On my Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!), I have been sharing my adventures in Asheville, North Carolina a few weeks ago for my best friend Kearra’s Birthday Weekend. Kearra did an AMAZING job getting us all ladies together for a fun weekend away to celebrate her and to simply be together. On that weekend, Alanna and I went to The Biltmore together and the Birthday crew – me, Alanna, Hannah, Aspen, Rachel, and *of course the Birthday girl of the weekend* Kearra!!! – and I also visited many other places around Asheville. Let’s get into the fun Birthday weekend for Kearra!!
As for The Biltmore, I decided to get into more depth on the experience that Alanna and I had there. Read more on Alanna and I’s Biltmore adventures here: https://pinkchickadee.com/2022/09/16/an-afternoon-at-the-biltmore/#/
First thing’s first, after a LOOONGGG working day, each of us headed for our AirBnB in nearby-to-Asheville Swannanoa, North Carolina. Our AirBnB was STUNNING and perfect for all of us for the weekend. Hannah, Alanna, and I carpooled there and arrived at the AirBnB close to midnight. When we woke up in Swannanoa, we got to see breathtakingly gorgeous views of the North Carolina mountains at every angle, whether it be from our AirBnB’s balcony, driving into Asheville, or on the neighborhood streets right by our AirBnB. The mountains were GORGEOUS!!!
After working a half a day at the AirBnB, each of us ladies went to The Biltmore Village to Corner Kitchen – a delicious brunch and dinner place. A fun fact about Corner Kitchen is that it gets packed pretty easily so reservations (which Kearra so kindly did for us all!) are highly suggested. Corner Kitchen is only open for breakfast/brunch and dinner and both menus look AMAZING. Everything at this restaurant is locally sourced and seemingly (if I recall!!) farm-to-table. We arrived at Corner Kitchen for a 12:30 reservation and around 1-2pm, the restaurant was closing for the breakfast/brunch meal time, in preparation for dinner. At the same time, Corner Kitchen had a GORGEOUS exterior along with many many many of the Biltmore Village restaurants, cafes, and shops.
Post-brunch, Alanna and I headed for Palm Village – a Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store, while the rest of our crew went to other stores in the area. Alanna and I are the BIG BIG BIG Lilly Pulitzer lovers of the Birthday weekend crew! I got to meet Britney of @cute_classy_carolina on Instagram – a fellow Instagram friend of mine for a few years now who happens to work at Palm Village! While there, I learned that Palm Village is the largest Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store, encompassing 4 locations each with HUGE storefronts. Britney was SOOO SWEET and it was great to meet her along with the rest of the uber sweet Palm Village ladies! Alanna and I enjoyed trying on some of their many gorgeous pieces (a lot of which were on sale!) and shopping. We each purchased a few pieces – one of which for me was the Pollie Midi Dress (pictured right below!). I most definitely cannot wait to shop at Palm Village again and plan to via calling them and ordering one full-priced item for FREE SHIPPING. I highly recommend you do, too!
Friday night, we all did candle making at Hummingbird Candle Company located in downtown Asheville. Candle making was a unique experience which Kearra so kindly reserved for us all. It was neat to be able to smell several different candle scents, with the flexibility to be able to mix 2 scents together. One of the unique experiences offered in it all was getting to smell the 25+ scents that they had without knowing what the scent really was. We got descriptions of our favorite scents later – mine was Lemon Pound Cake! I mixed mine with a strawberry/raspberry scent, too. Once we chose all of our scents, we got to get to candle making, which was such a FUN, interactive, and NEAT experience! The best part?! They had a confetti wall and the most adorable merchandise, SO pictures, pictures, pictures!!!!
Saturday, we slept in before parting ways to either The Biltmore (me and Alanna) or horseback riding (Aspen, Kearra, Hannah, and Rachel). We each had a fun afternoon whatever the activity was that we did. After parting ways, we united together again to go to downtown Asheville to enjoy some of their gorgeous local shops. One of the things that I LOVE about downtown Asheville is the plethora of locally-owned shops. Whether it be fashion, art, locally made goods, restaurants, or a cafe, downtown Asheville truly has it all. Us ladies checked out one of their fashion boutiques, an Asheville-themed gift shop, and a cafe. I refrained this time around, as I shopped a lot at Palm Village, yet some of the other ladies in our crew got a few goodies. And, later that evening, we went to The Lobster Trap for Kearra’s Birthday dinner celebration and got a BUNCH of delicious seafood cuisines with fresh Maine lobster. It was a blast and especially seeing Kearra’s STUNNING Birthday cake when we got back to the AirBnB, too.
Sadly, Kearra had to leave early Sunday morning. So, the rest of us left the AirBnB for the Omni Grove Park Inn hotel – a gorgeous hotel overlooking the North Carolina mountains. None of us could afford to stay there at this point in our lives – LOL! – but we really enjoyed the hotel’s grounds. We walked around the hotel’s grounds mainly outdoors, catching scenic mountain views, waterfalls, and much more. The hotel is made out of stone rocks and was seriously breathtaking. It, perhaps, felt like a luxurious lodge in the mountains. We didn’t get any food or drinks there, but if I do go back to Asheville, that would be high on my list. Then, we all parted ways and headed home after an amazing weekend.
Personally, I am super super super grateful for Kearra for arranging a special time and weekend for all of us to get together to celebrate her. Each of us ladies live in 6 different cities across North Carolina and Virginia and don’t get to see one another as much since our college days, so getting together was truly a blessing. Here’s to the next Girl’s Weekend with this amazing crew!!!
XOXO – Katie <3