Read more about the article Beech Mountain, NC

Beech Mountain, NC

We recently went snow skiing at Beech Mountain. Not familiar with it? It’s in North Carolina.

Wait – North Carolina and snow skiing? Is that even a real thing?

North Carolina does offer snow skiing

Fortunately for those who live in the Southeastern part of the US, there are a handful of ski resorts in North Carolina (Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Cataloochee), West Virginia (Snowshoe, Winterplace, Timberline) and Virginia (Wintergreen).

Choosing to Go

For years, we’ve been talking about taking our children snow skiing. With the girls now in high school, I knew we had to do it sooner than later. The impasse came this year when I wanted to book a ski trip to Taos, New Mexico for the week after Christmas. My DH (dear hubby) refused – saying he didn’t want to spend money on airfare and taking off lots of time from work if it turned out our kids didn’t like skiing. (more…)

Read more about the article Gingerbread House Exhibit at Grove Park Inn – Asheville, NC

Gingerbread House Exhibit at Grove Park Inn – Asheville, NC

The smell of warm gingerbread evokes memories of Christmas and holidays. During this season, many love to decorate gingerbread houses. Imagine if you could design one that earned $25,000?

The Competition

The National Gingerbread House Competition does just that. Held annually at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, we were fortunate to see it on the way home from snow skiing at Beech Mountain in early January.

Gingerbread Exhibit 2018 at the Omni Grove Park Inn

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Read more about the article Gibbs Gardens – Ball Ground, GA

Gibbs Gardens – Ball Ground, GA

Located just an hour north of Atlanta, Gibbs Gardens opened to the public a few years ago. However, not everything is newly planted. Jim Gibbs, founder of well-known Gibbs Landscaping, spent over 30 years creating these gardens on his 300-acre property.

We arrived during the early part of November to see the fall colors. Volunteers directed us to a parking spot and we entered the welcome center and gift shop. Presenting the tickets we bought online, another volunteer gave us a map and told us to head to the Japanese gardens. During the walk, we passed the Waterlily Gardens and Monet Bridge. (more…)