Laura Leavitt
Laura finally got to move to Asheville in 2021 after a decade of visits and hangouts here. She loves the food, the coffee shops, and the riverfront in Asheville. Laura is always finding something new and wonderful to try.
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Sports Teams in Asheville: How to Play and Watch
Living in Asheville, one of the big things that you simply won’t get here are major league sports – we’re not a town with an NFL, NBA, or MLB team, drawing tens of thousands to cheer. Those are games we’re going to watch on TV or drive to Charlotte or Atlanta to see live. But you can be a sports fan or sports player anywhere, and if that happens to be you, I think there’s more to meet the eye in the sports in Asheville scene. From being a fan in the stands for various college athletics games at UNCA, to spending an iconic summer evening at the Asheville Tourists’…
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Mountain Madre Restaurant Review: Flair and Flavor
I have my go-to routes through downtown, and one of the paths from my favorite spot to park to my favorite spot to get some laptop work done is down Walnut Street, past Mountain Madre. This sweet restaurant has been bringing flavorful Mexican-inspired cuisine to downtown for many years, and I always laugh at the cheery sign outside that reads “Soup of the Day: Tequila!” After all, so many of us have days when a soup bowl of tequila sounds like a welcome retreat from the to-do list. I’ve visited multiple times, and every time I go, I’m impressed by how light and comfortable the space feels. I’d be a…
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A Complete Guide to Brevard: Activities, Restaurants, Bars, and Shops
Just 40 minutes south of Asheville, North Carolina, is a delightful and unique community known as Brevard. If you’ve never been, you’re missing out on one of the mountains’ most unusual sights: the white squirrel! It’s not a special species but just a variation of a gray squirrel, and for whatever reason, a particular population of white-tinged squirrels arrived in this area and has remained over the years. They not only give Brevard a distinction, but they’ve contributed to things like the names of shops and festivals. While you’re on your hunt to see this unique critter, be sure to take your time exploring all of the amazing Brevard attractions…
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The 16 Best Playgrounds in Asheville for Toddlers
As a Mom of a very active toddler, I made it my mission to learn all of the best toddler playgrounds in Asheville very quickly. The city-run Asheville parks are great, and the area features some awesome things to do in Asheville with kids. Moms know that there are features of a park that you might barely notice if you’re not coming to the park with a kid in tow, but which are absolute lifesavers. From the texture of the play area’s surface to the distance from the swings to the slide, these little things can help make a day at the park easier for little ones who aren’t yet…
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A Complete Guide to the Buncombe County ZOOM Pass
Buncombe County residents deserve to know about an incredible resource. I learned from a friend who had lived here for 10 years when I first moved to town, and I was mentioning visiting the science museum downtown with my toddler. She said I should check online once I got a library card and see if there was a science museum ZOOM pass. I was very confused, but once she explained it, I knew this would be a part of our lives for a while. ZOOM passes are a partnership with various attractions in the Asheville area and the public library. When you have one, you are given free admission for…
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Summit Coffee Review: The Buzz of the People
Maybe it’s not true of everyone, but as a person who hangs out in coffee shops a lot, I have that one coffee shop on which all others are modeled in my mind. It was a coffee shop I frequented when I was in college, when frequent coffee drinking was still a novelty and not just a daily necessity. It was nestled out of the way, multi-storied, and I think in an old house. It was all nooks and crannies, and of course excellent coffee and pastries came standard – I remember vividly that there were only ever three or four food items, like a scone and a muffin and…
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French Broad Chocolate Lounge Review: All About Cacao
In what I assume was a bit of a cosmic joke, I spent a week in Asheville when I was a young and chipper 20-year-old. It was mere months before I could legally partake in the (then very young) brewery scene or wander into a bar with my college roommate, who was also hanging out for the week here. But we discovered, just blocks away from our hostel, the perfect spot for people who couldn’t legally drink but who wanted to have a destination in the evening: the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. There was something so special about walking into the sweet, crowded little shop and breathing in the wildly delicious…
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12 Fun Family-Friendly Summer Activities in Asheville
When kiddos are out of school, the initial excitement of taking a break and enjoying some relaxation sometimes gives way to boredom if we don’t head it off. That’s why we’ve put together this summer fun scavenger hunt that lets local kids and visitors alike go out and try to achieve a few challenges and fully enjoy the many things that make summer in Asheville so fun. Why is Asheville such a great, family-friendly place to enjoy summer? Let’s take a look! The Top 5 Reasons Why Asheville is the Place to Spend the Summer 12 Fun Family-Friendly Summer Activities in Asheville 1. Chase the Sunshine Sammies Truck When I…
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12 Fun Toddler Birthday Party Ideas in Asheville
I think that most parents have at some point lamented that little kid birthday parties are a little out of control. If you only look at social media like Instagram and Pinterest, you’d be convinced that everyone is putting together elaborate themes, complicated and delicate snacks and games, and in general stressing out their toddlers on days when they should just be enjoying themselves and the people they love. In my opinion, though, toddler birthday parties can be great and fairly low-stress, especially in Asheville. The last few birthday parties in Asheville that I’ve attended with my toddler had a winning combination of factors, which I think most families can…
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Twisted Laurel Restaurant Review: Both Roots and Wings
The warmth gets you when you first step into Twisted Laurel – this is the quintessential lunch and dinner spot, equally comfortable giving you a quick sandwich meal as they are plating up a gourmet salmon for you to feast upon on a special occasion. It used to be my in-laws’ go-to spot for a chill but fun New Year’s Eve, and as the new year approaches (as I start this review, anyway), I am thinking a lot about tradition, about how the areas in and around Asheville are always in cycles of welcoming the new and commemorating the old – Twisted Laurel is a great example of a venture…
