Baseball, Beer, and BBQ
Who doesn’t like Baseball, Beer, and BBQ?
As far as I was concerned, this was the perfect trip to take to see Asheville, North Carolina, and perhaps meet some fun-loving people. This was a trip taken before I met Julia and just after I’d been appointed a member of the board of trustees at the Virginia Beer Museum. So, ‘Yes!’ — this was a research trip taken in some official capacity. Note: That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
We saw two games featuring the Asheville Tourists. There isn’t a bad seat in this small stadium and our tour guide had prepared us well the evening before with a lecture on the minor leagues. The ball park franks aren’t bad in Asheville but having just left the resort’s breakfast room there was only enough room for one hot dog and a local brew to wash it down.
We also visited and toured two craft breweries while in Asheville: Sierra Nevada’s Mills River operations and the New Belgium Brewery.
The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is officially headquartered in Chico, California. But this brewer has chemists on staff who treat the water so that it matches that of the water out west. At least that’s what our tour guide suggested. This company has been “family owned, operated and argued over” since 1980.
The New Belgium Brewing Company was first organized in Fort Collin, Colorado, in 1988. Their tour is fun-filled and has a bicycle theme. The genesis story includes the founder’s bike trip through Belgium and highlights a playfulness befitting a circus, a theme found throughout the premises.
And to round out this post, we visited two different BBQ joints: Buxton Hall located at 32 Bank Avenue and the River Store of 12 Bones. Both restaurants habitually earn Top 10 Best BBQ places in Asheville and this author can personally attest to such honors.
On a final note … There are a number of travel companies out there that promise to organize your transportation, meals, lodging, and all your entertainment. One such company which impressed me with their thoroughness and first rate service is the Road Scholar organization which offers educational adventures and caters well to Baby Boomers and to the active grandparents who are looking to create memories with their grandchildren. The last two photos above of the boy fishing and his Dad were taken just outside the resort we slept at on Lake Junaluska.
