In our attempt to stay sane during the pandemic, we escaped a couple weekends ago for a one night stay in a little town not far from us. Located near Asheville, Black Mountain is a quaint town surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Although incorporated in 1893, long before that, the Cherokee were its first residents. In 1850 a road navigating the area was built and in 1879 the railroad was introduced. The train depot still stands today with regional arts and crafts featured inside.
If you're wondering, the town was named for the Black Mountain range that borders the Town to the north.
We found a great deal on TravelZoo for a stay at The Monte Vista Hotel. It’s on the National Historic Register and is situated in the heart of this little town, just a block or two from the many shops and eateries.
As we checked in and walked to our room, I could imagine this hotel in its heyday when weary travelers stopped for the night on their travels across country. Although modernly equipped – when navigating its halls, I was reminded of scenes from the movie Paper Moon, which we recently watched. That’s a good thing!
Our room was comfortable and was well equipped providing all we needed for our short stay.
After checking in, we ventured out to explore walkable Black Mountain. The streets are lined with an array of shops, galleries and coffee emporiums. The places to shop are basically located on two streets, but there is enough to keep you busy for a few hours. We wandered around aimlessly popping in an out of a few storefronts where we perused lots of locally created handicrafts and artwork. Needless to say, we left our mark on the local economy by making a few purchases!
After our stroll, we returned to the hotel to be there in time for our dinner reservations.
Like most restaurants now, tables were scattered throughout the dining space and lobby. As we waited, we saw a couple leave a premium spot directly in front the fireplace. Hoping for that table, we were lucky enough to be escorted right to it which added ambience to a somewhat ordinary dinner. The best dish was the one I ordered which was the “shrimp and grits” – a true southern favorite. The “rabbit with dumplings” Ineke ordered turned out to look and taste like a disappointing chicken soup. We made up for it with the lively conversation and review of our day sitting by the crackling of a cozy fire nearby.
Overall, we had a nice little sojourn in the mountains, and it was just good to get away for 24 hours and try to escape the craziness of the world around us. These Trip Monkees recommend it.
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