. So, I’d recommend it, if you’ve never […]
In It for the Photos: The Non-Outdoorsy Travel Guide to Chattanooga, Tennessee - Paper and StitchOh how fun! We live in Atlanta too and haven’t been to Asheville yet. I told my husband just a few days ago that I want to take a couple of short weekend trips in 2017 so that sounds like a place I need to get scheduled.
Ashley LaMarthat looks like a wonderful trip.. I’ve never been down in the area.. Hopefully soon!
Hena TayebNearby Asheville is a quaint town, Saluda. While there a meal at The Purple Onion is a must as well as a shopping stop at Random Arts. Both are local favorites.
AnitaBWhat a small world, Marco! Next time we’re in Greenville, I’ll be sure to reach out. LOVED Methodical – such a great coffee spot.
BrittniHey thanks so much for stopping by! I’m one of the owners of Methodical and YEARS ago I sold some of my artwork through your site. Wish I knew y’all were here!
MarcoIt was really fun, Corina. 🙂
BrittniLooks like you had such a great time during your trip!
Corina NikaThanks for the suggestions Cindy!
BrittniI never get tired of Asheville ! Do the well known places, of course, like Biltmore (and Biltmore Village for awesome shops!) and the NCState Botanical Gardens (love), also the great Farmers Market. Go up Tunnel Road to a wonderful little bakery/coffee place called FILO and then on up to the BRParkway to the Southern Highlands Folk Art Center! Also, Biscuithead near downtown for brunch!
CindyThanks for the suggestions Laura! Next time, I’ll be sure to check some of these out. 🙂
BrittniSo many things to do in Asheville, within the core of downtown go to the South Slope and visit all the new breweries, a little farther afield would be the NC Arboretum, located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway on Rt. 191…..especially late Spring, as good as going to Atlanta BG, for dinner head north on Merrimon Ave./Asheville to Weaverville and dine at Stoney Knob….make a reservation through….it’s always busy!
Can you tell I live here!?
Laura CaseyThanks Michelle. It was a fun trip, for sure!
BrittniWow, that looks like so much fun! I would love to do that someday!
Michellehttps://www.makeandmess.com/