French Broad Chocolate Lounge - Asheville, NC

Oh, my!

If you love chocolate, your mothership has landed!

I've read a few reviews that call this place expensive and refer to the staff as being pretentious. While it isn't exactly cheap, it isn't overwhelming. Although, anything adds up quickly when you have 4 kiddos.

Most importantly to note, though, the staff was PHENOMENAL. One young guy in particular, was probably the friendliest, most enthusiastic, most attentive service employee I've seen in years. I wish I would have caught his name, and I could kick myself for not having given him a bigger tip!

All in all, we ordered:

Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa
Salted Caramel Drinking Chocolate
Triple Layered Chocolate Ganache Cake
Cookies and Milk Ice Cream
10 truffles, with a few duplicates

The hot cocoa was our safety net in a comfortable flavor. Heavy on the milk, but still plenty of chocolate. I thought $4.50 for a hot cocoa was a little much, but you're talking to someone who has never been to Starbucks. They have tons of custom flavors and options available, so I guess if you go for something more exotic, the price tag isn't terrible.

The Salted Caramel Drinking Chocolate was the hit of the evening. I've never experienced drinking chocolate, and none of us had any idea what to expect. Oh. My. Heaven in a cup. It's a little hard to explain. It pretty much is melted chocolate with a bit of steamed milk. Heavier in substance than cocoa, but it still flows perfectly when gently sipped. They refer to it as a Melted Truffle, and it wears this honor well. Again, you have tons of flavor options, so have a little fun with this one! You'll be oh-so-glad you did! $4.50 for a cup of the drinking chocolate felt like a smart investment. And one I definitely hope to make again as soon as possible!

The Ganache Cake was yummy, too. The outside layer felt like it could have used a touch of freshness, but the inside ganache was perfect...  They had several options of cake slices, but this one was a definite winner for our collective palates. Next time, I'd like to try the Olive Oil Chocolate Cake, as it also looked amazing and sounded unique. Most of the cake slices ran around $5-$7 each. They weren't as generous as, say, slices from the Cheesecake Factory, but they were definitely larger than you'd get in the average casual dining restaurant.

Ogie is a little less brave, so the Cookies and Milk ice cream was his selection for the occasion. The lady who waited on him was quite patient as he sampled a few choices, and then she loaded him up with a generous double scoop that kept him quite happy. The kids portion was $2 and change, but the double scoop was more our speed at $5.25.

Ogie tried three of the truffles, but they were a bit too exotic for an 8 year old; so we divvied them up amongst the ladies instead. The girls aren't quite as brave as I wish they were, so we didn't get anything vastly avant-garde from the truffle selection, but we each got to try Peppermint, Hazelnut, Turtle, and Sorghum. The kids all gravitated towards the Peppermint and the Turtle. Mama Bear loved them all, and one day will definitely try some of the more unique flavors from their Signature or World Collections, like the Indian Kulfi, Masala Chai, Mole Negro, Earl Grey, and the Canela Picante...

Oh. My. Mothership, take me away!  

I'd love to list all your options. From truffle flavors, to cakes, to ice cream, to other cookies and desserts, to all the hot drink choices...  But, you'd be better off visiting www.frenchbroadchocolates.com

Or, you'd be even better suited to go there. Now. Literally. Don't even get dressed. Just jump in your car and drive. To Chocolate Heaven.


PS... Happy 12th Birthday, Bibby!

The Biltmore Estate - Asheville, NC

Welcome to Biltmore!

The largest private home in America!

At 175,000 square feet, Biltmore, located in Asheville, North Carolina, boasts over 250 rooms, including 43 bathrooms!

We were looking for something special for Bibby's 12th Birthday. It's always been a bit of a challenge to have 4 winter birthdays within 3 weeks of Christmas. Between weather, finances, schedules, and everything else that life throws at you, it isn't always easy to navigate so many holidays at one time. Historically, it was always our goal to give all the "stuff" at Christmas, and save birthdays for going special places or doing unique things. Some years we've done service projects, other years we've taken day trips or overnighters to places like St. Louis, Indianapolis, Georgia, Legoland, Disney World...  It doesn't always work out that way for all 4 kids, but on this particular day, it did. ;)

This year, we decided a day in Asheville would hit the spot. We've had several annual passes to Biltmore over the years, but Bibby was pretty young the last time we went, so we knew she would be excited to visit again. I'm a huge admirer of the Vanderbilt family. We've visited multiple Vanderbilt homes over the years. This past year, I've also decided that The Men Who Built America is my favorite documentary ever, as it highlights several of my personal idols, including Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Henry Ford.

As are many of our trips, this one was a surprise. We left early enough that the kids slept all the way to Asheville. Upon waking, it didn't take Bibby long to figure out where we were. And, yes, she was pretty excited.

Upon entering, I was super stoked to get a much better deal on our new annual pass than the price that was listed on the internet. I have no idea why. She didn't explain it to me, but, hey, who am I to question? :)

The beauty of visiting Biltmore the first week of January is the perfect timing of it. The home is still fully decorated in its Christmas splendor, but all the crowds are long gone. You pretty much have the place to yourself.

We grabbed lunch at the Stable Cafe, which I will review in a separate post, then we continued on to the house tour. Luckily Ribby is a good kid as far as her behavior. I can't imagine taking a tour through a historic home, especially through 4 of 6 levels of a 175,000 square foot home, with a child that isn't prepared to behave. Everything in Biltmore is original and painstakingly preserved. They DO have alarms. They WILL go off. So, if you are a parent of a small child, definitely know what you are getting involved with before spending the money to see the home.

With that being said, though, Ribby still doesn't have the longest attention span in the world before getting antsy, so the home tour goes a little more quickly when you're trying to keep the Mommy ride moving. Mommies with small babies don't necessarily get to appreciate and absorb as many of the breathtakingly intricate details of each room. When Bibby and Bear were younger, I would keep them interested in the house by challenging them to enter each room and look at the floor, the ceiling, and then find an animal. Between paintings, decor, and other accessories, they can usually find one.

During the holiday season, you can also keep younger kids occupied with counting the Christmas Trees. Biltmore offers a "Scavenger Hunt" booklet full of rhyming clues that correspond with most of the main rooms in the house. It doesn't require any writing, but it keeps the mental wheels turning.

When visiting Biltmore, allow yourself plenty of TIME. If you just go for the house tour, you're really missing out on the full experience. Walk the grounds. Make a wish in the fountains. Stroll through the gardens. Enjoy the greenhouse. Maybe you'd like horseback riding? Be sure to tour the farm and the equestrian center. The winery tour is fascinating, and offers tastings for grown-ups, and grape juice for the kids. Obviously, there are many gift shops, offering everything from kitschy souvenirs, to boutique toys, to Victorian-era decor. You can even hike, walk, jog, or bring your bikes and partake of the many miles of hiking trails, and riverside riding pathways that traverse the property.

Our favorite outdoor activity at Biltmore? Just letting the kids run across the expansive front lawn! (see picture above!)

There are several restaurants and cafes throughout the property that offer everything from counter service and outdooor seating, to spirited Bistros with live music, to fine dining where you need to know which fork is which.  Choosing a restaurant onsite definitely enhances the Biltmore experience, but there are an absolute plethora of exciting meal choices anywhere in the Asheville area.

At the end of the day, even though it was a bit chilly outside, we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. If you visit Biltmore, we hope you have a great time as well!

Ice on the Landing - Chattanooga, TN

It's not every day you get to go ice skating when you live in the South, so this was definitely an extra special treat. The downside is, when you don't go ice skating every day, you tend to stink at.

This wasn't exactly the most fruitful investment we've ever made, but it's one of those things that you have to try, at least to know you tried!

Gearing Up!

Ice Princesses

Are You Brave Enough, Bibby?

As for the critique, I'm going to go out on a limb and assume there are probably better places to try your hand at ice torture, um, I mean, ice skating, than a temporary rink set up and ran by iphone-wielding teenagers who were also NOT raised in an icy biome. Everyone was friendly, but not super helpful. The cashier knew how to take your $10, but not much else.  The rest of the staff seemed more interested in coordinating a group pizza order.

After struggling for a while, we decided to rent "Ice Buddies" for $4 each. The blue plastic units that resembled handicapped walking devices looked super-useful in helping the little kids learn to position themselves on the ice. But apparently, if you're over 5 feet tall, you get an actual handicapped walking device.

If you are concerned about looking socially awkward, I'd already discourage the use of an Ice Buddy. Since I'm not the slightest bit concerned about social awkwardness (if I were I'd never leave the house and this blog would simply be toys.blogspot.com) we attempted to give these gizmos a try.

All awkwardness aside, they were still pretty useless. They didn't slide at all. If you're over 5 feet tall, suck it up and learn to skate without an Ice Buddy. Instead, spend your $4 on hot cocoa. Or butt padding.

If you have experience skating, this might be fun. But, then again, if you have experience skating, is it fun to dodge the dozens of people around you that don't know what the heck they are doing?

$10 per person seems a little expensive for Ice Bumper Cars, whether you are the car or the bump.

But, even with our egos bruised as badly as our derrieres, it's still an afternoon spent with friends.

And THAT is what it's all about!

Little River Canyon National Preserve - Mentone, AL

Junior Rangers at Little River Canyon National Preserve in Alabama!

Marbles Kids Museum - Raleigh, NC

Pirate Ribby Sailing the Seas at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC

The Atlanta Braves

Oh, you know, just hanging out with some friends at the game!

Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery - Dawsonville, GA

If you are familiar with the history of NASCAR, you know that moonshine running through the hills of Georgia had a little something to do with it. 

Come see how moonshine is made in this family-friendly micro-distillery tour in the same building as the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.

The guides are super friendly and great with letting the kids touch and smell their way through the tour and exhibits. 

The price of the tour includes a "free" bottle, but if you don't drink and aren't interested in the product itself, ask for a discounted rate. Be sure to peruse the gift shop for other local food and gift items. We're not drinkers, but we decided to get Grandma some Peach Moonshine Jelly! It didn't last long, so I'd say she enjoyed it!

Georgia Racing Hall of Fame - Dawsonville, GA

Awesome Bill from Dawsonville?

Yep, it's the Bill Elliott Collection at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame!

From Moonshine to NASCAR, come get your race on!

INK (Interactive Neighborhood for Kids) - Gainesville, GA

INK (Interactive Neighborhood for Kids) 

999 Chestnut Street,
Gainesville,
Georgia 30501

"Our Experience Was Pretty Rough"

I've seen a slew of solid 5 star reviews on this place, so I'm hoping our bad experience was just an anomaly. But, it was a bad enough experience for me to feel the need to comment. 

First, upon entering, the woman at the counter seemed nice. I explained to her that I was interested in purchasing a membership. We didn't need it specifically for this place, we were just on vacation and wanted a membership with ACM reciprocal benefits to save us money on other stops along our journey.

I asked if they had the ability to prepare our membership cards that day. Some museums from which we have purchased memberships in the past do have the ability to prepare cards immediately. Some don't. That's fair.

At first, she ensured me they could have our cards ready. Then after filling out the forms while negotiating a toddler anxious to get started in the museum, she decided that the woman who makes the cards was "too busy" and "didn't feel like making the cards today" so I would just need to come back later in the week.

Since we were on vacation and coming back was not possible, we just paid the full admission price and continued on our way.

Upon entering the museum itself, you can quickly tell this place is in the category of a very hand-made museum. It reminds me a bit of the Children's Museum of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana, which we actually adore.

But beyond being hand-made, everything just felt very dirty. And dingy. And worn out. And dirty. And broken. And dirty.

Through the first few rooms, the kids had a pretty good time. There is a dedicated infant/toddler room, a construction area, a grocery store, a bank, dentist's office, hair salon, motorcycle, train tables, and a cafe.

We had a pretty big group playing all together in the cafe. Taking orders, cooking, serving, eating, cleaning... My children love when they can get other kids to all join together to participate in a creative scenario.

After that, though, it got rough pretty quick. I'm not sure if it was a large school/camp group, or just a busy summer day; but there were HORDES of unruly kids, with nary a chaperone in sight.

I wouldn't normally be so quick to blame this on the museum, but there wasn't a single employee in sight either. The place rapidly became a dangerous free-for-all. My 1-year-old was thrown off the motorcycle, and then pushed and shoved away from the trains. Kids were throwing toys and fighting. Everyone was running and screaming.

It was a little quieter around the corner. There were a few more toys. Nothing specifically museum quality, just a handful of things we own at home. The airplane in the back of the museum was pretty awesome; but by the time we got ready for take off, the crowd found us, so we decided to get in the van and take off from the premises instead. 

Maybe it wouldn't have been as much of a disappointment had we not paid full admission to enter, and instead put our money towards a membership that held a financial value to us for the rest of our trip. 

And, again, it's not INK's fault if parents were not minding their own kids, but I don't see how you can run a museum with no floor staff whatsoever. Surely that's a catastrophe waiting to happen. A catastrophe for which we weren't willing to subject ourselves. 

Of all the dozens of kids' museums we have visited, this is the first one my kids have begged to leave. I'm usually dragging them out at closing time. Here, they were dragging me out after less than 90 minutes.

Amicalola Falls - Dawsonville, GA

Consolidated Gold Mine - Dahlonega, GA