A great week of vacation
Last week we headed down to Asheville, North Carolina for a week of vacation with friends of ours who had recently moved down there. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing overall. We helped them get some things situated in their house (pictures, shelves, etc.) and yard (bushes, plants, etc.) and got to see some really nice places. One of the highlights for me was the The North Carolina Arboretum that is run by the University of North Carolina. We spent a couple of hours there with the kids and then I went on a three hour tour of the arboretum with my friend where we saw quite a bit more.
One of the great things about the tour was that we got to ride a Segway through the arboretum as we went so it wasn't strenuous at all. If you ever find yourself there make sure that you plunk down the $45 ($55 on weekends) to do it. Our tour guide was great and I had nothing but praise on the evaluation form we filled out.
Another highlight was the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The variety of fish and other animals there was just wonderful and my youngest son got to see jellyfish and hammerhead sharks up close. The hammerheads were actually the smaller bonnethead sharks but they were nifty nonetheless. It was a little pricey but it was a great time and well worth the investment.
It was also fun to go to the Cradle of Forestry and, of course, the Biltmore Estate. We went to Biltmore on Father's Day were dads and kids got in for free so we saved a little money there. George W. Vanderbilt, the owner of the Biltmore Estate, actually brought forestry to America (it had already taken hold in Europe) so the two sites are intimately connected.
Overall it was a great time to be with friends and to see places that I had never seen before. It was well worth the 13+ hour travel time to and from North Carolina and I would do it again in a second and a half.
One of the great things about the tour was that we got to ride a Segway through the arboretum as we went so it wasn't strenuous at all. If you ever find yourself there make sure that you plunk down the $45 ($55 on weekends) to do it. Our tour guide was great and I had nothing but praise on the evaluation form we filled out.
Another highlight was the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The variety of fish and other animals there was just wonderful and my youngest son got to see jellyfish and hammerhead sharks up close. The hammerheads were actually the smaller bonnethead sharks but they were nifty nonetheless. It was a little pricey but it was a great time and well worth the investment.
It was also fun to go to the Cradle of Forestry and, of course, the Biltmore Estate. We went to Biltmore on Father's Day were dads and kids got in for free so we saved a little money there. George W. Vanderbilt, the owner of the Biltmore Estate, actually brought forestry to America (it had already taken hold in Europe) so the two sites are intimately connected.
Overall it was a great time to be with friends and to see places that I had never seen before. It was well worth the 13+ hour travel time to and from North Carolina and I would do it again in a second and a half.
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