Road Trip Asheville/Nashville/Lexington May and June 2018

 




    So this trip is an extremely eclectic road trip with an itinerary that was driven by our love for music, the open road, Bourbon, and Lynn's desire to visit her aunt in Kentucky.  Our love for music is one of the things that brought us together.  We go to so many concerts that it is impossible to document them here on this format.  We just don't have enough time so we focus on the big trips mostly.  But to put it into perspective our first date and our third date were both concerts and in our first year together we went to a total of 23 concerts.  Wow.  So anyway, this road trip includes a concert so that is why I am bringing this up.

    We had tickets for Whiskey Meyers in Asheville, NC, which is only a 2 hour drive for us.  We also got tickets for my daughter who lives there so the plan was to meet up with her for the concert on Thursday, May 31st, and we would return home on Monday, June 4th .  After that we knew we would head to Nashville.  We had hotel reservations in Asheville and Nashville but the plan was rather fluid after that.

    We decided to take the scenic route through Lake Lure to get to Asheville since we had plenty of time.  Hwy 64 is a scenic route through the foothills that brings you to Lake Lure from Charlotte.  Once we got close to areas where the lake is visible we notice the extremely high water levels. There had been some serious rain in the previous weeks and we, being on kind of a happy go lucky trip this time, did not take into account what implications that rain may have had.  

    We went past the lake with no issues but when we reached the town of Chimney Rock, just on the north side of the lake, the road was closed.  Flooding from the Broad River which runs parallel to the road through the town had completely washed out the road.  This is not unusual as the Broad River is a major tributary for run off from the area and often overflows its banks during a rainy season.  We, however, totally missed this and were not aware the road was closed.  No biggie, backtracked down to Hwy 74 and then took I26 into Asheville.





    Before heading down the alternate route, however, we stopped at La Strada which is our favorite Lake Lure lunch spot.  It offers fantastic views of the lake and has patio seating.  Since we were in no hurry we took a patio table and settled in for a while.  For those of you who may be old enough to be fans of the movie Dirty Dancing, yes much of it was filmed here.  If we go back even further, The Last Of The Mohicans with Daniel Day Lewis was also filmed here.  You can recognize some of the scene locations as you travel through this area.

    After taking our time in Lake Lure and utilizing the alternate route it was about 5:30pm when we checked into Hotel Indigo in Asheville.  From there we stopped into Wicked Weed.  Asheville is a place full of breweries, art, restaurants, and an eclectic culture.  It also has a vibrant history of the Appalachian people that made these mountains home against the odds at the time and thrived, as well as Biltmore Estate and the industrial baron legacy that comes with that.  Then to the elite vacation spot centered around The Grove Park Inn that has been a favorite vacation spot for the rich and famous as far back as the 1920s.  You could spend days researching the history of this area but in order to truly appreciate it I recommend you make the trip and experience it for yourself.

    The Wicked Weed:



    All that being said, we had a concert to get to.  At this point I had never seen Whiskey Meyers before and really had no idea what to expect.  Lynn had introduced me to genres of music that I previously had not given enough attention to.  Country (whoa), and this thing called Red Dirt.  Turns out I really like both if given the right artists with which to experience it.

    The show was at a place called the Grey Eagle Taqueria.  It is exactly as it sounds.  Basically a taco stand, bar, and a stage in the back room.  Perfect!  My daughter met us there and we had tacos, beers, and enjoyed a fantastic show.  We have followed Whiskey Meyers since then and they have really stepped up their game.  Seeing them in a small venue like that will never happen again so we cherish the memory.






    After the show we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.  Here is a snapshot of our Day One travels:


  


  The next morning we headed west.  I had made reservations at the Marriot Downtown Nashville for 2 nights.  We love Nashville and were looking forward to a night downtown with music and good food.  We were in no rush, however, so we took the scenic route of 74 to Robbinsville and then the Cherohala Skyway over to Tellico Plains, TN.  This is one of my favorite routes through the mountains and have been through there many times.  Wonderful scenery the whole way with plenty of pull over spots for photos. 


 







    We stopped for lunch in Tellico Plains, then headed west on 39 and then picked up 30 toward Fall Creek Falls State Park.  I wanted to take Lynn to the waterfalls there.  I had been there before on motorcycle but she had never seen it.  Fall Creek Falls is the tallest water fall east of the Mississippi, at  256 feet.  The views are excellent and the drive to get there is winding and scenic.  Along the way we came across R&R Kuntry Pumpkin Center, so naturally we had to stop there also.






    We got to Nashville about 7:00pm and checked in.  Once we got settled we headed down to The Stillery, one of our favorites.  The food is fantastic and on this day they also had live music. From there we bar hopped and enjoyed the craziness that is downtown Nashville on a Friday night.





    






    We ended the night at our favorite live music bar, The Bourbon Street Blues Bar, located in Printers Alley.  This place always has great music and we usually end up there at least once when we visit Nashville.



    This place goes on until the wee hours of the morning but we called it a night about 1:30am.  The walk back to the hotel was literally right around the corner so it only took a minute to get back.  Love Nashville at night in good weather.  You have to be in the mood for it but once you lean into the vibe it is a lot of fun.

    Snapshot of our Day Two travels:


    The next day our plan was to see more of Nashville that we don't usually get a chance to visit.  Our trips there prior to this were for my work so a little more limited.  Our first stop was Biscuit Love for breakfast.  Fantastic!  If you are ever in Nashville I recommend this place for breakfast for sure.





    From there we headed over to Centennial Park and walked around there for a while, then we visited The Parthenon.  This is a full scale replica of the actual Parthenon in Athens, Greece.  It was built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition.









    After the Parthenon we stopped back at the hotel to drop the car, and walked down to spend the afternoon on Broadway and in downtown.  Now, if you have never experienced Broadway on a warm sunny Saturday afternoon in the early summer, you really should.  This is prime bachelor and bachelorette party time and they were all out in full swing.  

    Honky Tonk Central:




    The Bachelors and Bachelorettes:








    We were meeting some friends that live in Nashville that evening at The Southern Steak And Oyster for dinner, so we went back to the hotel about 5:30pm to get cleaned up and then headed out again.





    We had a fantastic dinner and headed over to The Bourbon Street Blues Bar for music and drinks.  What a great night!







    We once again called it a night about 1:30am and made the short walk around the corner to the hotel.

    A snapshot of our Day Three travels:



    The plan for the next day was to meet Lynn's Aunt and Cousin in Kentucky, so once we got a quick breakfast at the hotel we hit the road.  We are fans of Roadside America and use it often to find off the beaten path attractions when on a road trip.  Never know what you might see and it keeps things interesting.  We prefer back roads to highways whenever possible and Roadside America helps make it more interesting.

    Our first stop was  Kentucky Stonehenge.  It is exactly what it sounds like.  Smaller scale but a pretty accurate representation.





    Our next stop would be The Woodford Distillery, where we would be joined by Lynn's cousin.  This is one of my favorite bourbons so I was looking forward to this.  The weather was excellent and the scenery in Kentucky is wonderful.


















    The tasting experience was educational, and the tour was Great!  We really learned a lot about the distilling process and what goes into making a good bourbon.  From there were off to meet Lynn's Aunt for dinner.  After a great visit we headed south toward home and stopped in London, KY for the night.  Once again the scenery along the way was fantastic.  Good weather was with us on this trip.






    Across from our hotel in London, KY was a Mexican restaurant with an outdoor bar.  Perfect!  After getting settled we walked over there for drinks.

    
    
    A snapshot of our Day Four travels:


    The next morning the plan was to head home.  Our first stop along the way was Sanders Park, found via Roadside America.  This is in Corbin, KY and is the birth place of Kentucky Fried Chicken.  The park is a memorial in honor of Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC.




    After visiting Sanders Park we headed south toward Knoxville.  Our goal was to get on Hwy 129 from Knoxville that would take us straight through Deals Gap (aka Tail Of The Dragon).  This section of road is famous for its pristine surface, scenery, and 318 curves in 11 miles.  I had been there many times over the years on motorcycle trips.  My first time being in the late 1980s.  This is a huge tourist destination for motorcycles and sports cars.  Since we were in the Cayman for this trip and Lynn had never been to Deals Gap we put it on the itinerary.  I was looking forward the drive as this would be my first run through Tale Of The Dragon in a sports car.








    
    The tree of shame.  This is where folks hang their motorcycle parts after banging up their bike in a crash.


    After leaving Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort we took Hwy 28 to 74, which would take us right back into Asheville.  Once there we stopped in at Lazoom Room Bar & Gorilla.  This is a funky little bar and cafe directly across the street from Wicked Weed. 







    At this point it was about 5:00pm and we set our sites on home.  What a wonderful, relaxing road trip this was.  The scenery in western NC and eastern TN is fantastic.  Kentucky offers its own unique beauty as well.  We had perfect weather, good food, good music, and a visit with family.  Our idea of a great way to spend a weekend. 

    Final snapshot.  This is our Day Five travels:


"TRAVELING - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller."
                         lbn Batutta  

Please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below.  Also, I can be reached at Rocky@Rocklyns.com should you feel the need to reach out. 




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