A CITY’S SOUTHERN SOUL
If the two dozen craft breweries don’t draw in the hipsters, the honey bar will
ASHEVILLE, N. C. — Asheville, N.C, is an old soul of a city renewed by a hipster vibe. Attractions range from new breweries and a honey bar to the 120-year-old Biltmore mansion. You can see artists at work in the River Arts District, then go for a hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains. And while there’s plenty to do year-round, fall is particularly lovely. Foliage usually peaks mid- to late-October, but depending on weather, colour at lower elevations can last into November.
WHAT’S NEW
Asheville’s funky River Arts District has been home to artists, entrepreneurs and eateries in the old industrial area around the French Broad River for some time, but the neighbourhood continues to add interesting venues.
The Smoky Park Supper Club, built from recycled shipping containers and specializing in wood-fired cooking, opened in September. The Smoky Mountain Adventure Center, which will feature an indoor climbing gym as well as rentals for bikes, kayaks, canoes and other gear, is scheduled to open in late fall.
And while the Asheville area already has more than two dozen breweries, a $175-million US New Belgium facility with a tasting room is expected to be brewing by the end of the year. Other breweries range from the artsy hole-in-the-wall Wedge Brewing in the River Arts District to the gleaming, modernist Sierra Nevada brewery near the airport in Mills River. Sierra Nevada, which opened earlier this year, also has an excellent restaurant.
Don’t miss the honey bar at the Asheville Bee Charmer, 38 Battery Park Ave. The shop sells 50 varieties of honey, many from North Carolina beekeepers but also imported from France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland. You’ll be stunned by how different honey can taste — fruity, woodsy, earthy, spicy — depending on where bees collect their nectar.
CLASSIC ATTRACTIONS
For a look at life in the Gilded Age, visit the 250-room Biltmore, built by George Vanderbilt. It’s the largest private home in the United States and attracted 1.5 million visitors in the past year. The grounds, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, are also spectacular. They include waterways, winding roads, gardens, farms, a winery and gorgeous mountain views. The new Village Hotel on Biltmore opens here in December.
Downtown, take a stroll around Pack Square Park and then tour the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, which includes the writer’s birthplace and a nearby boarding house run by his mother. Wolfe’s barely fictionalized depiction of his hometown in his bestselling 1929 novel Look Homeward, Angel upset the locals so much that it was initially banned in Asheville. Actor Jude Law visited the memorial to prepare for his role portraying Wolfe in a movie due out later this year.
TIPS
Flights to Asheville’s small airport can be expensive. The nearest major hubs are in Greenville, S.C., 125 kilometres away; Atlanta, 325 km, and Charlotte, N.C., 200 km (a one-way van from Charlotte to Asheville will cost $85). But with some flexibility, you can score deals, including bargains on Allegiant from West Palm Beach, Fla.
You can explore the River Arts District or downtown in a few hours, but you’ll need a day to do the Biltmore justice.
HANGING OUT
Arrive hungry: Asheville has great food. Favourites include barbecue at 12 Bones Smokehouse, 5 Riverside Dr.; upscale fare at The Admiral, 400 Haywood; fried chicken at Rocky’s, 1455 Patton Ave.; heavenly biscuits and comfort food at Tupelo Honey Cafe, 12 College St.; and cocktails at the sophisticated Sovereign Remedies, 29 N. Market St.
Make time for the great outdoors. Even if all you do is drive a stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the scenic overlooks will lift your soul. For hiking recommendations and other information, go to exploreasheville.com.