Asheville, North Carolina
What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever visited? Truthfully, Asheville isn’t exactly the weirdest place I’ve ever been, but lately they’ve leaned into the motto Stay Weird to describe the funky, hipster, outdoorsy vibes that define this little city in western North Carolina. I went to college in Knoxville, in the Great Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee. Just an hour and a half east of Knoxville sits Asheville, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and situated at the convergence of two rivers, the French Broad and the Swannanoa.
On an early spring day in March, my mom, stepdad, Matt, and I trekked from Nashville to Asheville (about a four-hour drive) for a weekend trip to this quirky little city. Below you’ll find our top choices for things to see, places to go, and food to try!
1. The Omni Grove Park Inn. I’ll be honest–usually, I’m the trip planner (I run a travel blog, for goodness’ sake!) but I give all the credit for this great idea to my mom, who suggested it while we were planning. You’re probably already familiar with the fact that the Omni is a super nice hotel in any city you visit! But the Grove Park Inn is more than fancy–it’s a historic resort that sits westward-facing on top of Sunset Mountain, so you’re always guaranteed a beautiful sunset view.
The Inn is named after its founder, E.W. Grove, who amassed enough wealth to build the Inn as a health resort in Asheville (chosen because of its good climate) by selling millions of bottles of his “Tasteless Chill Tonic” in the 1890s. My favorite fun fact about the Inn is that Zelda Fitzgerald and F. Scott Fitzgerald (author of The Great Gatsby), stayed at the Inn in 1935 and 1936.
We visited the Omni to glimpse the mountains from its outdoor terraces (complete with waterfalls!) and take a peek at the 40,000 square feet of spas.
While we were there, we learned that several presidents have made visits to the Grove Park Inn, including President Obama, who stayed for several nights right before beginning his presidential campaign. Other famous guests include Harry Houdini, Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, FDR, and Alex Haley, to name just a few!
2. Golden Fleece Cafe. The loveliest, most charming, and most enjoyable spot for lunch after visiting the Grove Park Inn.
Nestled into the mountainside and decorated with moments of whimsy, Golden Fleece calls itself a “slow earth kitchen.” Everyone shared octopus bruschetta and I sipped french pressed coffee. We followed our appetizers with bright, colorful salads and warm, wintery soups.
3. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. “America’s Favorite Drive.” If you’re even near Asheville, you need to hop on this lazy, winding pathway that runs from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia all the way southwest to Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains.
The parkway offers motorists stunning views of the rocky, rugged ridges of Virginia and the plateau and highlands of North Carolina, and finally into Pisgah National Forest. We drove north to south along the parkway starting in Asheville and stopped along several beautiful vista points.
4. Visit the Biltmore Estate. Opulent. Unbelievable. 175,000 square feet and several thousand acres. More on this in a later post.
5. Check out a brewery. The most well-known brewery you’ll encounter in Asheville is likely Sierra Nevada, which has 23 beers on tap and offers tours that sell out far in advance. But there are hundreds of other breweries and micro-breweries to check out in this beer-centric city! I suggest Wicked Weed, New Belgium, or One World.
6. Support local artists in the River Arts District. The River Arts District sits along Riverside Drive, which runs parallel to the French Broad.
In this productive, creative part of town, you’ll find breweries, coffee shops, and warehouses laden with crafters, painters, makers, and artists. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your choices, I highly recommend making your first stop at the Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts, an educational pottery studio where you can watch ceramicists work on their wheels while you peruse hundreds of pieces by a variety of extremely talented artists.
A ceramic piece my mom purchased 
While you’re in the area, grab some tacos at White Duck Taco Shop!
7. Take pictures at famous murals on the French Broad. The River Arts District boasts hundreds of exciting murals splashed across breweries, coffee shops, and water towers. I recommend paying a visit to the Stay Weird mural (which used to say Good Vibes Only until February 2019).
The Stay Weird mural is just across the road from a cheerful and empowering Love Your Body print.
Finally, find these meditative figures dancing on a wall downtown.
8. Walk around downtown on a Friday night. We couldn’t get a dinner reservation anywhere on a busy Friday night in downtown Asheville, but the main streets running through the area are packed with unique shops (including our old favorite, Mast General Store). Don’t miss Double D’s, a double-decker stationary bus and patio with coffee and donuts!
Pro tip: lots of blogs will tell you to visit an expensive cocktail bar for sunset views. Our solution when we couldn’t get into any of those places? Climb to the top of a parking garage for amazing (and free) views of the sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains.
There’s also a drum circle every Friday night and this amazing “Before I Die” mural!
9. See a show. In college, my roommates and I saw Youth Lagoon perform the most confusing but also incredible show at The Grey Eagle, a concert venue that also boasts a pub and taqueria. Another option for shows is The Orange Peel.
10. Have a great breakfast at Biscuit Head. The place has a jam bar with dozens of different flavors! We hit this up Sunday morning before driving back to Nashville–get there early, because there was a line out the door by 9:30am!
