Splasheville!!

I am so excited for summer! Yes, I love sitting on the deck drinking wine, having daylight until 9pm, and cooking out ... but I am most looking forward to letting my little girl play in the fountains downtown! I am fairly certain the only reason she started walking was to splash around with the big kids in the water!

That's my girl, front and center.

Splasheville was in the works for many (many) years before it became a reality and we all waited with bated breath for the spectacularness it promised to be. And I must say, now that it's complete and the bathrooms are functional, it is pretty damn awesome.

There are actually a couple of fountains downtown, the many geysers of Splasheville of course holding center stage in front of the Court House. The other is a small fountain tucked behind the Vance Monument at Pack Place. Little kids love crawling under it and older kids like to climb and run circles on top of it. It is clearly posted not to let your children climb on the fountain, but some people apparently care less about safety than letting their little banshees run wild.

My daughter and nephew at the Pack Place fountain. How happy is that?

Long story short, let your kids bring a dry set of clothes and plan to spend an hour or so cooling off after lunch at Splasheville. It is an easily supervised area, so you and your better half can chill and chat about how beautiful life is while listening to your little ones squeal and giggle. 

Things to know about Splasheville:

• Public bathrooms are located in an easily accessible building at the west end of the park.
• Bring a towel because the kids will be drenched. This is not a "just get your toes in" kind of fountain. If you sit nearby, you will be soaked.
• If you bring your dog, please deposit all of their deposits in the clearly marked receptacles at the park entrances. Seriously, PLEASE clean up after your pets.
• The fountains are off during special events. This can be unpredictable and so disappointing!
• There is close parking on Marjorie Street, on the other side of Pack's Tavern. This is open and free after 5pm and on weekends. If you only see one space open, please save it for me!
• Don't forget sunscreen and a hat! 

Splasheville is also awesome at night.

White Duck Taco Shop

White Duck Taco Shop is easily one of my favorite places to grab lunch (or a quick dinner) in Asheville. Settled at the north end of the River Arts District in the historic Hatchery building, White Duck offers an assortment of creative tacos made with high quality, fresh ingredients.

I am a huge fan of White Duck and try to visit 1-2x per month. I could easily eat here 3x per week if my budget allowed! My favorite is the Steak and Cheese taco, served with lettuce, pico, and sour cream. Once I had that, I was ruined for all other tacos! The steak is seasoned to be mild yet flavorful, and the toppings round it out perfectly. Sometimes I wake up in the morning thinking about these tacos and then cannot rest until I have had one (two, actually)!!

My beloved steak and cheese is seen on the right.

I can also vouch for the Crispy Chicken BLT taco and Black Bean taco, which are alternates if I don't want two steak tacos on a visit. But let's be honest, I almost always want two steak tacos. I also recommend sharing some Chips and Queso with a friend! It is creamy, mild, filled with chunks of onions and peppers, and delicious. Sometimes I will even splurge and get a watermelon salad along with my tacos. Their house made salsa is also fantastic, so try that out if you have enough people to warrant a table full of food.

Other interesting (and delicious, according to my friends) menu items: Bangkok Shrimp, Thai Peanut Chicken, Jerk Chicken, and Fish Tacos. There are rotating taco options, so you may run across something new at each visit. 

Another thing I love about White Duck is that there is typically sangria on the menu. The watermelon and fall sangria are both awesome and reasonably priced. There is always at least one bottled beer option for those Beer City folks in the crowd. 

The only downside of White Duck is that picky eaters (aka 4 year olds) may have trouble finding something they want to eat. Sometimes you can get a plain cheese quesadilla and a side of black beans, but other times you'll just have to let them fill up on chips and queso. There is nothing wrong with that once in awhile!

Things to know about White Duck Taco Shop: 

• There will likely be a line if you are going during normal lunch (11:30am-1pm) or dinner (5:30-7pm) hours. The line moves quickly, so don't worry!
• You order at the counter and they bus your table.  
• The menu is a la carte so you can mix and match. Take advantage of this to sample a few different tacos and share with friends!
• Everything is served on corn tortillas unless you specifically request flour tortillas. 
• There is both indoor and outdoor seating available. Please wait until after ordering to snag a table.
• They have shortened winter hours and are closed on 
• Leave a cash tip at the counter, they deserve it!

Get some tacos!