Asheville, NC

2,761 Views | 21 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by GSPag`
YouBet
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Doing a long weekend in March and thinking we might hit up Asheville. Been wanting to get to that part of the country for a while and this place looks cool. Flying in late Thursday and would have full days on Friday and Saturday. I'm initially thinking hiking on one day and Biltmore / hang out in town the next day.

Still might be a little cold for hiking so will bring cold gear. I did the Biltmore with my parents in junior high and it was pretty cool even back then so I assume I will appreciate it even more in my mid-forties. Pretty sure my wife will like it since she spends money like she's royalty. Should feel right at home. The Biltmore damn sure has gone all-in as a tourist destination since I was there in the late '80s though judging from the website.

Any must do's? I'm about to start my TripAdvisor research.


edit: scratch this. Can't get there in any kind of reasonable time to make it worthwhile. Will defer this to a longer trip.
Kool
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
You must visit the Grove Park Inn and sit by the fireplace then move outside with a suitable beverage and enjoy the view from the back deck. It's gorgeous.

Edit: if you're up for a couple of hours of beautiful driving, take a day trip to Highlands, NC. If your wallet is too fat for your liking, spend a night in the Old Edwards Inn.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
Potcake
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
We stayed at Grove Park. Great sundeck and the giant fireplaces were cool.
SW AG80
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
We stayed in Asheville the week after the Clemson game. Ashveville is like Austin now, lots of homeless. Don't want to eat outside because you could be seated next to a homeless tent community that takes over the sidewalk. The Biltmore is worth your time and $$ and The Grove Park Inn is great. Stay there about 15 years ago.
YouBet
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
SW AG80 said:

We stayed in Asheville the week after the Clemson game. Ashveville is like Austin now, lots of homeless. Don't want to eat outside because you could be seated next to a homeless tent community that takes over the sidewalk. The Biltmore is worth your time and $$ and The Grove Park Inn is great. Stay there about 15 years ago.


Well, hell. It's only 100k people. How the hell can they have a homeless problem already?
fourth deck
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
In addition to the Biltmore, I would highly recommend a visit to Sierra Nevada.
CDub06
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I was shocked at the number of homeless hippies out there. It's nuts for such a small town.

We were disappointed by the city itself spent less time in town than expected. There are some good restaurants and breweries (Burial!!), but hiking in surrounding areas is the real reason to go.

And, yeah - the Biltmore is worth a few hours.
SW AG80
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
There are also "safe places" in the city for snowflakes to go and ...well, be safe I guess.
WoMD
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Are you sure they're actually homeless? Lots of hipsters intentionally look that way regardless of housing situation. It's ironic, or something.

Man I hate hipsters...


Potcake
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
It appears Forum 16 is leaking into here.
SW AG80
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
They are homeless, sleeping in tents on the sidewalks.
ToddyHill
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I hear the connection between Asheville and Austin all the time. Honestly, the only thing they have in common is they are liberal, have great restaurants, and their fair share of homeless (proportionate to their population).

I love Asheville. Wish I went more often (I live two hours west of Asheville). Biltmore is a must. The Grove Park Inn is a huge must. Walking thru downtown and taking in the street musicians is a no brainer (Google The Spoon Lady for example).

20 miles south of Asheville is Hendersonville. Their main drag is Fredericksburg 30 years ago.

Bald River Falls, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Bat Cave...it's all great.

It's a must place to visit at least once.
Spore Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
We chose to stay in Hendersonville and this spring will probably stay in Brevard which is an easy drive to Asheville. Brevard noted for their white squirrels.
knoxtom
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Weather will probably be OK but there are plenty of nasty days in late march around Asheville.

Biltmore is OK, your wife will love it.

The hikes around there are all pretty amazing but I recommend looking glass rock. Its about an hour drive to the trailhead. The falls are right at the road. Here is a pic of a friend of mine running it in a kayak while wearing a batman mask. I do not recommend kayaking the falls. He broke his back.



The climb to the top of looking glass is medium hard, will take 2 hours or so to get up and another 1.5 to get down. This is looking glass...

https://www.hikewnc.info/besthikes/davidson-river/looking-glass-rock

I also highly recommend Linville Falls hike, which is an hour the other way, headed toward Boone. The linville gorge is the prettiest place east of the Mississippi. There are other trails that go into the gorge, they are hard.

https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/poi/linville-falls/

https://www.hikewnc.info/besthikes/linville-falls/erwins-view

Check to see who is playing at the orange peel. They get some good shows there

https://theorangepeel.net/events/

YouBet
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Wow! Thanks for the links.

I won't be kayaking like that ever in my life.
Chipotlemonger
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Asheville is one of my favorite places to visit. I have been 3 times over the past couple of years. I'll PM you bc I could talk at length about this and that but don't want to clutter the thread.

Hiking is a must.
As is the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Those 2 items can be one in the same depending on how you do it).
Sierra Nevada is great, I'm a huge beer guy and the tour is excellent time and value.
Food is great for a smaller town.
BQ2001
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Please clutter the thread. Going there myself in 6 weeks
CDub06
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I'll throw in a few specifics.

Food:
Sunny Point Cafe for Brunch
12 Bones for Lunch
Buxton Hall for Dinner

Blue Ridge Parkway NE highlight was Crabtree Falls.
Crag gy Gardens is a quick stop.
Mount Mitchell is worth the detour, even if its just for the quick stroll to the summit marker.

Parkway SW of Asheville, has Black Balsam Knob & Looking Glass Rock.
Plus a bunch of short hikes to waterfalls and swimming holes (Looking Glass Falls, Moore Cove Falls, Sliding Rock, Skinny Dip Falls)

Breweries:
Burial
Funkatorium/Wicked Weed (InBev)
Eurisko
Bhramari
Zebulon Artisan Ales
Zillicoah
Wicked Good Ag
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Hiking and food is what makes Asheville the destination that many people want to see. While homeless are there (maybe in droves) they are not in front of some of the better places to visit. Any of the top 10-12 hikes in Asheville are going to be worth it.
Add in some of the top places listed above to eat and the Biltmore and you have a great 3-4 days in that area
Chipotlemonger
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
BQ2001 said:

Please clutter the thread. Going there myself in 6 weeks
I'll come back and post when I have more time later. CDub06 has good info in his post as well!
Chipotlemonger
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
BQ2001 said:

Please clutter the thread. Going there myself in 6 weeks
Okay have a little more time. Some of this may be a repeat of suggestions from other posters already.

Food - Asheville is an excellent food town.

  • White Labs - Went here for the first time completely at random. Day before Thanksgiving and the pizza place we tried going to was closed. I am so glad that that happened. One of my favorite pizza places. It is a yeast producer for the beer industry. They have a restaurant side of the business too. Have never toured the yeast facility. They do something really cool too with their beer...they'll brew the same beer and ferment it with upwards of 4 different type of yeasts! You can try them all to see the huge difference that yeast makes on brewing. It's great beer too.
  • Biscuit Head - Once you get up to order, it's like a fast casual concept. The lines are long though. Really great breakfast food
  • Owl Bakery
  • Hole Doughnuts - These are handmade pieces of bliss. Grab some on your way out to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a morning hike!
  • Chiesa - Small italian restaurant, good food
  • Curate - Great tapas food, have not had a full meal here unfortuantely, but it has a very cool kitchen side bar you can sit at and order from. Got some wine and a dessert here after dinner elsewhere. Can book up way in advance.
  • Rhubarb - Great elevated chic southern food
  • White Duck Taco Shop - Neat, good food, but would recommend other places if you're coming all the way from Texas. We have great tacos here.

Beer - A lot of these are in close proximity to one another just south of downtown.

  • Zillacoah - A newer place, have only been once. Cool riverside location. Great beers.
  • Sierra Nevada - Highly recommend, have gone multiple times and taken the guided tour twice. Really good experience. Great feel and location. Really good food, better than what might expect from other similar breweries. I recommend eating here too
  • Wicked Weed - Good beer, ABInBev company now but still some good beer
  • Funkatorium (part of Wicked Weed) - Awesome sours, really compelling beers. Cool little location too.
  • Brahmari Brewing Co. - Not mentioned much, but should be. Excellent food program here. They do good beer too.
  • Burial - One of my favorites, I will always go here if I am in town. I have not been to their Forestry Camp location though.
  • Hi-Wire - Also one of my favorites. Great selection of beers here. They have expanded a bit with taprooms. Believe they have one in Knoxville now, and Durham too.
  • White Labs - (see food section)
  • Green Man - Cool to visit for the history, but I would recommend just getting a beer or 2 at an off premise place to have at your rental while staying in the area.
  • One World Brewing - Very neat basement venue in the heart of downtown.
  • There are many more breweries, but these highlights come to mind first for me.

Hiking / Sights

  • Blue Ridge Parkway - I really can't say enough about this. The amount of stellar hikes both west of town on this historic route and east of town is ridiculous. I would need to actually sit down and think hard to write out all the ones I've been on. Same with what waterfalls I've seen.
  • Black Balsam Knob - Excellent hike, get some amazing views of the surrounding area
  • Rattlesnake Lodge - Very neat history here, good hike.
  • I will refer to the best all around hiking and waterfall resource there is for Asheville. This will help you out way more than anything I say. Weird site name, but don't let that fool you, there is great information here: https://www.romanticasheville.com/

Phew! That was a lot. I cannot wait to go back to Asheville!
BQ2001
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
awesome, thanks so much
GSPag`
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I have lived in both Austin and Asheville in the last few years.

Very similar in many ways, better music in Austin, better beer in Asheville. I did not really think the homeless were a problem like Austin. But the mountains in Asheville were better than the ones not in Austin.

And I would take the back roads from Asheville to Greenville SC. Hit Hendersonville and Saluda NC. Then maybe George Hincapie's lodge/restaurant. Then down the Greenville.

Some beautiful driving.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.