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Welcome back, this time for a very short weekend trip down to Clemson, SC to see our Mountaineers take on the Tigers in football.

Saturday morning, September 7, we picked up Trevor (if you don’t know who that is by now, just read another football blog) first thing in the morning and drove to a house he’s building so he could give us a tour. Then, we hit the road towards western NC via I-40, en route to the game in Clemson.

Recess Coffee and Baked Goods

Our first stop was at Recess Coffee and Baked Goods in Black Mountain, NC. This cafe is fairly new, and serves excellent quality pastries and coffee. We got a tiramisu croissant and two turtle pecan monkey breads. Both were excellent, especially the turtle bread. Dad and I split Costa Rican (Cerrosan Luis honey process) and Colombian (Claudia Samboni Huila washed) pour overs, and Trevor got a latte. Everything was very good, as it has been every time I’ve visited.

Recess Coffee and Baked Goods
Recess Coffee and Baked Goods
Recess Coffee and Bake Shop
Black Mountain, NC

Excellent coffee and pastries and extremely friendly service. They source their beans from Sweet Bloom Coffee in Lakewood, CO, an excellent roaster. If they roasted their own, I would probably give them three stars.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Haus Heidelberg

Leaving Black Mountain, we traveled south to the Asheville outlets so I could pick up a couple new dress shirts, and then continued on to Hendersonville, where we stopped at Haus Heidelberg for lunch. This is a traditional Bavarian-style tavern. We got a bratwurst and Bavarian lye-dipped pretzel as an appetizer, and then each got a Schnitzel sandwich with Bavarian hot potato salad for a side. Dad added melted Gouda and tomato to his sandwich, which Trevor and I both wish we’d also done.

Haus Heidelberg
Haus Heidelberg
Haus Heidelberg

The food was outstanding. It’s distinctly different from Berliner Kindl, the excellent German restaurant in Black Mountain, but equally as good. We’d definitely visit again!

Haus Heidelberg
hendersonville, NC

Outstanding Bavarian food in a relaxed atmosphere. You will leave stuffed!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

From Hendersonville, we drove into Greenville, where we checked into our hotel just off of downtown. Most of the hotel was occupied by the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team. We settled into our room, requested an extra set of bedding for the pullout sofa, and then headed off for the game.

Football?

Soon we arrived in Clemson, and after FINALLY finding a place to park approximately 58 miles away from the stadium, we walked through campus and over to Memorial Stadium, also known as Death Valley. Clemson has a beautiful campus, and very friendly fans. They rank up in the top two or three nicest fanbases I’ve been around, probably.

Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC

After climbing approximately 159 flights of stairs up to our seats, we sat down to eat a few snacks from the concession stand and watch the game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much of a game at all, as we got blown off our feet right out of the gate.

Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC
Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC

We got beat so badly, so fast, that we really didn’t even have time to get worked up. After sitting there for a while in flabbergasted silence, I finally said “I think this is the nicest weather I’ve experienced at a football game”. It really was…we got to see a gorgeous sunset over the lake, and the temperature was absolutely perfect during the game. Somehow, that didn’t make the two mile postgame walk back to the truck any more pleasant.

Memorial Stadium - Clemson, SC

We made it back to our hotel in Greenville without any real hassle other than traffic, and headed to bed. 

Methodical Coffee

In the morning, we woke up respectably early, packed up, and headed out to find some breakfast and coffee. We settled on Methodical Coffee, right across from the Mast General Store in downtown. This was a wonderful choice, as we had a great breakfast. We split a few pastries (tomato tart, almond croissant, and morning bun), and got a few coffee drinks. Dad and I bought two bags of beans to split, which also came with two free to-go coffees. Everything was very good, and we decided we would likely order more beans from them in the future.

Methodical Coffee
Methodical Coffee
Methodical Coffee
Methodical Coffee
Methodical Coffee
Methodical Coffee
Methodical Coffee
Greenville, SC

Top quality beans and pastries in a great part of town. It’s also nice to drink and eat off of nice plates and mugs. 

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Roadside Produce

On our way back north, we stopped at a roadside stand to buy a large basket of SC peaches. The man at the stand said they were the last harvest of the year, and also gave us a free taste of some scuppernong and muscadine grapes.

P.F. Chang's

In Biltmore Park, we decided we’d stop to use the restroom, but while we were there, chose to go ahead and eat an early lunch at P.F. Chang’s, since they’d just opened and weren’t crowded at all. Trevor and I split a two-person deal they were running, which came with a house salad and Chang’s lettuce wraps as appetizers. For the main meal, Dad got orange chicken, Trevor got some kind of spicy chicken, and I got honey chicken.

P.F. Chang's
P.F. Chang's
P.F. Chang's
P.F. Chang's
P.F. Chang's

All the food was excellent. I don’t know that I’d give a chain like this any stars, because it’s always best to choose a local option, but it’s a great place to get a meal if you are in a hurry and it fits your schedule.

Home

We finally arrived back home, and then headed back up the mountain to Boone in time to see Faith and Walker before he headed to bed. It was a very fun trip, despite the terrible loss, and we’re glad we went.

Conclusion

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Thanks for following our travels! Stay tuned for more trips coming sometime in 2025.

– Isaac, Jerry, and Trevor

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