A good vacation doesn't always have to be one to a destination town that everybody has on their bucket list. This weekend my cousin had a wedding in a small town in North Carolina and my immediate family mostly all went and it was like a family reunion in an AirBNB. For this trip the AirBNB was one of the highlights excluding the reason for the trip, my cousin's beautiful wedding. Thanks to my brother who knows how to find great locations we got a three story cabin with a hot tub and situated in the mountains so the decks looked out over an amazing view. As often when my family gathers we brought along plenty of board games to play and beers to drink.
Morganton, North Carolina provided a lot in the way of diversions. A good selection of breweries, which we were sadly too busy to visit, but did try their beer at other locations and picked some up to take home. Only visiting two of the streets, West Union Street and South Sterling Street we got to experience some wonderful small shops that I would highly recommend visiting, and the reason we were too busy to visit the breweries. Our first day in we got breakfast at Grind Cafe which offered some nice seasonal coffees and breakfast options. I went with a lighter option of a bagel with ham and cheese since there was going to be walking afterword. Many of the shops we visited also had beer or wine to buy while walking around the store, which is a good way to get you to spend more money and it worked. Craft'd was a delightful visit with local art, local beer on tap, and a selection to make a charcuterie board where you're staying or there in the shop. They also have a large selection of wines and knowledgeable staff who is ready to help you find one you'd like.
Adventure Bound Books had limited hours but is a nice book store to visit in town to find some great deals on used books and a nice atmosphere to walk around in. Thornwell Books was another great spot to visit, and another location were you can get a beer or wine while reading a book. They also offered a selection of baked goods and coffee drinks named after authors. There is plenty of seating to enjoy your drink while reading your new book and I ordered a Hillman Brewing beer there then sat down on the couch with my beer by a window, to look out and see that Hillman Brewing is just a block down the road.
Back to the craft food experiences you can find, we visited Olive which has a wonderful selection of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The staff was friendly, helpful, and walked us through combinations and tastings, and once again it's a location that offers drinks on the premises including wine flights to help you get the full experience of starting your meal with a wine and dipping bread in olive oil. Almost next door, we visited Merrill's Mischief which has a unique selection of candies and a Christmas décor with a train running around near the ceiling and Disney music playing. The main draw is the fudge at the back of the store. I took home some of the Salted Caramel Fudge and it was delightful. The man running the fudge station was very friendly, knowledgeable and offered samples freely. That section also had a selection of maple syrup hot sauces that you can try out as well there along with being given a good idea of pairings for the sauces. You can pick them up in bigger sizes, but I opted for a sampler selection of the sauces.
The next day we visited Apple Hill Orchard and Cider Mill to pick some apples and the weather was delightful. It rained while we were on our way, but the weather cleared while we were there and warmed up to be a delightful experience. It's an unassuming place from the front, but the apple trees are spread out down some rolling hills. Some of the apples had been ripe for a bit and were hard to find, especially the Fuji's and Granny Smiths, but that could also be because of their popularity. We also also picked up some Stayman Winesaps and Cameo apples. There are a ton of products in their shop as well which I'll have more of an idea of how good they are once I'm home and try them out, but the apple cider is delicious. We got a half gallon and also tried the slushee versions of the cider which was really good as well. Overall it was a wonderful experience at the orchard and I'd highly recommend it. The view and walk around the orchard is very nice and the map at the beginning lets you make the walk around as intense or quick as you want it to be and they offer a good selection of different basket sizes so you can get just the amount of apples you want.
We returned to downtown after that for lunch at Moondog Pizza which was very good. They have all the normal ingredients for pizzas if you want something standard, but also some specialty's that are very exciting and I was sad I only had time to try one. I got the Moondoggery and it was wonderful. The normal red sauce and mozzarella were the base, but topped with gorgonzola, salami, caramelized onions, and roasted garlic that all worked so well together, just a phenomenal pizza. They have a good selection of sandwiches if you're not in the mood for pizza and a good selection of drinks. My sister-in-law has several food allergies and the waitress came back after remembering something in her order that might bother her and came back to get a corrected order and she provided great service the whole time we were there. If you like unique pizzas I'd definitely recommend a visit.
Obviously this has to finish with the wedding at Double J farms which is a delightful venue. It's got a lot of inclines and some loose rock areas, so keep that in mind when making footwear selections, but it is a beautiful venue. The ceremony is performed behind the farmhouse in a small rectangle cut out of the woods with benches built out of the logs and supplemented by additional chairs. I stood at the back in case my newborn was going to be loud so I wouldn't disrupt the service, which thankfully didn't happen. The woods foliage provided a lovely backdrop for a nice service that was simple and clear even with some issues with the sound system. The exterior dance floor was nicely litup by rope lights over around the border and during cocktail hour there was a guitarist playing who delighted my three month old. I also appreciated the selection of craft beers on tap since I'm also a fan of those as are the bride and groom. As the sun set the weather cooled and made the farmhouse a pleasant place to listen to speeches and get food.
A lot of the moments that made the trip great were being with my family as we played board games, or drinking a beer in the hot tub with my brother and sister-in-law as we looked out over the mountain view, but visiting Morganton was a ton of fun, and is a place that I'd like to come back and visit more, or the other surrounding small towns as well. We didn't make a trip to South Mountain State Park this time which we were hoping to, or take a trip to Asheville about an hour away, but it's good to leave a reason to want a return trip so there's something left to experience. More importantly I lucked out when I found out my daughter was perfectly happy to be in the car for a twelve hour trip and sleep most of the way in between feedings. Sure, her stuff took up a lot of room in the car, but we didn't have to do any driving with a baby crying in the car seat and that was quite the relief.
