The Sunday Salon: Mountain Cabin-a-hunting

Phew, busy week! And not even for my usual reason (work). I've spent a chunk of the week hunting for a nice mountain cabin at which to spend the Labor day weekend. I'm not sure where the idea came from exactly, since we had never done this before. I believe the husband dropped a thought and I clung to it like it was a life jacket. After a lot of hunting, we found one in North Carolina that we liked and booked it.

Some things I noticed while I was cabin-a-hunting:

1. There are so many people out there with vacation homes in the mountains. If you are one of them, good for you! I may have told the husband that some day I want my own cabin. He may have told me that the option is beyond our means. 
2. Some of those cabins are deliciously amazing retreats. I probably spent more time than I should drooling over some of those houses. Occasionally, I removed the price filter from the search, just to see what's the best house I can get if I didn't have a budget to stick to. I'm not sure how you could invest so much money and time into decorating a house so well, only to eventually rent it out to occasionally untidy guests, but I guess sharing the beauty of the location with others is part of the charm.
3. If the cabin was my everyday home, I would quit my day job, park myself in the deck, watch the sun rise over the mountains every day with my daily cuppa, and write my own book. The husband is probably shaking his head reading this and resolving not to go this route.
4. Some of the houses had ping pong and pool tables, hot tubs, and swimming pool, beautiful mountain views, and more than 5 acres of land to get yourself lost in. Now I get why anyone would do this often.

I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get a cabin closer to home. I expected there to be a lot of cabins around here, what with the Blue Ridge mountains gracing the horizons. There were a few at Wintergreen and Basye-Bryce Mountain but we wanted to steer clear of resorts and find a cabin that's preferably secluded. The one we picked is still nestled among the Blue Ridge mountains, just in North Carolina.

Moreover, trying to find a cabin that will have something for seven people with varying tastes is a tough deal. I could do with any place that has a good reading spot and awesome deck views. The husband wanted there to be some family games. Having something to do within the property and around was a huge plus. Also, everyone needed internet. Sure, we are all going there to relax and enjoy some family time. But who are we kidding - no internet for three days? Not in your wildest dreams.

In a few hours, I will be leaving for New Orleans with a few of my colleagues. This will be my first time in this city and I am excited! I don't think I am going to be able to go around the city much though. I have a busy schedule at my company's booth both tomorrow and on Tuesday, and customer dinners after. After all that, I return home on Wednesday's early morning flight. But, if there's one place I could visit in New Orleans, where would you recommend?