3 Days in Asheville, NC
After spending this past weekend in Penang, an artsy city on Malaysia's west coast, I couldn't resist finally writing a post about our time in our favorite artsy city! We only had a long weekend to explore this eclectic city nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but loved every minute of it. Here's what we got up to in Asheville, NC!
6. Hop on the Urban Trail
Downtown Asheville is home to a host of metal statues scattered around the city! Grab a tourist map to help you find them all--even with the map, you might walk right past some really cute ones. It's also a great way to wander through the streets, and learn a little about the city's history.
If it's freezing like it was when we went, you can also use this time to duck into charming (if odd) shops and museums!
5. Get hipster at a cafe
Honestly an Asheville requirement. While we've spent more money in cafes than we'd like to admit, we love a good latte so we sought out a few great places. Our favorite was a renovated London tourist bus parked across the street from the Modern Art Museum-- adorable, reasonably priced and hey, do it for the insta.
4. Try Unique Restaurants!
Asheville has so many incredibly creative restaurants! We fell in love with White Duck on this trip, with their Korean and Peruvian influenced gourmet tacos, and Biscuithead, where we got massive cat head biscuits with gumbo and BBQ! #brunchkweens Try some new restaurants or cuisines while you're here/
3. Spend a Day in the River Arts District
We spent almost an entire day wandering this district of colorful buildings, stopping in each and every artist's shop! There are some more affordably priced knick knacks, but even the most incredible artists didn't mind us coming in just to look!
We saw some really cool styles and learned a lot about different techniques, and the breadth of different materials you can use to make art.
2. Check out some Live Music
Asheville is certainly a city of the arts! We were on the hunt for a cool show to go to our whole first day, stopping to look at flyers all around the city-- but ended up heading a little out of the city itself. We went to a Feed Store turned church, and joined in swing dancing to mountain music with some of the nicest elderly couples! The congregation was so welcoming, and we had a blast (basically shag) dancing to the mountain sound. There are shows of all genres in the city pretty much every night, so see what fits your tastes.
The street art also looks great even at night!
1. Hike in Pisgah National Forest
After two days in the city, we were ready to get out in the mountains! Though it was freezing and snowing, we took advantage of a chance to cuddle in the cold and set off to Pisgah National Forest. There we chose a path at random (aided by google maps).
We found ourselves on the edge of a beautiful lake at the foot of the mountains and spent the day trekking around it (and making snow angels). Check for updates about the roads if you go in winter however: when we went, the Blue Ridge Parkway was closed and the mountain roads were a bit intimidating. Stay safe! (And pack a beanie!)
Where to Stay: There is a hostel right outside the city!! Bon Paul & Sharky's was cheap and treated us well. R.I.P. to the shoes I left there though.
We had an amazing time in Asheville, and would recommend it to any secret hipsters like us, or to anyone interested in art, hiking or eating. Biltmore (the mansion) is also close by, if that's more your speed. Anyway, I've fantasized about the cold enough, so it's back to the Malaysian heat for me! Look out for a post on New Zealand, coming next week.