Tales From A Mom Daughter Road Trip to Fayetteville, NC Part One
My daughter and I were guests of the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for the weekend.
Ever had a city that you just felt like you belonged? You know a city that you fall in love with the moment you enter. Well, there have been very few cities that make such an impression on me like Fayetteville, North Carolina has. When I visited last May with a group of bloggers, I immediately fell in love with its quaint charm and the locally owned shops that have just about anything a person could want. I knew when I left that day, that I would be making another trip to this city and this time I was going to take my girls.
Yep, I had an idea for about a year before it came into existence on the blog, although I had the idea for a mom-daughter getaway, it took me a year to make it happen. ( Sometimes it better to sit on ideas because when they do come together it makes it that much better.)
So last weekend, our mom and daughter trip came into existence. I will have to say that although the weather did not cooperate- severe weather for most of the day and into the night Friday, Fayetteville still managed to hit it out of the ballpark.
Let me say that the old me would have canceled the trip because of the weather, but I knew that this was a trip that I have such a limited time left to do with one of my girls before they are all out of the house. So I decided to summon my inner strength and just went for it. Oh, and did I mention I was also driving the Honda. 😉
So Friday morning we were off driving the back roads, singing along to the radio and just enjoying the hour drive to a town that is near and dear to my heart. Of course, when Gracie and I arrived there was a monsoon going on ( not really it felt like it) so we couldn’t do the part of the itinerary that Melody from the Fayetteville CVB had put together for us. We were able to tour the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex– and because we waited for the torrential downpour to subside we missed the tour of the EA Poe House, but we able to visit the museum.
Gracie is a Junior in high school and is studying American History, so to see her eyes light up with excitement about history brought joy to this mama’s heart. ( Gracie has never been one that loved school, but the past two years she has had a fantastic history teacher who has brought excitement to her school work.) We took our times exploring the exhibits before we met Melody for lunch at Reyhan Turkish Kebaps.
Although I had googled the address before we even left on our trip, the GPS took us to their old location. But guess what that old location was closed, then I get the message from Melody saying “Hey I am here at the restaurant waiting for you.” We soon realized I was at the old location and not the new one, which by the way was like a block away so it would be a great walk, but because of the rain, we decided to try to find a spot closer to park. Just in case another downpour occurred.
So once we got the car parked and crossed the street, we made our way to what will be known as the most delicious meal we have ever eaten. I could go on and on about the bread it was that delicious.
Let me preface this by saying Gracie is my picky eater. She doesn’t like most foods, but since she has been going places with me, she has learned that she has to try something at least and then if she doesn’t like it we can always get something for her later. But I didn’t have to worry about her when one taste of the Chicken Tava and she was hooked.
Of course, she got it with no mushrooms, onions or peppers. That coupled with the bread, my girl did not go hungry. I even got a taste of it. Gracie still hasn’t stopped talking about how good it was and how amazing the rice was.
I got a Chicken sandwich. ( Here is a travel tip when going someplace new with someone you know order two different things so you can sample a little bit of everything. ) But it was no ordinary chicken sandwich; it was a little slice of heaven. Did I mention how yummy that bread was? I did well let me repeat it. It was delicious !
Gracie and I really enjoyed our wonderful lunch at Reyhan’s with Melody. I don’t think there wasn’t a lull in the conversation except when had our mouth’s full that is. After our lovely lunch, we headed out to our afternoon adventures. One that consisted of a tea tasting, pottery or so we thought, checking into our hotel ( that was an adventure in and of itself) and evening entertainment. Check back tomorrow to see if my inner strength came out or if we decided to play it safe.
I saw some of your Instagram Stories from your trip! It looked liked you all had so much fun! When I was in Fayetteville last week, I was so surprised to see how Fayetteville has changed over the years. I definitely want to go back!
I have only driven through Fayetteville but never really stopped in, but your post definitely makes me want to the next time I’m in that area. What a delicious looking chicken sandwich!
I adore this! I think spending quality time with our children is so important and a great way to get to know them as a person. I’m happy you decide to pick Fayetteville to make your special memories.