Bumping to say that my wife and I absolutely loved Asheville and wished we could’ve stayed an extra day or two. It’s definitely a blue/lib hippie city, and has a feel of what Austin was like maybe 30-40 years ago, but much more diverse.
Rhubarb was excellent, our favorite meal of the trip. Cucina 24 was also very good. Tupelo Honey, not so much. All Day Darling and Mother were solid brunch/lunch fare. Lots of great breweries (it seemed like the town had 100 of them) and bars in between. We loved Sovereign Remedies — thanks @Duane Moore — we met the owner, Charlie, who was a super friendly, and went back the second day.
Speaking of which, it was one of the friendliest places I’ve been in recent memory. From hotel and restaurant staff to locals we walked past on the streets. Lots of “good morning,” “hi,” and friendly waves from strangers.
Surprisingly, given the hippie vibe and decent amount of weed dispensaries, we smelled pot maybe once during all of our time walking the streets, unlike New York or New Orleans where you take a whiff every block.
We’d love to go back, and take a few extra days to include a day trip for hiking. In my retirement fantasy where I can actually break free from Austin, Asheville is very high on our list.
tl;dr version: Would bang Asheville again.