How to Spend a Long Weekend in Asheville
We spent 3 days in Asheville this spring, and had an absolute blast! We decided we had to come back in fall/winter, because it’s just so beautiful :)
When I mentioned to my friends and family in Canada that I’d be visiting Asheville for a weekend getaway, many of them misheard:
“Oh, Nashville? I’ve heard that’s a lot of fun!”
“No, not Nashville - ASHEVILLE!”
Not many people have heard of this hidden gem where I’m from, but it’s probably my favourite weekend getaway we’ve had in North Carolina so far! Asheville is SO cool.
It’s a small and totally unique city tucked away by the Blue Ridge mountains – you can see a beautiful view of the peaks and valleys from many parts of downtown. The city has a rich history, and today it feels eclectic with lots of great food, art, and things to do.
Here’s how we spent our time:
Day 1: Explore downtown!
We drove from Durham to Asheville (about 3 hours), and we’re glad we had a car – although downtown Asheville is small and walkable, we ended up using the car for our outdoor activities and visiting the Biltmore Estate. Asheville has an airport, so if you’re arriving by air I’d recommend renting a car.
We stayed in a hotel downtown, which is the perfect choice for first time visitors! Next time I think we might rent a cabin or AirBnB on the outskirts, but being downtown made it easier for us to explore and pack a lot into our first day.
The main sights I recommend seeing downtown are:
o River Arts District – very cool neighbourhood with breweries and art galleries! You can grab a beer on a patio and gallery hop :)
o The Grove Arcade – this was one of my favourite spots downtown, the indoor shopping space has lots of cute little boutiques and restaurants to explore
o Pack Square Park – this was a cute park in the city center, which usually features events and festivals, but it was pretty quiet when we were visiting
o Basilica of St Lawrence – a very pretty church downtown
o Pinball Machine Museum – a funky and unique thing to do, and a great indoor activity if the weather isn’t being nice :) You can play 35 pinball machines for as long as you like for $15 per person
All the food we tried in Asheville was amaaazing!
Here were my favourites (in order):
Vivian for brunch (this was in the River Arts District, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was one of the best brunches I’ve ever had)
Rowan coffee
Bouchon for dinner
Mayfels (doesn’t do resos so go early!)
Early Girl Eatery (also doesn’t do resos)
Some spots we didn’t get to, but will be trying next time:
The Orange Peel event venue also came highly recommended, so I’d love to catch a show there one day!
Day 2: Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and do some hiking
There are SO many outdoorsy things to do in the area, it can be overwhelming. I knew we had limited time, and I wanted to prioritize:
1) Driving on the BRP
2) Doing one light hike
3) Seeing a couple of waterfalls
With this in mind, we decided to do the Graveyard Fields Loop Trail. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds! I am not a great hiker, but I found this totally doable.
It took about an hour to get to Graveyard Fields from downtown Asheville, which was perfect because we took the scenic BRP to get there. We stopped at several of the overlooks because the views were just stunning. I think visiting in the fall would be incredible!
When we got to the entrance of Graveyard Fields, the parking was VERY limited. We had to drive a little further and circle back twice, and managed to get lucky when someone left and we took their spot. I’d recommend going earlier if possible!
The trail itself leads to two different waterfalls and will take about 1.5-2 hours if you want to see everything. That’s about my limit when it comes to hiking :) so we drove back downtown after and stopped at one of the overlooks to enjoy a Trader Joe’s picnic I had packed!
I recommend finishing off your day with some cocktails downtown, or taking a spooky ghost tour!
Day 3: Biltmore Estate
As a fan of the Gilded Age and Downton Abbey, for me, this was not to be missed! Azim is a fan of neither, but he still really enjoyed our day at the Biltmore.
The Biltmore Estate is the largest privately owned home in the USA, built in the late 19th century by George Vanderbilt. The house and gardens are open for the public to tour, and the audio guide provides an in-depth look into what life was like during this time period. I found it fascinating and completely worth the steep entry fee (~$80).
Azim is not a history buff, but he thought it was beautiful as well. I would love to go back at Christmastime to see all the decorations!
The gardens, Antler Village, and winery are also attractions in the area with spots to eat and stay. We opted to skip these because there were just so many restaurants in Asheville we wanted to try! It’s worth noting that the entrance fee to Biltmore Estate includes a free tasting at the winery :)
After a full and eventful long weekend in Asheville, we decided that we’d have to come back! There’s just so much to see and do, and the city has such a cool vibe, we couldn’t get enough of it :) We visited in the spring (April - temperatures were around 15 degrees), but I’d like to go in the fall and see all the incredible foliage.
Will you be adding Asheville to your travel bucket list? If you’ve been, is there anything you’d add to this list? I’d love to know :)
