President Barack Obama has attempted to highlight how 'normal' he is by taking a middle class holiday with wife Michelle in North Carolina.
The president wanted to experience a holiday usually enjoyed by ordinary Americans as he and his first lady arrived in Asheville, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, for a private weekend without their daughters.
The trip to Asheville is in sharp contrast to the family's trip last year to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and Obama's native Hawaii.
Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama go for a nature walk on a Blue Ridge Mountain trail near Asheville in North Carolina
But it wasn't the first time Obama had visited Asheville. He previously made an appearance in the city during his presidential campaign in 2008, when he called it 'spectacular'.
He added at the time: 'The only thing I don't like about it is that I had to drive by the golf course, and it looks really nice. And my staff won't let me play. I'm going to have to come back.'
The pair wait for their food to arrive at 12 Bones Smokehouse restaurant
Obama jovially heckles onlookers while he and Michelle sit in the restaurant
Asheville, a city of about 73,000 residents, is home to the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, a tourist draw, along with popular art galleries and restaurants.
One of the city's best-known destinations, the Grove Park Inn, claims that 10 previous presidents have stayed there while on holiday.
The White House is not commenting on where the Obamas will be spending their evenings.
The couple grin as they chat to local residents in the steakhouse
The president poses for a picture with a fan as he is flanked by security
While the Obamas have no official plans while in North Carolina, the president will speak at Sunday's memorial in Beckley, West Virginia, for the victims of the worst U.S. coal mine disaster in 40 years.
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