Asheville, NC | Where to Stay, Eat, & Visit

My hubby and I took a weekend trip to Asheville, North Carolina to celebrate my 25th birthday last weekend. It was such a fun trip! The mountain views paired with the city atmosphere make Asheville so unique. From the contemporary hotels and restaurants downtown to the rich history of the city, we thoroughly enjoyed our time here. I’m sharing below where we stayed, ate, and visited during this trip.

Where to Stay

I’ve made it a new bucket list goal to stay at each of the Kimpton Hotels. The Kimpton Arras is the 4th one we’ve stayed at and it did not disappoint! The main thing we love about the Kimpton Hotels is not only are they dog friendly, but they don’t charge an extra pet fee. The Kimpton Arras was extremely clean and the rooms were so modern. We also love the social hour where you can grab a free drink from the lobby each evening. The location of the hotel was great! It was right in the middle of downtown Asheville and was walking distance to all of the restaurants we went to.

Where to Eat

One of my favorite things to do while traveling is try out new restaurants! Asheville has tons of dog friendly places to grab a drink or a bite to eat. I will list all of the places we visited plus a few recommendations we didn’t have time to try.

• Biscuit Head: These massive biscuits were delicious! We had them delivered to our hotel.
• Tupelo Honey: We had brunch here on Sunday and it was amazing! They have dog friendly outdoor seating.
• Mayfel’s: This was right next to Tupelo Honey and also had a patio for outdoor seating.
• White Duck Taco Shop: There are 2 locations of this taco shop in Asheville, one being within walking distance of the Kimpton. There wasn’t outside seating so we took it back to our room for a quick lunch. The tacos were unique and super good!
• Wicked Weed Brewing Pub: Their outdoor patio was very spacious plus it was heated so Sunny definitely loved it here! The beer & appetizers were great!
• Funkatorium: This brewery is owned by Wicked Weed, but it specializes in sour beer. We had fun trying out some unique brews!
• Sierra Nevada Brewery: A friend recommended that we check this place out, but we had to skip it for now because they are only open for takeout. It looks amazing so definitely check back whenever you plan to visit!
• Bargello: This restaurant, along with District 42, are located directly below the Kimpton, so naturally we had to try them. The atmosphere was great and the food was even better! We loved the outdoor patio filled with fire pits.

Where to Visit

The most well known attraction in the Asheville area is the Biltmore Estate. We spent about half a day here, but could have spent even more time! We stopped by the Biltmore Village and Winery first for a snack and to try some wine. There was outdoor patio seating, but we were hoping for more of a view since the grounds are so gorgeous. The Estate itself is dog friendly, but the only location that dogs are not allowed is inside the actual house. We bought tickets with house entry times 1 hour and 15 minutes apart, which ended up being just the right amount of time to take turns entering the house. The Biltmore House was stunning and the history was so interesting! The Estate also has several trails and gardens that we wish we would have had more time for.

We also spent about an hour walking around Asheville’s River Arts District. There is a great trail along the river that many people used for dog walking and cycling. There were some wall murals, but the Arts District was mainly comprised of several indoor art exhibits.

The location of the Kimpton hotel was perfect for exploring downtown Asheville. We had a great time walking along the streets and learning some of Asheville’s history. We thoroughly enjoyed stopping by some of the points along the Urban’s Trails scavenger hunt. Use this interactive map to see directions to each landmark and its significance.

Our last stop on this trip was to the North Carolina Arboretum. Despite our visit being during the winter months, there were still several plants in bloom. I can image it’s even more beautiful in the spring! There were also tons of trails and picnic areas that we wish we would have had more time for!

Asheville has something to offer for everyone, whether you’re looking for a chic restaurant, unique brewery, or just some dog friendly places. I highly recommend a weekend getaway here if you’re looking for a fun city to explore! You can also see more of my travel guides HERE!