Asheville’s River Arts District
The drive to Asheville has been marked by the impacts of Hurricane Helene. Amid the beautiful mountain views, parts of I-40 have been reduced to a single lane in either direction after portions of the roadway washed into the Pigeon River due to the 2024 disaster — the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017.
But as the city continues to recover, its doors are open for tourists, and it’s a great time to show Asheville some love. Long a hot spot for its arts community, craft beer buzz and hiking access, Asheville has also seen renewed attention on its music scene due to recent high-profile indie-rock acts like Indigo de Souza and Wednesday. It’s an ideal trip for an arts, culinary or outdoor enthusiast — and even better if, like me, you’re all of the above.
Stay
Camping and hostel options abound in Asheville, while boutique hotels are walkable to downtown offerings. My partner Levi and I split the difference and stayed at the Log Cabin Motor Court, a 1930s-era roadside cabin lodge 10 minutes from downtown. Offering quirky comforts and a woodsy feel, it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was a filming location for the 1958 Knoxville-set moonshine noir Thunder Road.
We stayed in Lazy Dazy, a cozy one-room cabin with a king-size bed and two writing desks. It also has a big front porch that was built around a tree — the perfect place to sit in a rocking chair, sip a strong cup of coffee and watch the rain roll in.
Lazy Dazy
Do
We got into Asheville right before sunset on a Friday, leaving just enough time to catch the weekly community Asheville Drum Circle and peruse the shops downtown. Malaprop’s Bookstore has an in-house cafe and a mystical “Curio Cabinet” section (I took home a tarot deck), while Madam Clutterbuckets sells goth gifts with a mission of disability advocacy. There are also several quirky museums, including the Moogseum, dedicated to synthesizer mad scientist and UNC-Asheville professor Bob Moog. It’s a fascinating trip through the intersection of science and music — with playable synths and theremins on site.
Fans of esoteric tunes will also love Fleetwood’s, a combination dive bar, vintage shop, music venue and wedding chapel that makes for a perfectly scrappy choose-your-own-adventure. On Friday, we caught a rollicking bill of local artists: queer cyberpunks CamGirl, dystopian thrashers Madder Max, pop-punk act My Gal Monday and powerhouse arena rockers Halogi.
Fleetwood’s
As Scene managing editor Alejandro Ramirez explored in depth for 2021’s Road Trip Issue, Asheville is a great gateway to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian hiking options. We wanted a quick Saturday outing, so after picking up a Red Hot Chili Mocha from double-decker bus cafe Double D’s Coffee and Desserts, we headed to the Fryingpan Lookout Tower Trail. It’s an easy, out-and-back route with impressive views — and no shortage of overlooks along the way.
That night, we stopped by Blank Space for an art show by sculptor Kallen DeHart, whose tongue-in-cheek works in clay and wood consider artifact and impermanence. That’s also top of mind at Marquee, a sprawling art bazaar in the River Arts District — a neighborhood heavily impacted by Helene. Since then, several Marquee stalls feature striking displays of works that survived the hurricane alongside their wares. One painter, Erica Schaffel, has spearheaded efforts to honor lost artworks and fundraise for impacted artists, creating a commemorative art book and card deck set called The Flood Collection.
Cesspool of Cinnamon Latte
Levi is vegan, so as we planned our trip, we asked a friend for veggie-friendly restaurant recommendations. He replied “lol this is Asheville” — and plant-based or not, the city’s culinary scene is excellent. Chai Pani, the James Beard-recognized Indian restaurant group behind spice brand Spicewalla, runs a street food eatery called Botiwalla that’s perfect for a quick bite. We loved the malai chicken rice bowl, masala smashed potatoes and the Gobi 65, plus their delicate, creamy chai. Biscuit Head and High Five Coffee, meanwhile, are top-notch spots for breakfast. High Five’s Cesspool of Cinnamon latte is the stuff of dreams, with a warmth that blooms in your mouth with each sip, and High Five serves a generous lox bagel and multiple vegan cream cheese options. Biscuit Head’s Greenvillain is a towering sandwich piled with country-fried pork, jalapeño cream cheese, bacon gravy and a sunny-side up egg. The side of chow chow provides a digestive, so you don’t feel it sticking to your ribs.
Enlightened Aren’t We All
The decadent vegan fare at Plant could convert a die-hard carnivore. Their Flatbread and Spread appetizer pairs salty za’atar crackers with rich roasted red pepper dip and tangy preserved lemon and date sausages, while their crispy mushroom mole has perfectly grilled zucchini. Levi opted for the Piccata 79’s crunchy tofu with chickeny sauce. For a drink, I indulged in their Phoebe Bridgers-inspired white Russian riff, the Stranger in the Alps, which has a nutty nuance through sesame and cacao nib toppings.
And of course, there are the breweries. Asheville has dozens, from local indies to large-scale corporations. Zillicoah’s ample space leaves room for food trucks like the delicious Filipino Master BBQ, and their Oyster Beech Lager has a briny merroir from Carolina oysters. Burial is a trendy spot with brews that sound like a metal album track list. Their Enlightened Aren’t We All showed me the error of my IPA-hating ways, and foudre-aged black lager Pitiless Indifference is chocolatey, malty and surprisingly light. Want something heavier? Imperial stout Become Your Uneclipsed Indulgences So That You May Be Unjudged is worth the mouthful.
New Belgium Brewing Company
Beer fans can also spend an afternoon touring the sprawling campus of craft beer pioneers New Belgium Brewing Company, the creators of Fat Tire and Voodoo Ranger. Our guide emphasized the company’s ecological and neighborly responsibility, and pointed out murals in the facility that were painted by local artists in the wake of Helene. Another example of the resilience and sense of community in this creative corner of the mountains — and another way to try some delicious brews.
From Asheville and Highlands to Little Rock and beyond, here are our recommendations for late-summer getaways
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