By now, everyone knows that one of the must see cities in North Carolina is Asheville. Its an easy destination, straight down 40 West for about 4 hours and you will drive straight into the hustle and bustle of downtown Asheville. This was my first trip and will not be my last! We were in town for a special birthday and there is so much to do here! Just park your car and discover so many great places to eat, drink, shop and explore. Here are a few of the discoveries we made on this first trip.
COFFEE: Can't go wrong with any of these choices:
Tupelo Honey Cafe,
Early Girl Eatery and
The Green Sage Coffehouse and Cafe.
There are A LOT more, but these were the only ones we got to over our weekend.
(Just got this info: High Five Coffee Bar serving Counter Culture Coffee!)
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| Gourmet Oatmeal at Tupelo Honey Cafe |
FOOD: Tupelo Honey Cafe was amazing for breakfast and I would imagine any meal here would be great. Also a definite must is
Early Girl Eatery for breakfast. Early Girl Eatery is the farm to plate offering with everything they use provided from local community sources. We had drinks only at
Pack's Tavern, but we heard the food was amazing and it also came highly recommended. The food and appetizers were good at
Lexington Avenue Brewery (LAB). We had pizza at
Asheville Pizza and Brewing. We tried to get in for Tapas at
Curate but there was an incredible wait so be sure and put this on your list but make a reservation first! Be sure and end the night with some dessert! Try
French Broad Chocolate Lounge. They have amazing desserts and are open late on FRI/SAT.
ENTERTAINMENT: Tons of shopping in downtown Asheville. Endless antiques, boutiques and art galleries to explore. You will not lack for places to shop. We enjoyed shopping local and browsing the
Grove Arcade . We purchased some jewelry from one of the very friendly vendors. Right next to the Arcade was the
Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar. I will be back to check that place out some more! Battery Park offers some nice outdoor seating. Take a moment and walk through
Woolworth Walk. Get in line for an old fashion soda and check out some unique artwork on display. Live music is always good and can be found on street corners, parks and venues like
The Grey Eagle and the
Orange Peel (located next door to the fabulous
Wicked Week Brewery).
BREWS: Asheville is the mecca for breweries! Endless choices. We hit several but I think our favorite spot to hang for the day was
Wicked Weed Brewery. Be sure to explore the downstairs tasting room where there is an inside/outside patio area. Amazing spot. especially on a sunny day. We also enjoyed spending a little time at
Green Man Brewing. Thirsty Monk is highly recommended if you are a
Belgium beer lover.
Jack of the Wood pub was conveniently located near Tupelo Honey Cafe and was the perfect beer stop after a late brunch. Jack of the Wood is the home of the original Green Man Brewing and they specialize in English ales.
LAB is good beer, I especially liked the Pale Ales and IPAs. It does get busy, especially at night. Its a great place to hang out and have lunch and a casual beer or two during the day.
Had to add this: Late night stop: Go to the
Sky Bar. I had no idea, but this bar is located at the top of the Flat Iron Building in Asheville. Just little cozy tables set up on the fire escape
with amazing views. Take the old fashioned elevator to the top. Its quite the experience. Great views of the city and reasonable prices...great spot!
Get outta town and see something new! For more Asheville, NC ideas click on
Explore Asheville, a very helpful guide to what's happening in Asheville.
NOTE: April is just winding up NC Beer Month.
The NC Beer Month website has some great suggestions for weekend beer trips. Make a plan to get to Asheville soon
!
Another note:
Courtesy of The Twenty Somethings blog based in Asheville, here's a list of new and upcoming restaurants in Asheville.
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| Plenty of live music. |
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| Wicked Weed Brewery. AMAZING! |
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| Upstairs taps at Wicked Weed. |
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| Green Man Brewing |
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| The Orange Peel for live music. |
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| Flat Iron Building. Go to the top for SkyBar |
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| Coffee break at The Green Sage. |
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| Grove Arcade for shopping. The Bookstore and Champagne Bar is right there. |
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| Early Girl Eatery is one of the most recommended places in Asheville. |
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| Artsy Asheville |
