So the g/f wants to go out to Asheville for a few days leaving tomorrow. She wants to do the Biltmore Estate thing but thus far this is all that has been planned for 3 days.

Wondering about TDub's suggestions on the following:

Places to eat
Good Bars
Live Music
Where to stay
Where to camp
Good hikes

or of course any other pertinant info about the area.

9/21/2008 10:15:06 AM

Barley's has good pizza and lots of beer. Try the Pisgah Organic. They also have live music sometimes. It's in the downtown section, there's lots of other cool places there too. For some of the best bbq ever, check out 12 bones (http://www.12bones.com/). Seriously, it's really good and they have local beers.

You can take the Parkway from Asheville to Brevard for some nice views, then head down to Pisgah for tons of camping and hiking options. Pescado's in Brevard has some killer burritos and is local. It's right across from Brevard College as you head to downtown.

Music - The Orange Peel or most of the bars.

9/21/2008 10:26:37 AM

Right downtown there's a little triangle of roads with a park in the middle. That's a nice place to chill on a pretty day (few bums, but not many) and all the bars and shops around there are awesome. I think it's called Pritchard Park, but you'll have to check with the locals. Anyway, I spent a whole day just wandering around there - went shopping, painted pottery (way fun!), saw some live music. I've heard they have drum circles in that park on Friday nights. Also, look to see if anything is playing at the Grey Eagle.

[Edited on September 21, 2008 at 10:42 AM. Reason : ]

9/21/2008 10:33:40 AM

http://www.theorangepeel.net/calendar20089.php

http://www.thegreyeagle.com/

more

9/21/2008 10:35:13 AM

For the love of god, stay away from those stupid goddamn drum circles. You can smell them from two blocks away, and I don't mean the smell of weed.

9/21/2008 10:48:36 AM

bttt- Leavin in the morning

9/22/2008 1:33:59 AM

I'll second Barley's for pizza and beer.

You should definitely do some hiking while you're there. Do a day trip to Pisgah and go see some of the waterfalls. If you're feeling like a drive you could go do some of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Mt. Mitchell isn't too far, and if you're feeling adventurous you could hike to the peak. It's really not a bad ascent and unless it's wicked foggy that day the view is pretty good.

Biltmore estate is vastly overrated, IMO. Of course my view may be a bit skewed since every time anyone came in to town they wanted to see Biltmore so after the first time it got kind of tedious and boring.

[Edited on September 22, 2008 at 1:42 AM. Reason : adfadf]

9/22/2008 1:41:28 AM

Biltmore is wayyyy overpriced but it is something everyone should do once in their life...

9/22/2008 2:02:58 AM

early girl for breakfast, over easy is also a favorite

barley's has great pizza and what is probably the best selection of NC beers to be had anywhere

tupelo honey is a fancier gourmet-southern restaurant that I really liked

high quality road camping in the north mills river area of pisgah

do a brewery tour (there are like 6 or 7 of them)

when not bumming it i've always stayed at the renaissance and found it reasonably priced and in easy walking distance

9/22/2008 2:05:18 AM

http://www.ashevillebiergarden.com

9/22/2008 2:09:40 AM

message_search.aspx?type=topic§ion=1§ion=9&searchstring=Asheville&username=&usertype=match&sortby=date&sortorder=descending&page=

9/22/2008 9:39:54 AM

I never liked the Bier Garden

I'm going to second Twelve Bones and the Grey Eagle

go out on the parkway and hike around Craggy Gardens... that's a nice time

go watch a second run movie at the Brew and View on Merrimon Ave (make sure to have a pitcher of beer)

this is the UNC-A Events Master Calendar: http://www.unca.edu/calendar/

9/22/2008 12:11:26 PM

Yeah the Renaissance is a nice choice
you should plan your trips farther in advance cause you can get better rates

for tonight though if you don't get there until late poke your head into the Grove Park Inn or check online and see what their rate is - off season and after 10PM it can be like $99-150 a night

I strongly recommend you have breakfast at Early Girl on Wall Street - get there early and be prepared to wait for a little while :: it is worth it, though

9/22/2008 12:14:28 PM

Yeah, Grove Park is awesome. This is going to sound gay as hell, but I always liked looking at the gingerbread houses they have in there around Christmas.

9/22/2008 12:18:07 PM

for dining I recommend Ophelia's World Cafe on Eagle Street - its downtown, look it up!
excellent food

Sugo is also pretty nice

Zambra is an excellent tapas bar with great decor... highly recommended

9/22/2008 12:33:11 PM

i was in ashville once to pick something up and everything was closed.. it was sunday night though

seems like itd only be cool to camp there though

9/22/2008 12:41:22 PM

but you were only there once?

9/22/2008 1:10:18 PM

yea we went to pick up a bike.. drove there and back but were hoping to find a good place to eat that we wouldnt find around here... the mountains were beautiful though, id probably go back again

9/22/2008 1:17:14 PM

get high

9/22/2008 1:17:47 PM

sounds like you looked in the wrong places

however, food does begin to be a challenge after 11PM... variety is greatly limited

9/22/2008 1:22:20 PM

gosh i think we were a little outside of ashville i wish i could rememeber..

i know we passed signs for black mountain which is where my mountain men friends are from

9/22/2008 1:23:27 PM

so... you haven't been to Asheville then

9/22/2008 1:27:13 PM

lol i mean outside as in we drove slightly passed it i dont remember name the highways or something lol

9/22/2008 1:29:11 PM

I didn't read the thread, but I gots some recommendations.

Good movie/bar/food place: Brew n' View on Merrimon Avenue

Good hike/swimming hole: Blue Ridge Parkway #417

Good breakfast diner: Gnelle's diner in Rite Aid on Merrimon and Beaverdam

There are a lot of other good hiking places, like Max Peak, Craggy Dome, and others. Have fun at the Biltmore House, it's too expensive in my opinion

9/22/2008 1:31:00 PM

yeah the Biltmore Estate is such a girlfriend thing to do

cause its like $60 a head

but my gf is awesome - she volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and got free tix

9/22/2008 1:32:52 PM

yea biltmore is a god damn palace

9/22/2008 1:43:08 PM

we went around this time last year!! we went rafting but that was outside of asheville (beardawg helped).

we joined a spontaneous electronic dance party downtown. i would just wander downtown. there are millions of yummy places to eat and you're bound to stumble on SOMETHING to do. there are lots of bars, too. we just walked and stopped when we found interesting things.

we went to barley's, bier garden, some froggy place, and a delicious noodle bowl restaurant i can't remember the name of. spontaneous electro dance party in a square. found some cool record stores, etc etc. basically explored with out a plan.

9/22/2008 2:06:10 PM

add another vote for barley's, easily my favorite place to eat/drink in asheville

and definitely try any of the pisgah beers, absolutely delicious

9/22/2008 2:09:52 PM

Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company - They show movies there as well, great beer
Highland Brewery
French Broad Brewery
Pisgah Brewing Company

Hannah Flannagans - Bar / Music with nice outdoor patio
Jack of the Wood - low key locals bar w/ acoustic acts mostly
Weinhaus - If you want to bring back some dank beer with you. They have growlers from Pisgah; most of the Asheville breweries don't bottle so that's as close as you'll get (across the st from Jack of the Wood)
Orange Peel - great place to see a show

9/22/2008 2:16:03 PM

lsd

9/22/2008 2:18:39 PM

Quote :

"Biltmore is wayyyy overpriced but it is something everyone should do once in their life..."

Def pricey, but if you plan enough time to go hang out at the winery then you get more bang for your buck. We literally sat there and tested wines with another group for over an hour. If you stay on the grounds you can just get a free ride back and chaching.

Or, we also stayed once at the Biltmore Square Hampton Inn for $119 and they had free transportation to and from the Biltmore.

Oh yea, also - If you go and purchase your tickets after 3:00 pm you get the entire next day admission for free. We took off early on Friday and went, purchased tickets at 3:30, stayed until 7:00 and then woke up and took our time on the free the next day.

9/22/2008 2:18:59 PM

Quote :

"a delicious noodle bowl restaurant i can't remember the name of"

Doc Chey's Noodle Restaurant?

I went there when they had a hepatitis outbreak, and I couldn't give blood for a year, haha

9/22/2008 2:19:33 PM

forget Doc Chey's

go to the Noodle House in Pack Square... it is right up the street across from the Vance Monument

superior food by far

9/22/2008 2:33:20 PM

Thanks for all the great replies... We wondered around and checked out some cool head shops and whatnot. Stumpled across a new restaurant/bar off college and broadway. Had great jazz/blues band playing. Bout to get showered and check some of the places out ya'll mentioned. 'preciate it.

9/22/2008 9:59:43 PM

mars volta at the coliseum tomorrow

9/22/2008 10:48:59 PM

anyone been lately? Leaf color update anyone?

10/6/2008 11:23:09 AM

I miss Asheville

10/6/2008 11:24:25 AM

so my update from a local informant tells me the leaves are JUST starting to turn

10/6/2008 11:32:36 AM

they still out of gasoline out there?

10/6/2008 11:42:10 AM

hell if I know
neither I nor my friend use the stuff (directly)

10/6/2008 11:46:06 AM

Yes I'm aware you live in Brooklyn. It was a general question

10/6/2008 11:48:32 AM

no I mean my friend I'm talking to in Asheville doesn't have a car either

bikes never run out of gas

10/6/2008 12:04:56 PM

The gas situation is a lot better, I was just there. And yeah, the leaves are juuust starting to turn colors.

10/6/2008 12:08:36 PM

They have some nice tobacco shops downtown if you want to have a pipe/cigar night with your friends and walk around. Brew and View/Hookah Joe's is always a good choice too.

10/6/2008 12:19:39 PM

I was in Asheville this morning.

Have resolved to make time to go again

10/6/2008 2:09:30 PM

I lived at Brew n View in early college. I've eaten enough of their finger of fire and put enough quarters in the crazy taxi machine to own the damn place.

I miss it raleigh sucks!

10/6/2008 2:10:03 PM

i posted about a ghost tour in the lounge a couple weeks ago but didn't get many hits
http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=542046

anyone know about it?

10/6/2008 3:13:29 PM

I'll be up in Asheville next week if anyone wants to play tennis or hang out or somethin

10/16/2008 6:48:10 PM

As a warning, we were there a few weeks ago when the gas shortage just started and they had ZERO gas of any grade there. It should be better now, but just a warning.



[Edited on October 16, 2008 at 6:53 PM. Reason : Ahh...you were there the exact time as us, nevermind.]

10/16/2008 6:51:57 PM

set em up

10/16/2008 6:59:05 PM