It's Good to Come Back (Vacation 2017)

The view from our cabin's front porch

It feels good to be come back. My family just spent a relaxing week in Boone, North Carolina for the second year in a row. I found myself pondering the magic of a small town, the joy of walking streets with a touch of familiarity. "Once in a Lifetime" trips are incredible experiences, but also sad in a way, since by nature they are irreplaceable. This week I relished in the joy of a humble vacation, time spent away from the bustle, sitting on the porch to stare at the mountains, hiking through the woods, and shopping down Main Street. I like coming back. It's as if we are forming another ring around a tree trunk, and I can actually feel that ring growing. We built on our experiences from last year by repeating some excursions but also adding new ones as well. Here's a taste of my "old" favorites and new adventures from the week:

Downtown Boone, NC

Old Favorites:

The Dogwood Cafe and Lounge: This hip coffee shop is tucked away on an alley, hiding behind a other shops. The dim lighting and friendly staff give it a very chill, relaxed vibe. You can tell by the artwork and signs that the shop has a progressive ideology, accepting of all kinds of people. Oh, and my latte was amazing. 

Mast General Store: The challenge here is to try not to buy everything. The store is two floors, with retro toys for kids, barrels of candy, expensive outdoors clothing, housewares and oodles more. Patrick and I discovered a cologne balm for men in a clever container but settled on a durable frisbee disc instead. This store is a chain, so maybe you've run into one before!

Wild Craft Eatery: WThis place is delightful. They have a progressive, vegetarian/vegan-friendly menu with tons of options (including meat) that somehow pleases everyone in my family. Cyrus devoured a plate of beans and rice like it was ice cream. Best of all, you can sit outside on their covered patio to enjoy the breeze (and shade). 

Foggy Pine Books: For such a tiny shop, this place sure packs in an impressive collection of books! I appreciate the diversity carefully included in their children's collection; this doesn't happen by accident. Many titles were from Barefoot Books, a brand which highlights stories of children from different cultures. The shop also has YA and adult books in a range of genres, with paragraph blurbs highlighting different books along the shelves. You can also get a personal review from the store owner, since she's friendly and sitting right there! Really, I can't rave about this place enough.

New Adventures:

Magic Mountain Mini Golf: I've never been on such a shady, hilly mini golf course before. The course wasn't exceptionally maintained (some tears in the carpet at spots), but we had a great time tackling the tough holes and I sincerely appreciated the shade. While we waited for the course to open, Hu and Patrick rock climbed on a portable wall set-up nearby!

Appalachian Mountain Brewery: This place had a very chill, fun vibe. They had a variety of beer and cider on tap and I enjoyed sampling a flight. They had indoor and outdoor seating, and we spotted a few well-behaved dogs lounging outside. I definitely want to return next year.

Grandfather Mountain: I came here a long time ago on a work camp to Crossnore, NC with my youth group. I remembered the swinging bridge, but not much else. I was pleased to discover the other stops along the way up the mountain: a short nature walk loop (perfect for Cyrus!), wildlife habitats (otters, bald eagle, black bear and cougar), Forrest Gump Curve in the road (running montage), and more! Our $20.00 admission fee included a CD that narrated each stop along the way up the mountain, which was actually really helpful and informative. This tourist attraction exceeded my expectations!

It feels good to come home de-stressed! Here's to holding on to that feeling!

XOXO,

Maria