Our mini vacation in the mountains

Where shall I begin…..

About 3 weeks ago my dad messaged me and said he wanted me and Jeremy to come to the mountains and take a break. He was going to pay for us a night in a suite at The Switzerland Inn. Really?? Ok! We need a quiet break from everyday life and screaming kids. So I began to plan our mini vacation. Eeekkkk! 

I researched the Inn itself, things to see, places to eat, how long it would take to get there, which roads we were taking. I looked into EVERYTHING! I asked my best friend if she would keep our little one for us. She said yes, of course. As the weeks went by I went over and over in my head what all we needed to pack and what needed to be done before we left. The week before we were set to leave I began packing. The night before I made sure our suitcase was packed and made sure our little one had her bags packed. 

Friday morning we wake up and get ready. Get the bags in the truck. Then head off to drop the baby off to my best friend. I cry a little because its the first time I had ever left her overnight. Much less 2 nights. Anyway, we drop her off and hit the road towards the mountains. 

We ride for 4 hours through back country roads. Towards the end we start into the mountain roads. You know. Those roads that curve back and forth to get you up the mountain. We finally reach our destination. Its about 1230 when we got there. Our suite  wasnt ready so we just chilled and hung out. Checked out a few of the little shops that are all part of the resort. About 130 I check and our room is ready. We get parked and get our bags out. We get into our suite. Which is EXTREMELY nice. It had a huge king size pillow top mattress, a loveseat, a rocker-glider and a huge TV that swiveled. The best part was the view we had of the mountains from our room.

After we get settled we decide its time to find some food. So we venture to the Chalet Restaurant that’s part of the resort. Our table has an amazing view! We proceed to order our lunch. Which was delicious! I got a warm turkey sandwich with apricot mayo, YUM! Jeremy got the shrimp tacos, which looked delicious too!

After lunch we just walked around and looked at everything. Sat at the Terrace Bar and had a drink. By that time my dad and stepmom, Delinda, were there. We sat and talked with them for a bit. Laughed and laughed! Then we all decided it was dinner time. We decided we would try out the Fowl Play Pub. We venture to it and eventually get a seat. They have a guy playing song covers. Awesome songs too. Mostly older stuff. Anyway, we order our food. I get the pub burger. Again, delicious. Not frozen or pre-pattied meat. Jeremy got the shrimp basket, which had some HUGE shrimp. Dad got the wings and Delinda got the beef tacos. All of which was amazing! We sat and talked and laughed. Laughed so hard at times we almost cried. To end our first night there we sat beside the fire pit the resort had. Then it was off to bed. 

The next morning we wake up and get ready to meet dad and Delinda for breakfast. Yet again, NOT disappointed one bit with the Chalet food. I ordered the bacon, egg and cheese with grits. Delish! Jeremy got the eggs, bacon, grits and toast plate. Again, looked delish! Dad got the same plate and Delinda got pancakes. Such good food! We all talk about what we are going to do that day. Dad made it VERY clear for us to go spend time together. Not to worry about being under them. The whole point was for me and Jeremy to spend time together. So off me and him go…..

First stop was Old Fort. This is where the Cherokee took a last stand. In 1930 a arrowhead monument was placed. There wasnt much to it but still awesome to see. History is awesome. 

Next, we went to the Mountain Gateway Museum. Which is just all the history of Old Fort. They even had some old homes build in the late 1800s moved onto the property. You could walk inside them and look around. They had all the old furniture set up in them too. 

After the museum we found a small creek and took some pictures. It was super peaceful. 

Then it was off to our next destination. Catawba Falls. I was determined to see a waterfall being as I had NEVER seen one. Catawba Falls was only a 10 minute drive from the museum. So, off we went. Once we parked we had to hike into the woods to get to it. Little did we know it was a 1.5 mile hike to get to it. That’s 1.5 miles UPHILL. Yes, 1.5 miles up, up, up. Needless to say, I got a good workout and our legs were exhausted. So, we made it all the way up to the waterfall. Unfortunately, it wasnt a full, raging waterfall. But we did get to see it! After we snapped pictures and took in the beauty we headed back down on this 1.5 mile hike back to the truck. 

After the waterfall we headed out on our longest venture. Chimney Rock, NC. It took us about 45 minutes of going back and forth along mountain back roads. Literally back and forth. The speed limit was only 35 through these roads. I have to say though, it was some pretty country to see. Very peaceful. At times we would be the only ones on the road for 15-20 minutes. We were so deep into the mountains that my GPS wouldn’t even work. Anyway, we venture along and get to Chinmey Rock. First, we had to go through a town named Bat Cave. Yes, Bat Cave, NC. We make our way up to the entrance booth and pay our fees to get in. (Thank goodness for military discount) Once we pay we still have another 2 mile drive to get to parking. Now these were some curvy roads. Very curvy! We make it to the top and park. We venture up to the base of Chimney Rock and start climbing the stairs to the top. Well, the more we climb the more my legs are reminding me of the 3 mile hike we took just a few hours ago. We stop on one the viewing platforms and look around. Oh, and rest our screaming legs. We look up to see how much further we have to go to get to the top. Almost simultaneously we both say, nah we’ll just go back down. When I say we had 1000+ steps left to the top I am not kidding one single bit. There is no way in the world my legs would have let me get up the rest of those stairs. We make our way back down and wonder around the gift shop for a minute. Then we decide its time to head back to our room and figure out dinner for our last night there. So off we go……

Once we are back at the room I start looking for nearby restaurants. One that doesn’t require going back down the mountain. I find a place called Mountain View Restaurant. It’s only 3 miles down the road. Ok, we can handle that! We get ready and head out for dinner. We find the place, park and go in. We have a choice of inside or outside. Outside please! We sit, look at the menu and order. I got the chicken alfredo, which was delicious. Jeremy got a ribeye steak which looked yummy. The most awesome thing was the view we had while we ate. The restaurants sign said, Dining with a Million Dollar View. Well, they were right……

Being it was our last night and we had that drive back to Raeford the next morning, we just chilled and went to bed. 

The next morning we woke up and got our stuff together so we could go. We had breakfast one more time with my dad and Delinda. We took some pictures with them and then said our goodbyes. Then we were on our way back to Raeford to pick up our little one we missed so much. 

Needless to say, we had an amazing time! I am so thankful that my dad offered such an amazing gift. Thank you dad!