GoSouth / North Carolina

Photography / ExploreAsheville.com

Asheville North Carolina will take you from quaint to quintessence, nature to nightlife, hipster to high-end, and back again. It’s everything you’d think the famed Blue Ridge Mountains would offer, then full of surprises you’d never expect to find in this tucked-away treasure and rejuvenating retreat. These top 10 gems will keep you within a relatively Uber-able distance while you eat, play, stay, and shop amidst fresh mountain air. Surprise yourself with an upbeat music scene, come within arm’s reach of centuries-old history and sensory artistic experiences, favor your inner foodie with a full itinerary of fan-faves, even get married at a rock-n-roll chapel (that’s not a typo). This is the Asheville you love and the new in ’22 that’s ripe for discovery.

Biltmore Cottages

New to Asheville’s famed Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Cottages is the “only overnight accommodations that harken back to the Vanderbilt era.” Built in 1900, these four private residences bestow “the same gracious hospitality enjoyed by George and Edith Vanderbilt’s guests” with covered porches overlooking the farm and the French Broad River.
biltmore.com/stay/cottage

Wrong Way River Lodge and Cabin Campground

Scheduled to open July 2022, book a “sustainable stay along one of the oldest rivers in the world.” 16 new A-frame cabins form a communal gathering space for a true river-life experience. Booking now for the summer with a close-by rock-climbing center, gear and provisions store, bar/cafe, and conference or event space.
wrongwaycampground.com

Salvage Station

Play, play, play, then shake it off at the spot “voted the best outdoor music venue in Western North Carolina.” National headliners and indies alike hit this riverside venue with indoor/outdoor stages/bars and an extensive list of local brews. Grab Southern/New Orleans eats from their Root Down Kitchen “salvagely” decorated as a food-truck styled dining experience.
salvagestation.com

Plant

A vegan restaurant so extraordinary it draws non-vegan masses and regularly tops lists as “one of the nation’s best vegan restaurants.” (USA Today). Kitchen-side, chef-driven, and dog friendly, they run almost exclusively organic and gluten-free.  Try their house-made aged vegan cheeses and ice creams and aesthetically intoxicating plates.
plantisfood.com 

The Admiral

The cinder block wrapping of this West Asheville success makes a mystery of the gourmet interior. “This week’s menu” indicates an ever-changing selection of seasonal sensations including boards (cheese, charcuterie, and beef tartar). Friday and Saturday nights, chairs and tables are replaced with a live DJ, full vinyl set, and a come-one-come-all dancefloor.
theadmiralasheville.com  

Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar

In their own words, “the marriage of two of earth’s finest pleasures, books and wine.” Not kitch, its 12-page menu of literature-themed “edibles and libations” (Goat Expectations, Don Quiche-ote) is as appetizing as it is entertaining. Expand your knowledge while sipping the world’s most festive beverage!
@batteryparkbookexchange

French Broad Chocolate

Costa Rica born, sustainability committed, and internationally celebrated, this decadent delight includes a nearby 14,000 square foot factory and a sometimes street-long line of patrons. The lounge is a haven for indulgence with an entire menu of drinking chocolates, and the boutique boasts baked goods, and shopping for suh-weet souvenirs.
frenchbroadchocolates.com 

Asheville Wellness Tours

In a self-care vacation destination like Asheville, AWT is your go-to for stepping outside to rejuvenate inside. Winery tours and hiking yoga pair with guided forest bathing and nature therapy, including new twilight walks in the botanical gardens, immersing in the golden hour during the rise of a full moon.
ashevillewellnesstours.com 

Photo / Wolf Mountain Vineyards

Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery

A mountaintop experience, Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery is not only award-winning, but making well-aged waves from sea to shining sea. Among 2900 wines judged at the 2021 San Francisco International Wine Competition (SFIWC), Wolf Mountain earned top honors in both red and white varietals. They took home Double Gold for their 2020 Méthode Champenoise Blanc de Blanc Brut winning Best in Show Sparkling and Best Blanc de Blancs. Gold came again for their 2016 Claret Estate Grown Red Blend, taking the prize as the Best Premium Non-Bordeaux Blend. This feat is  especially notable in America’s oldest wine competition, second only to the International Wine and Spirits Competition. 

Wrapped in Blueridge and Appalachian views, it’s a lush landscape to sip some of these winning varietals.

Wolfmountainvineyards.com (Dahloenga, GA)

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