Join me, the Rustbelt Farmer and our Julep, and unwind vicariously, at this cozy creekside farmhouse, where we stayed for our Asheville trip.
Usually, when I ask the Rustbelt Farmer if he wants to go somewhere, his reply goes something like this:
“Can Julep go?”
“No, it’s a fancy charity party.”
“Then I don’t want to go.”
I can’t say I blame him. Julep is the sweetest, and I do weigh going-out activities against staying home and snuggling her (hence we are largely homebodies). When it comes to traveling, we make a point of seeking dog-friendly places (otherwise, we’d spend all of our time Facetiming our little girl anyway). The searches for Julep-approved places lead us to the most relaxing and natural corners of the world like our wintry Beaverdam Cabin stay, and most recently, this Cozy Creekside Farmhouse.
When it came to dog-friendly Air BnB’s in Asheville, the list was longer than usual (another reason to love this southern city!), but once we saw the Cozy Creekside Farmhouse’s breathtaking view, the decision was easy. Located in Mars Hill, just about 20 minutes from our main destination of Asheville, this cozy house offered the best of both worlds. We were close enough to enjoy Biscuits, Chocolate and Champagne in Asheville, but by night, we were comfortably nestled in front of this stove, watching Bad Santa and eating hearty, homemade salads (gotta balance the doughnuts).
The combination of the cast iron stove and French Broad Chocolates made for the most lovingly made s’mores- I’m talking pillowy, corn-syrup-free ‘mallows that smelled like a big batch of chai tea simmering on the stove for hours, plus 83% dark chocolate delivered in an intricate box worthy of being stored in a library. I’ll have another please!
The back of the chocolate box offered this beautiful reminder:
“Through our mountain town courses an ancient river, the French Broad. The water it carries is the same water that nourishes our cacao groves, thousands of miles away. The French Broad reminds us that we are all connected and through our chocolate, we seek to honor that connection.”
The absolute best part of our Julep-friendly, creekside farmhouse? This porch!
The sun was beaming every morning, and thanks to Asheville’s French Broad Coop, we had coffee from 1000 Faces. Each note emerged from the coffee so distinctly, I considered moving to Athens, GA to access the source! Slow sipping that mug of coffee was exactly what I wanted from our mornings at this rural retreat. As much as I wanted to explore the city, I found myself so captivated watching the social habits and hierarchies of the farm herds.
The goats bullied the sheep. The ram screamed and hollered to have his way. The horses didn’t care about anything except sweet hay, and watching geese for but a minute affirms why they are so often anthropomorphized as gossipy older ladies. And our little Julep was in heaven!
For a brief moment, Julep’s herding dog instincts came into play when the goats dared to approach, but her barks and fence-side laps sent them high-tailing it for their hillside, away from her.
We did bribe this beauty into friendship, with handfuls of sweet, sweet, fresh grass. She pulled the bunches from our hands and chomped so methodically. Julep was hesitant at first, but eventually, she accepted [respected] this new, tall friend with the grass-stained nose.
If you’re headed to the Asheville area and interested in a more rural retreat, you can book this creekside farmhouse via Air BnB. Julep not included.
Cheers,
