WNC Nature Center (Ashevlle, NC)

This beautiful nature center is amazing!  And, great for kids!  They have black bears, big cats, WOLVES!  (yes, gray AND red wolves), birds of prey, and even a little farm area with goats and sheep.  You walk along an elevated boardwalk to see all the animals (handicap accessible).  I love this place and visit it every time I am in Asheville.  (Very small fee to enter.)

Lots of photos of the wolves, because that is just something you don't see every day!

Red Wolf

New Morning Glory (unique shop), Asheville NC

If you are ever visiting Asheville and are near the Biltmore Village, be sure to stop in at this shop.  They have a very unique collection of local art, jewelry, furniture and the coolest stuff.  It is a great place to buy a gift for someone.  It was more like an art museum than a store.  I love this place and it's worth a visit - even if you don't buy something.  (Free garage parking at the store.)

Triangle Park, Asheville NC

This beautiful park, located off the main road into downtown Asheville, has with so many meaningful murals of cultural significance.  It is a beautiful place and I was so happy I found it.  Take a few minutes and get out and look at each and every mural; they are spectacular.

“The mural is a memorial to history. It celebrates the stories of Asheville's historic African-American business district and surrounding Valley Street/East-End neighborhoods. The mural spans the two sides of Triangle Park, at the intersection of Sycamore Alley and South Market Street in downtown Asheville, NC. This is the heart of "The Block," an historic area that remained the cultural and economic center for all of Western North Carolina's African-American citizens from the time of Reconstruction until the years of integration and "urban renewal." Triangle Park is a remnant of this era, where people who grew up around Valley Street still gather. In an upwelling of community effort and care, nearly 100 volunteers helped paint the mural, many of whom have their own stories about the heyday of the Block.”

Pisgah National Forest - Moore Cove Falls Trail

This is an amazing wildlife center.  The gray wolves and red wolvers were AMAZING.  There were big cats, bears, a little area of farm animals, birds of prey.  A wonderful place to visit where you walk above the animals on a boardwalk.  I loved it.

While driving through the Pisgah National Forest in Western North Carolina, I came about a small parking area with a trail.  It was an easy trail (not paved and a lot of roots on the ground so a hiking stick helps), with a pretty waterfall at the end.  It was such a beautiful day.

The trail looks rough - but it is NOT.  You have to watch where you're going, but it's not hard and not really too long.

Best $12 I ever spent - my trusty hiking stick!

Not a big waterfall at the end; but, very pretty.

Cades Cove - Great Smoky Mountains National Park 2018

I have been to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park many times, however, this was the first time I visited the Cades Cove portion.  You drive a very winding road to get to it and it is well worth it.  First, I passed a field with millions of Monarch butterflies - it was beyond beautiful.  Then I came upon 5 primitive churches that you could walk around and even go inside.  They were so amazing, and a couple of them had cemeteries on the property.  Next, there was an old mill that was still a working mill.  I was so glad that I finally visited Cades Cove!

Five primitive churches.

A grave from the Revolutionary War!

The inside of all the churches was beautiful and basic.

There are also several old houses in the park.

Beautiful mill (there is a visitor center at this location)

Gorgeous field of Monarch butterflies

As I exited the park at the Cherokee end (I had entered at Gatlinburg), there was a beautiful herd of elk grazing.