Worth the detour.

We never go to North Carolina without sneaking away to Asheville for a day. Between the mountains, the town, and the memories we’ve made here (including our first “I love you”) it holds a special place in our hearts – we are so happy to share it with you.

Outdoorsy

Chimney Rock National Park has a great hiking trail with beautiful views

Places to eat/drink nearby: Coffee on the Rocks, Chimney Rock Brewing Company

Traditional Tourist

Biltmore Estate: Beautiful gardens, immaculate rooms, a fun surprise basement pool, and don’t forget the greenhouse

Kaila’s favorite: the Solarium
Ronnie’s Favorite: the free wine tasting in Biltmore Village

Lake Lure beach with mountain backdrops, kayaking and paddleboarding rentals 

Explore where Dirty Dancing was filmed

Pan for Gold!

Take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway where there are plenty of lookout points

Recommended stops: 

City Slicker

Take a day trip into Asheville and see what you find (and tell us your own recommendations!)

We love hanging out downtown and have recently fallen in love with the neighborhood of West Asheville.

Streets/Areas to wander: Biltmore Avenue, Lexington Avenue, The Grove Arcade

Foodie

Breakfast  

Biscuit Head
Any location will be worth it – must get biscuits and please try all the jams!

More to consider:
Early Girl Eatery
Regina’s Comfort Classics
Sunny Point Cafe

Lunch/Dinner  

The Bull and the Beggar
French and very tasty we wished we would have gotten the flank steak.

More to consider:
Red Ginger Dimsum & Tapas
Capella on 9 (haven’t been here yet but it’s on our list!)

Sweet Tooth  

Sunshine Sammies
GREAT locally sourced ice cream sandwiches.

More to consider:
Old Europe – for fun pastries
Double D’s Coffee Shop

Only in the South

Wafflehouse

Kaila: Chocolate Chip waffles

Cookout

Ronnie: BBQ tray with a quesadilla and chicken wrap and a blueberry shake
Kaila: Burger tray “Cookout Style” with a quesadilla and hush puppies

Bojangles

Ronnie: Cajun filet biscuit
Kaila: Boberry biscuits

Kaila loves a good Zaxbys Zalad!

Bars + Breweries

Tiger Mountain - dive bar that usually has anime playing on the screens

Antidote/Chemist for craft cocktails

Off the Wagon Dueling Piano Bar

Other bars: Sovereign Remedies, The Imperial Life

Hiwire (on Hilliard Ave) has a fun tiki bar in the back

Wicked Weed has a host of sours on tap

Other breweries around town: Burial Brewing, The Whale

Shopping

Lexington Glass Works

Kaila gets a Christmas ornament here almost every year with the hopes of having a glass icicle filled tree one day

Battery Park Book Exchange

Ronnie loves to check out local secondhand bookshops everywhere we go. 

Madam Clutterbucket’s Neurodiverse Universe

Little curiosities and fun vintage things

Nest Organics

Kaila wants to touch and buy everything in here. Great for baby items, textiles, woodwork and jewelry.

Kress Emporium

Local makers and booth style shopping