Asheville, NC: Not our hometown but a damn fine place to visit
Esse quam videri*
For the past ten days, your Hometown Tourists have been actual tourists in one of our favorite cities – Asheville, NC.
It’s only about a six-hour drive from Birmingham, but there’s lots to see along the way, especially if you get off the interstate like we do. Depending on how you go, you can plan a stop in Chattanooga, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Atlanta, or even in Dahlonega or Helen, Ga. Why rush? Half the fun is getting there!
We’ve spent a lot of time in Asheville over the years, and as the city grows and evolves as cities tend to do, we always discover some new things to do while we make sure to stay true to our favorites. This time, we had three small kids in our travel group (a seven and a half year old, a four and a half year old, and a six month old), which always adds an element of fun and surprise to a trip, so we didn’t get as many pictures of the food as we probably should have because we chose to put the phones down to focus on our family and being in the moment.
Ricky and I also stayed in town for a few days of post-vacation vacation to visit some friends and do grown-up things, and again, we were so caught up in what we were doing, that the phones and cameras were mostly forgotten.
But you know what? Part of the fun of being a tourist is the not-knowing and the exploration. Even so, we’re giving you plenty of links so you can check out the ones you want to. Here we go:
WHERE TO SHOP
Asheville is full of interesting shops both in the downtown area and in West Asheville. We highly encourage you to take the time to just walk around and explore. You never know what you’ll find! Here are a few places we stopped in.
Earth Guild (because I’m crafty)
Orbit DVD (yes – DVDs and VHS too with lots of horror for horror fans!)
(In case you don’t know, Ricky and I LOVE LOVE LOVE to collect vinyl, and we create a monthly zine pairing one album with one craft cocktail along with commentary, collector info, and original art. Subscribe to The Popskull Penumbra or buy individual copies!)
WHAT TO DO
As I said above, having littles with us makes it hard to do a lot of things, but we did do a few things. The most important thing we did was to spend time together, and there’s no link for that.
Elijah Mountain Gem Mine and Crystal Store (feed the goats!)
French Broad Chocolates (take the tour!)
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
There’s good food everywhere you turn in Asheville. One thing that we really appreciate is that most restaurants clearly mark gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options. And if you don’t see something that works for your diet, just ask. Most places are happy to accommodate. And don’t worry if you don’t drink beer, there are plenty of craft ciders, wines, cocktails, and mocktails that make a trip to one of the breweries fun for everyone.
Funkatorium (a Wicked Weed Brewing taproom with great food)
Binion’s Roadhouse (in Hendersonville)
Burial Beer Company (don’t let the name scare you away, it’s a cool spot!)
Dobra Tea (a great place to chill after a day of sightseeing)
Odds Cafe (lots of gluten-free options)
Early Girl Eatery (more gluten-free goodies)
Fleetwood’s Chapel (have a drink, buy some vintage duds, listen to some punk music, then get married!)
Chai Pani (they won a James Beard Award, so go at an off hour to avoid the line)
Jack of the Wood Pub (the perfect place to spend St. Paddy’s day, but don’t miss out on live Irish music every Sunday afternoon)
Table (their golden milk panna cotta with candied fennel seeds and coconut was probably the best thing we ate the whole time! next to last photo below)
WHERE TO STAY
This time we spent most of our time at a lovely rental house, but for our post-vacation vacation, we stayed in a hotel. Here are our two favorites and both are located right in Downtown Asheville.
Hotel Indigo (part of Holiday Inn’s hotels if you have points)
The Cambria Hotel (part of Choice Hotels for those rewards)
There’s so much to see and do in Asheville, you can’t possibly do it all in one trip. That’s why this is just a snapshot of our adventures! From hiking in the mountains to touring the Biltmore, there’s something for everyone, and every trip we’ve made to Asheville has been unique and different depending on the company, the time of year, and our general state of mind. So head on up there, be a tourist, and see all that Asheville has to offer!
Esse quam videri is North Carolina’s state motto and means “to be, rather than to seem” which fits right in with our trip’s theme of being present in the moment rather than doing it for the ‘Gram.
I'm now planning a trip to Asheville, thanks to this substack.
I’ve only been to Asheville once, primarily for business, but this really makes me want to go back and enjoy it on my own!