Asheville: Five Day Winter Getaway

Asheville: Five Days of Adventure

Our family usually takes a winter holiday to see snow and mountains (something we don’t get in South Florida). Previously, we would head to either Park City or Colorado for our winter ski trip. Typically, we travel with my sister and her kids. But with a pandemic happening, we did not want to fly for our winter getaway. We intended to find a place within driving distance and where we could be outdoors. Asheville is the perfect place to hike and enjoy some fresh and colder mountain air.

By September, we had booked a house on VRBO that seemed perfect for our two families – it had plenty of bedrooms and a home theatre room, pool table, air hockey game, corn hole, a fire pit, fireplaces, a grill outdoors – it was the perfect house to chill, hang, play games and ring in the new year.

We had dinner delivered one of the nights, and for New Year’s, my sister and I did the meal prep, made a cheese charcuterie board as an appetizer, and our kids’ grilled dinner- steak, shrimp, and vegetables. We played Cards Against Humanity (our version was not PG) and B.S. (well, you get the point- I’ve abbreviated the name 😉 )

Aside from the “road” (I don’t think it qualifies as a road) that was one pothole after another, we had an amazing time. And I will say that Asheville takes the pandemic seriously; masks were required everywhere we went, restaurants and breweries had limited capacity, and unless you were actively eating or drinking, you were expected to wear your mask at the table.

Things to Do (During a Pandemic)

Visit the Biltmore Estate – we booked our package (with the audio) months in advance, knowing they had limited capacity. Make sure if the ages of your group are over 21, that you book the wine tasting. I did not know that Biltmore has its own vineyard. We could not take a tour due to the pandemic, but after the wine tasting, I joined the Biltmore Wine Club (free to join), which gives me 20% off my quarterly shipment of three bottles of wine. I chose the Red Wine Club.

Photo by Biltmore Estate

We could not get into any of their restaurants which was disappointing. Still, we did enjoy the audio tour of the estate and learning about the history of the Vanderbilt family. The Christmas decor is exquisite, and I recommend purchasing your ticket as early as possible. We were unable to get the evening tour. Unfortunately, it was rainy and cold that day, so we did not see the stables or the gardens. You should make your restaurant reservations when you arrive as they were not allowing them in advance.

Explore Downtown Asheville – We did go to the River Arts District one of the days, but many of the studios were closed. Downtown Asheville was fun to explore- we especially liked the Mast General Store and Woolworth Walk, which is not only a large gallery filled with local artisans’ work but here you will be transported back in time to  a restored soda fountain built to resemble the original Woolworth’s (which my 92-year-old aunt worked at as a young teen)

Photo by Mast General Store

Go for a hike – We used Asheville Hiking Tours to take us on a private Waterfall and Blue Ridge Parkway Tour in Pisgah National Park. My thinking was not so much that we would not be able to hike on our own but more we were unfamiliar with the various mountain trails.  One day having a guide would make us feel more comfortable. We chose the waterfall hike, which was a moderate 2.5-mile scenic hike.

Visit the breweries – Asheville has a very vibrant beer scene. Since everyone in our family is over 21, we love visiting breweries, vineyards, and wineries. It was a little challenging visiting many of them due to COVID and the limited number of guests allowed inside, but we did make it to  Hi-Wire Brewing, Bhramari Brewing Co., Burial Beer Co., Green Man, and Wicked Weed, which is more known for their sours. We were unable to get into their sister brewery, Funkatorium.

Photo by Wicked Weed Funkatorium

Restaurants

12 Bones Barbecue

Early Girl Eatery

French Broad Chocolate Lounge

Itto Ramen & Japanese Tapas

Pack’s Tavern

Zambra

Other Restaurant Recommendations

There were some others we would have liked to try that were highly recommended, but time and COVID restrictions did not allow for that:

Curate

Limones

Red Ginger

The Admiral

The Twisted Laurel

Tupelo Honey

White Duck Taco

The one downside was the 10 1/2 hour drive for us. On our way up, we stopped overnight in Savannah just to split up our drive and make it to Asheville before dark without having to leave at dawn. Going home, we were all anxious to sleep in and not have to wake up and drive.  Overall, if you want to get away to the mountains, go on hikes, and enjoy the outdoors, you should consider Asheville.