An American Wanderlust

The Winter Lights at the North Carolina arboretum in Asheville, has been an annual tradition for me for quite some time now.   Since this years event was a covid friendly drive through festival - I decided take Meatloaf. Winter Lights 2020 is a modest $25 for your *entire* car! Which is great because otherwise it would have been like $25 for my ticket *and* $25 for Meatloaf's ticket.   Anyway, Step 1; Purchase your tickets on their website , tell the dog (or children, cat, strange neighbor, whatevs - that you’re going).    If you are bringing the puppers - try not to tell them they’re *not* going to the vet. Meatloaf was excited about the light show all day until he selectively heard the word “vet”- which was when disaster struck.   Step 2; check your email the afternoon that you’re going for tips on attending.   *Even though your ticket says 5:30 you can arrive anytime between 5:30 - 10pm. Tip; Make sure to *actually* read the email with tips. Example, they sug

Hendersonville, North Carolina is a small town in Western North Carolina that is about 45 minutes south of Asheville & filled to the brim with a grizzly history and strange happenings.     The mountain town has the perfect combination of a temperate climate, charm, culture, and sheer terror.     The first stop on my (self guided) Haunted Hendersonville tour was a drive by the *very* haunted Mansouri Mansion. The Mansouri Mansion was built in 1850 as the ‘Farmer Hotel’ & is said to be haunted by the ghost of BT Morris, a confederate soldier who was stationed at the Inn for some time during the civil war.   There is some speculation that the Inn may have also been used as a hospital during this time.     Some fear the frights of the haunted mansion so much, they won’t step foot on the property in fear of possession - while others depict their accounts of hearing children running up and down the 3rd floor hallway (in a *gasp* - otherwise empty building).    One forme

I decided it was finally time to wash my hair & enjoy a fun day in Flat Rock, North Carolina.   Flat Rock is a sleepy little village about 45 minutes South of Asheville.   It’s been dubbed “Little Charleston” because back in the day,  people from Charleston used to summer in FR to enjoy the temperate climate & fresh mountain air.   Fun fact; it’s also used to be a haven for people that had Malaria - also to enjoy the temperate climate & fresh mountain air. (Obviously, way before the joys of modern medicine!)   So not only is the Village of Flat Rock super cute with its adorable and colorful shops & restaurants - there is a *ton* of civil war history.   For example, if you look hard enough you will find “Robert E. Lee Drive”. Believe it or not - he used to have a huge home that overlooked Flat Rock!   Since Bob (as I like to call him) no longer resides there - I suggest we rename the road to “Taylor Swift Trail”. Anyway, my first stop of my daytrip w