My girls trip to Asheville in 2015 was when my passion for hiking and traveling was re-ignited. My first two years of medical school I kept telling myself that “I didn’t have time” to spend time in the outdoors feeding my soul and exploring new places. The only thing I thought I had time for was the library.
Cue fall break 2015 when I last minute joined one of my medical school friends and two other girls on a trip that helped me to fall in love with travel all over again.
All credit for the planning and execution of the trip goes to my friend Jenn and let me tell you she nailed it every step of the way. I merely had the honor of tagging along on this amazing ride.
One of my favorite parts about the trip is how we planned it out by sunsets which was such a novel concept to me. What I mean by that is for each night we were in town we had a specific place where we wanted to watch the sun go down. Then we planned the rest of our day accordingly.
Nestled in the Appalachian mountains and right off the ever-scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville, NC is a hipster and outdoor-lovers dream. It has quirky shops, phenomenal, unique art galleries, a budding microbrewery scene and endless hiking opportunities.
DAY ONE
URBAN ORCHARD CIDER COMPANY
On our way into town we made a pit stop at the #1 Best Place to Drink Cider in America , and let me tell you it delivered.
We ordered two flights of cider to essentially have a small taste of everything on the menu. I never realized there could be so many different tasting ciders. The flavor profile went from sweet and fruity to dry, more classic ciders, to a spicy diablo.
Habanero and cider together aren’t really my thing, but my taste buds had so much fun pushing the boundaries of what I thought a cider could be.
WHERE TO STAY- SWEET PEAS HOSTEL
After our cider experience, we drove to our hostel to check in. This was my first experience with a hostel in America and it completely topped my expectations.
Sweet peas is located perfectly centrally- smack dab in the middle of everything you could want to do in Asheville.
We stayed in pods which are XL twin beds with a little red curtain that can be pulled closed for privacy. Each pod has a shelf with outlets and a reading light which acted as a night stand. Essentially it felt as if I had a tiny little room all to myself.
We paid $40 a night for these pods and in my opinion it was worth every penny. Sweet peas has other levels of accommodations to from plain old bunk beds starting at $32 a night to studio rooms with their own private bathrooms/showers for $105.
Check out their website for more information.
DRIVING THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY AT SUNSET
The BRP is 469 miles of unparalleled scenic driving that runs from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia through North Carolina and up to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Asheville is located just minutes from this beautiful road so driving along the BRP is a must while you are in the area.
We decided to be more spontaneous with this particular part of our trip and didn’t plan out where we were going. We put The Blue Ridge Parkway into google maps, hopped on at the nearest entrance and pulled off at whatever scenic overlooks were calling to us. From there we just be-bopped along from one scenic pullout to the next taking pictures and enjoying the colors as the sun disappeared.
If you would like more of a structured approach here are several suggested travel itineraries with sample sights and stops.
After romping around the BRP, we came back into town for dinner. Without any set plans we just walked down Broadway street. This one of the main drags in downtown Asheville that is covered with mouth-watering dining options. We popped into the first place that looked good which happened to be a Chinese restaurant- which I honestly can’t remember the name of.
BEFORE I DIE WALL
After dinner we stumbled upon Asheville’s Before I die wall, a random city wall covered in chalkboard paint with the prompt “Before I die I want to ___”. The wall was covered with phrases like “learn to scuba dive” “make a million dollars” “invent something”.
This is not something that is unique to Asheville. Before I Die is a global art movement started by Candy Chang , an artist from New Orleans. She started this art project in an effort to deal with her own grieving process when she lost a loved one.
The purpose of the wall is to start more of a conversation around death and to prompt any passersby to reflect on death and life and provide a public venue to share personal goals and aspirations.
WICKED WEED BREWERY
We ended the night at Wicked Weed which is a hip brew pub in the downtown area. It plays creepy cool music and has a downstairs Beer Bar where you can sample their 25+ beers on tap.
The beer bar also has an outdoor seating area with lawn games and a dog-friendly patio. The atmosphere has a slightly dark and sinister vibe and is definitely a fun place to stop by and grab a beer.
DAY TWO
TUPELO HONEY CAFÉ
For breakfast, we walked over to Tupelo Honey Café which was a quaint little restaurant looking out over Pritchard Park. It features creative, Southern inspired cuisine which was perfect for carb loading before our day or hiking.
We ended up inviting some of the people in our hostel to breakfast with us as well and had a fun morning laughing and getting to know each other over our delicious meal.
CHIMNEY ROCK STATE PARK
This park is a 40 minute drive from the heart of Asheville and is a must when you are in the area. It has several different hiking trails- the most iconic of which is the hike up to Chimney Rock via Outcroppings Trail.
This hike was short, but difficult and consisted of a series of stairs, 499 stairs to be exact (why couldn’t they just make it an even 500?). This is essentially the equivalent to climbing 40 flights of stairs all at once- aka a pretty hefty cardiac workout. But like most hikes, the heart pounding, blood pumping, out of breath feeling was totally worth it to see the view from the top.
On our way up, we encountered a group of 4 Amish people carrying their friend in a wheelchair up to the top. I was completely astounded and touched by this display of friendship.
Here I was huffing and puffing up these stairs like I was going into cardiac arrest, and these selfless souls were patiently moving one step at a time so their handicapped friend could enjoy the same view from the top that they could. So beautiful.
Being on top of chimney rock gave me such a surreal vantage point. There were panoramic views of the Hickory Nut Gorge which stretched out for miles. The rolling green hills seemed to fade right into the horizon. What could be better than this?
After soaking in all the views we trekked back down the stairs wandered around the rest of the park. The Hickory Nut Falls trail was another favorite, and made for a nice leisurely walk which was a welcome contrast to our strenuous stair master experience.
FOOD TOUR AROUND DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE
Since there were so many food s and restaurants we wanted to try and only one night left in Asheville we decided to devise our very own food tour.
The idea was to traipse around downtown getting small samples of the food we had been drooling over. This way we could maximize the number of places we could try while minimizing our food babies.
Here was the route we took:
THE GOURMET CHIP COMPANY:
Homemade kettle style potato chips sprinkled with fresh topping like ‘white truffle spritz’ and goat cheese. They even have some sweet and savory combos with chocolate and brown sugar bacon.
5 WALNUT WINE BAR
The space was what drew us in: a storefront with wide open windows, exposed brick and a rustic vibe. Drinking a fancy glass of red wine was just an added bonus. It seemed so upscale, but there were plenty of $5 options for people with undiscerning taste buds like myself.
FRENCH BROAD CHOCOLATE LOUNGE
Truffles on truffles on cupcakes. Who doesn’t love gourmet chocolate samples and some hot chocolate when its chilly outside? It is such a pleasure when your only major decision is should I get the raspberry truffle or the salted caramel.
ZAMBRA TAPAS AND WINE BAR
The Spanish and mediterranean style small plates here were the perfect end to our gluttonous adventure. From the mixed sauteed mushrooms to the pomegranate braised pork spring rolls, every bite was a new kind of heaven.
SUNSET AT SKY BAR
This is essentially a rooftop bar, but with a twist- it was built on and old fire escape. It has three levels of patio seating with tableside service and specialty cocktails. Since it was starting to get cold outside we ordered spiked hot chocolates and ciders.
“Renegades” by xX Ambassadors was playing overhead and we sipped our warm drinks while watching the sunset on another perfect day in Asheville. Its so crazy, how 3 years later while I’m writing this the scene is still perfectly etched in my memory.
I have been back to Asheville since then- trying to re-create the magic. The only two things I would add to the itinerary are exploring the River Arts District and the New Belgium Brewery Tour.
The River Arts District is a huge collection of art galleries and breweries interspererd and all within walking distance. I suggest making an afternoon of it and creating your very own gallery crawl.
The New Belgium Brewery offers a completely free tour which honestly made me want to go back to college and become a brewmaster. Their work environment seems so carefree and fun- they even have a slide indoors as a mode of transportation.
Not to mention the multiple free samples that come along with this completely free tour. If you like craft beer, this will definitiely be one of the highlights of your trip.
I still have not set out to see the Biltmore Estate, but that is another very popular activity worth checking out.
What are your favorite things to do and experiences to have in Asheville? What are some hikes you have done in the area?
