Asheville Travel Guide
Asheville lies just east of the Smoky Mountains. I visited the Smokies many times while growing up but never quite made it to Asheville as it wasn’t the destination it is today. It’s popularity comes as no surprise now with its massive amount of breweries, the Biltmore estate and the proximity to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smoky Mountains.
Asheville sits at the intersection of interstates 26 and 40 in western North Carolina. It is about a 2 hour drive east of Knoxville and 2 hours west of Charlotte. However, the drive from Knoxville is FAR prettier than the one from Charlotte since you’ll go through the Smokies. While you could fly into either city and rent a car to get to there, Asheville itself has its own regional airport. Major airlines include Delta, American and United but budget airlines Allegiant and Spirit have flights as well. Spirit only flies from Florida but Allegiant comes from all over the country, including Baltimore, Denver and Newark. You don’t necessarily need a car (Uber and Lyft are plentiful) but you may want one for at least a few days for exploring outside the city. The airport has several major rental car companies to pick from.
Asheville is a bit spread out in terms of what to see but one area isn’t too far away from another. The main areas include downtown Asheville, the Biltmore Village area, the River Arts District and West Asheville. You can find accommodations in all areas as well as restaurants and, of course, breweries. I’ve broken down my guide by area with ideas for accommodations, things to do and where to eat and drink.
Downtown Asheville
While we’ve never stayed in downtown, if we ever do I want to stay at the Hyatt because of their amazing rooftop bar or The Aloft because it’s right in the middle of things. If you look for a hotel downtown, just keep in mind they will be the most expensive in the area - which is the reason why we haven’t stayed there.
Downtown’s activities include the Grove Arcade and the Pinball Museum. Also, during baseball season you can catch a minor league Asheville Tourists game. It’s one of the oldest minor league stadiums in the country and was in the movie Bull Durham.
Downtown has a huge amount of breweries with my favorites being Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium, One World, Catawba and Asheville Brewing. If you aren’t in the mood for beer you can head to Antidote for a chill retro vibe and unique cocktails or Ben’s Tune Up if you’re looking for some louder fun. You can also get your beverage of choice alongside a spectacular view of the mountains and sunsets at the Montford Rooftop Bar (the top floor of the Hyatt) or the Sky Bar.
When you’re ready to eat there is a plethora of options in downtown. White Duck Taco has some unique and amazing tacos (they have a second location near the River Arts District). For some authentic North Carolina barbecue, head to Buxton Hall BBQ (as seen on the Travel Channel!). Bonus, it shares an entrance with Catawba Brewing so you can get a beer from there while waiting for a table. For slightly more upscale options there is Carmel’s Kitchen or Santé Wine Bar and Tap Room in the Grove Arcade or for some great dim sum, try Red Ginger.
Mountain and sunset views from the Montford Rooftop Bar on top of the Hyatt Hotel
Biltmore Village
When we stayed in the Biltmore area we went with the Doubletree. The hotels are a bit more affordable here and within walking distance of Biltmore Village. The area was easily walkable and had tons of great restaurants, breweries and shops. So much so that we didn’t even go into downtown the weekend that we stayed here.
Obviously the Biltmore is the draw in this area - traffic turning into the sprawling complex can get backed up so if you’re going, go early. The Biltmore Village area outside the Biltmore is free to access and where you’ll find cute houses, tons of shops, restaurants and a handful of breweries. For food, the Corner Kitchen is actually in one of these cute houses and serves up modern, southern food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Standard Pizza has good regular and gluten free pizza that you can eat in or take to go. There are far fewer breweries in this area but Catawba & Hi-Wire both have locations here. Tree Rock Social is across the street from Hi-Wire and has ciders from all over. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. This place completely changed our minds about ciders. They don’t all have to be sweet and taste like Angry Orchard! For a choice of beverage the Village Wayside Bar & Grill is a nice option next to the train tracks.
River Arts District
We stayed in an Airbnb about a half mile from the River Arts District. We were close by to a couple breweries but about a mile from downtown. We used ride share to get to downtown when hitting up more breweries and our car to visit further out. The house was a 2 bedroom and had plenty of space and parking. This area had a lot of vacation rental options.
If you are into art there are many art studios in the area. White Duck Taco has their other location along the river here. I like this one because it’s more scenic and parking is easy. But the tacos are just as good as the one downtown. For a fancier meal, The Bull & Beggar is an option. Next to the Bull & Beggar is Wedge Brewing. Also in this area along the French Broad River is the expansive New Belgium Brewing, the east coast production facility for New Belgium beer.
New Belgium Brewery, in the River Arts District area, sits alongside the French Broad River for a scenic view during your beer tasting.
West Asheville
West Asheville is an area that is starting to build up. Haywood Road runs through the middle and it’s dotted with things like vintage clothing shops and music venues in addition to breweries like Upcountry Brewing and Oyster House Brewing. Both breweries offer food. Upcountry serves food (and really good Bloody Mary’s) and the Oyster House has oysters, obviously, but also some good southern fare like catfish, Po Boys and mac and cheese.
Other Areas of Asheville
East Asheville has one of my favorite spots - Highland Brewing. It’s Asheville’s original craft brewery. It is a huge location with indoor and outdoor seating including space for music performances. They don’t serve food but almost always have food trucks. And less than 10 miles away from Highland is Whistle Hop Brewery. It’s technically in Fairview but definitely worth a visit and they also serve food. They are set up inside some train cars with an expansive area around it with a playground and a mini golf course. All alongside some beautiful mountain views.
On our last visit we stayed in an Airbnb on this side of town as it was close to another vacation rental where our friends were staying. The house itself was a 3 bedroom with a screened in back porch and some nice views. It was about a 25 minute drive from downtown and it took 10 minutes to get to the main road. If you don’t mind that then you’ll be rewarded with a peaceful and relaxing stay in a house that has EVERYTHING you could possibly need (the hosts were amazing). Near the main roads (and therefore closer to downtown) several new hotels were being built so there will be plenty more options for accommodations in this area of town within the next couple years.
Aside from all the small shops in downtown and the Biltmore Village, if you want to do some serious shopping, Asheville has some outlets that includes a giant Field & Stream store.
The North Carolina Arboretum is a nice visit any time of year but at Christmas time they decorate the grounds with Christmas lights. And it is a fraction of the price compared to the Biltmore. The Arboretum also has trails surrounding it that you can take for some relatively easy day hikes. One goes to Powhatan Lake. It’s a mostly flat trail about 4 miles out and back. For other outdoor activities you can float down the French Broad River on an inter-tube or take a short drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a hike on the Craggy Gardens Trail. This one is a bit steeper than the one to Lake Powhatan but still fairly easy.
Last, but definitely not least, is the area by the airport, technically the city of Fletcher. We stayed at the Home2 Suites there and it was great. They allowed dogs and have a mini kitchen so it would be good for a long stay. And it’s surrounded by plenty of food options and a Target. In this area are also two great breweries - Blue Ghost Brewing and the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Blue Ghost has an amazing permanent food truck and a huge outdoor area. It’s a super peaceful and relaxing spot. Sierra Nevada however is unlike any other brewery I’ve seen. It’s so big they call it a ‘beer campus.’ They have bars inside on the ground floor and second floor. They have outdoor patios on both floors as well and places to order beer and food when you are outside. The bottom floor has a huge restaurant with really good food and the beer options are almost endless. They also have a store, a music venue, a playground and even gardens where they grow food for the restaurant! Even if you aren’t a big beer drinker, it's a beautiful place to visit with a little something for everyone - just like Asheville itself!
