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Biltmore + Asheville Eats

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We spent the weekend in Asheville with some of Ed’s family. It was a pretty jammed weekend, but I think Cam handled it pretty well. We had lots of great food, as to be expected when you’re visiting Asheville.

She did great on-the-go. We tried to mix it up so we didn’t always have her in her carseat (she hates being in there too long). I wore her a bunch in the ergo, and when we were at meals, we just passed her around the table so people could hold her. It worked fairly well since Cam’s not an overly fussy baby.

One of Ed’s cousin’s wives is pregnant right now, and they are having a little girl in January! So, I think it was fun for her to see what life could look like 6 months later with a baby girl.

Rather than recapping our entire trip, here are some of the highlights!

faraway shot of the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville

Biltmore Tour & Winery

We arrived Friday early afternoon, while the rest of the group got there Thursday night. They did a rooftop Biltmore tour Friday morning that we missed. But, we arrived in time for the tour of the actual house.

Mom, dad and baby in ergo carrier inside the Biltmore Mansion

Ed and I had done this tour years ago during Christmas, which I highly recommend because they have hundreds of Christmas trees and decorations throughout.

After the tour, we stopped by the winery on the estate for a refreshing glass of wine.

glass of white wine on wooden table during a wine tasting

Brazilian Steakhouse

Since we were supposed to originally have a large group (some people backed out last minute due to the fear of poor weather after Hurricane Florence), we planned to eat at places that could accommodate large groups.

Friday night, we got dinner at Brasilia – which I think was my first time at a Brazilian steakhouse.

We put Cam in a high chair for the first time. It was a little big but we put a blanket behind her and I kept my arm around her. She loved sitting at the table though.

Just had to be careful at what we placed in front of her (like no utensils, sharp knives, wine glasses, etc) because anything within grabbing distance is fair game.

The way Brazilian steakhouses work is that they just come around with skewers of meat and you just decide what you want. I tried 5-6 different things, from lamb, to bacon wrapped filet and chicken and everything was good.

I just took like a bite of everything because there’s no way I could (or would I want to) finish this much meat. I also had a large salad plate from the salad buffet, which I enjoyed.

White plate with lots of different meat on it

Circuit Workout

On Saturday morning, we were supposed to go hiking with the crew but Cam slept in and I didn’t want to wake her. By the time she was up and fed and I had pumped, it was too late to join the crew.

Instead, we got breakfast and then I took her to the gym with me and I did a little circuit workout while she later napped in the carseat.

My workout was pretty random but this is kind of what I did:

I did 3 rounds:
• Shoulder raises
• Bicep curls
• Tricep dips
• Medicine Ball Abs
• Jumping Jacks + Jump Squats
• 400 meter sprint on treadmill

It was only a 20-25 minute workout but I felt like it was really efficient. And a fun one, like this 30 minute circuit workout

I’ve come to terms that with kids, short and sweet is the key for workouts sometimes and it makes me work harder and more efficiently.

Long gone are the days where I can just go out for a 10 miler whenever I want to. <— Mixed feelings about that last part, but that’s just life right now!

12 Bones

If you have a trip to Asheville on the agenda soon, make sure to make a stop at 12 Bones BBQ. It’s a fun, “get yir hands dirty and eat” kinda place. It worked perfectly for our group. You can pick your sandwich or entrée and some sides.

I was really debating on sweet mashed potatoes + baked beans for my sides but I talked Ed into getting those so I settled on corn pudding and mac ‘n cheese with my pulled pork pineapple sandwich. SOOO GOOD, you guys. This was a real winner and loved the atmosphere.

Asheville BBQ sandwich with mac and cheese and biscuit on plate from 12 Bones BBQ

I was about ready for a nap like Cam after lunch but we had reservations for a brewery tour at Sierra Nevada so headed there.

Baby sleeping in carseat

Sierra Nevada

Everyone did a tour of the brewery. Unfortunately, no one under 21 is allowed on the tour so I stayed back with Cam, which worked out because she was in desperate need of a nap anyway since the above one was only 15 minutes.

She had been fighting it all day (which she tends to do when we’re out and about and there’s so much to see and do = #fomo). I walked her around in the stroller until she fell asleep and then we went to the air conditioned car where she napped and I tried to close my eyes too.

30 minutes later, she was a new baby and refreshed (30 minutes is her usual MO for daytime naps, sadly) so we went back in to grab a beer while we waited for the group to be done. It was really loud outside with all the music so we just popped out there for a minute or two.

Once the group was done, we had a little bit of time until our table was ready. I fed Cam and heard about the tour.

Dad holding 4 month old in a brewery
We enjoyed dinner with everyone and I was so in the moment that I completely forgot to take a picture of my food (or maybe I was too hungry?). Anyway, I got the pizza and it was good.

Cam stayed up way past her bedtime for both nights as expected, but she was a trooper. Fortunately, it didn’t wreck her sleep too much and on Saturday night she actually slept from 9-8:30, with one wakeup to eat.

5 month old baby playing with piano toy on a bed

We drove back Sunday morning after a big breakfast with the crew. Picking up Tater from daycare is always my favorite part of coming back from a trip because she’s SO excited to see us.

The rest of Sunday looked like some laundry, meal prep, playing with Tater and getting organized for the week. We have Cam’s 6 month appointment this week, I have some project deadlines and new clients, and a few appointments.

Should be a busy one!

Thanks for stopping by the blog today.

Have you ever been to Asheville? Do you have a favorite spot to eat?

What are you looking forward to this week?

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  1. That mac n’ cheese… 🙂 DROOLL. And trying all those different meats just makes me want a good steak. The Biltmore is so beautiful. I love seeing pictures of it, my mom and dad went there a couple years ago.

  2. Looks like a great trip with so many fun things to do! I’m glad it worked out well bringing Cam- sounds like she does well even with all the excitement!

  3. That seems a little silly to me that they wouldn’t allow a baby on the tour. I completely understand not having people under 21 in a tasting room or something but it’s not like Cam was going to try and sneak some beer.

    It sounds like you have a great weekend in Asheville!