Wednesday, December 15
The five-hour drive from Tarboro to Asheville was mostly flat but we started to climb into the Great Smoky Mountains as we approached the outskirts of town. Inez, Mary Ann’s daughter that owns and operates the trendiest restaurant in Tarboro, gave us several recommendations for where to eat and drink in Asheville. She also recommended the Murdaugh Murders podcast about the crazy, rich, and powerful South Carolinian family and the many murders they’ve been involved in, which filled most of our driving for the next several days.
We were able to walk from our hotel, a nice Holiday Inn Express on the east side of town, through the tunnel to the main drag. It didn’t seem like a popular way to walk and one car gave us a friendly honk. Wouldn’t do it in the dark.
We started at Bhramari Brewing Company. We had the Hecka Gnar, a West Coast IPA, and Neon Ghosts, a hazier IPA. Both were tasty. We also split a salad and tasty lil corn dog bites. We sat outside and people watched as the sun set. Asheville definitely has the college, hippie-kid vibe to it, and we loved it.
Next we walked up the street to Dsslvr – our first but not last occult-themed brewery. We had Are Teeth Bones, a double dry-hopped hazy, and The Hustle is Dead, a West Coast IPA. We really liked the style of the brewery – with tables shoved between forklifts and palates of grain. They had a grilled cheese pop-up restaurant outside but we decided to save ourselves for some BBQ later. It seemed like everyone there had a dog, and many (dogs) were wearing adorable Christmas sweaters.
Walking back down the street we passed several outdoor clothing stores, cutesie home decor places, record shops, and used book stores that had already closed, which was probably for the best because we have too many books as it is and an overly stuffed car.
Then we made it to Burial, our second occult-themed brewery. We had two thick, hazy IPAs: The Second Congregation of the Extraterrestrial Occult and Morphic Resonance of Human Frequencies. We also split a dank BBQ pork sandwich and admired their t-shirt and can art before getting an Uber back to the hotel. The Uber driver’s picture looked like a serial killer but then he showed up playing Tibetan chime music with pink and blue flashing lights and puff-ball decorations handing from each window. In a stoner-accent he told us Asheville was the best place in the world and he would know because he has lived “everywhere”. We told him we are going back to the Bay Area, CA and he said he had lived there and that there was too much traffic and the people weren’t as nice. He admitted the arts scene in the Bay was alright though. We ended the evening with a soak in the hotel’s very hot hot tub!
Thursday, December 16
For breakfast we drove by Hole – a craft donut shop recommended by Inez – it looked great but was closed due to equipment issues. So we trekked on and agreed to stop for brunch in Knoxville instead. The drive from Asheville to Knoxville was very pretty – winding up and down through mountain roads. We decided to switch from podcast to audiobook and listened to Under the Banner of Heaven which gave a very spooky vibe as we passed by the most rural looking trailers and back-country shops on our way down the mountains.
In Knoxville we brunched at OliBea. We had the Tennessee Benedict with local sourced ham and the Chicken Biscuit which was fried chicken, biscuit and gravy. The sauce was tangy and sweet – real good! We circled around the town and then headed to Nashville. Leaving Knoxville was still a beautiful drive down the mountains. As we approached Nashville it started to rain HARD and I spent most of the drive covering my eyes (Carl was driving).
In Nashville we stopped by the CDM Smith office to say hi to my co-workers. From the office you could see the Parthenon and the surrounding park. My co-workers were having their holiday party and with flushed faces they asked if we wanted any moonshine. My coworker, Dave, kindly let us stay with him so we borrowed his key and went back to his place to drop our stuff. On the way we drive by lower broadway, the honky tonk party street to see all the lights and silly cowboy people. Then we headed to the closest brewery, Tennfold, and had Business Hippie, a West Coast IPA, and Groovy Shade, a hazy. It was happy hour so the beers were only $3 !! We also split a tasty celery Caesar salad with blackened shrimp that exceeded our expectations.
Then we met up with my coworkers, Dave and Christina, and went to Edley’s BBQ. Carl and I split the brisket platter. The grits casserole was ridiculously good. Then we went to Bearded Iris, a nearby brewery that also served ramen. We had the Creative Banker IPA and the Dance Party Gose.
Friday, December 17
Dave recommended Five Daughters for cronuts. We got one with maple and bacon (and filled with some sort of maple cream that tasted like peace on earth) and the raspberry filled with raspberry – Carl’s favorite. Feeling pre-diabetic we hit the road again.
We headed to Memphis for a BBQ lunch. We got there around noon and it seemed like no one was ready to party yet. We walked down the famous Beale Street but not much was happening and few people were out. Walking away from the main drag was honestly pretty depressing. Most buildings looked abandoned and some were falling over. We happened to walk by a brewery – WiseAcre – so we stopped in an bought some IPAs (duh) for later. Then up to Central BBQ for lunch. We split the 3 meat platter with ribs, pulled pork, and smoked turkey – recommended by the cashier. The sauces were reallll good but the meat seemed a little overdone. Carl tried sweet tea for the first time and instantly got diabetes.
Walking back to the car we passed the Civil Rights Museum which took over the Lorraine hotel where Martin Luther King Jr was shot in 1968. The memorial was really well done, with video stands that described both the day he was shot, the background behind the strike, and other momentous events in the Civil Rights Movement. I wish we could have spent more time at the museum. We had originally planned to stay in Memphis for the night but we realized there was good day light and we could make it to Little Rock, Arkansas by dinner time so we pushed on. Leaving the city we drove right by the great Bass Pro Shop pyramid, a monstrosity of a building. We will have to save that shopping trip for our next visit.
As we arrived into Little Rock we realized we left our swimsuits hanging in the shower in the Asheville hotel. So we checked out the mall near our motel to see if anything was on sale. If you want a good laugh, go to a mall in Little Rock, Arkansas in December and ask where the swimsuits are. People looked at us bewildered as if we were asking where they kept the gremlin cages. In a major department store a man named PJ responded to this question in innuendos ( I think he was telling us to go to H&M next door). Then he gave us his business card which read “PJ” for his first name, this was not an abbreviation. He wrote his personal number on the back and told us to call him in case we ever needed his fashion consulting advice in the future. By that point we were looking at him as if HE was crazy (because come on we were dressed in our frumpiest finest after being in the car alll day). Then we went next door and got on sale swimsuits at H&M.
We went to one of the Stones Throw Brewery locations that advertised live music and food trucks. We got two IPAs: Ancestral and Dirty 7. The band was playing folk music. They especially liked their Christmas murder ballads. The place was busy and every table had at least one dog. We read that the food to eat in Little Rock is burgers and cheese dip so we headed to a restaurant to try these local delicacies. We went to Big Orange which was busy (Friday night) but we were able to sit at the bar. The cheese dip was gooood – basically melted cheese with peppers in it (I said queso, Carl said American fondue). We also opted for the homemade potato chips which were fresh and chewy. Then we split the Umami burger which had a patty that was half beef and half veggies (mushrooms, onions, and garlic).
Saturday, December 18
We woke up to heavy rain forecast so we decided to move West (opposite of the storm) ASAP. The continental breakfast at the Days Inn was sad so we opted to stop at one of the many Cracker Barrels down the road. We ended up in Alma, Arkansas and the place was full. We finally got a table and enjoyed some country nostalgia. We then continued our drive West into Oklahoma. We were actually surprised how wooded most of the eastern part of Oklahoma was. We made it to Oklahoma City for lunch and decided to dine at Clark Crew BBQ based on google ratings and history of awards. We got the 3 meet platter – ribs, brisket, and Oklahoma Prime Rib (smoked bologna). The meat and sauces were real good. But bologna is still bologna.
With a belly full of ‘cue, we drove westward. The western part of Oklahoma seemed more flat and with less trees. No bison. Carl heroically drove us in the dark into the Texas Panhandle (which I think is a misnomer and should be the Texas Top-hat). Once we crossed the Texas border, all the hundreds of wind turbines had flashing red lights that provided a christmasey glow to the highway. Also I must note that all the roads we drove on in Texas were smooth as butter (which could not be said for most other places we drove through). Finally, we made it to the Holiday Inn Express in Amarillo, Texas. This place had some nice Texas-y decorations and red and white brick designs. The hot tub was glorious – the biggest I have ever seen and it had a mosaic mermaid on the bottom.
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