In Episode 12, The Travel Brats interviewed actress, Natalie Brouwer, about all things Asheville (the little sister city to San Franscico). In this episode, Natalie shares her recommendations and hidden gems on where to go, what to see, and how to make the most out of your time in the beautiful city of Asheville, North Carolina. She even shares her favorite Breweries with beer recs, so tune in before you head to NC!
There’s so much to do in Asheville and there’s a lot of opportunities to travel there on a budget because there are a ton of free things to do, like hiking/parks/walk around downtown
Best times to go to Asheville: Recommended times to go— spring and fall for different reasons
Things to do:
- Festivals during the seasons – Sourwood/Apple Festival http://www.sourwoodfestival.com
- Drum Circle https://www.romanticasheville.com/drumming_circle.htm
- Smokey Mountain Folk Festival https://www.lakejunaluska.com/specials_packages/family_vacations/sm_folk_festival/
- Local Farmers Markets
- Downtown Asheville – Pack Square Park https://www.romanticasheville.com/packsquare.htm
Fall time recommendations:
- Go to the Mountains
- hiking BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY https://www.blueridgeparkway.org
- Craggy Gardens https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/poi/craggy-gardens/
- Devil’s Courthouse Trail https://ashevilletrails.com/blue-ridge-parkway/devils-courthouse-trail/
- Mount Mitchell Trails https://ashevilletrails.com/category/mount-mitchell-state-park/
- A little farther away in Black Mountain/Old Fort/Montreat – Ridgecrest, Catawba Falls, and Lookout Mountain (lake tamaha) https://ashevilletrails.com
- Mountain Biking – Max Patch, Bent Creek, Triple Falls, Graveyard Fields MONTREAT/OLD FORT https://www.romanticasheville.com/max-patch
Winter Recommendations:
Skiing at Beech and Sugar Mountain https://www.beechmountainresort.com
ARTSY + Cultural Activities To Attend:
River Arts District https://www.riverartsdistrict.com
Biltmore House (late 1800’s) https://www.biltmore.com
Grove Park Inn (1913) https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/asheville-grove-park
Best Places to Eat
Breakfast –
Sunny Point Cafe https://sunnypointcafe.com
Louise’s (Black Mountain) https://louisesblackmtn.com
Over Easy Cafe http://www.overeasyasheville.com
Lunch/Dinner –
WHITE DUCK TACO http://whiteducktacoshop.com
Chestnut https://www.chestnutasheville.com
Chai Pani http://www.chaipaniasheville.com/
Nine Mile https://ninemileasheville.com
Farm Burger https://farmburger.com/asheville-nc/
Easy Girl Eatery https://earlygirleatery.com
Tupelo Honey Cafe https://tupelohoneycafe.com/location/downtown-asheville/
My Father’s Pizza (BM) http://www.myfatherspizza.com
Fresh (BM) https://freshwoodfiredpizza.net
Where are the best places to stay?
Air bnb! Or you can rent houses/cabins. Or stay at one of the nicer/fancier places connected to Biltmore/Grove Park
https://www.airbnb.com/s/Asheville–NC
Best Places to Explore/“hidden” gems:
Visit Black Mountain: https://www.exploreblackmountain.comThe town of Black Mountain
Sliding Rock a little farther away in Brevard and LAKE LURE: http://www.townoflakelure.com
Top Breweries!!!!
-Beer (Brewing companies)
*Sierra Nevada https://sierranevada.com/visit/north-carolina/
*Wicked Weed https://www.wickedweedbrewing.com/
*New Belgium https://www.newbelgium.com/brewery/asheville/
*Highland Brewing https://highlandbrewing.com/
*Green Man http://www.greenmanbrewery.com/
*Catawba https://catawbabrewing.com/
-favorite beers – Octoberfest (SN), White Zombie (Catawba), Pernicious IPA (WW)
Safety Tips
Asheville is a very safe town
When Hiking, make sure you dress appropriately for the season. Bug spray, water, snacks. Bears (black bears) you will likely not see. They are nocturnal animals and are more scared of you then you are of them. With a snake, if it’s a black snake you are fine. You will likely not see them either, but perhaps look up what to do if you see a copperhead, rattlesnake, or water moccasin. Make sure to lock your car! In general, just be aware of your surroundings. Our hikes are VERY user friendly!
Stay connected with Natalie by following her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/nataliejuneb/
After boxing yesterday, my mom and I wanted to try something new for lunch. We wanted to be healthy, but we were also ready to devour some delicious food.
