Stephany Writes

Categories: Travel

Belize City, Belize | Bacab Eco Park

In Belize, cruise ships have to drop an anchor a few miles away from the port and then guests are taken by boat to the island. It’s a pretty common practice, something my mom and I are very experienced at by now, but it’s always a little annoying because it means a lot of sitting and waiting. They try to fill up each boat with hundreds of guests, so it takes a while as they load up the boats and also when the guests depart the boats.

Since we had an excursion, we left on a boat that was specifically set aside for guests with excursions. It took about 40 minutes to get to the island, but the views were outstanding and it was such a beautiful day that I couldn’t complain. Once we finally got off the boat, Mom and I hightailed to our tour group where we were funneled onto a bus to take the journey to Bacab Eco Park.

The ride to the park was fairly long – probably around 45 minutes. During the ride, our tour guide told us all about Belize and its culture, as well as pointed out some interesting sights along the way. Here are some of the things I learned:

  • Public education is not free in Belize after middle school. Parents have to pay to send their children to high school, so if they have multiple children, they have to make a decision on which one to send.
  • Doctors and nurses aren’t in high demand, as most people practice bush medicine (i.e., natural healing). During our horseback riding, the tour guides pointed out different trees, bushes, plants, etc., and told us the natural healing properties of them.
  • The official language of Belize is English, but in social situations, most Belizians speak Creole.

Once we got to Bacab Eco Park, we were met by our tour guide for the horseback riding adventure. He took us on a very slow walking tour through the grounds. At this point, I was beginning to regret wearing long pants because I was so damn hot in them. It was probably not my best decision, but I wanted to be properly attired for horseback riding.

After that, it was onto the horses! We were told to put on a helmet (dorky bicycle helmets, sigh) and then, one by one, we were assigned to horses based on our experience. I was given Sydney to ride and she was a pretty low-key and easy horse. She was a little slower than I would have liked, but she kept up a good pace for the ride. We stayed near the middle of the pack for most of it.

When I went riding in Puerto Rico, I remember feeling a bit uncomfortable in the saddle and feeling grateful when we finished the ride. But this time around, I felt so comfortable and at peace on my horse. I could have ridden for hours, I think! It was just so much fun to be in the jungle on horseback and enjoy all the sights. We spent about an hour riding and it was seriously the greatest time. I took way too many photos!

Once we were finished horseback riding, we trekked over to the pool area where our lockers were. My mom and I wasted no time getting something to eat and drink! We had definitely worked up an appetite after being in the sun all morning long. My mom got the local beer (she loves sampling the local beer and always really enjoys it!) and I got a soda, and then switched to a mixed drink that was very strong. Our excursion included lunch, which was a traditional Belizian feast of beans and rice, chicken, and plantains. I decided to get that while my mom ordered something off the menu. And then I proceeded to eat half her lunch, too, because when on vacation, right? Obviously, I was one hungry girl!

After eating, we hightailed to the bathroom to change into shorts, and man, did that feel great! We brought our swimsuits in the hopes we could take a dip in the pool, but there just wasn’t enough time. We had maybe 30 minutes to relax before we would have to leave and it just didn’t feel worth the effort. Instead, we relaxed in the hammocks and put our feet in the water for a short time.

Then, it was time to go back to the bus. My mom and I were some of the first people on the bus and I was all settled in and ready to take a short nap on the way back to the port when my mom started rummaging through her bag in a panic. You know, that panic. The “omg-where-is-my-phone” panic. She turned to me and said, “I think I left my phone by the pool.”

OY VEY.

So she had to rush back to the pool to get it and mind you, this is a woman who is notorious for tripping and falling over herself. On our last cruise, she tripped while walking and bruised her knee badly. So, I was worried that a) she would fall; b) that she wouldn’t find her phone; and c) that the bus would leave without her.

More and more people were getting on the bus, and soon, they were ready to depart but my mom was still nowhere to be seen. AHHH. The tour guide came on board and started counting the people and said, “Okay, somehow we’re missing two people.” And I had to stand up and say, “My mom had to run back to get her phone. Please don’t leave without her.”

Thankfully, the tour guide was super nice about it and just said, “Hey, I live here. No skin off my nose.” HA.

After what felt like HOURS, I finally saw my mom running back to the bus with her phone in hand. Thank the Lord! She got back on the bus and sat down next to me, breathing heavily. She told me all about her experience trying to find the pool again (her sense of direction is laughably bad, haha) and then how one of the little kids who was helping us during our horseback riding excursion had to help her find her way back.

Never a dull moment with my mom. 🙂

It was a fun day, though, and I’m glad we picked this excursion. Our tour guides were fantastic and the horses were great for beginning riders. I wish I had more time to spend at the pool because it looked super fun with a waterfall and loungers placed in the shallow end of the pool. Next time!

Bacab Eco Park is located 20 minutes from Belize City and features a wide range of adventures: horseback riding, jungle biking, kayaking, nature trails, and more. They are open every day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

Categories: Travel

Cozumel, Mexico | Mr. Sancho’s Beach Club

I’ve been to Cozumel on just about every cruise I’ve been on. It’s one of the more popular stops for cruises and I’ve done a lot of different things there: touring Mayan ruins, zip-lining, participating in the Amazing Cozumel Race, and snorkeling. At this point, scrolling through the list of excursions on the Carnival website isn’t all that interesting. Originally, we planned to do a fancy all-inclusive resort to the tune of $110 per person. It was going to be at a secluded little spot in Cozumel and looked really fun. Unfortunately, when we were finally ready to book it, it was sold out! Womp, womp.

My mom told me about Mr. Sancho’s Beach Club, a recommendation that came from one of her friends who cruises regularly. Mr. Sancho’s is their go-to excursion in Cozumel, and after one look at the website, I was sold. It was basically exactly the same as the excursion we were previously looking at – an all-inclusive resort, beach, swimming pools, etc. – but at half the cost. Sign me the heck up!

We arrived at Mr. Sancho’s pretty early in the day, around 9:30. We took a taxi with another couple, and it was a quick 10-minute drive over to the beach club. We paid our fee, and then we were in!

Since we arrived so early, there were plenty of loungers for us to grab. We opted for two loungers right by the pool because we knew we would want to spend more time there than on the beach. (For two Florida girls, we really aren’t beach people!) Our server for the day introduced himself to us and handed us a menu of food and drinks, and took our first drink order (the local beer for my mom and a mango daiquiri for me).

We hopped in the pool where there was a swim-up bar and lots of little tables right in the pool where you could place your drinks. And the view was just absolutely gorgeous! Nothing like spending a random Monday right here, huh?

Most of our day at Mr. Sancho’s was focused on relaxing and spending time in the pool. I just really, really love being in a pool. There’s just something so relaxing about it and it makes me want to spend a lot more time at the pool at my apartment. Can you believe I’ve only been twice since I moved in a year and a half ago? I have to rectify that this summer.

Around 11, I ordered chips, guac, and salsa because when in Mexico, right? It was a nice little appetizer before lunch and really fun to eat it poolside while sipping on a fruity drink. If there’s anything that says tropical vacation, it’s that. Eventually, we ordered lunch (I opted for a cheeseburger and fries because I’m eight) and it was nice to eat it right by the pool! I’m here for anything that allows me to be maximum lazy.

After lunch, my mom took a nap on the lounger and I tried to read my book, but it was a little difficult because there was so much happening around me. Mr. Sancho’s is a busy little beach club when cruise ships are in port! The pool filled up quickly and I think just about every lounger on the beach was filled. They aren’t hurting for business, that’s for sure!

I wanted to take a walk along the beach, but the beach was actually very small and the loungers took up the majority of the space on the sand. There was just a tiny strip to walk along and it was uneven, so my ankles were screaming at me after just a few minutes. Oh, well! There are some fun things to do at the beach, though, like kayaking.

We left Mr. Sancho’s around 2-ish because we wanted to have some time to shop at the port before heading back to the ship, but I really feel like I got my money’s worth with this excursion (honestly, you cannot beat $55 for all you can eat and drink!) and I will definitely be back on any other cruises I take that stop in Cozumel. It was the perfect relaxing day!

The all-inclusive package for Mr. Sancho’s Beach Club is $55 per person (ages 18 and up) and includes all-you-can-drink-and-eat, as well as use of the pools, beach, loungers, kayaks and hammocks. For an added fee, you can enjoy snorkeling, horseback riding, wave runners, parasailing, massages, and the aquatic park. Remember to have cash on hand to tip your server! (And if you’re coming to Mr. Sancho’s from the cruise port, you’ll need cash for the taxi, which is $15 each way.)

Categories: Travel

Sailing On the Carnival Magic

While I typically do day-by-day recaps of my cruises, I decided to do something differently this time around. Mainly because our days at sea and life aboard the ship weren’t all that interesting! There was a lot of sleeping, eating, reading, and playing cards. So, instead, I’m breaking these recaps into four separate posts: one post detailing the ship and some of the things we did on board, and then three posts about the different excursions we did in Cozumel, Belize, and Honduras.

Carnival Magic

We sailed on the Carnival Magic, which is one of their newer ships and I could immensely tell the difference between this ship and some of their older ones. It was built in 2011 and features some really cool water slides and a ropes course, as well as an Italian restaurant and balconies on the lower floors. While I wasn’t too impressed with the food choices (I’m such a picky eater and didn’t feel like I got my money’s worth in food this time around), I think those who are more adventurous eaters would really enjoy the menu.

Embarkation Process

Our check-in process was seriously mind-boggling easy. It took us 15 minutes from the time we parked the car to the time we were walking onto the ship. Usually, you have to stand in two long lines: one to get your boarding pass and passport scanned, and another to get your room keys and picture taken (which is your ID to get on and off the ship). Instead, Carnival used our passport picture as our ID on board, which meant we only had to stand in that first line and then we were shuffled on board (well, after the security checkpoint). Carnival, slow clap for you. That process could sometimes take an hour and nobody enjoyed it. Instead, we just got our passport scanned and then our room keys were sitting in a little box next to our room. Pretty darn easy!

Internet on Board

Unlike previous cruises, I decided to purchase the Internet package. When I first started cruising (in 2011), Internet on board was notoriously unreliable and insanely expensive. But recently, they’ve revamped their Internet service and now offer a variety of packages that are much more reasonably priced. I selected the social media package for $35. I really only used it to post to my Stories, as I wanted to have a highlight on my feed from my vacation. Now I can relive my vacation anytime I want through my “Cruisin'” highlight. Woo! (I also posted a photo a day to my regular feed, which was fun!) I tried not to use the Internet for anything else, though. No mindless scrolling or checking in with other people – I really like being away from all of that on a cruise. As far as the actual Internet service goes, it was okay. It’s definitely not lightning fast and would take forever to post a video, but that’s Internet while sailing in the middle of the ocean! I was just grateful for anything.

Our Room

For the first time ever, we got a room with a balcony and I am soooo glad we made this upgrade! Having a balcony seemed to open up the room and it was nice to just sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and oh-so-gorgeous views. Our room itself was pretty nice, although I had to laugh at the way they separated our beds where there was maybe an inch of space between them. Ha! We had a couch, plenty of closet space, and a decent-sized bathroom. I was really happy with the room, and even happier with where it was since it was so close to the action. We only had to walk up one floor to get to the dining room or walk down two floors to reach the gangway to get off the ship in port. Pretty perfect!

Days at Sea

Our days at sea were pretty low-key. We slept in (typically not later than 9) and I would usually go out to the balcony to read while waiting for my mom to get up. Then, we’d go down to the dining room to have brunch before heading out to the deck. We didn’t spend too much time on the decks this cruise, but that’s fine by me. The Lido deck is so, so overwhelming for me (I’m definitely going to write a post about how to cruise when you have high sensitivity very soon!), so I stay away from it as much as possible. We could usually find deck chairs a little ways away from the action, which was nice. There were lots of naps before dinner in the room (my faaaave) and we played bingo twice, which is one of my favorite things to do. It’s not cheap (we got suckered into doing the $40 package), but it’s a lot of fun. I also liked to sit in the atrium around dinnertime to listen to the violinists play. It was so soothing and relaxing!

Entertainment on Board

My mom’s not one for musical theater, so we didn’t see any of the shows, but they seemed to be pretty fantastic. I’ve been a little turned off by shows on Carnival’s older ships (so corny!), so I didn’t push her too hard to go to a show. So I can’t blame her here – I really didn’t think they were going to be all that great, but I may have been wrong in that respect. We went to one of the PG-rated comedy shows and it was pretty damn awful. I’m pretty easy to make laugh and this guy couldn’t do it once.

Dining

Just like our last cruise, my mom and I opted for Your Time Dining. On previous cruises, we did the specific dining time where we would be seated with other couples and families. Usually, that was fine and even great, as we got to meet some really cool people. Until our Bahamas cruise when we were seated with a very unfriendly couple that made dinnertime really really uncomfortable. Now, we just go to dinner whenever we want and always ask to be seated by ourselves. (Like I kept telling my mom, “I’m not here to make friends!” ;)) It’s so nice to have that flexibility to eat at a time that suits us. I really love that! Also, I asked for a second bread basket at almost every meal because there is no shame in my carb game. (This fact is made even more impressive when you consider that my mom doesn’t really like bread and would only eat one roll from the basket.)

Oh, and one night, we made a reservation at the Italian restaurant on board. We picked a night when the menu in the main dining room was a little lackluster and had ourselves a fancy Italian meal. It was an extra $15 charge, but I feel like it was worth it! I really enjoyed my meal (I got chicken parm) and the dessert was to-die-for delicious. I definitely left dinner feeling thoroughly stuffed!

Fighting Neighbors

One of the more interesting parts of our cruise was our neighbors. Y’all, I don’t think they’re going to make it. They fought the entire time, and we could hear them through our wall. (I’m not sure why… we had a connecting door, so maybe that’s why? I’ve never been able to hear my neighbors that clearly before!) I’ve always said that a cruise is such a great vacation for a couple because you’re forced to have lots of time together, away from the stress of regular life. But, boy oh boy, it is not a good vacation if your relationship is a little rocky. Can you imagine being stuck in a tiny room together when you’re in a terrible fight?! Yikes. So, lesson learned, only cruise with a partner that I would actually want to be stuck in a tiny room with for days on end. Got it.

The Best Cruise? The Best Cruise.

But that was the gist of what it was like on board! Truly, I think this was one of my best cruises. It’s hard to top my first cruise because it was such a special experience and I remember how magical it all was, especially being in a different country for the first time ever, but this one was truly great. My mom and I didn’t fight once and nobody got injured either. My mom did end up getting a cold around day 5, which was no bueno, but she was a trooper! (And it just meant that I didn’t have to feel bad about us going back to the cabin early every night because damn, even on a cruise, all I want is to be snuggled up in bed by 9 pm.) We had fun and got to enjoy some awesome experiences, which I’ll be talking about next week.

I think seven-day cruises are my sweet spot. By that seventh day, I was ready for my own bed and dependable Internet and a regular routine. I was so happy to come home and get back to my life. And I love that. I love that I can immensely enjoy my vacations, but also enjoy getting back to my regular life. That’s the sign of a truly content life.

Categories: Travel

Asheville, NC | Days 3 & 4

On our third day in Asheville, I woke up around 8:30 and most of the girls were up by then. (Most of us are early risers if you can’t tell from these recaps!) I got some coffee, chit-chatted with everyone, and then started getting ready for the day. It was going to be another busy one!

Around 10:00, we all left the cabin to venture into downtown Asheville for brunch. Our goal was to check out Tupelo Honey Cafe, a restaurant I’ve heard so much about. The restaurant was much smaller than I imagined and for a group of seven at 10:30 on a Monday, the wait was 45 minutes!

We weren’t willing to wait that long, but thankfully, we were able to be seated immediately if we split up our group. So, we split into a group of four and three and… were seated right next to one another. Ha! So it worked out perfectly.

I ordered a mimosa and shared a meal with a friend, which was a great decision because it was the perfect amount of food for the two of us but would have been way too much food for one person. We split the fried chicken and biscuits and got a side of baked mac and cheese. We were also given a plate of biscuits with honey and blackberry jam for the table, and those biscuits were phenomenal.

If you haven’t guessed already, Tupelo Honey Cafe gets two thumbs up from me. It’s definitely worth checking out when you’re in Asheville! They know how to do breakfast.

Once we were done with breakfast, it was time for the big adventure of the day: exploring the Biltmore!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when arriving at the Biltmore. I knew it was going to be massive and opulent and exceed all of my expectations, but it went even further than that. I don’t even think I could grasp the magnificence of the Biltmore. Especially on my first visit (and since we opted out of the audio tour; if I ever go back to the Biltmore, I’d definitely invest in the audio tour because I think it would give me a greater appreciation and understanding of this estate).

We started in the Biltmore home itself and it took us forever to get through it. At least an hour and a half, I would guess, maybe longer. (In contrast, you could tour my entire apartment in 30 seconds flat. Ha.) The beauty was that it was all decorated for Christmas and had over 60 real Christmas trees in the house. There were rooms to visit, a massive library, servant’s quarters, kitchens, a bowling alley, a pool… and probably a million other rooms that are slipping my mind. It was incredible. (And blew my mind how busy it was there on a random Monday morning! I imagine it’s insanity during the weekends.)

After working our way through the Biltmore, we took a tour of the gardens, which were sprawling and beautiful, full of rosebushes and brightly colored flowers and a conservatory with lush green plants. It was hard to even comprehend having this much space to build gardens of this capacity.

Once we finished with the gardens, we made our way back to the car to visit the winery. You guys, it took us at least 10 minutes to drive to the winery. My friend who was driving kept saying, “Just think! We’re still on the Biltmore property!” It was hard to fathom.

Many of us were pretty overwhelmed by this point, our energy reserves tanking, but we rallied as best we could to enjoy the free wine tasting that came with our ticket. And, fun fact: this is the first wine tasting I’ve ever done! I’m not much of a wine person (I’m moderately allergic to wine. I’m okay if I have it in small doses, but even a glass of wine makes me break out, unfortunately.), so I tend to stay away from it. I also don’t really enjoy the taste of wine, especially red wine, so I don’t particularly think I’m missing out. Eh.

The wine tasting was super fun, though! Much more enjoyable than I expected. While I did try one red wine, I could only handle one tiny sip and then gave it to a friend to finish off, haha. Mostly, I stuck with whites and a rosè, which were fairly tasty. I’m still not on board with wine, so I’ll need some more convincing. 😉

After the wine tour, we were tired. It had been a long day and a lot of walking around and taking things in, so we enjoyed a quiet ride back to the cabin in Waynesville.

Our plans for our last night were simple: tacos, games, and s’mores by the fire.

There truly isn’t a better dessert in the world than s’mores, I don’t think, especially when the marshmallows are roasted by the fire. Mmm.

After we enjoyed our s’mores, we went inside to watch some of the girls play pool and then played a game of Phase10 where I lost my ever-loving mind because Phase10 makes a side of me come out that I’m not proud of. I have banned myself from playing that game ever again.

At that point, we were very tired from our busy day, so we called it a night. I don’t even think I finished the chapter I was reading before I fell asleep.

The next day was our last morning in Asheville. Our flight left in the afternoon, so we had another slow morning in the cabin. It was raining hard in the morning, which was actually perfect. We all just wanted to relax and take it easy, and the rain made the perfect backdrop.

We took showers, packed up, and cleaned up the cabin before taking our last trip into Asheville for breakfast. We decided to check out Biscuit Head, which I was especially excited about because a few people had told me to eat there.

I was not disappointed! I ordered a simple bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit with a s’mores latte and both were incredible. The biscuit was the best I’ve ever had and the latte was out of this world. This place gets two thumbs up from me, most definitely!

Once we finished breakfast, we strolled around downtown Asheville for a while, poking into the different shops, before heading to the airport, concluding our wonderful trip to Asheville. I definitely hope I can make my way back to this city again. It’s a beautiful place and there’s really so much to do, whether you love active vacations or more low-key ones.

Categories: Travel

Asheville, NC | Day 2

We didn’t have anything going on the morning of our second day in Asheville, which allowed all of us to sleep in. I ended up waking up around 7 AM (which felt like 8 AM with the time change), so I went out to the living room with my book and waited for other people to venture downstairs.

Slowly, people began waking up and one of the girls brewed coffee for all of us. I ate a bowl of cereal and chit-chatted lightly with the girls who were up, before taking a shower and doing my hair and makeup in one of the bathrooms (thankfully, we had three bathrooms for seven girls, so there was not a competition for bathroom space!)

We were splitting up our group again for the afternoon, as some of the girls wanted to do a food tour. I’m not a foodie and super picky, so I didn’t necessarily want to spend $60+ on a food tour. Thankfully, two of my friends felt the same way, so we opted to do a comedy tour of Asheville. We left the cabin an hour before the other girls so we could grab lunch beforehand.

We went to White Duck Taco Shop for lunch, based on a friend’s recommendation and we were not disappointed. We ordered mimosas and chips and queso for all of us to enjoy, and then each got two tacos. I chose steak and cheese and Thai peanut chicken. The steak and cheese taco was phenomenal, but I didn’t enjoy the Thai peanut chicken taco. It was way too spicy for me, so I ended up wiping off the majority of the sauce and dunking the chicken breast in the Mexican crema.

After lunch, it was time for the comedy tour! I’ll be honest: I was hesitant to take this tour because I had heard that audience participation was required, and I hate stuff like that. (Social anxiety, heyyo!) But a friend who had taken the tour before promised me it wasn’t a big deal and I would be okay, so I trusted her.

The comedy tour took us all around Asheville in a bright purple school bus, the flamboyant guide pointing out specific landmarks and their history. We took a pit stop at a brewery and then continued on our way. I think what I loved most about the tour was driving through some of the neighborhoods of Asheville because the houses were so picturesque, with wraparound porches and yards full of trees. It was the perfect suburban landscape!

The tour was about an hour and a half long, and it was a fun experience, but not one I’ll be recommending to everyone (not like I do for Savannah Dan’s tour in Savannah!) It was kitschy and over-the-top, so you really have to be in the mood for a crazy time.

Once the tour was over, we hopped off the bus and headed straight to French Broad Chocolates for a mid-afternoon snack.

Lisa is the one who told me about French Broad Chocolates, and if you know me, you know that I am down with anything involving chocolate and baked goods, so I really hoped to check it out when I was in Asheville. Thankfully, the shop was a short walk from where the tour ended. and we had some time to kill while our friends continued their food tour, so it worked out perfectly.

The line to FBC snaked out the door, but that gave us plenty of time to peruse the menu. There were so many great options – do I get a cookie, a brownie, a piece of cake? Do I opt for hot chocolate or a coffee? I was still undecided when I got up to the counter, but ultimately settled on a peanut butter brownie and salted caramel hot chocolate.

YOU GUYS.

That was the best brownie and hot chocolate OF MY LIFE.

I cannot even get over how delicious both were. I am still dreaming about that hot chocolate. This place is a must visit for anyone traveling to Asheville. I am a believer now.

Once we finished with our yummy snack, we headed over to Malaprop’s, Asheville’s independent bookstore. The funny thing about my book club is that none of us are very big into bookstores. We’re all heavy library users, and most of us don’t even have extensive book collections. But I still wanted to visit Malaprop’s for the experience of going.

Malaprop’s is a tiny bookstore tucked away in a busy street in downtown Asheville, and it is part bookstore, part cafe. Obviously, the bookstore is teeming with books for purchase as well as knick-knacks, bookish clothing, organizational tools, and more. They even have Blind Date with a Book, something I’ve always wanted to try! Three of us decided to take on the challenge and picked out books. (And believe me, picking out the book was so difficult! At one point, I had four books in my hand.)

Once the books were purchased, we opened them… and disappointment for two of us: we received books we had already read! In fact, the book I picked had been a book club selection a few years ago, ha. Thankfully, at Malaprop’s, if you receive a book you’ve already read in Blind Date with a Book, you can exchange it (you can either try another blind date or pick out your own book, and you just pay the difference if it’s more than what the blind date book cost). Neither of us felt up to trying another blind date, so we picked out our own books. I ended up grabbing a paperback copy of Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue, which I have heard rave reviews about.

Our day wasn’t over, though! We still had a ghost tour that evening, so we headed to a pizzeria for dinner. (The girls on the food tour had caught up with us at Malaprop’s!) None of us were super hungry, so we didn’t eat much. I only managed one slice of pizza and one garlic knot. We weren’t too impressed with the food at this pizzeria, so I’ll let it remain unnamed. 😉

After dinner, we walked over to a “creepy alley next to Asheville Masonic Temple,” which is where the ghost tour was said to begin. I love going on ghost tours when exploring a new city because I think it’s a fascinating (if creepy!) way to learn about the history of a city. This one was no different. Our tour guide was probably the best ghost tour guide I’ve had (usually, ghost tour guides are quite eccentric!) and spoke from a place of authority, but without seeming too over-the-top. Even though I like taking ghost tours, I’m not sure I’m fully on board with the idea of ghosts, so it was nice to have a tour guide who was just like, “Eh, believe me or not, I don’t really care.” Refreshing!

The ghost tour took us all around Asheville and thankfully, every other stop had an area where we could sit down and rest our legs. It can be quite a lot to walk around for two hours (and the girls who had done the food tour had already done that!), so that was thoughtful of him to give us options for sitting!

Overall, the tour was fantastic, though the ghost stories were a little blah, in my opinion. But it was interesting to get a view of what Asheville looked like in its beginning days through the guide’s words.

Once the tour through Asheville was complete, we went into the Asheville Mystery Museum, which isn’t open to the public. This museum is not for the faint of heart, as it features news clippings and real artifacts from some of the creepier things that have happened in Asheville. And, of course, there’s a spooky soundtrack playing as you make your way through the museum.

We didn’t stay in the museum for very long because it was late at this point and we had a 40-minute drive ahead of us. We got home around 11 or so, and whew. What a busy day! I fell asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow. I was tired, both physically and emotionally.

Have you ever been on a ghost tour?