HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Asheville is a town where the people love fall and Halloween - and it shows by all the decorations they have out.  This house, in West Asheville, is by far the best I have ever seen anywhere!  They take Halloween to a whole new level!  I just wonder if they leave this out all year, or take it in after Halloween each year?!  They have been decorating like this for years, and each year there is even more stuff.  Great house!

It is all ONE house.  Just one!  Why can't they be MY neighbors??

Grove Park Inn (Asheville, NC)

I don't stay here, but I do visit the Grove Park Inn while I am in Asheville.  The views of downtown Asheville and the mountains are quite breathtaking.   Not to mention, the grounds are spectacular; my photographs don't do the ground justice!

In and around the grounds:

It's All About The View ...

View of the Smoky Mountains from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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.