Thanksgiving Road Trip (Asheville, NC, Charlottesville, VA & Richmond, VA)
This Thanksgiving, we decided to embark on a thirteen hour road trip to Richmond, Virginia to spend some time with family. Both in Richmond and along the way, we discovered some local gems that were the perfect places to bond with family over the holiday weekend. Hope you all enjoy!
Liberty House Coffee and Café (Asheville, NC)
This place is a perfect representation of the cool town of Asheville. Almost every ingredient on the menu here is either locally sourced or grown at the owner's farm so everything was so fresh. This brunch spot also has the cutest interior with lots of exposed wood and plenty of tables. I would highly recommend the breakfast tacos with queso fresco, avocado, sweet potato hash (changes seasonally), and eggs. Also, the avocado toast with the fried egg is so tasty. You can even choose to substitute the original toast for a gluten-free toast that is just as good. As far as drinks go, the Honey Lavender Latte is an amazing treat (can be made with 1/2 the syrup to make it less sweet) and the Chai Latte has the perfect amount of spice. All in all, Liberty House will not disappoint!
Urban Farmhouse (Richmond, VA)
This place is one of my Richmond cousin's favorite spots. Urban Farmhouse has several vegan and vegetarian options perfect for a breakfast or brunch. Being vegan, my cousin's go-to's are oatmeal and hot tea. I would recommend the Veggie Sausage and Havarti Egg Scrambler (pictured above) made with all local ingredients including the freshly baked bread. It was a super generous portion for the price and I even made two meals out of it! There is also an option to substitute the bread for a fresh-made gluten-free one that looked great as well. This is a great spot for a casual brunch or a chill study sesh.
Mom's Siam (Richmond, VA)
I was surprised to find that Carytown had so many options for Thai food! Coming from a city that does not really have any, I was excited to try one out. Mom's Siam had a huge menu of delicious Thai and Chinese options. Both the pad thai and the fried rice were some of the best I've had. My cousin even found a lot of vegan options here by ordering several side items like sticky rice, broccoli, soup, and steamed vegetables - all of which were fantastic. The inside of this place is so cool and interesting and the staff is very friendly and accommodating.
Sugar + Twine (Richmond, VA)
I loved this little coffee shop! Just off of Cary Street, it is the perfect spot for studying and meeting with friends. Although it was small, it had lots of seating options and tables were turned over fairly quickly. This place had lots of bakery items, including several vegan ones, and lots of sandwiches. Having just eaten, we passed on the yummy looking pastries and just ordered a Thai coffee. Oh man, this Thai Coffee was amazing. It had the perfect level of sweetness, was served in a super cute, locally-made mug, and was inexpensive for the amount you get! If you're in Carytown, this place makes the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of this area.
Ashby (Richmond, VA - Thrift Shop)
This Thrift Shop was so cool, I couldn't not include it on this post. Just off of Cary Street, it seemed like a cute boutique. Yet, when looking at the prices of everything, I realized that we had just stumbled upon the coolest thrift shop ever. Unlike most thrift shops, this one was not overwhelming large yet had a lot of really awesome finds. There were lots of Free People and high end items for very a inexpensive price and also really fun sunglasses and jewelry for only a few dollars a piece.
Grit Coffee (Charlottesville, VA)
Upon trying to find a Starbucks on the way back to Memphis, my dad's mapping system accidentally mapped us right in the campus of University of Virginia and onto a very cute street with a quaint Starbucks and several local cafes and restaurants. We took this as an opportunity and decided to pick up some Grit Coffee before hitting the road again. I'm so glad that we did because Grit Coffee is home to great lattes and chai, wonderful pastries and croissants, and really nice baristas. The atmosphere seemed perfect for studying and they even had a great outdoor space. Such a wonderful find!
I had such a fun time exploring both new and familiar areas of the country through these local restaurants and cafes. Hope this gives you a couple of suggestions if you ever find yourselves in these areas!
