For a real treat, head to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC to see this year’s contestants in the National Gingerbread Competition that are on display now through January 3rd. Contestants from across the country bring their architectural masterpieces to The Grove Park Inn every year. My husband and I were in awe last year during a trip to Asheville over New Year’s Eve to see the Biltmore at Christmas. We wished we had more time to spend there. Viewing of the entries is free even for non-guests of the hotel. Your only cost is $10 for valet parking. In addition to the gingerbread overload, you can see the beautiful holiday displays throughout the inn and warm by the giant fireplaces in the grand lobby. New for 2009 are the “Stories of Gingerbread” guided tours. Guides will share stories about the artists and their houses, details about the construction of unusual entries, and a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of the judging, competition and display itself. These specialty tours are available Monday-Saturday throughout the display period.

One of my favorite houses from last year was based on the Civil War Homecoming, the detail was unbelievable.

**recent additional information- it appears that if you are not staying at the Inn and you do not book the tour, the public is only welcome to view the houses M-Th.

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Last year my husband and I were lucky enough to get away for a few days and we headed to Asheville. The weekend away was actually my Christmas present to him. We stayed at the B&B we stayed at when we got engaged, a very long time ago, The Lion and the Rose. It is one of the more reasonable places to stay in Asheville and the breakfast in the morning is wonderful. I had wanted to do the Christmas tour at the Biltmore for years and we could never make it there over the hectic holidays. It is truly spectacular, something the whole family can enjoy. Firelight and candlelight fill the Biltmore House. The holiday spirit comes alive with choirs singing European carols, vintage ballroom dancers, and dramatic Christmas readings. The Front Lawn of Biltmore House sets the scene with a sparkling holiday illumination of evergreens bathed in thousands of twinkling lights. We went on one of the last tours of the evening and were able to enjoy it without the very large crowds that can be there. That said, the tours are timed and they do a wonderful job insuring you can enjoy the entire house without feeling rushed. My favorite part is the basement, showcasing the kitchen, workout room and indoor pool. It is not to be missed.

The downtown area in Asheville should also not be missed. There are one of a kind little galleries and a wonderful independent theatre, the Asheville Fine Arts Theatre. It is one of those great movie houses that serve beer and wine AND real butter popcorn. We were lucky enough to see Slumdog Millionaire while we were there.

While there are also many great restaurants in Asheville and especially on Biltmore property, we were on a budget and we were referred to Rezaz, where we had an incredible prix fixe New Year’s dinner. Rezaz also has traditional Italian wine bar, Enoteca that would be wonderful to enjoy late night for drinks and dessert.  Right down the street from the Lion and the Rose bed and breakfast in the heart of the Historic Montford district is a truly unique neighborhood restaurant, Nine Mile.  A wonderful couple owns it and the menu is filled with wonderful Caribbean food, great vegan dishes and the micro-brews Asheville is known for.

On the way out of town we headed down the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Southern Highland Craft Guild. The Center showcases the finest in traditional and contemporary craft of the Southern Appalachians. We loved the furniture on display there and especially Derek Henigar’s “Ordinary Furniture”. Henigar is an amazing craftsman.  Elizabeth and I were fortunate to run into him again two weeks ago at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.

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Veterans Day is this Wednesday, November 11. Here is a little background I found. It is both a federal holiday and a state holiday. In other parts of the world it is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. November 11 is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. The major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas shoe store owner named Al King had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in World War I. He began a campaign to turn Armistice Day into “All” Veterans Day. With the help of then-U.S. Rep. Ed Rees, also from Emporia, a bill for the holiday was pushed through Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954.

There are events across the nation and throughout the world this Wednesday to honor veterans. Here are a few…

The Yorktown Veterans Day Ceremony Yorktown, Virginia

Serving Their Country:  American Indian Politics and Patriotism in the 20th Century Washington D.C.

Veterans Day Commemoration King of Prussia, PA

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The weather is nice enough that most people can still plant bulbs.  Up until the ground freezes, you can get bulbs in your flowerbeds and vegetable garden, including garlic and daffodils.

I was recently at a harvest festival and I purchased two types of garlic. If you haven’t planted garlic before it’s fast and easy. You simply break the bulb apart into separate cloves and plant each clove 3 inches down and 5 inches apart.  Each clove grows into a bulb and it’s well worth the little amount of space that they take up.  I love buying specific types of garlic at festivals and farmers’ markets, but I have also simply planted garlic I bought at the grocery store.  I know I am taking my chances with this method, since grocery store garlic wasn’t grown in Virginia and may not make it through our winters, but I haven’t had any problems in the past.

As for daffodils, I have hundreds growing around the yard.  With so many amazing varieties available, I can’t help but plant a dozen or so new ones each year.  I tuck daffodils behind and between my perennials.  This way when the foliage of the daffodils is dying they are hidden by the new growth of the other plants. Look for new and different types of daffodils at fall farmers’ markets and through specialty growers, like our local grower Brent and Becky’s Bulbs.

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Here’s a guest blog post from a A Day’s Outing Fan, Sharon Singleton -

For those who love history AND great food, a outing to an area just southeast of Richmond, VA will provide both.  We took friends from Michigan on a tour along the Jamestown Discovery Trail, scenic Route 5, which follows the James River running east toward Jamestown.  On 40 miles of this lovely country road there are no less than 45 historical places or markers, including the scene of Thomas Jefferson’s wedding, several important Civil War Battlefields and nine historic plantations.  Since we got a late start we visited Malvern Cliffs Battlefield Site with eight cannons keeping watch over this now silent ground, then the stately Georgian-style Shirley Plantation, currently owned and lived in by the 11th generation of the original family.  The plantation house, outbuildings and grounds are immaculately kept and our tour guide was hospitable and knowledgeable.

After asking, it was suggested that we check out the Charles City Tavern for dinner, just about 5 miles further east on Route 5.  We arrived before they were open for dinner but were invited in for a drink and an appetizer which we had on a screened porch.  This restaurant was formerly the main house of a dairy farm and is now owned and operated by the Macknights.  Mr. Macknight is the extraordinary chef and Mrs. Macknight was our friendly and attentive server.  Each of us had something different and each meal was superb; beautifully cooked, well-served and reasonable.  The entire tour, ending with dinner here, is highly recommended!

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Find Restaurants in Williamsburg and Richmond, VA!

It is the perfect time of year to enjoy the many farm stands and harvest festivals that showcase the bounty of late summer fruits and fall vegetables.  There are corn mazes, pumpkin patches, open air markets and dozens of harvest fairs around the country.

My daughter and I had a fabulous outing together to the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello in Charlottesville, VA.  She seems to have inherited both my love of gardening and my husband’s love of cooking, so a harvest festival is perfect for her.  We enjoyed watching chefs prepare dishes with local produce, eating fabulous hot cider donuts, buying garlic bulbs to plant in our garden this fall, and sampling a few of the dozen or so heirloom tomatoes on display.  The diversity of vegetables and fruit was impressive and it reminded me that there are so many more varieties available than are offered at a typical supermarket. If you want to grow heirloom vegetables and fruits at home, look for seeds that have done well in your area. There’s really nothing as wonderful as a tomato grown in your own backyard.

Whether you set off on an adventure to a harvest festival or take a simple drive out to a local farm to buy a pumpkin, now’s a great time to enjoy an outing during the cooler days of fall.

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My anniversary is coming up and I am planning a weekend getaway with just my husband to Washington D.C.  Yeah!

Using A Day’s Outing, it was simple for me to find great outings for our trip.  I want to stop at an antique shop or two on the way there and then visit the National Museum of American Art.  The harder part of the planning was finding a wonderful hotel in the heart of D.C. that wasn’t too expensive. Then I stumbled upon an easy way to search for deals on hotel rooms through DealBase.com.  I hadn’t heard of DealBase before, but I really like it because it showed me not only rooms available through websites like Orbitz, but also all the different deals that the hotels themselves were offering over the weekend we will be in D.C.  I can see a wide range of different specials, make my choice and then book the room directly through the hotel. I really like that.

So now I have the hotel and I’ve chosen a few outings.  Now all I have to do is figure out which restaurants we should go to.  Maybe I’ll be good and ask my husband what he thinks, or maybe, I’ll just plan that part, too.

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My family and dear California friend, Grammy Pam loved visiting the Frontier Culture Museum and Virginia Wildlife Center in Staunton, VA.   It was one of those glorious Virginia Fall days.

The Frontier Culture Museum showcases English, Irish and German Old World farms and then farmsteads in the US from 1820 and 1850 with guides in period dress who are cooking, farming and answering questions. They also rent golf carts and red wagons that can make it easier to get around.  My monkeys had a great time and especially enjoyed the animals. My husband, the closet farmer, really enjoyed it.  I am going to end up on a farm.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro was having one of three open houses all year and it was yesterday while we were over in the Shenandoah Valley anyway. The Wildlife Center is a non-profit group that treats wildlife that needs help. They get tons of baby squirrels, baby rabbits, birds of prey and the occasional bear, bobcat and deer. What a great place and great group of people that are really helping. We took a 90 minute tour and saw numerous birds of prey that they use for elementary school programs. No bear or bobcats were in residence.

I was almost talked into driving 2 hours out of our way to return an opossum to the wild near Lexington, VA.   I think over the next month, I’ll be taking them my 72G former saltwater fish tank for their use as it is a great dust collector in my basement.  I am going to check in with them when I am in the area to see if they need help with future releases, the kids were dying to release the possum.

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We had one of those amazing, cool summer days here in Virginia.  It was Saturday and I needed to get the kids out of the house, so my husband could work.  I looked for outings that were 60 miles and even 90 miles away, but finally realized that it would be easier to stay in Charlottesville.  So, the kids and I decided to be hometown tourists for the day.

On Route 53, only a few miles off of Interstate 64, you can visit half a dozen great places. We choose three, with Historic Michie Tavern being first on our list.  Michie Tavern opened in 1784 to accommodated travelers with food and lodging.  We began our tour with the General Store.  The store has a working water wheel on its exterior that the kids love and inside you are welcomed by old fashion candy, a barrel of soft drinks, games, and gifts galore for the adults. We bought candy sticks and cold soft drinks. We then walked up and around to The Clothier Shop.  Another family with younger children was taking pictures of their little ones dressed up in period clothes borrowed from The Clothier.  My two weren’t up for that, but we did have a nice time looking at the assortment of old fashion dresses, hats and swords for sale.

Our next stop was just around the bend, Carter Mountain Orchard. The views from the orchard, which sits atop the ridge of a mountain, are truly amazing.  From their viewing decks, you can see the flat landscape extending endlessly to the east and the mountains rising from the Piedmont to the west. It’s peach season now and you can pick peaches from their trees or purchase freshly picked peaches from their country store. We skipped the healthy fruit and indulged in more sweets, peach ice cream, homemade peach donuts and peach slushies.  We took our treats out on to the deck and looked out over the mountains while we ate.

We made one last stop at Jefferson Vineyards. Even though I live only a few miles away, I had never driven in and looked at the beautiful vineyard, the welcoming gardens or the tasting room.  I didn’t want to drink wine with the kids in tow, but I thought since we were being “tourists” for the day, we should stop by and experience the vineyard.  I’m so glad we did.

All in all, being a tourist in my hometown was great.  It can be easy to forget the treasures that are right around me, especially those that are the closest.

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Restaurants in Charlottesville, VA!

I was looking through a magazine, which I admit was Martha Stewart Living, because I think she is great.  I saw an article on Plimoth (Plymouth) Plantation in Massachusetts.  The article reminded me that I had once been at the gate of this destination, but had not gone in.  I really wanted to, but the group I was traveling with felt it was too expensive and we drove on.  Looking at the photos on the magazine’s pages and then learning more online, I wish I would have spoken up.

I had a similar experience in Europe when I was 19 and backpacking from Scotland down to Greece.  In Scotland, we were at an amazing castle.  I remember it looming above us and that we didn’t go in because it seemed too expensive.  We didn’t have a lot of money, so there I stood at the gate and once again I turned around and left.

Now I realize that I might not make it back to Scotland and that I should have pushed my traveling companions to go inside.  We could have skipped our trip to a pub that night or anything that could have made paying the fee to go inside possible.

I know that I can’t always afford to do and see all the things I would like to, but the next time I find myself far from home, in a place that I won’t likely be coming back to, I will definitely go inside.

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