The final stretch of the trip took me back into North Carolina but with the opportunity to drive from West to East for the full distance. I spent most of a day and one night in Asheville, NC where I found a really vibrant art community and a lot of amazing artists. I started at the Grovewood Gallery which had a great variety and prices that ranged from twenty dollars to over $40k. Next to the gallery was a different type of car museum from the one in Gatlinburg with antique cars. Not my thing but some family are all about cars so I stopped to get pictures for them.
From there it was a stop at the Taco Temple for a great lunch then into downtown Asheville. I didn’t end up driving around too much due to the location of my hotel and all of the downtown area with a small artsy district, but did get to see a bit.
Downtown had quite a few great artisan stores and other than the heat came across as a wonderful place to live. One store, Madam Clutterbuckets Neurodiverse Universe, stood out as a unique store that highlights works by neurodivergent artists. Walking around the town reminded me more of the vibes of some Colorado towns and not like the towns I otherwise visited on this trip.
Also in Asheville is a fantastic pinball museum that has over a dozen old pinball tables from the 1970s as well as many others since. With a one-time fee allowing you to play as much as you want it was a great experience to see and play some of the old tables.
Charlotte & Beyond
The following day was off to Charlotte, North Carolina, where I visited their Museum of Illusions. It was a fun detour but better suited to going with a friend as some of the illusion exhibits required two people. They did have staff on hand to take pictures for some at least. From there it was mostly driving across the rest of the state with one more night in a small town to visit family.
Overall I think i drove around 2,400 miles which is a decent trek. It was fun exploring a couple states I had never been to as well as feeling the nostalgia of Gatlinburg, TN. As always, seeing the local artists in the form of murals or stickers or anything else is a big thing for me and I highly recommend it.
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