Mar Pepin

There is a lot to explore here! There are beautiful views and good trails to explore, and some educational signs that help you understand some of the wildlife and the history. I tried to use their restroom, but I went on a federal holiday (New Year’s Day) so it was closed. It was also a little cold, and off-season, so, I don’t really blame the bathrooms for being closed. I really liked it a lot here, I definitely want to come back and explore more.

This was a pretty nifty place we visited. The parking lot is relatively small for the amount of people that can hang at the park, but we were able to snag a space on a Saturday afternoon. They have a small gift shop with reasonably-priced items. There are a couple of walking trails, and there’s a creek access point. We went in and around the creek, which was a little slippery, but nothing we couldn’t handle in flip-flops. There were some informational signs, but not like a typical botanical garden where every species is named and labelled. Some of the flora and fauna were simply amazing to see. I saw a bee hawkmoth (first photo) and got an awesome picture of it. We had brought an outdoor blanket and laid it out on the creek and on the grass. It was a lovely area, and I would definitely come here again to relax.

This museum is in downtown Franklin, and it is free to enter. It is also built into what used to be a jail, so that is really cool. They still have an old jail cell that you can go into, and it is a neat experience! The exhibits themselves are super cool, as well. All of the items are labelled which was very helpful. They have volunteers and workers that go around and help educate people, and they really made me feel welcome. They also have a shop that has reasonably-priced goods. I was very impressed coming here, and I am interested in visiting again!

This is a nice little park. We came to play Pokemon Go, and there were some gyms and stops. Some of it is paved, some of it isn’t. There’s a trail that leads you into the woods and across the lake, it’s pretty nice. There are a lot of tennis courts and pickleball courts to play in as well.

My boyfriend and I are 22 years old, and we found this place on Google prior to coming to Asheville. We love science museums, especially museums with geology exhibits. The museum, upon us entering, definitely made us think that we were probably too old to be there. But, the museum staff were welcoming, and they even told us we could check out the place before paying admission. We quite frankly were okay with paying the admission to support the museum. They have scavenger hunts that are honestly pretty challenging. I definitely think that this is a great place for kids. There are a lot of interactive exhibits, and I honestly was very entertained by some of them myself. We spent about an hour in the museum, which, for $10 each, is pretty nice. I bought a bunch of stickers at their gift shop, and spent about $10 in the gift shop. The AMOS stickers they sell are very high quality and look great on my car. I really enjoyed my time here!