Asheville was the last city on the East Coast I really wanted to see. I knew before I left the East Coast to Colorado, I had to make a stop for a couple of days. Asheville was famous for being an artsy and more relaxed town located in the Smokey Mountains of western North Carolina. Asheville is also known for not being like the rest of North Carolina.
The food and booze
Asheville takes pride in trying to keep the food and shops local. Walking through parts of town, you won’t notice many chains. The cobblestone roads are filled with local restaurants and small boutique shops. As far as food, I was able to eat at some legendary places.
- 12 Bones Smokehouse – which a famous bbq spot.
- Chai Pani – a great Indian food spot.
- Moose Cafe – an awesome southern cooking based restaurant.
- Biscuit Head – a breakfast/afternoon only spot that serves amazing southern biscuits.
Asheville is known for its love of beer. Their most popular local one would be Wicked Weed and also has a subsection called the Funkatorium. The Funkatorium only serves sour beers that they make. As far as local breweries, I made it to Wicked Weed Pub and their Funkatorium, Burial Beer Co., and Twin Leaf.
Recently as the time of this post, Sierra Nevada had opened their East Cost brewery. I spent half a day checking out this massive facility. I was fortunate enough to have a bartender show me around since I came on a slow day. I couldn’t believe how massive this new brewery was. Not only did the building contain a full production brewery, but they also had a huge dining hall for guest to try exclusive beers and grab some food. I spent almost six hours here between the personal tour, eating lunch, and trying some of their new beers.
Blue Ridge Parkway
I didn’t have much time as I would have liked to explore Asheville and the surrounding area, but I was able to spend an entire day checking out Blue Ridge Parkway.
Skinny Dip Falls – was recommended to me by a friend who was just there. It’s a lush swimming hole tucked away about 1/2 from the road. Here I spent some time jumping off rocks and enjoying a very rewarding swim.
Glassmine Falls Overlook – was over 800 foot waterfall lookout.
Graveyard Fields Trail – a moderate hike that checks out two waterfalls.