Reviews: lodging, dining and things to do from our time in Asheville.
I posted five reviews from our long weekend in Asheville. Use the browser back button to return to your place in the trip report.
HomeAway Rental, The Red House: Perfect Place for two couples or a small family.
Stayed here July 3 - 6, 2015 Here's the listing on HomAway.com.
This house was ideal for our long-weekend in Asheville. It made a great base for our exploration of the area and was within walking distance of downtown and the grocery store (Trader Joe's). I was a little worried when I booked the house as the photos made it seem rather small. Let me tell you the photos do not do the place justice! Granted, this is not the Biltmore House, but there is plenty of room. The downstairs is an open floor plan with a living, dining and kitchen area and has all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay. Upstairs are two suites, each with a nice size sleeping area and a fully stocked bathroom. Perfect for two couples. We greatly enjoyed our stay and would certainly rent this house again.
Stayed here July 3 - 6, 2015 Here's the listing on HomAway.com.
This house was ideal for our long-weekend in Asheville. It made a great base for our exploration of the area and was within walking distance of downtown and the grocery store (Trader Joe's). I was a little worried when I booked the house as the photos made it seem rather small. Let me tell you the photos do not do the place justice! Granted, this is not the Biltmore House, but there is plenty of room. The downstairs is an open floor plan with a living, dining and kitchen area and has all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay. Upstairs are two suites, each with a nice size sleeping area and a fully stocked bathroom. Perfect for two couples. We greatly enjoyed our stay and would certainly rent this house again.
Salsa Mexican Caribbean Restaurant:
Somewhat eclectic with excellent food. Get there early to beat the crowd.
Ate here on July 3, 2015. See this review on Trip Advisor.
For dinner on our arrival day in Asheville, I did a quick scan of the restaurant suggestions provided in our VRBO and decided that Salsa’s looked like an interesting option within walking distance of our rental house. This turned out to be a great choice and our timing was ideal as we got the last available table before the dinner rush hit. We visited Salsa’s on a Friday, during Fourth of July weekend (the 4th was Saturday) so we were expecting a crowd but luck we with us.
This is not a large place but it is run efficiently. It is rather eclectic both in terms of the setting and the menu. This is a Mexican-Jamacian fusion place and the food is excellent. The poppers were very good. Plus I got to sample the first local beers of the trip, the English IPA from Green Man Brewery then the Grey Beard American IPA from Pisgah Brewing. Both were very good, but neither would crack my top ten. The food however, well, I would definitely eat here again. I don’t remember exactly which dish I had, but it was an outstanding mix of chicken, shrimp, veggies and rice over mashed potatoes all with a nice salsa. Great flavor and a little bit of heat. Quite good! Overall it was a great introduction to the food scene in Asheville.
Somewhat eclectic with excellent food. Get there early to beat the crowd.
Ate here on July 3, 2015. See this review on Trip Advisor.
For dinner on our arrival day in Asheville, I did a quick scan of the restaurant suggestions provided in our VRBO and decided that Salsa’s looked like an interesting option within walking distance of our rental house. This turned out to be a great choice and our timing was ideal as we got the last available table before the dinner rush hit. We visited Salsa’s on a Friday, during Fourth of July weekend (the 4th was Saturday) so we were expecting a crowd but luck we with us.
This is not a large place but it is run efficiently. It is rather eclectic both in terms of the setting and the menu. This is a Mexican-Jamacian fusion place and the food is excellent. The poppers were very good. Plus I got to sample the first local beers of the trip, the English IPA from Green Man Brewery then the Grey Beard American IPA from Pisgah Brewing. Both were very good, but neither would crack my top ten. The food however, well, I would definitely eat here again. I don’t remember exactly which dish I had, but it was an outstanding mix of chicken, shrimp, veggies and rice over mashed potatoes all with a nice salsa. Great flavor and a little bit of heat. Quite good! Overall it was a great introduction to the food scene in Asheville.
Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company:
Great concept, dinner and a movie, but even better is the pizza and beer.
Ate here on July 4, 2015 See this review on Trip Advisor.
After a day of touring the Biltmore Estate, we headed to Asheville Pizza and Brewing for dinner. This is an interesting place as it also houses a movie theatre (I forget what was showing when we were there, but it was not of interest to us). This is a fun place to eat, a bit on the loud side, but an interesting and somewhat eclectic place with lots of movie and music memorabilia hanging on the walls. The service was excellent; our server was attentive and very prompt as well as quite helpful with questions about the beer and food on the menu. The pizza was excellent. I tried a flight of their craft brews; some were very good but none would crack my top ten list.
Great concept, dinner and a movie, but even better is the pizza and beer.
Ate here on July 4, 2015 See this review on Trip Advisor.
After a day of touring the Biltmore Estate, we headed to Asheville Pizza and Brewing for dinner. This is an interesting place as it also houses a movie theatre (I forget what was showing when we were there, but it was not of interest to us). This is a fun place to eat, a bit on the loud side, but an interesting and somewhat eclectic place with lots of movie and music memorabilia hanging on the walls. The service was excellent; our server was attentive and very prompt as well as quite helpful with questions about the beer and food on the menu. The pizza was excellent. I tried a flight of their craft brews; some were very good but none would crack my top ten list.
Nine Mile on Hayward Road: Finally a place that actually has heat in their spicy dishes!
Ate here on July 5, 2015. See this review on Trip Advisor.
We spent most of the day exploring along the Blue Ridge Parkway and after returning to the rental house I did some studying of the suggestion book and Trip Advisor for dinner options. It was still early but we wanted to beat the dinner crowd. We decided to try Nine Mile on Haywood Road as the menu sounded interesting and there was a nice selection of craft brews on tap and in bottles (not all local, but that’s fine by me). What a great find! We were early enough that there was no crowd at all (maybe Sunday is not a big day for dining out in Asheville). I was enjoying a Hoppyum IPA from Foothills Brewing by 4:20. The menu was filled with a variety of eclectic dishes, many of which had a Caribbean spin to them (I think they advertise as Jamaican). But the best news in terms of the food was the spice and heat. Their spice scale was listed as mild, medium, hot, “melt your face off” and Boo-ya! I asked our server (who was very pleasant, helpful and expedient, BTW) if there really was that much heat in the food. I don’t remember her exact words, but she seemed very sincere in stating that once you get to “hot” and above that the food had serious heat. I believed her and opted to go with the “melt your face off” on the one of their jerked chicken dishes (maybe the “Jamaican Me Thirsty?”). It was awesome and the heat was plenty for me! I was sweating for sure. But the flavor really went well with the IPA they had on tap. My wife had a sweet dish which was a perfect complement to my spicy one. This was definitely the best dinner of the three we had in Asheville.
Ate here on July 5, 2015. See this review on Trip Advisor.
We spent most of the day exploring along the Blue Ridge Parkway and after returning to the rental house I did some studying of the suggestion book and Trip Advisor for dinner options. It was still early but we wanted to beat the dinner crowd. We decided to try Nine Mile on Haywood Road as the menu sounded interesting and there was a nice selection of craft brews on tap and in bottles (not all local, but that’s fine by me). What a great find! We were early enough that there was no crowd at all (maybe Sunday is not a big day for dining out in Asheville). I was enjoying a Hoppyum IPA from Foothills Brewing by 4:20. The menu was filled with a variety of eclectic dishes, many of which had a Caribbean spin to them (I think they advertise as Jamaican). But the best news in terms of the food was the spice and heat. Their spice scale was listed as mild, medium, hot, “melt your face off” and Boo-ya! I asked our server (who was very pleasant, helpful and expedient, BTW) if there really was that much heat in the food. I don’t remember her exact words, but she seemed very sincere in stating that once you get to “hot” and above that the food had serious heat. I believed her and opted to go with the “melt your face off” on the one of their jerked chicken dishes (maybe the “Jamaican Me Thirsty?”). It was awesome and the heat was plenty for me! I was sweating for sure. But the flavor really went well with the IPA they had on tap. My wife had a sweet dish which was a perfect complement to my spicy one. This was definitely the best dinner of the three we had in Asheville.
Biltmore Estate: Plan on spending the day, there is a lot to see.
Visited on July 4, 2015 See this review on Trip Advisor.
We visited on the Fourth of July. I purchased tickets several months in advance just to make sure we got what we wanted for date and time of the tour. As this is a very popular attraction, I think the advance ticket purchase is a necessity. We opted for the first tour of the day, which was also a good move as the crowd is not as large. But the time we exited the house, the place was swarming with folks!
The Biltmore Estate is amazing and well worth the time to explore the house and gardens on self-guided tour. There are other tour options available as well. We took the “roof top” tour (cost was an additional $17 per person). This guided tour took an hour and provides access to the roof of the mansion (I’m not a fan of heights or steep drops unless there is a barrier between me and the edge, and I felt perfectly comfortable the entire time). Again well worth the time and cost. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable so we got even more of the history of the house and the family.
Make sure to take the time to walk through the gardens, the conservatory and down to the bass pond. The grounds and gardens are simply lovely. Each area is immaculately maintained with grand assortments of flowers. We also had lunch in the café located in the stables; good food and not outrageously priced. At the end of the day we stopped at Antler Village. Not much there of interest to me, mostly shops (well, there is a pub, but we did not stop there unfortunately).
Note that the main entrance does not open until 8:30, so if you get there before that you will be cooling your heels in the parking lot or the gift shop. Once inside the estate I was impressed by the efficiency of the staff; these folks understand how to move herds of people and cars and how to get the throughput. Still, I would get an early start as I expect there are choke points as the crowds increase during the day. Make sure to wear your walking shoes and be prepared for stairs when touring the house, particularly if you take the roof top tour. But it is well worth the effort to see this amazing estate. Take your time and enjoy the day.
Visited on July 4, 2015 See this review on Trip Advisor.
We visited on the Fourth of July. I purchased tickets several months in advance just to make sure we got what we wanted for date and time of the tour. As this is a very popular attraction, I think the advance ticket purchase is a necessity. We opted for the first tour of the day, which was also a good move as the crowd is not as large. But the time we exited the house, the place was swarming with folks!
The Biltmore Estate is amazing and well worth the time to explore the house and gardens on self-guided tour. There are other tour options available as well. We took the “roof top” tour (cost was an additional $17 per person). This guided tour took an hour and provides access to the roof of the mansion (I’m not a fan of heights or steep drops unless there is a barrier between me and the edge, and I felt perfectly comfortable the entire time). Again well worth the time and cost. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable so we got even more of the history of the house and the family.
Make sure to take the time to walk through the gardens, the conservatory and down to the bass pond. The grounds and gardens are simply lovely. Each area is immaculately maintained with grand assortments of flowers. We also had lunch in the café located in the stables; good food and not outrageously priced. At the end of the day we stopped at Antler Village. Not much there of interest to me, mostly shops (well, there is a pub, but we did not stop there unfortunately).
Note that the main entrance does not open until 8:30, so if you get there before that you will be cooling your heels in the parking lot or the gift shop. Once inside the estate I was impressed by the efficiency of the staff; these folks understand how to move herds of people and cars and how to get the throughput. Still, I would get an early start as I expect there are choke points as the crowds increase during the day. Make sure to wear your walking shoes and be prepared for stairs when touring the house, particularly if you take the roof top tour. But it is well worth the effort to see this amazing estate. Take your time and enjoy the day.
Craggy Gardens and Craggy Peak: Great short hike. Make sure to include Craggy Peak.
Hiked on July 5, 2015 See this review on Trip Advisor.
We visited the Craggy Gardens area along the Blue Ridge Parkway as part of a long weekend trip to Asheville. After reading the descriptions of the area and the trails we felt that this would make a nice place for an easy walk that my 77-year-old mother could also enjoy (she walks a few miles in the hills of southern WV and did 11 miles with us last year in Cades Cove in the Smokys, so I was not too worried about her). Turned out to be a very good option.
There are two short hikes in the area, Craggy Gardens and Craggy Peak. Each trail is about a mile long round trip, but a little rough and uphill most of the way from the trailhead. We took our time and spent the better part of an hour on each trail, just enjoying the views along the trails and setting a pace that was good for Mom.
We approached the area coming from the south along the parkway, so we hit the Visitor Center first. Nice views from both sides of the road at the VC. The Craggy Gardens trailhead is at the south end of the parking lot. The majority of the trail is through the woods so it is shaded and cool. The temperature was 10 degrees cooler at the Visitor Center than in Asheville on the day we were there (low 60s F when we arrived around 11:30 AM). The walk up to the heath bald is generally uphill but the elevation gain is only about 240 feet. The trail was a little wet in spots, but not muddy or slick. This was a very green hike with ferns being the main vegetation along with birch trees. The wooded part of the trial was basically like walking through a tunnel. But it made for a very pleasant stroll. The “tunnel” abruptly ends at start of the bald area where there is an open air pavilion (nice place for a picnic). The trail sort of splits at this point. We went up to the balds area on the trail east of the pavilion and returned on the trail that comes out to the west of the pavilion. Not much difference but a little change in perspective on the views. Beyond the pavilion the trail climb just a bit further through the balds are to an overlook just over the crest of the hill which provided a nice view of the ridges to the east. We enjoyed the views for a bit then headed back to the Visitor Center.
The Visitor Center is small and not well stocked, but we did find some trail mix for sale and a water fountain, so we took a little break before mounting up for the next hike. The staff there are very helpful and informative about the trails and sights to see along the Parkway. There are maps available (free) as well as more details trail guides and souvenirs for sale. We could see the folks up on Craggy Peak from the Visitor Center parking lot. They were well above us, so I was hoping for a good view of the surrounding hills and valleys.
The drive to the trailhead parking is short, just up the hill, through the tunnel and around the bend. The trail to Craggy Peak is also basically wooded, but it is a bit more uphill and a lot more interesting. The first part runs through stands of rhododendron. Unfortunately the flowers were well past their prime but I bet this would have been simply gorgeous when the shrubs were in bloom. The next section of the trail went through birch trees but was interesting for the twisted nature of the exposed roots of the trees. This little display only lasts for about 100 yards or so, but with the right I bet there are some interesting images to be had. The crowds on the trails were light, but there were more folks out on the Craggy Peak trail. Maybe it is the more interesting or just later in the day. But still it was not packed. But this was apparently dog walking day on the way to Craggy Peak as we passed several canines out with their humans. At first it was all little dogs, but we finally saw some big mutts on our return hike.
The view from the summit was very pretty, but the clouds had rolled back in so the vista was not great on the day we visited. And it was very windy on the exposed viewing area. Still the vista was worth the effort in getting there. We stayed long enough to take in the view and grab a few photos, and then headed back down. We opted to not take the side trail to the lower viewing area and just hiked back to the trailhead. The two little hikes total just under 2 miles total and each took less than an hour to complete and we were really taking our time. After descending from Craggy Peak, we loaded up and retraced our route back to Asheville. We were back at the house about 2:15 so less than a four hours total for this delightful little excursion.
Hiked on July 5, 2015 See this review on Trip Advisor.
We visited the Craggy Gardens area along the Blue Ridge Parkway as part of a long weekend trip to Asheville. After reading the descriptions of the area and the trails we felt that this would make a nice place for an easy walk that my 77-year-old mother could also enjoy (she walks a few miles in the hills of southern WV and did 11 miles with us last year in Cades Cove in the Smokys, so I was not too worried about her). Turned out to be a very good option.
There are two short hikes in the area, Craggy Gardens and Craggy Peak. Each trail is about a mile long round trip, but a little rough and uphill most of the way from the trailhead. We took our time and spent the better part of an hour on each trail, just enjoying the views along the trails and setting a pace that was good for Mom.
We approached the area coming from the south along the parkway, so we hit the Visitor Center first. Nice views from both sides of the road at the VC. The Craggy Gardens trailhead is at the south end of the parking lot. The majority of the trail is through the woods so it is shaded and cool. The temperature was 10 degrees cooler at the Visitor Center than in Asheville on the day we were there (low 60s F when we arrived around 11:30 AM). The walk up to the heath bald is generally uphill but the elevation gain is only about 240 feet. The trail was a little wet in spots, but not muddy or slick. This was a very green hike with ferns being the main vegetation along with birch trees. The wooded part of the trial was basically like walking through a tunnel. But it made for a very pleasant stroll. The “tunnel” abruptly ends at start of the bald area where there is an open air pavilion (nice place for a picnic). The trail sort of splits at this point. We went up to the balds area on the trail east of the pavilion and returned on the trail that comes out to the west of the pavilion. Not much difference but a little change in perspective on the views. Beyond the pavilion the trail climb just a bit further through the balds are to an overlook just over the crest of the hill which provided a nice view of the ridges to the east. We enjoyed the views for a bit then headed back to the Visitor Center.
The Visitor Center is small and not well stocked, but we did find some trail mix for sale and a water fountain, so we took a little break before mounting up for the next hike. The staff there are very helpful and informative about the trails and sights to see along the Parkway. There are maps available (free) as well as more details trail guides and souvenirs for sale. We could see the folks up on Craggy Peak from the Visitor Center parking lot. They were well above us, so I was hoping for a good view of the surrounding hills and valleys.
The drive to the trailhead parking is short, just up the hill, through the tunnel and around the bend. The trail to Craggy Peak is also basically wooded, but it is a bit more uphill and a lot more interesting. The first part runs through stands of rhododendron. Unfortunately the flowers were well past their prime but I bet this would have been simply gorgeous when the shrubs were in bloom. The next section of the trail went through birch trees but was interesting for the twisted nature of the exposed roots of the trees. This little display only lasts for about 100 yards or so, but with the right I bet there are some interesting images to be had. The crowds on the trails were light, but there were more folks out on the Craggy Peak trail. Maybe it is the more interesting or just later in the day. But still it was not packed. But this was apparently dog walking day on the way to Craggy Peak as we passed several canines out with their humans. At first it was all little dogs, but we finally saw some big mutts on our return hike.
The view from the summit was very pretty, but the clouds had rolled back in so the vista was not great on the day we visited. And it was very windy on the exposed viewing area. Still the vista was worth the effort in getting there. We stayed long enough to take in the view and grab a few photos, and then headed back down. We opted to not take the side trail to the lower viewing area and just hiked back to the trailhead. The two little hikes total just under 2 miles total and each took less than an hour to complete and we were really taking our time. After descending from Craggy Peak, we loaded up and retraced our route back to Asheville. We were back at the house about 2:15 so less than a four hours total for this delightful little excursion.
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