Greetings Gallivanters!

Ready for our next excursion? Today we are heading for a day trip to Asheville, North Carolina.

As the Nashville of the Blueridge Mountains, Asheville has a lot to offer those into the food, history, architectural, and art scenes.

It’s maintained a perfect balance of scenic overlooks and rooftop bars. Whatever you are into, Asheville NC can provide you a great escape, even if just for a day.

Let’s start our day in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Times Bar & Coffee Shop

Starting off strong (no pun intended), let’s head to The Times Bar & Coffee Shop. Sometimes it’s a bar, sometimes it’s a coffee shop, and somehow it’s both and neither simultaneously.

It’s a vintage-style bar in the heart of downtown Asheville, making it a hub for activity and an excellent kick-off point for your day.

It’s located in the S&W Market and offers a wide selection of spritzes, spirits, and Starbucks derivatives.

Woolworth’s Art Walk

It’s freaky, it’s fun – it’s Woolworth’s Art Walk. Housed in the original F.W. Woolworth building, the art gallery features a diverse body of work by over 175 Asheville artists.

Carvings, quilts, paintings, and metal creations are just some examples of what you can expect to be on display at Woolworths. Need a life-sized motorcycle completely carved from wood? Or maybe a portrait of a beagle in 16th-century Elizabethan clothing?

I think you do. At the very least, you need to see it.

Contrada Pizzaria

All this art critiquing and connoisseuring (questioning if that’s a word), has me starving. Let’s head over for a late lunch/early dinner at Contrada.

Contrada is an upscale pizza joint in downtown Asheville that offers an array of unique toppings, flavor combinations, and Italian words on their menu that I can’t pronounce.

But why would I tell you when I can show you:

The Biltmore Estates

The Biltmore Estates, the largest home in America, is located in Asheville North Carolina. Previously home to the esteemed Vanderbilt family, the Biltmore Estate is now one of North Carolina’s top tourist destinations.

You could spend your entire day in Asheville touring the vast estate, sampling vino from Biltmore’s own winery, or exploring its different art exhibitions.

This is the perfect time to do so, as Biltmore has decked all 250 rooms of their halls for the holidays. Catch a glimpse of the gilded glamour of The Biltmore Estate lit up with hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights.

As the estate is a some miles from downtown Asheville, I would recommend making this either the first or last item on your itinerary.

You can find information about availability for self-guided tours of the estate here on Biltmore’s website.

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Thanks for checking out the blog! I hope that you make Asheville your next travel destination. This is not a comprehensive list of everything to do in Asheville by far, but that just means you can come back and explore some more.

Until next time,

-Allison