Making a trip to Asheville, North Carolina? Here is a listof my favorite spots to check out. Asheville is a food and beer snob paradise. Making a decision about where to go can be overwhelming, so here are a few spots I always enjoy.
Where to Drink
Asheville is a thirsty town. Nationally known as the beer capital of the U.S. and for a good reason. Below is a list of places to quench your thirst.
Breweries
We could debate this topic all day. The locals in Asheville will love to start the debate of favorite breweries. The number of breweries can feel overwhelming, and for a short trip, how do you pick? Here is a list of my favorites, including the “sell-outs” as some call them.
- Burial – the one beer snobs are there for.
- Wicked Weed + Funkatorium – the largest brwsery hailing from Asheville. The funkatorium is around the corner with a seleciton of sours.
- Zillicoah Beer Co. – awesome brewery right outside town on the French Broad River.
Bars
- Asheville Yacht Club – tiki themed hole in the wall bar.
- Rankin Vault Cocktail Lounge – bank vault turned cocktail bar. The place for late night food in Asheville.
- Lazy Diamond – Asheville’s ultimate dive bar.
- Sovereign Remedies – vintage style cocktail bar.
Food
I already made a seperate post about the places to eat in Asheville, but here is a quick list to get you started.
Breakfast
- Biscuit Head – southern biscuits for breakfast.
- Early Girl Eatery – top notch southern brunch served here.
Casual Bites
- Chai Pani – Indian street food that helped put Asheville on the map for food.
- 12 Bones BBQ – the legendary bbq spot that people flock to Asheville for.
- Buxton Hall – same owners as Chai Pani but serving my favorite spot for bbq in Asheville.
- Taco Billy – funky twist on street tacos.
- Gan Shan – creative and modern Asain fused eats.
Date Night Dining
Exploring Asheville
Asheville has a ton of cool pockets and some unique things to check out. Asheville is a town known for the vibrant art scene, old school architecture, and funky modern culture.
River Arts District
An industrial zone converted to studios, stores, and galleries of 100s of artists that call Asheville home. You could easily spend an entire day here browsing hand made jewelry, painting, artisan crafts, glass, rustic sculpting, and so much more.
Asheville Pinball Museum
All you can play pinball machines, and some other arcade games. This place gets packed on weekends so be prepared to wait for a while.
Biltmore Estate
A French Renaissance estate tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can tour the 250+ rooms of the estate, walk through the gardens or outside trails, and spend some time sipping wine at the Biltmore Winery. This is an American architecture gem.
Grove Arcade
A city block historic building located in the heart of downtown Asheville. Catered to boutique shops, galleries, and small cafe style eateries.
Blue Ridge Mountains
Asheville is the portal to some of the best east coast hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Pisgah National Forest almost engulfs Asheville and is home to lush slopes and cascading waterfalls. Even if you’re not a great outdoors person, you can casually drive down Blue Ridge Parkway and pull over at scenic views. We could go on forever about things to do and see in Pisgah, but here are some of my favorite.
Looking Glass Rock
Located off 276, hike up the mountain top to get 360 views of the Pisgah National Forest. Decent hike at 5.5 miles round trip that is steep uphill.
Skinny Dip Falls
An awesome watering hole that is right off Blueridge Parkway. Small hike, .9mi roundtrip that is named apporiately. Once you hike to this gem, you want strip your clothes and jump off the rocks into the clear mountian pools.
Turtle Back Falls
My ultimate favorite spot in Pisgah. It’s a waterfall, that is a slide that drops off into mountain pools. What else could you want in a hike? It is a bit far from Asheville but worth the drive.
Moore Cove Falls
A shower like waterfalls that free falls 50+ feet. A super easy hike that is 1.2mil roundtrip that is located off 276, the waterfall road.
Graveyard Fields Loop Trail
If I had to pick one hike that covers all of the beauty of Pisgah National Forest, this would be it. The 6.5mi round trip loop has waterfalls, flowers during warm months, and everything else that makes the Blue Ridge Mountains so prestigious. Another awesome trail located off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Fryingpan Mountain Tower
A quick but rewarding hike if you want to see the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The 1.5mi roundtrip can be found off the Blue Ridge Parkway.