We’ve been asked occasionally if we are taking a babymoon since we love to travel so much. Earlier this winter, I was really struggling with the expense of a big trip knowing we had a baby on the way. We took a huge trip to Japan less than a month before I got pregnant, too. We decided to do some weekend and driving trips that included Chicago, IL (twice for me); Nashville, TN; Austin, TX for Sean; work travel for both of us; Charlotte/Outer Banks/Savannah weeklong vacation; Plains, GA; Pittsburgh, PA and NE Ohio; and our final trip before baby’s arrival – Brevard, NC and the Chihuly exhibit at Biltmore Estate. I don’t think we did too shabby – got PLENTY of travel in this year.

This weekend trip up to the Land of Waterfalls was truly perfect, though. Lots of the other trips involved family and friends so this really was the closest to “babymoon” that we got – and it was the perfect place to unwind and explore gorgeous scenery on our own.

The drive from Atlanta to Pisgah National Forest is beautiful with lots of lookout points along the way, like this one at Caesar’s Head. Wowza.

I did research to figure out which waterfalls and swimming holes to visit that would be easy to get to for the pregnant lady. First stop was Hooker Falls, which is very popular and for good reason – lovely little falls at the end of a very flat and easy 1/3 mile walk along the small river, opening to a huge swimming hole. I loved this and we had the dogs with us which made it even more fun – Stella is a great swimmer, even if she did get a little cold. 😉

The next spot was called “Whale Back” – a small swimming hole at the bottom of a small falls that people were sliding down. In the middle of the swimming hole is a large rock that looks like a whale back that you can sit/lay on. I didn’t actually get down to the swimming hole – it was all rocks and very steep, so I stayed up top and relaxed in the smaller pools with the dogs. Safety first for bumpie. 

After a lovely drive out of Pisgah National Forest (on which there are numerous places to pull off for picnics, fishing and swimming), and a stop for hand-dipped ice cream at a cute place called Dolly’s, we arrived at our Airbnb less than a 5 min dive from the park entrance. It was very cute and well-appointed, with an awesome sunroom and views of the surrounding mountains.After showers for all of us, including the pups, we made a delicious dinner of ribeye steaks, roasted fingerling potatoes and green beans. And then relaxed. SO NICE.

Saturday was a HUGE day and I’ll be completely honest that I absolutely overdid it. But there was so much I wanted to see and do. I was in a lot of pain by the end of the day but I would say it was worth it.

It started with getting to the extraordinarily popular Looking Glass Falls at 9am. We weren’t alone but we did beat the masses – as evidenced by the fact that with a bit of patience, we were able to get photos without people in them. The sunshine beaming over the falls was perfection. And the stairs, handrail and looking deck made it very safe for me – win!

After a stop at a local coffee shop to check directions, we headed WAY off the beaten path to Courthouse Falls. This was south of Brevard and took about 45 minutes to get to – with almost half of that time spent on a 5-mile long dirt road. This place had great reviews for being remote and beautiful so of course we had to check it out.

The first part of the hike was very flat and along a quaint stream. There were two entry points that came up quickly that were horrifically treacherous-looking – steep, lots of mud and roots, etc. Sean kept looking and eventually found the path that descended normally to the base of the stunning falls.

It was incredible. There were a group of college-age kids there when we arrived and the guys were climbing to the top and jumping in (so dumb). They left after a bit and then it was JUST US. Unbelievable. Perfection. It was icy cold so we didn’t swim but did wade around up to our thighs for quite a while. Brevard Country has the cleanest water in America so I was never once worried (plus it was cold and moving) – look how clear it is in the photos!

Climbing back up and walking back to the car was definitely hard for me at 32 weeks/8 months pregnant, but this was so, so worth it. 

Lunch was in downtown Brevard at Rocky’s Soda Fountain, a total throwback to the 1950s and a lot of fun.

Ice cream after lunch was back at Dolly’s – Sean got this Black Raspberry (which is one of his favorite flavors on earth) and I had mint Oreo. 

We swung by Oscar Blues, which was 3 minutes from our Airbnb, to pick up some beer for Sean, craft soda for me, and a little onesie for bumpie. Then it was time to rest and have a shower before starting the final part of the day.

We had a quick and not great dinner at Tupelo Honey Cafe near Biltmore Village, then headed in to the Biltmore Estate for the Chihuly Glass exhibit. I have loved and followed Chihuly’s work since I saw his massive chandelier piece at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2004. We’ve seen his work at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, and been to his home base in Seattle (which was a bucket-list item for me) and when I heard this was coming to Biltmore, I knew we had to go. I decided to get the night tickets, which allowed us entry to the first floor of the house, visitation during the daylight hours, and the ability to see everything lit up at night.

Sean hadn’t been before so once in the house, I took him straight to the back porch for the view and the sunset. Best part of the house, in my opinion.

The conservatory was well-done with Chihuly and Sean and I loved wandering through the other massive entertaining rooms on the first floor – dining hall, music room, tapestry room, library.

Bu then it was out to the gardens for the real show – and the post-sunset light was perfect.

Down through the gardens to the greenhouse were even more fantastic sights including a long line of installation under a beautiful trellis (hard to get a picture of). As it got darker, the lights illuminated all the pieces and it was like getting to see two different exhibits. Cannot recommend this enough – runs until early October and is only a 3.5 hour drive from Atlanta.

I was BEAT at the end of the day and in a lot of pain in my legs and hips (on relaxin pregnancy hormone) but the whole weekend was so beautiful and amazing that I couldn’t really complain. I took a lot of breaks and stretched, and my wonderful husband did all the driving so I could relax. We took the scenic drive back to Atlanta on Sunday and I think it’s safe to say we will definitely be spending more time in Brevard and Pisgah National Forest in the future and with our son. <3