We forwent the tour of the Biltmore Estate. I was told the grounds were the best part and figured it wasn’t worth the $40 ticket price to look at plants in the rain. Instead, we visited the US’s fanciest McDonald’s in the village/outlet mall outside of the Biltmore’s gates. The place had a player piano, chandeliers and tapestries hanging on the walls (see below). The McFlurries and Big Macs were unchanged.

The following day, the rain forced us to abandon our hiking plans. Instead, we opted for a driving tour of the Great Smoky Mountains. Fortunately, the famously beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway (see photo below) is nearby. However, a retaining wall had collapsed, causing the section near Asheville to be closed for maintenance. We took a motion-sickness inducing back road up to the ridge. The drive wound past trout fishing ponds and numerous road signs riddle with bullet holes. I assumed that’s the rural North Carolina version of hitting mail boxes with golf clubs.

We followed this curving route up to summit of the East Coast’s highest peak, Mount Mitchell. The place was entirely covered in fog. I donned my trench coat and climbed up to the look out. However, I couldn’t even see the parking lot — not to mention glimpse the sweeping view of the gorgeous countryside. We snapped this photo and headed back down the mountain.

On the way back to Asheville, we took a detour through Black Mountain to check out the town’s haunted bar, Town Pump Tavern (photo below).

This is not the first haunted bar We’re Out of Here has visited, but it is equally non-threatening. Supposively, the place is frequented by the ghost of a prostitute, who was murdered there in the early 1900s. She knocks glasses from the shelves and opens and closes the door. She must have been off the day we visited.

While in Asheville, we also visited several bars/restaurants. Here are the highlights:

Ashevile Farmer’s Market: A touristy market selling all the can goods you could ever imagine.

Doc Cheys Noodle House: A local version of Noodle & Company that serves heaping portions of Asian-style noodles. Also serves rice dishes. Prices are OK and the food is decent.

Salsa’s: Hailed on Yelp as the best food in Asheville, this restaurant did not disappoint. The dishes — we ordered the whole fish and lamb — were amazing. Our plates came piled high with fresh fruits and vegetables. My margarita was spot on, and, for the quality of the food, the prices were very reasonable. Just brace yourself for the crowd and spotty service.

The Admiral: We wandered into what would be my best night out at a bar in six months. I think it was the combination of cheap (compared to DC, of course) drinks, a DJ playing an excellent mix of early 1960s dance music and not having to worry about driving/metro-ing/hailing a cab to get home. The music was a welcome change from the typical 80s nights (I’ve heard “Come On Eileen” enough). Everyone was dancing. While the heat was ridiculous, the party spilled on to the backporch. We had been at the Admiral for 4.5 hours (from 9 to 1:30am) before I thought to check my watch.