Hello!
So, I took myself on a solo trip! I turned 30 in March (2020) and I wanted to do something big for myself. That’s why I chose to go on a trip. I absolutely loved this trip; I had the best time!
Asheville is such a cool city. There’s so much to do! From breweries, to restaurants, to shops, to hiking & outdoor activities, to art, and, to history – this place has it all. And, those are all things that I like so I tried to do as much as I could with my time there!
I’ll make this easy to read and just list all the best places I went to. :)
SHOPPING
When researching shopping areas in Asheville, I was overwhelmed. There were tons of options! There were a lot of neighborhoods and different areas that had shops. I researched each one on the Explore Asheville site (it took awhile) and decided that my favorite kind of shops would be downtown. I think I made the right choice because I had a fun day bopping around and shopping. There were boutiques, and home décor stores, and little nic-nac gift shops (which are my fav).
My favorite shops in Downtown Asheville:
· Duncan and York Modern Market
· Moonlight Makers
· Minx Boutique
· Mtn Merch
· Mast General Store
· Battery Park Book Exchange – (this one is super fun. It’s in the Grove Arcade which has a lot of shops but is a book store that serves coffee, tea, and CHAMPAGNE!)
RESTAURANTS
Asheville has become known as quite the “foodie” city. There are tons of great restaurants with delish food. I only went to a few restaurants but got reco’s for a LOT of places!
Places I went to:
· Tupelo Honey
· Over Easy Café
· Farm Burger
· The Montford
· Button & Co Bagels
Places that were recommended to me:
· Mayfel’s
· Buxton Hall BBQ
· Salsa’s
· White Duck Taco
· Burial Brewing
COFFEE SHOPS
I can not say no to a cute coffee shop with some good coffee or tea. Here are my favs:
· Double D’s Coffee
· Trade and Lore
BREWERIES
I also can not say no to a local brew. Asheville has SO MANY and I wish I could have visited more while I was there. I did a tour of Green Man which was really fun. And I HAD to go to the Funkatorium because sour beers are my favorite.
· Green Man Brewery
· The Funkatorium (by Wicked Weed)
HIKING
The beautiful mountains in the Asheville area offer a lot of hiking options ranging from easy to very technical. I recently hurt my ankle so I needed something fairly easy. Jennifer with Asheville Hiking Tours was awesome. I reached out before my trip and mentioned my ankle injury and she told me which hike I should do. I’ve never hiked with a guide before but it was awesome. I learned so much and it was nice to be with someone who is knowledgeable about the area because you get to see all the best places without guessing. The mountains were beautiful (and the Blue Ridge mountains actually look blue!). We also got to see a few waterfalls which was awesome. This was a great tour company, highly recommend.
· Blue Ridge Parkway with Asheville Hiking Tours
ART & HISTORY
When you’re in Asheville, you basically have to go to the Biltmore. I wasn't sure if I wanted to, but after so many recommendations to go, I'm glad I did. There’s a ton to do there but I only saw the house and conservatory. When I went to the Biltmore I had no idea what to expect and when I bought my ticket was SO confused. There are multiple things to do and see on the estate. And you have to include transportation time because you take shuttles around the estate and it can take awhile. So keep in mind that whatever time you choose to go into the actual house, you'll want transportation time and maybe time for something else like the winery or the conservatory.
Asheville also has a big art scene, especially in the River Arts District.
· Biltmore Estate
- Biltmore Conservatory (definitely recommend on your trip to the Biltmore)
· River Arts District
· Asheville Art Museum (didn’t have time to go, but looked cool)
Asheville will probably always mean so much to me because it was my first solo trip. I met and chatted with so many people, it was such an eye opening experience. If you follow me on Instagram, I posted my day to day itinerary starting on March 11, which might be worth looking at if you're interested in going to Asheville! Check out the slideshow below of some pictures from my trip, and follow me on Instagram, on both @juliewardi and @juliewardiphoto for more pictures! Let me know if you go to this city!
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