Asheville sat at the very top of my USA bucket list for the longest time, and I was so happy when I finally got to visit last fall. I wanted to put together this Asheville, NC travel guide to help you plan your own trip. You’ve probably heard of the Biltmore, which is definitely worth checking out, but there’s so much more to this city. I think it’s the perfect place to plan a long weekend away–it’s got a little bit of everything!
Overview
Asheville is a mountain city in western North Carolina with a population of about 94,000. It kind of gave me Portland, Oregon, vibes in the sense that it’s surrounded by nature and feels very artsy. A smaller, southern version of Portland is how I would describe it, which is such a compliment because I loved Portland!
Getting There
My boyfriend and I road tripped from the Chicagoland area, which takes about 10 hours. We made stops in Kentucky on the way there and back to lessen the driving time each day. You could also fly into Asheville! I liked having a car, but depending on where you stay, I don’t think you necessarily need one. The airport is located about 14 miles south of downtown.
Buc-ee’s
Like I mentioned before, we stayed overnight in Kentucky to break up our drive. If I’m being honest, this was mostly because I wanted to visit Buc-ee’s! If you don’t live near a Buc-ee’s, it’s a “travel center” of sorts that you can only find in southern states. There’s a gas station, famously clean restrooms, a shopping center, a convenience store with branded items, and a “to-go” only restaurant.
I first saw Buc-ee’s on Kara and Nate’s YouTube channel. They’ve traveled to over 100 countries and I’ve watched hours of their content, but the only trip I’ve planned based off their videos was to Buc-ee’s haha! Here’s the one I’m talking about:
We made a whole day out of it, too! We arrived in the evening, shopped the whole store, and purchased dinner. Then we returned in the morning for more shopping, a bathroom break, and coffee/breakfast. It was so fun and silly. If you have a chance to stop into a Buc-ee’s, I highly recommend it!
Weather
Ok back to the Asheville, NC travel guide info! We went in September and had great weather. It was still quite warm! If you go further into fall, around peak foliage, you will likely encounter the biggest crowds because that’s Asheville’s most popular tourist season. It gets hot and humid in the summer, but winters are mild.
Asheville, NC travel guide: What to do
If you’re curious about visiting Asheville, I bet the Biltmore has something to do with that. You should definitely plan a full day for the Biltmore, and I’ll talk about that more in a bit, but what really sold me on visiting Asheville was the fact that there was so much more to explore. Let’s get into the details 🙂 I think the best way to break this down is into three sections, one for each “themed” day of the trip.
Nature
Asheville is very close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is located in Appalachia and considered one of America’s most scenic drives. The area is full of hiking opportunities. Do some research on which hike is best for you, personally, and spend one day basking in nature. The trail I ultimately chose was close to the Mt. Pisgah Inn, so we could end our hike enjoying lunch with a view. This article has more information on the Inn and the hike!
I want to include one other activity in this “nature” section. We sadly did not have time to fit this into our schedule, but it looked like such a cool experience. And the masses agree! It’s the #1 foraging tour in the US. Basically you go out on a foraging tour with a local expert, gathering a variety of edibles depending on the season. You get to sample things right then and there but can also have ingredients you picked sent to an Asheville restaurant to be whipped up into an appetizer. I have to do this on my next visit!
No Taste Like Home website with all tour options.
City
- We loved enjoying a coffee in the garden at Double D’s. It’s a converted double decker bus from the UK that’s now a coffee stall. So fun! We also really liked Ultra Coffeebar and even brought back some of their pastries to have for breakfast the next day.
- Shop downtown… the area is very walkable and you will stumble upon many cute and interesting shops. Give yourself time to stop in to wherever tickles your fancy.
- The Grove Arcade is another shopping area I liked checking out. If you want to drink champagne surrounded by books, this is where you’ll find the Battery Park Book Exchange.
- You can buy local chocolate at French Broad Chocolates. This made for a great souvenir/gift!
- For breweries, we went into Wicked Weed which is downtown and then Wedge Brewing Co. which is in the arts district (and also in the Grove Arcade). We really liked the vibes and beer at both!
- I’m a sucker for a rooftop bar. We grabbed drinks to watch the sunset at Capella on 9 and loved the view of the city and mountains.
- The River Arts District (RAD) is an area worth exploring for a few hours. We stopped into Wedge for a beer, wandered through the art galleries, and watched the glass blowers at the North Carolina Glass Center. I bought my favorite souvenir from my trip here–a colorful glass cup I use every day for my water! It was so cool to see the glass blowers in action and admire all the glass creations on display.
- We didn’t get to these two spots, but they would have been perfect for a rainy day or if we had more time. I’ve heard wonderful things about the Asheville Pinball Museum. I also would have loved strolling around the Asheville Art Museum.
The Biltmore
Visiting the Biltmore was what really drew me to planning a trip to Asheville. It’s America’s largest home after all! It’s actually overwhelming to try and write about because not only is it a big house, it’s an 8,000-acre estate with gardens, a village, a winery, a hotel, a spa, a river, a forest, etc. You need a full day at least, but even that won’t be enough time to experience it all.
Here’s one travel tip I was very happy I knew about ahead of time: Make sure you arrive at the entry gates at least 45 minutes before your ticketed tour starts. By time you make the long drive in, park, walk to the house, and use the bathroom before the tour, you’ll need it! Also, start early in the day. It will really take the whole day if you want to do more than just the house tour.
We were fascinated by the home and spent the evening googling the Vanderbilt family to learn more about them (highly recommend doing this lol). The audio tour is pretty much just about details of how the house was built, materials, what each room was used for, what life there each day looked like, that kind of stuff. They didn’t go into much history about the family, and there was nothing mentioned about how they squandered their fortunes.
Definitely check out the Biltmore website to see everything on offer and plan a day that’s best for you. I share my exact itinerary later in this post, but there’s a lot we didn’t get to do. However, our day at the Biltmore was our favorite day of the whole trip, so it’s definitely worth planning a visit!
Asheville, NC travel guide: Where to stay
I love mixing exploration with relaxation on my travels. I do work full time, so I don’t want to come back from a trip more depleted than when I left. I also love to find unique accommodation if possible and if budget allows.
We ended up booking this really cute cabin about 15 minutes outside of downtown Asheville for our stay. It totally checked the “relaxation” and “unique” boxes for me! You can view the property here.
We loved using the hot tub after a long day of driving, walking around, or hiking. We loved the peaceful vibes and appreciated all the cute design details. I highly recommend this Airbnb, especially if you’re traveling with your partner (but for a solo trip I might have booked something closer to downtown, and for a friends/family trip I would’ve needed a bigger space).
Asheville, NC travel guide: Where to eat
The Blackbird: I wanted to make sure we had good southern food at least once, and I came across The Blackbird during researching our trip. They advertise “New American with a Southern twist” on their website–I was intrigued and made a reservation. This ended up being such a romantic spot with an amazing cocktail selection. I think my meal here was my favorite of the whole trip!
Biscuit Head: You HAVE TO indulge in this Southern staple while in Asheville, and Biscuit Head totally lived up to the hype! Make sure you stop by for at least one of your breakfasts.
Curaté: Strange that a Spanish tapas bar was the restaurant that got mentioned the most when I was researching this trip, but it seems like the most popular spot to eat in downtown Asheville. It was my “year of Spanish” and such a highly recommended restaurant– I had to try it. Definitely snag a reservation ahead of time for this one. It was a great food experience with a lively atmosphere! Their website is worth checking out too. There’s info on a wine club, food tours, special events, and even an online marketplace.
Stable Cafe: During your day at the Biltmore you’ll want to try one of their restaurants, which you can research on your own on their website (there’s lots to choose from). I found it a bit overwhelming because there were so many options, but I liked the look of Stable Cafe (and it was close to the actual Biltmore tour). The grounds are huge, so take that into consideration. It looked like it would be an interesting experience because it’s located where the horse stables used to be. We had really good food here!
Chai Pani: This spot was recommended to us by a friend and was soooo good. If you’re craving authentic Indian food look no further! You can visit their website here.
Asheville, NC travel guide: Sample Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive and check into your cabin. Head to dinner at The Blackbird. Relax in the hot tub under the stars.
Day 2: Spend the afternoon hiking in the Pisgah National Forest. End your hike with lunch at Mt. Pisgah Inn admiring the views. Shower and get ready for a fancy night out in downtown Asheville. Start with pre-dinner drinks to watch the sunset from a rooftop bar. We loved Capella on 9. Then head to dinner at Curaté!
Day 3: Spend pretty much the whole day on the Biltmore grounds. Start with a tour of the home. Give yourself time to wander through as many of the gardens as you can. Then, do some shopping and have lunch at Stable Cafe. Head to the village for wine tasting and wine purchasing! We also got ice cream before heading back. On this night, we had a smaller dinner at the cabin, enjoyed the hot tub again, and watched a movie.
Day 4: Use a whole day to explore the city of Asheville. We started with coffee at Double D’s. Then we kind of just strolled around and popped into whatever shops called our names. We went to a cafe and tried a lavender lemon soda from Waynesville Soda Jerks.
Next, we did even more browsing at The Grove Arcade. I really would have liked to have champagne and buy a book at the Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar (if your trip to Asheville is with your girlfriends, I’d highly recommend making a reservation here). Lunch this day was at Chai Pani.
Then it was time to sample some local craft beer. Our first stop was at Wicked Weed. Afterwards, we tried brews from Wedge and walked around the nearby art galleries. Like I’ve been saying, there’s so much to do in Asheville!
Day 5: Sadly it was time to leave 🙁 We carbed and caffeinated at Biscuit Head and made our way home.
Conclusion
I hope you found this Asheville, NC travel guide helpful. You really do get a little bit of everything with this city–nature, a historic home, an artsy downtown, and good food and drinks to name a few. It’s the perfect spot for a long weekend trip in my opinion. If you’re daydreaming ( 😉 ) about a visit to Asheville, I hope this post convinces you to make it a reality! Happy traveling!
You Might Also Like:
I have to shout out a post by another blogger here. Reading Adventurous Kate’s blog about Asheville really solidified its place on my bucket list: 14 Reasons Why I’m Smitten with Asheville, North Carolina
Other places in the US from my blog that I think would also be great options for a long weekend trip:
What to do in Michigan (but beware of falling in love)
I accidentally traveled solo in Maine but think you should do it on purpose.
What an epic guide! thank you
Glad you thought so! Enjoy your trip!
Allison, thoughly enjoyed your excellent blog well put together and informative with loads of options for the stay, we are having a family get together there in early October and your blog has so many ideas. thank you.
Thanks so much! So kind! You will have the best time 🙂