Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:

Every year since 1999 Anne and I have taken one road trip to a different part of the United States and seen attractions, wonders, and events we didn’t have back home. From 1999 to 2003 we did so as best friends; from 2004 to the present, as husband and wife. After years of contenting ourselves with everyday life in Indianapolis and any nearby places that also had comics and toy shops, we overcame some of our self-imposed limitations and resolved as a team to leave the comforts of home for annual chances to see creative, exciting, breathtaking, outlandish, historical, and/or bewildering new sights in states beyond our own. We’re the Goldens. This is who we are and what we do.

For 2023 it was time at last to venture to the Carolinas, the only southern states we hadn’t yet visited…

…and with South Carolina behind us, at long last it was North Carolina’s turn for a visit. Our Tarheel State itinerary, not nearly as long as our Charleston checklist, began with spending a cozy Wednesday night in Asheville. Little did we know the catastrophe to come fifteen months later.

First things first: for those who know Asheville, no, we did not visit Biltmore. More than a few folks asked us about it and recommended it. The brochures look pretty, but (a) mansion tours aren’t among our vacation must-sees, and (b) we spent so long at the beach and in Columbia that most tourist attractions were closed by the time we pulled into town. As kindasorta makeup homework, six months later we watched a Hallmark Christmas movie set there, mostly because it featured two of the funniest Star Trek actors around. The fact that it was partly shot in Biltmore — which, yes, looked rather luxurious inside — was incidental, but not a deal-breaker.

The drive from Columbia to Asheville wasn’t my favorite, though. A combination of road construction, rush hour congestion, and mountainside curves left my nerves so frayed that by the time we reached our exit, we ended up driving the same stretch of I-240 twice before I could figure out the tucked-away turnoff to our hotel.

We dragged our luggage into our room and rested for a few before setting our hearts on spending the evening walking through downtown, which began across the street. A couple dozen senior citizens in the lobby parted without resistance as we exited through them, and we were soon on our way down Broadway Street for glimpses of art, culture, and/or commerce. I was disappointed to find zero bookshops or record stores nearby — mostly we saw a mix of art galleries, restaurants, coffee shops, and empty storefronts. I counted four street musicians in three blocks among the mixed populace of fellow tourist families, skater kids, several unhoused, and more.

Among the businesses we passed after closing time:

Mind you, I don’t know for sure how Asheville looks today. On September 26-27, 2024, Hurricane Helene struck the area and much of the eastern seaboard with devastating effects all around. We were horrified to hear of the fatalities and to see news footage of nearby interstates that’d been destroyed and wouldn’t be rebuilt for months. Most areas were without power or water for days. Downtown’s soft grand reopening came 3-4 weeks later as the community made its comeback. The following winter, the Art Museum proudly presented a local-artist exhibit in honor of those who made it through to the light at the end of the tunnel.

The places we saw largely seem to have persisted to this day. The Moogseum reported their awning frame was torn off and crashed into their windows, but the awning itself remained attached and just drooped like a curtain for a bit. Though finances were a major concern, they found a unique means of getting back on their feet: they held an online raffle whose grand prize was a Minimoog autographed by Peter Gabriel. After selling over 2700 tickets to fans in 31 different countries, things were looking much brighter.

We haven’t been back since, but we can tell you as of June 2023 it looked like so:

(As of the very weekend I’m writing this in March 2026, the Fine Arts is now showing Sirat, nominated for two Academy Awards and enthusiastically endorsed by this writer.)

…but wait! There’s more Asheville to come! To be continued!

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[Link enclosed here to handy checklist for other chapters and for our complete road trip history to date. Follow us on Facebook or via email sign-up for new-entry alerts, or over on BlueSky if you want to track my faint signs of life between entries. Thanks for reading!]