“Did we disembark into a construction zone?”
Arriving in Asheville might be the worst part about Asheville. I stepped off the plane onto a hectic, rainy tarmac. In my experience frenzied energy and wet tarmacs are a recipe for literal disaster but hopefully the weather will be better when you arrive. And maybe the construction will be done too. The Asheville airport is in the middle of an expansion project so passengers have to disembark away from the gate, shuffle down a ramp, herd ourselves under a plywood awning, and then head into a packed concourse. It isn’t the most pleasant experience but it does put you on notice. Big things are happening in Asheville, NC.
Asheville is a bustling mid-sized city that’s clearly experiencing some growing pains. The designated ride-share section of the airport is brand new but it doesn’t get good cell service so actual ride-share drivers can’t get to you. There were no public transportation options readily available and there was traffic congestion on the highway heading downtown in the early afternoon on a weekday. That sense of growth is very attractive and as my ride-share driver navigated the traffic I looked out the window and thought, “This is cute. I could live here,”
Apparently that’s the thought of a villain.
During my long weekend stay the locals of Asheville made it very clear that tourists are welcome but that the city is not in the market for new residents. Housing prices are sky high relative to where they were a few years ago and many locals feel like their city is now unaffordable for them. That sucks. But I completely understand the appeal of the small town surrounded by nature vibe with big city amenities.
What to do (and not to do) in Asheville
- Izzy’s Coffee Den
- New Belgium Brewing Company
- Comedy tour – LaZoom
- Scandals Nightclub
- Tops for Shoes
- Tubing down the French Broad River – Asheville Adventure Company
Izzy’s Coffee Den
On my first day in Asheville I arrived a bit before my group arrived so I had my Uber drop me off at a cute coffee shop – Izzy’s Coffee Den. It was a rainy day so I smiled as I walked into the cozy café, ordered a yerba mate, and settled into a spot by a large window to do some work.
If you find yourself in Asheville then I totally recommend Izzy’s and the surrounding neighborhood. The area feels trendy and artistic. There were college aged people in art school outfits (one young woman carried a jack-o-lantern purse – in August), teens who waved hello at me through the window, and older adults making their way down the sidewalk with retail bags beneath their arms. From the window I could see a bookstore and a florist across the street and next door there is a vintage clothing store and some other cool shops.
The tea at Izzy’s was lovely, the people watching is high-tier, and the barista gave me a drip coffee for free on my way out! That small kindness and Izzy’s great vibe really helped set a positive tone for the rest of the trip.
Nature
The true allure of Asheville didn’t come through for me until I left the downtown area to go to our home for the weekend. Along the way I got a sense of how closely people in Asheville live with nature. For context, I live in a small feeling city that cares deeply about the environment but we don’t have the forest growing up alongside our roads and homes like people do in Asheville. We also don’t encounter black bears crossing the road on a regular basis.
The next morning I understood why people were flocking to Asheville. The peace.
Our host’s home feels like it was built in a clearing in the woods. The view from every window is deeply calming. My eyes would frequently rest on the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance or, if I was on the other side of the house, scout the trees to catch sight of the local wildlife. There is something very reassuring about being nestled in the mountains while also being only ten minutes away from modern convenience.
View the AirBnB listing for more information.
If you’re looking for a welcoming, expansive, inclusive place then look no further than New Belgium Brewing. As I’ve gotten older and started to travel more it’s gotten harder to find a space that works for everyone. One friend needs a place that’s kid friendly, another has had a hard week and needs a drink, and still another wants a chill outdoor vibe with indoor amenities. New Belgium has it all. It’s a great place for libation and conversation.
We happened to visit New Belgium Brewing during AVL Fest so the parking lots were full but there was plenty of street parking. Even still, there was ample space on the grounds for kids to run and play away from the adults who were there for a beer. The brewery had a live band playing in one section, food trucks were available, hammock stands were available, multiple bars to order from – all with very friendly bartenders, and the beers were incredibly refreshing! It was the perfect spot. Be sure to check their website for their food truck and live music schedules. As of this writing they’re both right there on the front page.
And of course I appreciated their prominently displayed Progressive Pride Flag 🏳🌈.
I’ve never been the type of person to sign up for an organized tour but I do love to follow-up on recommendations from people that I meet in bars. So far those recommendations have not steered me wrong. Enter the Asheville comedy bus tour LaZoom!
The tour was just really fun from the moment we walked into the lobby of the meeting area until we disembarked. For roughly an hour and a half we were driven around Asheville in a big purple bus while a woman with PBR rollers in her hair regaled us with extremely humorous stories about Asheville’s history and historic sites. The tour was funny, the tour was entertaining, there were nuns, there were superheroes, local wildlife was involved, and there was a great deal of audience interaction. Multiple different tour types are offered and if I’d had more time I would have signed up for another round around the city.
Now to the particulars. There was a big emphasis on keeping everything local. That’s a major theme throughout Asheville and it was reiterated throughout the tour. LaZoom also deftly navigates local liquor laws. You’re able to buy a drink in the meeting area, you’re able to drink in the meeting area, you are not allowed to carry an open container from the meeting area onto the bus, but you are allowed to purchase an unopened drink at the meeting area and carry that unopened drink onto the bus. You can drink on the bus. And about halfway through the tour the bus stops at a bar where you’re able to use the waste facilities and refuel as needed.
If possible, arrive at the meeting location a few minutes early so that you can secure a position at the front of the bus. The first people to arrive at the meeting location are the first ones called to board the bus and you’ll definitely have more fun and get to interact more with the tour guide if you’re seated in the front.
Reader, if you are a nigh owl in Asheville, NC then you might want to stop into Scandals for a drink and a little dancing. We arrived at Scandals after a pretty long day of exploring Asheville so it took a lot to get us pumped up. Serendipitously, we ran into an old friend from Atlanta who was well-rested and really enjoying himself. He danced with strangers, cheered on the DJ, and made friends with the bartender. I was ready to call it a night before I even arrived but the vibe is perfect for anyone who wants to party the night away!
While my friends were dancing I took the liberty of poking around the sprawling space. There is a place called Boiler Room and another called Club Eleven that are all connected to Scandals. Neither were open at the time. There is a gift shop in the very back near the bathrooms and there was at least one bathroom tucked away at the top of a set of stairs, making for an almost Escher-eque vibe.
My advice is to take a nap and arrive at Scandals shortly before the drag show. The drag queens are a lot of fun and there is seating available if you arrive early enough to get a spot. Have a drink, tip your drag queens, and then dance the rest of the night away with a few strangers. You’ll have fun!
Please leave all jokes about the name of this store in the comments section.
Tops for Shoes has been serving the Asheville community for three generations so I’m pretty sure that it qualifies as local. Our host took us there when I mentioned that I needed shoes for a planned hike and water adventure. I walked into the store wanting a pair of Tevas because I knew the brand but they didn’t have my size in the color that I liked. Instead I purchased a local Asheville brand Astral. The hiking trip did not happen (see Scandals above) but they were great for tubing!
Tubing down the French Broad River – Asheville Adventure Company
There’s something wonderful about lazily floating down a river on a hot North Carolina afternoon. This trip we chose to get our inner tubes and life jackets from Asheville Adventure Company and float down the French Broad River.
Going through Asheville Adventure had a lot of advantages! First off, we were able to park our car and get on a bus that drove us upriver to our entry point rather than needing to have two vehicles ourselves. And as an added bonus, our retrieval point downriver was the same place as where we parked our car. Very convenient!
If you’ve never been, tubing down the river is a very peaceful experience. But you should bring clothes that can get wet, a hat to shield yourself from the sun, some sunblock, and something to drink. My friends chose to rent an additional tube to float down an entire cooler full of drinks and snacks but that is completely optional.
Memorable Pro-tuber-tip:
Grab a paddle to steer you and your group away from hanging branches. Spiders sometimes infest those branches and floating through them is not a good time for anyone. We grazed one branch and an arachnophobic friend immediately began to detach himself from the group.
“You all belong to the spiders now!” he said, prematurely. We’d avoided any spiders in that branch but steered far clear of any others for the remainder of the trip.
