Asheville, North Carolina has a little bit of something for everyone. It has a plethora of breweries and bars, ample delicious restaurants and eateries, a strong arts scene, and plenty of opportunities to get outside in nature. Our visit in mid-April was marked by temperatures in the mid-60s, which was the perfect not-too-cold, not-too-hot temperature to explore the city. Here’s what we did, ate, drank, and where we stayed in Asheville.

Things to Do

Peace Gardens (47 Bryant Street, Asheville, NC 22806) – The Peace Gardens are an eclectic mix of art tucked into a community in West Asheville. The gardens were created to preserve the neighborhood as a response to the gentrification that Asheville was facing and includes found object art, paintings, and sculptures. We enjoyed a stroll through the gardens and appreciated the thoughtfulness of the exhibits.

River Arts District – The River Arts District is a large area consisting of multiple studios and galleries that run adjacent to the French Broad River. I especially enjoyed the Marquee Gallery which has multiple vendors within the gallery. There is also a path along the river that we enjoyed walking along after exploring the galleries.

Blue Ridge Parkway – As an outdoors lover, driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway’s and the two hikes we did were the highlight of the trip for me. We did the Black Balsam Knob via Art Loeb Trail hike and the Skinny Dip Falls via Mountain-to-Sea hike. The Black Balsam Knob hike is one of my favorite hikes I’ve ever done. After a short time on the trail you get above the tree line and start to have expansive 360 views of the Blue Ridge mountains. The view from the Black Balsam Knob is truly stunning and we sat up there for several minutes just taking it all in. The Skinny Dip Falls hike has you meander a short distance down to waterfall. The waterfall was beautiful and I could see it being a great swimming hole in the summer. The Blue Ridge Parkway is free to enter.

Check out the beer scene – Asheville is known for its many breweries and we visited quite a few while we were there. My favorites were Whistle Hop Brewing Company, DSSOLVR, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.. Whistle Hop Brewing Company is 15 minutes outside downtown Asheville in a former train car. They’ve got a large outdoor space with 6-hole mini golf and mountain views. We also enjoyed DSSOLVR in downtown Asheville. I’m a big sour beer fan and their Crab Rangoon cheesecake sour is one the best sours I’ve had. We also went to Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. which is near the Asheville (AVL) airport. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is an impressively large brewery and we enjoyed sitting outside on their back porch with a beer in hand.

Fleetwood’s Rock-and-Roll Wedding Chapel – I love a bar with a funky theme, and Fleetwood’s fits the bill. Fleetwood’s is a combined rock-and-roll bar, live music venue, wedding chapel, and vintage shop. We were told that usually a couple a week gets married there! While that wasn’t in the cards for my visit, I did enjoy a few cocktails at Fleetwood’s.

Where We Ate

Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack – Rocky’s in West Asheville is a popular locally owned spot, so be sure to give yourself some time to order at their counter and receive your food. They are known for paying homage to “Nashville style” chicken and for their sides made from scratch daily. I order the 3 fried tenders with fried okra and mac n’ cheese as sides. The chicken was nicely breaded and tender, and the okra was crisped to perfection.

BBQ at 12 Bones Smokehouse – Every time we’re in the south we like to go for BBQ, and 12 Bones Smokehouse was the ideal spot. I had the baby back ribs plate with jalapeño cheese grits and mac n’ cheese, southern food that melts in your mouth and made me happy I had just gone for a hike before eating it.

Sunny Point Cafe – Sunny Point Cafe is a popular locally owned café. Go early for breakfast (or go on a weekday). We had lattes and shared Huevos rancheros (portions are large!) which was delicious and fueled us up as we started our day.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at this AirBnB in the West Asheville area. It was a good location less than a 10 minute drive from downtown and walkable to shops and restaurants on popular Haywood Road. The AirBnB itself had easy self check-in, a comfortable king bed, and was very clean.