ASHEVILLE

When it comes to must-see Southern cities, Asheville is near the top of the list. What sets Asheville apart from the colorful coastal cities like New Orleans, Asheville, and Savannah is its elevated location. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville offers breathtaking vistas without the twangy charm of Tennessee spots like Nashville and Gatlinburg. Asheville’s unique flavor is a combination of Appalachian beauty, Southern hospitality, and hippie artistry. It is without a doubt the hippiest city in the South. I cannot ignore the siren song of crunchy granola, patchouli incense, and zodiac tattoo parlors bidding me to come chill out and vibe for a weekend in the mountains.

WHAT WE SAW

Biltmore Estate

Most people come to Asheville to see the famous Biltmore Estate, but Asheville is so much more than the Vanderbilt’s Big Baller Mansion. But… I mean… you should definitely check out the Biltmore Estate first. I mean, look at it.

In Europe, castles are a dime a dozen, but this is THE American Castle. European castles were built as provincial strongholds to protect against invaders; the Biltmore Estate is a monument to American wealth. This is the Xanadu of the Vanderbilt family, the railroad tycoons who bankrolled the Gilded Age.

This is about as close as you’re ever gonna get to seeing Jay Gatsby’s mansion. It’s absolutely opulent, fitted with top-of-the-line technology for the time, ornately decorated with John Singer Sargent portraits and tapestries, but the bottom floor is my favorite. There’s a 1920s gym, an indoor swimming pool, a bowling alley, and a party room painted for Halloween (even though it was apparently for a New Year’s Eve party??? Rich people, man).

The Biltmore also boasts some pretty extravagant gardens. It’s a sprawling estate; if you’re into biking, there’s beautiful bike paths with killer views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Definitely rent a bike if you’re planning a visit in the fall or spring; the foliage is purposefully incredible.

Antler Village

While you’re at the Biltmore, drive over to Antler Village, which houses the Village Hotel (if you can afford it, it’s a lovely and convenient stay, but runs around $300 a night… for that price, you could also rent a private cabin with Blue Ridge views, so…). Antler Village has shopping, restaurants, and most importantly, a dope winery. Biltmore makes my favorite chenin blanc in the whole wide world, so stop by and get an extra bottle for me.

Downtown Asheville

If you’ve had your fill of out-of-this-world wealth and want to come back down to earth, drive over to downtown Asheville. I mean, Asheville is more earth-mother than down-to-earth, but it’s a lot of fun. It’s a pretty sizeable downtown for a smaller Southern city. There’s plenty of kitschy shops to fit your fancy: artisan honey stores, crystal-moon-goddess boutiques with zodiac paraphernalia and canteen stickers, celebrity votive candles and Dolly Parton shrines, vintage clothing, record stores… these are my people.

And if Crunchy Granola is not your brand, there’s twenty breweries in Asheville that can appease the more conservative crowd.

Grove Park Inn

If you’re into a) fancy hotels with nice views, b) celebrities, or c) literary history, stop by the Grove Park Inn at some point in your journey downtown. This gigantic lodge, with two big ol’ fireplaces in the lobby, has hosted 10 US Presidents and, more importantly, Daniel Day Lewis. The cast of The Last of the Mohicans stayed here while filming at Chimney Rock (up next). In fact, pretty much every room at the Grove Park Inn has a little plaque on the door explaining which famous celebrity stayed there. But the greatest of all these is F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Dedicated readers will remember my weird hobby: I have visited or stayed overnight in all but one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s homes. This hobby began on my first visit to Asheville, where I visited the hotel room at the Grove Park Inn where Scott attempted to dry out and write. This is where the Fitzgeralds’ storied lifestyle definitely took a turn for the worse: their marriage was on the rocks, Scott was crippled by addiction, and Zelda realized her schizophrenia was never going to get better. Asheville is also the site of Zelda’s fiery death: while staying at Highland Hospital mental asylum, a fire was supposedly set by a disturbed employee, and Zelda perished in the flames. RIP to a true legend.

Chimney Rock

Need some cheering up? Hike up to Chimney Rock and see the film location where Uncas and Allison fell to their deaths in Last of the Mohicans! Seriously though, it’s a beautiful hike. The hike to Hickory Nut Falls is pretty easy and has a major payoff of trickling waterfall and a view of the valley bisected by the Broad River. There are other trails that are tougher for folks who want a challenge, but most of Chimney Rock is pretty accessible and worth at least two hours of your time.

WHERE WE ATE

Biltmore Estate Restaurants. I have been to all of the restaurants on the Biltmore Estate, and I would recommend them all. If you’re visiting the Biltmore, get a lunch reservation at The Stable Cafe for pretty good Southern comfort food. Is it as good as that one hole in the wall place in your hometown that’s slap-your-mama-good as long as you don’t look underneath the tables? No. Will it hit the spot? Absolutely. Get the trout.

If you’re over by Antler Village, Cedric’s Tavern is nice for casual pub fare. Definitely try to sit outside, especially if you’re going in the spring or fall, as the courtyard is curated for viewing blooms and fall foliage. Personally, I would prioritize Village Social over the tavern, which serves Bougie Southern. You know, like shrimp and grits, except it’s 21 dollars.

But honestly, eat lunch wherever you want on the Biltmore Estate, and eat dinner downtown. There are so many cool options! Asheville is one of the few places where I have broken my rule about strictly eating food of that region while visiting, simply because the region is so eclectic. So most of the places I can recommend in Asheville are 2 Thai restaurants, a dim sum restaurant, and yet another Bougie Southern place.

The Blackbird Restaurant. On the pricier end with most dinner entrees starting at around $25, the food is better than what the Biltmore Estate is serving up to the masses. Plus, because this is Asheville, there are vegetarian and vegan options that look pretty tasty. I would recommend the corn bread, the vegetable wellington, and (as always) get the trout.

Hole Doughnuts. Asheville is known for their donut scene (there are five donut shops around town), but Hole was voted Best Dessert by Bon Appetit in 2016. There’s also plenty of ultrahip coffee shops and juice bars around town waiting to accommodate your morning stroll.

Biscuit Head. Located in West Asheville, Biscuit Head is worth checking out before your drive back, just make sure to get there before the church crowd. For the biscuit uninitiated: a rolled biscuit is where you fold and rough the dough to create flaky layers, then cut the biscuits with a biscuit cutter to create a uniform shape. These are also the kind canned biscuits (gross) claim to be. A cathead biscuit is created by rolling a dough ball the size of a cat’s head in your hand, then dropping the biscuit into a greased cast iron skillet and baking. Cathead biscuits are fluffier, crumblier, and superior. In true Asheville fashion, Biscuit Head makes their own strawberry jam, sriracha slaw, and sweet potato butter. All three condiments are worth trying and a good excuse to buy so so so many biscuits.

Shanghai Dumpling House. Near Blackbird is the spot where I tried my first-ever soup dumplings! Imagine if a pot sticker was a fruit gusher, except instead of high fructose corn syrup, it leaked delicious broth. That’s what’s great about Asheville: in the South, we have truly great food, I mean I really think we have some of the richest, most historic flavor palettes in America… but it’s hard to get exotic food. And that’s really saying something if I have to call a dumpling exotic. I look on Instagram and watch Netflix food travel shows and dream of Yankee delights such as rainbow bagels, soup dumplings, and cronuts… and you can get all of those things in Asheville. So try it! Be weird!

HOW WE PACKED

Pack comfortable walking shoes and light hiking gear if you’re planning on going to Chimney Rock (yes you are you are doing that), as well as if you’re doing a longer biking excursion around the Biltmore Estate. Maybe pack bear spray for outdoor excursions… the tram ride to the Biltmore Mansion is the only time I’ve ever seen a bear in the wild. (And dang… I used to live in California. That’s weird, right? Should I have seen more bears in my lifetime?)

Pack a cute outfit for the Biltmore Mansion. It’s not strenuous, you won’t get sweaty, but you will want to look gorgeous in front of that beautiful view. Did I hear someone say Christmas cards???

As for walking through downtown Asheville, pack your flowiest pair of harem pants, your dirtiest Lauren Daigle tie-dye headband, your strappiest Chacos or Tevas, your clinkiest chakra beads, your most benevolent Grateful Dead tank top.

For more pictures of Asheville and travel inspo, follow me on Instagram at instagram.com/rebeccamcqueenwrites!