I was recently invited over to Asheville, North Carolina. Now I have to admit it wasn’t somewhere I'd heard of before, so I was intrigued by what this little city had to offer!
And WOW! I was honestly blown away by what this quirky city has to offer. Asheville is located on the edge of the blue ridge mountains so you are surrounded by beautiful nature. For a glimpse of how insane it looks I’d recommend watching Moses Sumney's new visual album, which was all filmed in Asheville!
Top Top: Don’t worry about purchasing water here, just drink straight from the tap!!! Asheville has some of the freshest water I’ve ever had!
The Ultimate Guide To Asheville, north carolina
Everything you need to know
Things to know before you visit to ashville!!
Getting around
Having a car in Asheville is an absolute must, if you plan to explore and really get the most out of your trip you will need to travel and Taxis are not as common here. Parking is pretty easy as there a car parks all over town that a re pretty cheap.
STAYING CONNECTED
If you are visiting from outside the US, like myself then I'd recommend you get a 30 day sim from Tmoblie or AT&T. These can range aware between $12-$60.
Must Try Food!
Asheville is known for its food and its Brewery's! So its mandatory to eat and drink your way through town! Heres a few dishes you absolutely need to try.
Grits from The Rhu
Southern Soul Food from Cooking With Comedy. Keep an eye on their instagram for where they will be located daily.
Taco's from White Duck
Fresh Dounuts from Hole
Breakfast at Tupelo Honey
Top Tip: Some restaurants close on Mondays to give their staff a break after the busy weekend. SO make sure you check that they are open.
Where to stay
The Arras Hotel
Our first hotel was The Arras Hotel, located in the heart of Downtown Asheville, the hotel has 360 views and is actually the highest point in the city! Although the hotel is part of the Kimpton Chain, the hotel gives a Boutique feel with heartfelt service. I’d highly recommend having breakfast at their on site restaurant Bargello, I had the Bargello Breakfast the potatoes were unreal!
Omni Park Grove Inn
Second, we stayed at Omni Park Grove Inn, Which was definitely the most unique stay of all three. Located a little further out, amidst the beauty of the blue ridge Mountains. The Key attraction for me was the subterranean spa, with an indoor pool.
The Foundry
Our longest stay was at The Foundry, based in Downtown Asheville. A refurbished steel factory, the hotel is the perfect location to base yourself in for your Asheville adventure.
Things to Do in Asheville
1. Not only did we stay at the beautiful grounds at Omni Park grove, we also visited their beautiful subterranean spa. I had seen pictures before visiting the spa but I was absolutely overwhelmed when I saw it in real life! It's such a unique space, I've never seen anything like it. If you choose to stay in a different hotel you can still visit the spa by purchasing a day pass for your visit.
2. Some have called Asheville the beer state of America with over 50 breweries around the City! We visited two, Ginger's Revenge who specialise in alcoholic ginger beer and Cultivated Cocktails who have a range of different locally brewed spirits.
3. Go on a food tour! Within the city center there is a huge range of independent restaurants, we went on a food tour with Local food blogger Stu Helm. He took us to 11 amazing restaurants and the food really blew me away.
4. Asheville is known as a bit of a Hippy Village, so of course they have amazing Yoga options to help to channel some of the amazing energy within the city. We did a Asheville Iridescence Yoga session with Local Yoga babes Jazmin, who uses color to help to channel different energies.
5. Go on the Hood huggers Tour! The Hood Huggers are a local organisation who work to support the local African American community. The driving tour takes you through the different historically black areas, sharing local stores and how they are working to continue to help the community.
6. Have a spa day! Head over to Shoji Spa for a relaxing afternoon soak in their therapeutic salt mineral hot tubs, Soaking Therapies are extremely beneficial due to the relaxing, rejuvenating, and naturally rehabilitative qualities. They also offer massages and lodging if you want to stay longer.
7. Forage for your dinner! Yes, I said Forage! We went on a forage with Wild Food Asheville in the blue ridge mountains. The Farm was an hour drive out of the city center, and we spent a few hours collecting a variety of different wild vegetables and planets that we were then able to give to local restaurant Cultra to have our dinner made for us!
8. Head over to Asheville's art District, and explore the different studios. We stopped over at the NC Glass center to try are hand at flameworking, which was really fun.
9. Sunset Dinner on the Terrace at Omni Park grove! The view from here of the Blue ridge mountains is absolutely stunning!
10. Visit the Biltmore Estate! The Biltmore home is the largest Home in the USA, spanning across 8,000 acres! There is so much history here and the building is absolutely beautiful. They also have several onsite actives such as Wine tasting and Horse back riding.
