Asheville’s #1 Maternity Photographer and WNC native shares top ten things not to miss during your Babymoon in Asheville and a glimpse at Fall Maternity Photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC.
Are you planning your Babymoon in Asheville? Shooting Maternity Portraits on the Blue Ridge Parkway and around Asheville in the fall is my favorite!! Everyone clammers for photos with the Fall Foliage in Asheville and it’s obvious why: The vibrant, rich fall color, the cool breeze in the air and that warm light shining through those colorful leaves… perfection.
Hot Pro Tip:
If you’re traveling in the fall, for your Babymoon in Asheville, I would strongly recommend booking everything well in advance! And, I do mean everything: (lodging and rental cars get more scarce and expensive in the fall around here, it’s difficult to get a reservation for meals or excursions and the best photographers are totally booked for October by the end of August.)
Top Ten Things not to miss during your Babymoon:
Downtown – Asheville’s Downtown is walkable, beautiful and quite unique. On the weekends, you’ll find it buzzing with tourists, random, weird things to see (such as a nun walking on stilts or a person painted head to toe in bronze) and music wafting through the air from the buskers on the street corners! Asheville’s a little bit of a hidden culinary gem so you’ll find lots of really great eats in downtown along with tons of interesting shops and boutiques!
Food & Music Highlights: Curate, Shanghai Dumpling House, Limone’s, The Lobster Trap , music at Asheville Music Hall, Ukiah, Luella’s BBQ, Taco Temple, The Restoration
River Arts District – If you’re into art, this is your spot! There’s loads of galleries representing every medium imaginable, street art and lots of funky things to see! Walk along the French Broad River greenway or visit some of the antique shops and boutiques in the area and there are excellent bars and restaurants in RAD as well!
Food & Music Highlights: RosaBees, 12 Bones Smoke House River, Bull and Beggar, music at the Grey Eagle, The Radical Asheville
West Asheville – West Asheville is a quintessentially “Asheville” neighborhood with a real funky vibe! There are lots of unique shops, you can most always find live music somewhere along Haywood and some really great local eats in this area!
Food & Music Highlights: Sunny Point Cafe, Haywood Common, The Admiral, Taco Billy, Regina’s, Neng Jr & music at One World Brewing West!
Book a Maternity Portrait Session with Asheville’s #1 Maternity Photographer – Booking with Asheville Portrait Company means that you’ll get professional Hair & Makeup at our studio before your portrait session (which is awesome, if you’re planning to go out to a dinner / concert etc. that night!!) It also means that you can choose a maternity gown from our client closet, linked HERE. The expectant mama featured in this post preferred to do her own hair and makeup and wanted wear more casual attire for her session and that’s totally fine too! We can shoot a Fine Art, Editorial Session with Gorgeous Gowns, Body Suits or Birthday Suits in my Biltmore Village Studio OR we can shoot in a gorgeous maternity gown at Biltmore Estate, on the Blue Ridge Parkway or other locations around Asheville! You can check out my Client Prep Guide for a list of locations that I commonly shoot at! Find that here: Client Prep Guide just click “jump to locations”
The Blue Ridge Parkway- Take a Drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway! Get OUT of the city and into the mountains! Enjoy those BIG Mountain Views with stops along the way (at the designated pull off / overlooks) to get photos for the gram!
Biltmore Estate – America’s Largest Home has so much to see and do! If you’re into history, architecture, gardens or a glass of wine, this is the place for you! Its absolutely stunning! Even if you weren’t necessarily interested in a house tour, the grounds are so beautiful, it’s the perfect place for a picnic in town and there are miles and miles of trails to explore.
Grove Park Inn – Visit the Spa for some pampering & have lunch or dinner on the terrace for great views of downtown Asheville and the mountains surrounding the city’s skyline!
The Orange Peel & Rabbit Rabbit – See who’s playing before you arrive and catch a show at the famed Orange Peel (Rolling Stone has called it one of the top venues in the nation!) or Rabbit Rabbit (the outdoor stage on Coxe ave) while you’re in town! Let that baby catch some music vibrations, mama!
Grail Movie House – I simply adore Grail Movie House. It’s a small, locally owned, indie movie house. Kick your feet up with their comfy seating and the snack options are totally on point! Bonus: it’s located in a really cool section of the RAD so be sure to check out the shops, galleries and restaurants around there while you’re at it!
Rest – Bring an Eno hammock, a blanket or a camping chair, get out in nature and REST during your Babymoon in Asheville. xo – Brittany