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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina

August 18, 2017 by Taylor 1 Comment

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

Buckle up, friends, because this post is about to be a long one. I have so much to talk about on this topic. If you follow me on Instagram (if you don’t, you should get on that ASAP), you probably saw that I went to North Carolina this past weekend in a partnership with VisitNC. It was an amazing and jam-packed weekend and was positively the best way to end my summer, and I’m so excited to share all of the fun places I visited while I was there.

 

Where to Stay

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

Normally, I’m staying in the cheapest accommodations possible, because that’s just what I can usually afford (see basically any of my Europe travel posts). However, this weekend I stayed in a lovely little place called Bed & Breakfast on Tiffany Hill, and let me tell y’all, the game was changed. It was a stunning property, the room was beautiful, and the owner of the B&B (Selena) is one of the sweetest and most hospitable people I’ve ever met. Breakfast was a gourmet three-course affair, and wow oh wow. 10/10 would highly recommend. Seriously, just look at all of these amazing pics.

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition 

Friday (Brevard)

Given that I literally flew back from DC on Friday and then had to drive from Atlanta to North Carolina, we didn’t get up to North Carolina until late in the afternoon. The B&B was a short drive from a college town called Brevard, so we made our way over that way for dinner.

 

What to Eat: The Square Root

I could basically live off of appetizers, so I definitely made those my meal at The Square Root (and a few other places this weekend as well, you’ll sense a theme). The pecan-crusted brie and fried green tomatoes made. my. life. Also, the patio was dog-friendly, so I got nuzzled by an adorable black lab for a good portion of the meal.

 

What to Eat: Kiwi Gelato

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

In search of a sweet treat and shelter from the rain (it rained the entire way to North Carolina and all through that evening), we ended up at Kiwi Gelato. Fun fact: the owner is from New Zealand, hence the name. I got the peach and strawberry gelato flavors, and they were so fresh-tasting.

 

Saturday (Mills River and Hendersonville)

 

What to Do: Kayaking the French Broad River

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

To take advantage of the perfect weather on Saturday morning, we went down the street from our B&B to a small little place called Lazy Otter Outfitters, and they sent us off on the river in our kayaks. I’ve actually never kayaked on a river (only on a lake), so being able to leisurely float along in the kayak was so much better than constantly having to paddle. The river and surrounding area were so photogenic, and I had a ton of fun breaking out the GoPro.

 

What to Eat: The Never Blue

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

We finished kayaking right around lunchtime, and headed into Hendersonville for lunch. The Never Blue had come highly recommended, so we made that our lunch stop. It’s an eclectic tapas restaurant with some really creative dishes – we got the hummus plate, yucca fries, and poke bowl (I may have had a bite or two of fish… whoops). We also got their signature brownie (which was wrapped in phyllo dough, topped with ice cream, and covered with candied pecans; so basically, I was in a nice food coma after this meal.

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

 

What to Do: Carl Sandburg House

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

The Carl Sandburg House is a gorgeous estate – the house itself is currently undergoing preservations so most of the furniture isn’t there, but the tour guide who took us around did a great job anyways. There was also a goat farm, so I got to pet some small goats and that was honestly my peak.

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

 

What to Do: Jump Off Rock

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

If you’re looking for a post-hike view without the actual effort of hiking anywhere, Jump Off Rock has you covered. Immediately when you park, you’ve got a gorgeous view of the surrounding area from high above. Also great if you want a picturesque hiking shot before you start sweating. Oh, and a number of trails depart from Jump Off Rock as well, in case you’re in the mood to actually hike somewhere.

 

What to Eat: Brandy’s on Main

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

We found ourselves right back in Hendersonville for dinner (literally on the same block as The Never Blue, actually) at a place called Brandy’s on Main, which our host positively raved about. They’re known for their seafood and steak, neither of which I actually eat, but I got an amazing vegetable bowl and blue cheese grits. We finished the meal with a crème brûlée, because I’ll never have enough self-control to turn down a good dessert.

 

Sunday (DuPont and Asheville)

 

What to Do: DuPont State Park

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

After an amazing Tiffany Hill breakfast, hiking was definitely in order to work off some of the decadent food. DuPont State Park is right along the river and features a ton of waterfalls, so we ventured over that way and ended up taking the Triple Falls trail. It led to a really great spot right at the bottom of, you guessed it, three waterfalls. Like Jump Off Rock, the area was so picturesque it almost felt unreal. At some point, I’m definitely going back and hiking even more of the park.

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

 

What to Eat: The Market Place

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

After our hike, we drove 45 minutes north into Asheville, another really amazing North Carolina town that I was dying to visit. They’re also really well-known for amazing restaurants, and that’s a solid way to get me hooked on a city. The Market Place was a farm-to-table restaurant, and once again we ended up ordering a few small plates and splitting them. This time, it was mac and cheese (my one true weakness), a tomato salad, and roasted peaches. Heck. Yes.

 

What to Do: Well Played Board Game Café

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

I actually struggled a little in determining whether to classify this as a “what to do” or a “what to eat,” but since the only thing I really ate there was some M&M’s, I went with the former. This is a fun little café where you can pay $5 to have access to a ton of board games, ranging from simple to incredibly complicated. We knocked out a huge variety of games, including Exploding Kittens (which got intense), Battleship, and, because we’re essentially still children, Chutes and Ladders. The staff is so helpful in explaining rules or providing refreshers, and we had a ton of fun (even if I am a little bit too competitive at times).

What to Eat (Drink?): Trade & Lore Coffee

A Weekend Getaway to North Carolina - Espresso and Ambition

Y’all didn’t really think I could make it through a travel post without mentioning a coffee shop, did you? This was a really cool-looking place, and the baristas were incredibly knowledgeable about coffee (a major plus in my book). I had a black coffee that blew my mind – I know some of y’all are probably shuddering at that, it’s ok, I don’t understand how I enjoy black coffee either.

 

What to Eat: French Broad Chocolates

Important road trip fuel, obviously! I got some fancy truffles and portioned them out through the ride home, which made the trip go a little faster.

 

Phew, that was a long one! Hopefully, this post inspired you to take a trip to North Carolina if you live nearby, because I know for sure that I didn’t realize how much there is to do there until this weekend! I think my next stop is going to be the Outer Banks area – one of the gals staying at the B&B said it’s really pretty and has a similar small-town vibe. I can’t wait!

xo, Taylor

Disclaimer: This trip was sponsored by VisitNC. However, all opinions are entirely my own. I was genuinely this blown away by the entire weekend.

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Filed Under: Etc., Travel

Comments

  1. Makaela says

    August 18, 2017 at 3:18 pm

    This looks like such a fun trip with unique places at every corner! I’m pretty close to North Carolina so I might have to make a trip up there to see everything
    -xo, Makaela
    http://www.uniquelymickie.com

    Reply

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
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