This year, we had an unexpected Spring Break. What was supposed to be a relatively relaxing week took an unexpected turn. My uncle passed a week before, and the funeral and gathering were scheduled down in Jacksonville during the first weekend of SB26. Mrs. RCS, doing Mrs. RCS things, booked us a room at the Ponte Vedra Lodge for the long weekend from Friday to Sunday, which we extended to Monday.
We enjoyed it, and pulled into Atlanta about 4 PM on Monday afternoon. We unpacked and started laundry in a hurry, as we were heading up to Sylva, NC for the next few days. I have had this one on the calendar for some time, and I was excited to take the boys to the Mountains.
This was to be our second stop on the Ridgeline tour – we did the Bridge Creek Inn in Clayton, GA last Fall and LOVED it. This adventure took us farther north to Hotel Sylva, another property that the Ridgeline Group has renovated beautifully.
Mrs. RCS and I wanted to do something fun with the boys, so we opted for an ‘adventure’ trip vs. a beach trip. The boys obviously love the beach, but are showing quite a bit of interest in camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, etc. And as a dad who loves that stuff as well, I’m more than happy to provide any and all opportunities.
We called Hotel Sylva to ensure that we could get an early check-in, and they were happy to accommodate us. We left mid-morning on Tuesday, and pointed the truck North…
Of course, we had to stop for gas and gas station snacks:
The drive was super easy. We pulled into Sylva right after lunch, and they got us checked in. The property is so cool. It sits at the top of the ‘downtown’, so it is extremely convenient to everything. Extremely walkable.
We opted for two adjoining rooms at the back-top corner of the property. And honestly, we probably didn’t need that much space, but it was nice to have. Largely speaking, we didn’t spend a ton of time in our rooms, but when we did we left all the doors opened. The boys thoroughly enjoyed the rocking chairs and having their own beds.
We needed to grab some lunch, so we stopped by Balsam Falls Brewing Co, who have a GREAT food menu. We all got a little something to fill our bellies and quench our thirst.
Then we did some exploring around Sylva – which is a really cool mountain town. It reminded me of Clayton quite a bit, but maybe a year behind in terms of development. If I were an investor, I’d recommend a bullish position on Sylva. It’s trending up. Way up.
That evening, we made our way over to Western Carolina University for a baseball game. Our boys have absolutely fallen in love with baseball this year, and they were super pumped to go see a game. We surprised them with front row tickets right behind home plate (at a total cost of $32). And what a beautiful setting for some baseball…
We all had a BLAST. It felt like the right way to do a baseball game. The boys both had a hot dog, a pretzel, and some Skittles, while Mrs. RCS and I both had a hot dog and a beer. It was one of those moments when all felt right with the world…
Until our youngest got a foul ball!
He was so excited – this baseball is sitting on his nightstand. Core memory, folks.
We made our way back to Sylva (a solid 12 minutes), and started winding down for the night…because we had a big day planned for tomorrow…
I had the forethought to reach out to Ringo at Headwaters Outfitters about setting up a rafting trip for the boys. We had actually been talking about it for a couple of years, but for one reason or another, it never worked out. This year it did.
We got up, had a hearty breakfast in Dillsboro, and met Ringo and Brett at the Dillsboro launch on the Tuckasegee River…
The boys were out of their minds, excited. They had a million questions for both guides as we launched the rafts. Everything you could think of, and 80% you could not. We had two rafts – one for each boy, a parent, and a guide. They provided all the rods/reels/lures/flies/etc. which made it super easy for us. We had one small bag per boat that housed our snacks, a towel (just in case), and layers.
It was a postcard morning. Tons of sun, little to no wind, and no one else on the water. The water was a bit low, but we still saw a lot of fish. The boys both fished with light tackle and got the hang of it pretty quickly! Our oldest was reeling in fish left and right. He had perfected the trout hook set, which yielded quite a few in the net.
Our youngest wasn’t as successful with the hook sets, but became a PRO at casting. He also enjoyed sitting in the front seat with his feet up, eating Skittles. Big day for both of them.
All in all, it was a WONDERFUL morning on the water. It was a touch chilly, but we survived. We made it back to the launch and started unpacking. My oldest’s boat decided to pull a solid for the Tuck and properly remove a tire:
And by ‘remove’ I mean we put it in the back of my truck, brought it home, and are planting flowers in it. Why not??
After fishing, we went back to the hotel, and then walked over and got some grilled bacon and cheese sandwiches at our Brewery. Full bellies and everyone was happy.
After fishing, we all took it easy. The boys took a nap while Mrs. RCS and I packed up. We decided to come back a bit early as we were all wiped out from the long week of travel. There was nothing planned the next morning, so we concluded it was best. After the boys woke up, we all piled into the truck and headed south. We actually stopped at the Chick-Fil-A in Clayton for dinner (and milkshakes), and pulled into our driveway about 9PM, and everyone was OUT like lights by 9:30.
It was an amazing trip.
Looking back on it, I feel like this was a PERFECT trip for the family. So far, we are two for two on Ridgeline hotels. They provide a seriously relaxing vacation. And by ‘relaxing’, I mean that in the best way – both of these trips have left all of us fully recharged and with the confidence that we can make our own fun in quaint mountain towns. These are not ‘Disney Cruise’ vacations, but instead the trips that help us grow closer, and see parts of our world in ways that we see fit.
I can’t wait for the next stop on the Ridgeline tour.
