Thumbing our way into North Caroline

After 2 weeks of delightful travel all over the Northeast, it was time we got back to exploring our wonderful state of North Carolina. Back in the springtime, we had seen that Old Crow Medicine Show was coming to Asheville, NC. Mountains and Old Crow? What could be better!?

(In case you missed the blog where we checked out the camping scene in preparation, read it here) 

We knew exactly where to camp and what to do this trip! We saw the Asheville KOA campground was right up the road from the brewery where the concert was going to be held. It had a pond and a decent size campground for us to try out our recent toy purchase...mountain bikes! Not to mention, there were plenty of breweries in the area for us to test out as well! We set off early Saturday morning and planned to take the Monday off from work, due to the concert being on Sunday evening. When we got to the campground, we unpacked and roamed around a little bit. LunaBear was quite happy to be in the mountains where it was a bit cooler air.

If you know me at all, you know that dogs are my world, followed closely by beer. I follow all the local NC animal shelters and humane societies on social media (mostly so I can cry to Cameron about all the dogs I want to rescue.) In Asheville, there is one called Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, and it just so happened that the weekend we were there, they were having an event with puppies and beer! I begged Cameron to go and it was a very easy win, so we ventured off to the antique store where the event was happening. All proceeds of purchases went to their rescue. We checked out the vendors and booths and came across the best booth of all. PUPPIES and BEER! That's right there was a pen you could get in and play with the puppies. Obviously I had to get in.... the only problem was with a certain dog of ours that gets mighty jealous. I wont name names, because that's rude of me, but a big floofy black bear may or may not have tried to climb into the puppy cage with me, while getting her leash caught on the side and tearing down the pen where the puppies were. Okay, her name was Luna, and it was an embarrassing dog parent moment for us. With red faces and tails hung, we decided it was best for everyone if we moved on. 

We saw the Asheville ale trail was an option and decided to make our own modified trail... as we tend to do. We started at Highland Brewing, one of Cameron's favorite breweries. We knew they had a great venue, but we had never seen it in person. It was not until we arrived that we realized the scope of their setup. Not only did they have a massive tap room with outdoor seating, they had a rooftop area for private events, a soccer/activity field that could also be re-purposed as a concert venue with a stage AND a cute little beer garden. It was a massive property and also quite peopley, so we sat and people watched while enjoying our beers. We walked around and took some pictures enjoying all the different spots they had to offer before heading to brewery number 2. 

The Asheville area has really become one of the best craft brewery towns in the country. It's hard to choose which ones you should go to. We were getting a little hungry so we deiced on Hillman Brewing because they also offered food as well. It was delicious! And much quieter than Highland. We sat enjoying the nice weather, company and beer before calling it a day and heading back to the campground for the night. 

We woke up early Sunday with more big plans! The weather was a little cloudy and called for some showers, but that was not going to slow us down! We wanted to hike Black Mountain and explore the town before heading to the concert at Pisgah Brewing. We loaded up the family and drove to the trail! Or what we thought was the trail. There were no signs, and the gps was awfully confused and kept saying we had arrived when we were on the middle of the street. It was slightly frustrating, so we drove around until we saw a sign that said trail ahead. We parked the car and started the climb. It was a hefty hike. Props to LunaBear because her little legs did great with all the climbing! Unfortunately for her, she didn't get to see the full view because the rocks at the end were too extreme for her to get over. Cameron and I took turns taking in the view of Black Mountain before heading back down the mountain.

Once back down, we realized we had worked up quite an appetite and decided to grab some pizza at a local place in Black Mountain called My Father's Pizza. If you're ever in Black Mountain, be sure to check it out! They had a cute outdoor patio area where you could sit with your furry friends while watching the town. The pizza and beer hit the spot, and we decided to check out some of the local shops. It was on our shop tour we realized just how much we love Black Mountain. I think if we had to move anywhere in NC it would be to there. There were all sorts of fun stores to look in. We found one that had all sorts of Bigfoot apparel. I poked around and found Cameron an awesome "drink local" North Carolina beer shirt, and Cameron picked out some Bigfoot stickers for his truck. Content and in love with the little town, we decided to head back to the campground to let Luna rest before the concert. On our way back, I asked Cameron to swing into Goodwill so I could buy pants for the concert, since it was colder and rainier than we thought it would be. I found some $5 jeans that were perfect for the evening, and we were all good! 

We were ready to head out to the concert, but of course, I requested a family picture before we left of me in my new jeans and Cameron in his new t- shirt!

​We got to the brewery, and it was packed! Everyone wanted to see Old Crow! We snagged a spot up front by the stage and prepared to be packed in. Molly Tuttle opened for Old Crow and was FANTASTIC. She has become our new-found enjoyment on car rides. Once Old Crow came on the night only got better. It was a stellar show, and we had so much fun! 

We rolled out Monday morning with satisfied ears, stomachs and eyes. Ready for the next adventure!