Wine Splash!

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I know that Heaven is up there, way up there in the sky! I know the birds have gotten close to it and rocket ships have even passed it by! And once in awhile, we all find a little bit of Heaven along the way in our

lives which means it may be a little closer to Earth than we thought. Everyone loves to know a little secret but I am sharing mine with you today. Heaven is at a quaint Bed and Breakfast called Sugar Grove which is on top of picturesque Stone Mountain just outside of Boone, North Carolina. It is an exhilarating 4 1/2 mile drive from the main road, then up a mountain full of winding and curvy roads. But once you get to the top of the mountain, it is all worth it and the view is, well, Heavenly!

When we parked at the Sugar Grove house, we were greeted by the 6 resident goats that live on the property. Very friendly and social and we really enjoyed spending time with them! Then we were greeted by the owners of the home, Nancy and Dale, with a plate of home baked cookies! Ok, this is a good reason to never leave. Nancy and Dale own Sugar Grove and live on the main floor of the house. We were renting the lower level of the home which is its own apartment and can sleep as many as 7 people or more. Nancy then gave us a tour of the lower level space which is everything you could possibly need for a weekend trip or longer. TV, internet, all the kitchen appliances and silverware, towels, and even house coats and slippers. The North Carolina and Tennessee state borders go right through the middle of the house so within a few steps, you are in the next state. Two bedrooms (1 with a Queen bed), kitchen, dining room, fireplace, living room, two bathrooms, and much more! There is an outdoor patio, bonfire pit, gas grill, and one of the best outdoor Jacuzzi hot tubs we have ever used! The hot tub overlooks the North Carolina side of the mountain and the view from the hot tub is spectacular! I don’t know which was more amazing: the sky full of stars or the view of the mountains and towns from our little hot tub. It was amazing…..and very relaxing! On the other side of the house, the view of the Tennessee mountains was just as inspiring.

We found Sugar Grove on the AirBnB website because we were looking for a weekend getaway where we could see the Fall colors. There were a lot of choices to stay in the Blue Ridge Mountains but Sugar Grove sure seemed to have it all when we we checked out its profile. All the amenities plus Nancy and Dale have an ATV and a golf cart that they will let you use so you can see the scenery and wooded trails nearby. Dale puts together a great bonfire and he started our bonfire for us each evening we were there. We cooked our dinner on the outdoor grill, went in the house to eat, turned around and Dale had already got our bonfire going for us. Very sneaky. Wonderful hosts that know how to spoil the folks who stay at their Sugar Grove home!

We thought twice about even leaving the Sugar Grove home to explore the area around us since we had already had so much to see and do on the mountain top. Obviously, there are many parks, rivers, mountains, and towns to explore nearby. Boone, North Carolina is the closest city which is the home of Appalachian State University. This is such a quaint town with many cafes, restaurants, shopping, and breweries. We loved the feel of Boone because it had so much to do and see! We went to the Lost Province Brewery which had some great craft beer and a good food menu. We drove through the countryside and the curvy mountain roads and found Grandfather Vineyard and Winery at the base of Grandfather Mountain about 10 miles outside of Boone. We did a wine tasting and bought a bottle of our favorite wine to sip along the creek at the winery. On our way back to Sugar Grove, we stopped at Laurel Falls waterfall to take some photos and relax to the sounds of the rushing water. It was definitely was a spiritual adventure!

So go to https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/8846703 on AirBnB and pack your bags for a relaxing and exciting trip of a lifetime! To hell with 5 star hotels, stay in affordable luxury at the gates of Heaven! Photographers, hikers, trail blazers, skiers, foodies, artists, writers, and adventurers are all invited. This is a wonderful place and space and once you get here, you know your prayers have been answered. WineSplashing!!