Animal Haven & Weaverville
Feb 25, 2022 | Asheville, NC
We started out not knowing if we wanted to go to the "Animal Haven" sanctuary or drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Blue Ridge Parkway is basically an older highway that is more scenic in nature rather than created solely for transportation. We had been putting off driving the BRP because there is some confusing business where during the winter they close portions of it, and apparently they can change without warning so you never really know how far you'll actually be able to drive on it. So once again we put that off and went to the sanctuary, although it turns out that the sanctuary was right next to the BRP so we ended up doing both.
But first the sanctuary. The entrance path to the parking lot was probably one of the steepest driving surfaces we had ever seen in our lives, but we made it. There was a thrift store that I assume is powered by donations to the sanctuary. There was a "Masks must be worn" sign on the door, but of course as soon as we got in there we saw people not wearing them. Brian asked the lady if there is any cost to get in and she said no but that there was a donation box on the way into where the animals are, which Brian put 10 dollars into on the way out. As for animals, they had probably around a dozen goats, a turkey, geese, ducks, pigs, and a couple cows. The goats roamed free and were mostly friendly or at least apathetic, with only a couple stinkers that tried to ram or bite. One of the cows was blind and drank water very strangely, probably because animals learn by watching each other. Brian went into the pig pen even though he probably wasn't supposed to, and the adult pigs honked and ran from him.
Since we were already basically on the BRP, we decided to drive it as far as it would let us. We stopped an an outlook point and took pictures of the view. At the point where we reached the closed section, we were able to turn off of it and head to Weaverville. Brian was skeptical that it was going to be some podunk town with only a Family Dollar store and a church, but there were at least a couple more things than that. We got a beer at Eluvium brewery and then got two giant cookies at Well-bred Bakery. Brian got a "chocolate orange" cookie that was pleasantly only slightly orange-y in flavor, and Erika got one that was labeled "Classic Chocolate Chip" that despite the name, happened to be vegan, and the only vegan item they had. We then got another beer at Zebulon brewery and got out of Weaverville as the evening chill started to set in.
When we were almost home we decided last minute to check out a cider place called Barn Door Ciderworks that was right near our house, which was special because there isn't a whole lot that is "right near" our house. It was run out of a tiny home type building in a neighborhood, probably next to the owners' house. The owner explained to us that they make very dry ciders, and considering she said the same thing to everyone who came in, I think it's something that is both a point of pride and a point of criticism from certain guests, thus the explanation given before ordering. We got a sampler of all 4 of their ciders. They were okay, but we weren't particularly impressed with the dryness. Erika got a vegetable stew she liked though.