We started out our third day in Asheville by visiting the downtown area. Asheville is--for lack of a better term--a total hipster town. It's an artist and craftsmen haven and there's a big focus on natural, local, and organic products, hand-made and artisanal crafts, and an awful lot of drinking out of mason jars. I was very intrigued by the variety of artist galleries and studios that are open to the public and I was most excited to visit Lexington Glassworks, an open glass blowing studio where they produce their amazing products in front of an audience.
We got there just in time to see them begin their newest piece-- a blue vase. The two artists worked seamlessly in a perfect choreographed dance to produce several glass products and all the while, they talked us through the process and why they were doing certain things. The kids were totally restless but David and I were fascinated.
Afterwards, they walked around and answered questions and we browsed their shop. Of course, being that all their wares are made of glass we were hesitant to remain long with three kids in tow. We purchased a beautiful hand-blown glass ornament (purple, of course) and then walked back through the city to the Over Easy Cafe.
We had put our names down for a table before we visited the glassworks and by the time we were done there, our table was almost ready. Good thing too because it was very cold and windy that day. The cafe was very small--only 10-12 tables--but the food was delicious. I ordered the Eggs Benedict because that's totally become my thing lately even though I normally hate runny eggs yolks and David got their lavender french toast which he immensely enjoyed. The kids plowed through some pancakes and yogurt and granola and it was all-in-all a very delightful meal.
After our meal, we headed back to the Biltmore Estate. Our tickets were good for two days so I wanted to return and visit the rest of the estate. In addition to the house, the grounds have two hotels, a winery, a barn and farmyard, and the Antler Hill Village full of more shops, exhibits, and restaurants.
The kids enjoyed seeing the animals but our favorite was probably the farmyard.
They had lots of hands-on activities for the kids and several demonstrations including a broom making and wool spinning. It was quite cold and windy so we spent some time indoors playing with some of the toys they had inside the stables.
When we ventured out, we played with a bean bag toss and the game of graces. Basically, you have a hoop and two sticks and you throw the hoop to another person who has to try to catch them with their sticks. It was surprisingly fun and we had a great time playing together as a family.
When we left there, we wandered through the village. They have a statue of young Cornelia Vanderbilt and her dog Cedric. When I asked them later what they liked best about our Asheville trip Adelaide said she liked the dog statue best. So there you go.
They turned their former impressive dairy operation into a winery and we wandered through their old buildings and some awesome tunnels but didn't partake in any of the wine tasting.
We then went to the playground to let the kids run around a bit. But it was pretty cold so we didn't stay long.
