Some call it the Southeast’s best-kept secret – but from being named the 5th top music city in the U.S. (National Geographic) to one of the best places to travel in 2018 (CNN Travel) – the mountain town of Asheville is undeniably a tourist hub at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains. It’s also known as “Beer City USA” with 30+ local breweries (that’s 21.6 breweries per 100,000 people).
Luckily for us, Asheville is only about an hour away for a nice weekend getaway full of outdoor adventures, live music, cooler temps + of course, libation. (And with our funky AVL Airbnb roundup, you already know where to stay.)
We asked our sister-publication AVLtoday to give you the lowdown on what to see + do from a local’s perspective. Especially helpful since must-do’s often change before you can update your bucket list (speaking from experience here).
Disclaimer: They tried their best to pack as many activities into the schedule while still keeping it as realistic as possible; so they couldn’t include everything they wanted to (if only we could all be in three places at once).
The Omni Grove Park Inn patio // @CaraHafer
3 p.m.: Check-in
Asheville is a super hilly city, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes. It’s also a super casual vibe, so feel free to keep it simple in the outfit department, and even break out your more eclectic wear. You’ll fit in, we promise.
Omni Grove Park Inn 📍290 Macon Ave.
Starting rate: $215
This century-old hotel includes a golf course, a 43,000-square-foot spa (a must-do in itself) + mountain views. Bonus: You can stay in Scott Fitzgerald’s room, where he got some of his writing inspiration from.
The Windsor 📍36 Broadway
Starting Rate: $289
This classic boutique hotel is in the heart of downtown. Each suite has a private bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room + washer/dryer. Treat yo’ self.
Other downtown options:
AC Hotel by Marriott ($161), Cambria Hotel ($170), Aloft Asheville ($189), Haywood Park Hotel ($304), Hotel Indigo ($149).
Princess Anne Hotel 📍301 E. Chestnut St.
Starting Rate: $205
The three story, shingle style hotel first opened its doors in 1924.
The Asheville Inn 📍1 Ancton Circle
Starting rate: $60
The mod black, white + red theme is a stylish twist on the motel.
Bon Paul & Sharkey’s Hostel 📍 816 Haywood Rd.
Starting Rate: $60
Live like a local in West Asheville, a historic neighborhood with bars, restaurants + shopping.
Stay at the Biltmore: (The Village Hotel – Starting at $259; The Inn on the Biltmore Estate – Starting at $299; The Cottage – Starting at $1,500*)
Feel like a Vanderbilt for a day + explore the campus of the largest house in the nation. Bonus: Check out the Grand Bohemian, just off the grounds. *Prices of hotel rooms may vary. We tried to find the lowest summer rates.
*Prices of hotel rooms may vary. We tried to find the lowest summer rates.
Want to stay like a local? Here are some unique Airbnbs.
Burial Beer // @AVLtoday
🍾Start the weekend (Friday):
3:30 p.m. Start your self-guided brewery tour
Grab a rideshare or walk to the South Slope, where there are a number of breweries within a few blocks. Be sure your phone is charged up so you can navigate.
🍺 Asheville Brewing Co.📍77 Coxe Avenue
Circa 1997. Taprooms in two locations. South Slope production brewery with additional pilot system and brewpub serving pizza and pub fare. Original taproom, pizzeria + second-run movie theater in North Asheville.
🍺 Funkatorium📍147 Coxe Ave
The sister site of Wicked Weed serves sour + unique beers.
🍺 Twin Leaf Brewery📍144 Coxe Avenue
Circa 2014. Production facility and taproom on South Slope with outside seating.
🍺 Catawba Brewing Company📍32 Banks Avenue
Circa 1999. Taproom with pilot system, rotating food trucks, and venue space on South Slope. Smaller taproom near Biltmore Village. Original production brewery and taproom in Morganton, and large production brewery and taproom in Charlotte. Purchased Charleston’s Palmetto Brewing Company in 2017.
🍺 Burial Beer Co.📍40 Collier Avenue and 16 Shady Oak Drive
Circa 2013. Brewery and taproom with permanent food truck (Salt & Smoke) and large outdoor area on South Slope. Production brewery with taproom featuring a variety of American craft beers opening Fall 2018 near Biltmore Village (16 Shady Oak Dr.).
🍺 Green Man Brewery 📍23-27 Buxton Avenue
Circa 1997. Taproom with outside patio (Dirty Jack’s) and tasting room in new brewhouse next door (Green Mansion).
The Fried Chicken Sandwich at Buxton Hall // @AVLtoday
6:30 p.m. Grab a bite to eat
Finish up beer marathon at Bhramari Brewing, which has a full dinner menu.
🍺 Bhramari Brewing Company📍101 S. Lexington Avenue
Circa 2016. Production brewery, taproom and restaurant with outside space + parking. Try the patas bravas (basically fancy french fries) with carnitas, pickled veggies, goat cheese + spicy tomato sauce.
All breweried out? Try these other South Slope eateries –
Buxton Hall 📍32 Banks Ave
Classic Carolina BBQ. We recommend the fried chicken sandwich.
Ben’s Tune Up 📍195 Hilliard Ave
This mechanic garage-turned outside garden restaurant makes its own house sakes + serves Japanese-American fusion food. Bonus: Live music most weekend nights.
10 p.m. Find the music 🎶
Scope out The Orange Peel, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium or The Grey Eagle for local shows.
Otherwise, drop into one of these spots for live music: 5 Walnut (jazz), Jack of the Woods (folk), the One Stop (the bar attached to Asheville Music Hall), or Static Age (punk + rock).
For dancing, check out Tiger Mountain (club), MG Road (low-key cocktail bar), Room 9 (club), or Scandals (with nightly drag shows). If you want to be real tourist, check out the Off the Wagon Dueling Piano Bar.
Flora coffee shop + plant store // @AVLtoday
Day Two
☀ Take it west (Saturday)
10 a.m. Brunch it like a pro
Head over to West Asheville for an iced chai from Flora (428 Haywood Rd.), the coffee shop + plant store which is ultimate Instagram goals. Or, try the locals hangout Odds Cafe (800 Haywood St.).
The coffee is to tide you over until you can get into Sunny Pointe Cafe for brunch, which on Saturday’s can be about an hour wait. However, they have live music, order-while-you-wait drinks + pastries, and a huge walkable garden. Best. Wait. Ever.
Want to grab something + go? BimBeriBon serves gluten free + vegan pastries and brunch.
Part of the Foundation Walls in RAD // @AVLtoday
12:30 River Arts District
You can take an Asheville Art Studio Tour for $39 from 2–4 p.m. (available every Saturday), or take a self-guided tour.
If you opt for the latter, here are some galleries to get you started: Phil Mechanic + Stand Gallery, North Carolina Glass Center, the Cotton Mill Studios, the Wedge Studios, Pink Dog Creative, The Lift Studios, Riverview Station, Revolve + Karen Hardy / Hardy Letterpress.
Be sure you roam over by Summit Coffee on Foundry St. to see the Foundation Walls, where dozens of walls are covered in street art. If you aren’t tired of breweries yet, check out the 2nd New Belgium site right on the French Broad river.
3 p.m. Head up the Parkway
For more serious hikers, here are some classic trails that are worth the views:
🌲Mt. Pisgah
📍Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 407.6 | Strenuous | 3 miles (round-trip) | 🚘 ~45 mins from AVL | 🐶: yes; active dogs only
This hike is filled with some of the best views of the Asheville area. Bonus points if you can point out Biltmore Estate once you’re at the top. This trail is rocky so wear good shoes. Protip: Make the hike a day trip by taking the six-mile loop to Fryingpan Lookout Tower which is marked on the Pisgah trail (or drive to Milepost 408.5 to start the trail there).
🌲Catawba Falls
📍3074 Catawba River Road, Old Fort, N.C. | Easy | 3 miles (round-trip) | 🚘 ~30 mins from AVL | 🐶: yes
Perfect for the whole fam, this 100-foot waterfall has an amazing view + is a great spot for an afternoon picnic. For the best view: Upper Falls (for skilled hikers only) is a strenuous ½-mile hike that takes you up to a 50-foot waterfall above the Lower Falls.
*See our full hiking guide here.
The North Carolina Arboretum – which was designed by the father of landscape architecture (who also was the visionary the Biltmore Estate land), Frederick Law Olmsted – has 10 miles of hiking trails. Plus, until October, they have over 50 types of Bonsai in their annual Bonsai Garden.
Alternatively, get your adrenaline rush at Navitat Zipline + Canopy Adventures, where you can zipline 3/4 of a mile + up to 65/mph through the Blue Ridge mountains. There are a few different routes, all where you learn about the Western N.C. subterraneans and see the landscape from above.
Chai Pani // @AVLtoday
8 p.m. | Choose your own adventure for dinner
Take a post-hike break + go out for a nicer Saturday dinner. The best way to explore downtown? Just walking. You’ll experience the shops, restaurants, and buzzing foodie scene in all its Saturday night glory.
Our recommendations – Posana (Contemporary American), Sovereign Remedies (New American), Limones (modern Mexican), Nightbell (American small plates), Chestnut (Seasonal American), Chai Pani (Indian Street Food). Or, if you snag a reservation early, the famous Cúrate (traditional Spanish tapas). If you’re vegan, check out Laughing Seed Cafe or head down the road for Plant.
Or, head to the historic Montford neighborhood and have dinner + drinks on the Omni Grove Park Inn’s patio. The sunset views are unreal.
Our recommendations:
🍴 Posana (Contemporary American)
🍴 Sovereign Remedies (New American)
🍴 Limones (modern Mexican)
🍴 Nightbell (American small plates)
🍴 Chestnut (Seasonal American)
🍴 Chai Pani (Indian Street Food).
🍴 Or, if you snag a reservation early, the famous Cúrate (traditional Spanish tapas).
🍴 If you’re vegan, check out Laughing Seed Cafe or head down the road for Plant.
🍴 Or, head to the historic Montford neighborhood and have dinner + drinks on the Omni Grove Park Inn’s patio. The sunset views are unreal.
The Monfort rooftop bar // @AVLtoday
10 p.m. | Time for a nightcap
There’s no better way to see Asheville than from a rooftop. Here are some sky-high rooftop bars: Capella on 9, Skybar, Montford rooftop bar, Pillar Bar, Hemingway’s Cuba + The Social.
Day Three (Sunday)
9 a.m.-3 p.m. | Biltmore
You can’t visit Asheville without spending a day at the Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned house in the U.S. The 178,926-sq.ft. mansion was built by the Vanderbilt family and was opened up as a tourist attraction in 1930.
Now, it serves as one of the more prominent examples of the gilded age (think: the Titanic + The Great Gatsby). Adult daytime passes start at $65. Now until October, you can see a giant installation of glass sculptures by the famous glass artist Dale Chihuly. See a sneak peek here.
There is a cafe + restaurant on the grounds, plus acres + acres of gardens (including botanical gardens). You’ll want to plan a whole day here, but it’s worth the cost + time of a return visit.
