Nearest Airports

Rental cars are recommended to travel around Western NC!

Asheville Regional - 20 minutes from Downtown - Allegiant flies directly from Logan/Boston with pretty cheap fares! Baggage fees apply on them though.

Charlotte/Douglas - 2 hours from Downtown Asheville - Decent drive but more flight options.

Downtown Asheville is loaded with hotels - but they can be very pricey!

AirBNBs in the area are generally much more affordable. Nearby towns include Waynesville, Weaverville, Hendersonville, Black Mountain. All are about 30 minutes from Asheville.

Check out cabins in the surrounding area as well!

For those coming from outside of NC - Asheville is situated in the heart of the Blue Ridge / Smoky Mountains. Asheville is a hip city with lots of breweries, music, and amazing food!

James & Rose's Recommendations

The Biltmore House - One of the icons of Asheville. Beautiful, huge mansion, with great gardens, history, and more. Tickets are on the pricy side but if you're visiting from out of town I have to recommend it!

The Blue Ridge Parkway - The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic road that goes up and down the Smoky Mountains. Take a ride, stop at the scenic overlooks. Check out the sunset at Water Rock Knob. Note - cell reception is spotty on the Parkway so be sure to have directions set before you get on!

Great Smoky Mountain National Park - The most visited National Park in the country. Lots to do and see here, the entrance is a little over an hour from Asheville.

Downtown Asheville - Some of our food and drink recommendations are downtown, but in general just walk around, there's so much food, drink, and charming stores to check out!

West Asheville / Haywood Road - This is another strip of restaurants, breweries, and bars. This is generally less busy than downtown and more "local".

Waterfalls - There are so many amazing waterfalls in the Western NC area. Some are right off the road and others require a hike - do a search to find the best ones for you.

Hiking - Lots of hiking trails for every level!

Harrah's Cherokee Casino - Located in Cherokee, about an hour away from Asheville. Very well kept casino - with a resort connected.

Tubing - Rent a tube and go down one of WNC's many rivers. The French Broad river goes right through Asheville, but many question how clean it is. The Oconaluftee river is in Cherokee, and is generally regarded as cleaner (And a little warmer).

Curate - Spanish/Mediterranean Tapas - our favorite restaurant. Pricy but great!

Nine Mile - Unique Caribbean inspired pasta dishes

Strada - Great Italian food, the pasta is all handmade, fresh.

12 Bones - For awesome southern BBQ, visited by Obama on his tours here.

828 Pizzeria - Amazing NY style pizza, using fresh mozarella!

Universal Joint - Great burgers and pub grub, right next to our house!

Foothills - Burgers and other meat!

Papas and Beer - California style Mexican food!

Moose Cafe - Farm to table, great breakfast

Biscuithead - Southern style biscuits with unique toppings, very busy.

Waffle House - 24/7 Southern Icon, Try this at 3am after a night downtown drinking for best results

Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack - Southern cooking, hot hot chicken! Try the pot pies if you want something different

Hole Donut - Yeast style donuts made to order - so great!

Dobra Tea - One of James's favorite places in the world - sit back and drink some tea!

Old Europe - Small bakery and coffee that offers amazing cakes and other sweets. Skip desert at the restaurant and go right here.

Asheville is loaded with awesome watering holes, here's some of our favorites.

Sierra Nevada - About 20 minutes from downtown. We had our first date here! World famous breweries Eastern location. Beautiful brewery! Take a tour, grab a beer, enjoy the beautiful outdoor area, eat some amazing food! Don't miss this!

Highland Brewery - Another great brewery, the first big one in Asheville. Fun outdoor area, music, etc.

New Belgium - The other big boy brewery, not nearly nice as Sierra Nevada but it's right on the river near downtown.

Old London Road - James & Rose's soccer crew hangout

Haywood Country Club - Located in West Asheville, bar with affordable drinks and cocktails. Not a country club.

Double Crown - Dive bar of dive bars

Brew Pump - Gas station bar, affordable pours, good folks.