A 9-day Asheville Road Trip!

Day One

I left the Pawleys Island area and picked up my friend Stella at the Charlotte airport. We met backpacking in Europe and she’s spent three months traveling in the U.S.! We explored a little of the city and grabbed dinner at one of my favorite spots, Dandelion Market. We caught a Knights game afterwards, and had an early night since Stella had a long journey coming over to States.

Day Two

We took advantage of the hotel's free breakfast, got a quick workout in and then hit the road to Asheville! It wasn’t a bad drive at all, at around just over two hours. We decided to stop at Lake Lure/Chimney Rock Village on the way to Asheville. This added on roughly twenty-five minutes of driving time, but it was well worth it! We spent a good amount of time at the flowering bridge. It’s an awesome way of repurposing space and giving the town an amazing place to explore. We checked out the many shops and river walk in Chimney Rock Village as well! We had dinner at the White Duck Taco Shop! They have absolutely amazing tacos, and an awesome vibe. Be sure to make your way to the one in the River Arts District, that’s the best location!

Image one: The Charlotte Knights playing in their home ballpark, Truist Field. Image two: The entry point for the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge

Day Three

Mornings are for working! Both of us were up early, and visited the nearby Odd's Cafe for breakfast. We had a productive work morning, and hit the Blue Ridge Parkway all the way up to Mount Mitchell, the tallest mountain on the east side of the Mississippi River! Headed back to the city and enjoyed a beer and some dinner at New Belgium Brewery! They only serve beer so you can bring your own food or get something at the food truck of the day! Stopped by a bonfire that the property was hosting and had a nice relaxing night!

Day Four

We spent some time co-working in the morning and headed over to Biscuit Head for an early lunch! Biscuit Head is a must-stop anytime I find my way to Asheville, they have multiple locations as well! Stella and I took the short drive over to the charming town of Black Mountain for some shopping and then up the road to Montreat. Montreat is a small non-commercialized town that doesn’t even have a stop light, has over thirty miles of hiking trails and a town population of about 700 people. In the evening, we went to the drum circle in downtown Asheville with Anita, who we met at the hotel. If you’re lucky enough to be in town on a Friday, It’s a must-visit! We stopped by Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium for some beers and a bite to eat afterwards!

Day Five

We started the day as usual with some more trip planning work, and were trapped inside by a morning full of rain. I wrapped up my to-do list pretty quickly, while Stella had a full day. I ventured off on my own to hike the Walker Creek Falls loop. I somehow managed to dodge the rain the entire time I was on the trail, and I didn't run into a single person! I stopped by Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shop on the way back, which is another can’t-miss spot for anything chicken related! Went to the Westville Pub to watch the 76ers playoff game with Stella and Anita.

Day Six

Now onto one of my favorite places in the world, and by far the favorite part of my trip! We took an hour drive Northwest to the charming, tiny town of Hot Springs! This is a massive hotspot for Appalachian trail hikers! It’s the first northbound town and last southbound town that the hikers will hit, so the few bars and restaurants in town are all packed with hikers, desperate for hot meals and cold beers. We hunkered down at the Artisun Galery and Cafe to get some work done, while sipping coffee. We then hopped across the street to the Big Pillow Brewery for some awesome Mexican food and local beers. We then headed up to our farm stay glamping cabin that was just absolutely beautiful! We stayed in a river perch cabin overlooking the mountains and river below. We took one of the many hiking trails on property to a river view, just over the border into Tennessee for some awesome sunset views!

Image one: Peaceful resting stop on the Walker Falls hike. Image two: The main barn at our glamping farm stay

Day Seven

We spent the morning catching up with the world as the cabin has no cell or Wi-Fi services, but the main barn on the property has a view overlooking the French Broad River and Wi-Fi. This place is so special and you really don’t need to leave the property once you show up here. We hit one of the other hiking trails which heads up to another river view on the other side of the mountain. Went back into town and spent an hour in the famous hot springs. There are seventeen completely private tubs available to rent by the hour, and it will be the most relaxed you’ll feel, especially after a day of hiking. Each tub is drained and sanitized after every use. You’re able to bring food & drinks, and clothing is optional so you don’t have to worry about lugging around a wet swimsuit for the rest of the day. Afterwards, we stopped by Vinyl Pies in town and got some delicious pizzas, then headed back to the farm to watch the full moon rise over the river.

Day Eight

We woke up and spent the most amount of time we possibly could in our glamping cabin and on the farm property. We hit the road and stopped one last time in town at Bluff Mountain Outfitters and said our goodbyes to the sweet town. Instead of driving nearly six hours back to the beach, we drove down south to Dupont State Park and explored the many waterfalls there. If you’re in the area, I 100% recommend going here! Triple Falls is the most popular waterfall, and they have a scene that was filmed here in The Hunger Games movies! After the waterfalls, we went to the Bald Rock Heritage Preserve, which offers amazing unobstructed views of nature and surrounding mountains. Stella loves Mexican food, so we opted for Chipotle, and had an early night in the Greenville area.

Image one: The morning view in our glamping cabin. Image two: Stella showing off her handstand skills in Dupont State Park

Day Nine

The last day of the trip! We had some work to get done in the morning before the much more manageable four-hour drive. We stopped around the halfway point at Congaree National Park to stretch our legs and hike the very easy and relaxing boardwalk trail. They have an awesome self-guided nature tour that describes local fauna, history and happenings in the area. I definitely need to take advantage of having a National Park just over two-hours away from home! We hit the road and headed home to wrap up an amazing nine-day road trip!

This is one of probably seven trips I've taken to Asheville! There's so much to do and the surrounding areas are just amazing as well. I'm always torn between hitting my favorite spots and exploring new places and activities. I hope that this report gives you some great ideas for your trip! I'm happy to help find the perfect place for you to stay based on your travel preferences!

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Asheville. In need of further inspiration? Check out Joslyn Weaver’s guide, Romantic Long Weekend Getaway in Asheville.