A long weekend in Asheville, North Carolina

Biltmore tours, Blue Ridge hikes & eating all the way 

I kept hearing things about Asheville, North Carolina. That the mountain scenery is beautiful, the city's plenty hip but not pretentious, and the food scene's kinda bomb. So when my friend Shea and I hatched a plan to visit her sister Colleen in Durham, our trio (plus Shea's baby Fritz) decided to drive the three hours to Asheville and see what all the hype was about.

We Midwestern girls flew in on Thursday morning, arriving about 11:30 eastern time. Stomachs rumbling, we knew we had to stop for lunch on our way out of town. Colleen took us to her favorite neighborhood joint in Durham: Monuts. We wolfed down lattes, tasty sandwiches, and even tastier desserts (because we're on vacation). Try the lemon curd scone and gooey chocolate cookie.

Then we hopped in the car and rolled into Asheville with enough time to relax a smidge before scoping out West Asheville and dinner. Our Airbnb truly was a delightful and quintessential West Asheville abode — an small white house with both a front and back porch. The eclectic interior oozed vintage, quirky charm. Plus the place was clean, the shower hot, and the beds comfy. Would stay again.

From there, it was just a few-minutes drive to the River Arts District, which is chockfull of galleries and some eateries. If you shoot for The Wedge Brewery, you'll land at a spot chockfull of food trucks and picnic tables — perfect for when the weather's nice. 

But we wanted margaritas, so we opted for White Duck Taco Shop — a recommendation from a friend and also a place that comes up when you google where to eat in Asheville. The location in the River Arts District has you order first, then find your table. We picked a spot outside, and thoroughly enjoyed our tacos and queso (though I must say to my Milwaukeeans — Gypsy Taco would win the contest).

On Friday morning, we drove 20 minutes to our one main attraction of the weekend: The Biltmore. Notes on visiting: Do buy your tickets online ahead of time, and do print them ahead of time. Otherwise it'll be a pain once you get there (they check tickets as you drive up).

So what is The Biltmore? It's the Vanderbilts' estate, complete with a bowling alley and pool in the basement, servants quarters, lavish bedrooms, sprawling gardens, a gorgeous conservatory, a tiny village, a winery, and more. You could easily spend hours upon hours there, especially if the gardens are in bloom. They weren't blooming for us, and we still were there from about 10am to 2pm.

Once we got inside the house itself, we chose to spring for the audio guide — a $12 investment that Shea felt was wholly worthwhile. I thought the guide had some fascinating tidbits, but not enough to bowl me over. The guide is 1.5 hours, so do with that info what you will. You'd move faster through the house without it. Then again, I've had past experiences where an audio guide has been worth every precious moment and penny — so you never know until you try!

Oh and P.S. We happened to be there during a Titanic movie costume exhibition. I'll never let go, Jack! Carry on.

After meandering through the awesome house, we made our way to the gardens and down to the conservatory — where things are always gorgeously in bloom. There were orchids galore on display, and the warm, tropical air felt so very right to this Wisconsinite. I could have spent hours in that place.

But free wine called! Yes, admission to the Biltmore includes a free wine tasting in the Biltmore Village winery. The village is a short drive from the house and gardens, and there you'll find a handful of restaurants as well as the winery. The tasting is truly unlimited — so drink the afternoon away! Or do as we did: Cap it off and drive back to downtown Asheville in search of burgers and beer. 

We ended up at Wicked Weed for lunch. Mainly because Colleen had been there before, was craving a burger, and knew that there was outdoor seating for our perfect 70-degree day. We were plenty satiated. 

Then it was time to bop around downtown and scope out some vintage clothing stores. Two of our favorites were Ragtime and Honeypot. Honeypot is definitely more weird and funky, and Ragtime is where we actually walked away with some goodies: a slouchy jean jacket, a fur-collared cardigan, and a bubblegum pink Members Only jacket.

Downtown Asheville has so many places to shop and eat — each one cuter than the last — it's a bit overwhelming. We could have spent so much more time just bopping in and out of shops. If you're looking for the downtown hub to pop into your GPS, shoot for Pritchard Park. It's a tiny patch of green space smack-dab in the middle of all the downtown action. It would be a good place to start your walking (and shopping/eating) tour of downtown Asheville.

Later that night, Shea took baby Fritz home for some real sleep, and Colleen and I explored a smattering of bars. We walked through downtown to Wicked Weed's Funkatorium, but there was hardly anyone there, so we scratched that plan. Instead we walked a few paces and ended up at Twin Leaf Brewery, which had live music and more energy at the time. Asheville has about a zillion breweries — one on every corner, it feels like — so finding a watering hole is easy.

Colleen and I then trekked back to West Asheville to a dive bar that her friend had recommended. Our Uber driver, Lorraine, had us in stitches, telling us about the wonderful world of $9 TV antennas in lieu of spending almost $300/month on cable. "Best thing I ever did," Lorraine said. We soon parked at The Double Crown. "My handy dandy handicap!" chirped Lorraine, brandishing her handicapped card and plopping it on the dash before dropping us off. Inside, the place was a glow-y, kitschy, funky delight. Would absolutely recommend. 

In the morning, we set off for a Blue Ridge hike. We learned that all good hikes seem to start at least 30–60 minutes from Asheville. We opted for the Black Balsam Knob trail — but not before stopping for coffee and house-made energy treats at Ultra Coffeebar in the River Arts District. Note: Their coffee syrups are all made in house!

Winding through the mountain roads to get to the Black Balsam trailhead, baby Fritz got a little fussy, and the occasional pitch black tunnel got a little frightening when Colleen's car lights refused to turn on (deep breaths, y'all). But we eventually made it, Fritz eventually stopped his well-earned fussing, and we eventually found the trailhead — and chose the path marked "difficult."

A few practical notes: Remember to bring water and snacks, and wear layers. We were a bit cocky with the nice weather in Asheville and didn't layer up quite as well as we should have. Duh, the temp is going to drop in the mountains. Also note that the difficult Black Balsam Knob trail is not a loop. So while hiking and feeling as though you could go on forever in all this beauty, don't forget you've got to walk all the way back, too. Finally, "difficult" is a relative term, as Shea did the whole thing with a baby on her back. Bless.

The scenery is utterly incredible — rather rocky and barren on the first half of the hike, then increasingly lush. We could have gone on for ages, but instead opted for a snack break and turning around to head back to the parking lot and the promise of a hearty lunch, which we found at The West Asheville Lounge and Kitchen (AKA The Walk). 

This place struck the perfect note: a spacious room with garage-style doors opened wide, happenin' but not crowded, energetic but not overwhelming. Oh, and super scrumptious food. Not a terribly unique menu (I had a BLT with turkey & avo), but top-notch for what it was.

I wish we'd had more time to spend in West Asheville. This part of town has a long stretch of shops, bars, and restaurants that we didn't have much chance to peek into. There are also eye-popping murals everywhere you look. It's just a fun, funky vibe, while downtown offers more arty-but-polished charm. Both areas are a must.

Between lunch and dinner, we stopped at a wild little trunk show by The Booth Fairy, at which Colleen snagged a cute top for just $6. I, on the other hand, simply snagged a bunch of photos of the pop-up's fun hand-painted signage. Giving me life.

When we inevitably got hungry again, we ended up back downtown for dinner at Blue Dream Curry — a recommendation from my brother and his girlfriend, and one of our Uber drivers, and Yelp, and the list goes on. It's located right in the heart of downtown, so there's plenty to see and do while killing time waiting for a table. 

And oh yes, it's worth the hype. The curry itself is truly so creamy, dreamy delicious, I will forever be nostalgic for it. But remember to add your choice of meat when you order, otherwise it comes vegetarian (oops). We feasted on the masala, panang, and yellow curries — masala and panang for the win! 

Because all we do is eat, the next morning — our last morning in Asheville — we woke up in search of a yummy breakfast. We chose a place in West Asheville that The Booth Fairy gal recommended: Biscuit Head. It was just what the doctor ordered, if doctors prescribed medicinal carbs. Literally everything is served on or with a biscuit, and there are spreads, jams, and butters galore for your shmearing pleasure. We arrived just in the knick of time (about 9:15), as the line was out the door by the time we sat down.

But the restaurant moves along like clockwork: Stand in line, order food, find an open table, eat, be on your way. There are always open tables because there's a no-table-saving policy until you've placed your order. It may seem impossible, but it's true — it just works! Wish there were more eateries with this kind of set up. 

Bellies full of biscuits, we started the three-hour journey back to Durham and the airport. What a delightful, whirlwind weekend. I feel like I can't wait to go back — though I also feel like Asheville lit a fire in me to see more of our stateside towns and cities. The bucket list is growing. Where to next?