Day 4
Ok, it says Tennessee vacation, but we took a jaunt to North Carolina for a quick Father's Day present for George. We drove from Pigeon Forge to Asheville, NC to visit Biltmore and the Biltmore Winery. Our day began at Antler Hill Village with lunch at Cedric's Tavern. Cedric was the Vanderbilts' Saint Bernard who reportedly wore a 33" collar. All of the historic photos of Cedric located in the tavern prove that he was a very large dog. The tavern also sells ales brewed at Biltmore, Cedric's Ale. I am already in love - it is fairly close to Newcastle Brown Ale.
From there, we drove around to the Estate parking to tour the home. I cannot describe the grandeur and presence of this American castle. As the largest private residence in America, it would take more than one day to see the full house and estate grounds, so we took the general tour of the home, and just barely got to see the gardens before the thunder and lightning got threateningly close. We went back to the village to visit the Winery (the most-visited winery in the country, we soon discovered), and after a serious wine tasting and a trip around the gift shop to taste the various dips and spreads with lots of pretzels to soak up all of the wime in our stomachs, we went to the Bistro next door for a gourmet meal. Of course, at this gourmet bistro, the boys got PB&J and Grilled Cheese. At least Megan got some spaghetti. For dessert, we went to the Creamery for fresh ice cream (the chocolate is made from cream from cows on the farm), and shopped a little before hitting the road.
Lucky for us, I-40 was open and we were able to take the straight shot both ways. Evidently, a large rock slide had closed the highway from October to April. Both ways, the drive was a little bit scary, but absolutely gorgeous. The kids were also really excited that we got to see the Bush's Baked Beans factory on the way there. I was shocked at how large it is. I guess they produce a lot of beans.
In all, it was a wonderfully exhausting day.
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