Matt turned the big three-oh this year! I was super excited about it because, well, I LOVE birthdays! I think everyone should be celebrated on their day! Matt wasn’t “dreading” it or anything, but he’s just not quite to my level on birthday excitement – but I’m slowly converting him, I think! Anyway, I knew I wanted to do something even MORE special than our usual birthday shindig. So, I planned a little weekend getaway for just to two of us!

It wasn’t too hard to settle on Asheville. It was a city we had always wanted to visit, neither of us had been there before, and the weather was sure to be a little cooler than ATL. I knew I wanted to keep it a surprise, so I started planning behind the scenes (really, just when Matt was at work… but in my mind, I was pri-tay sneaky).

When looking for a hotel, I had a decision to make – spend more for a hotel in a great location, or opt for a more reasonable hotel so that we could indulge in the go-to Asheville touristy things (cough, the Biltmore).  I ended up going for the downtown hotel because we LOVE exploring new cities together. Just park and walk everywhere. And lots and lots of food. Lots. As much as we want to go to the Biltmore, with our time restraints, I decided that we would make that it’s own trip next time we venture to Asheville! That’s an experience I definitely don’t want to rush, so I’m already looking forward to the thought of that tentative trip!

I booked our one night getaway at the Cambria downtown. It looked like it was really up Matt’s alley with its rustic-modern vibe, and we loved it! Excellent staff and service – check it out if you’re looking for a perfectly located hotel in the downtown area! (The champagne at check in and local honey at check out didn’t hurt either – I mean, those little touches were definitely factored into that lavish room rate, but hey, we were celebrating!)

Like I said, we parked at the hotel, checked in, and set out to explore this new city! We decided to make our own mini food tour (one of our specialties, if I do say so myself). We had crepes from Twisted Crepe, truffles from Chocolate Fetish, tacos at White Duck, and brunch at Early Girl Eatery.

Everything. Was. Delicious.

Other than stuffing our faces, we just enjoyed walking around together. We stopped in some local shops, enjoyed a few minutes of a free concert in the park, and enjoyed the mountain view from the rooftop at the hotel.

Before heading home, we decided to take a drive down a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We love the mountains and this drive was incredible! I don’t even know if I could handle it in the midst of Fall (I at least couldn’t be the driver – as beautiful as it was on our drive, I can only imagine the rich colors of fall!).  We made several pit stops at different lookout points along the way. You would think it would get kind of old and look the same at each stop, but each one offered a little something new. We were just in awe – pure beauty.

This was such an abbreviated little getaway, but we enjoyed every second of it! What are your favorite getaway spots? And if you’ve been to Asheville, where did you go and what did you do? We’re ready to go back – better start planning now!