5 Reasons You Need to Visit Asheville

Asheville may look like a quiet and quaint town that is going to be a steady, if not a little stoic in its character; however behind the idyllic storefronts are the spinning wheels of a vibrant, modern take on the southern traditions we're known for. Among the dozens of reasons you should prioritize your trip to Asheville this year, there are five that stand out among the rest. Consequently, these are five things that will make Asheville's unique culture also stand out among other possible vacations spots.

While Asheville may not be the first place that pops into your mind when you think of a great destination for experiencing art, it has started to not only be referred to as the "beer capital of the USA" but the "Paris of the South". With galleries, museums and performances of every type of art Asheville is starting to make it's mark. The Asheville Art Museum has free admission on the first Wednesday of every month and hands-on-experiences on the third Tuesday of every month. The first Friday of every month 25 galleries downtown open their doors for an Artwalk. If you enjoy art more specific to the region, check out the Southern Highland Craft Guild which focuses on folk crafts that will be completely unique to Asheville and the mountains of North Carolina.

In addition to the vibrant community of painters, sculptors and other artists that manipulate mediums, Asheville has a booming theatre community with both a community theatre and the Diana Wortham Theatre. The community theatre is one of those situations where it can go really well and be a fabulous night out for a very reasonable price, or it can be horrendously painful. However, 62 reviews of Trip Adviser alone place this attraction not only in the top five out of 65 Asheville attractions, but also awards it with a 96% satisfaction rate and an award of excellence. 

Asheville's title of "Beer City USA" is well earned with the majority of microbreweries in the state being in Asheville. If you love beer as much as my family does, Ashevile is the place for you to visit. If a cold draft is your draw to Asheville, make sure you try Wicked Weed Brewing which has released a specialty brew for the month of January and New Belgium is releasing a new Porter in the spring. For a more comprehensive list of local of events look at the Asheville Ale Trail and for brew houses and eateries that serve local brews check out Beer Advocate. If you are looking to sample all the best of Asheville's brews, why not try out our Pub Crawl? No need for tickets or reservations, just print your own map and start walking!

Though Asheville may not have the oldest vineyards in the state, what we lack in longevity we make up for in enthusiasm! Coming in as the oldest at 83 years the Waldensian Heritage Winery reflects the centuries of training in the vineyards of Italy the Waldensians brought with them to their own vineyards. 1971 marks the beginning of perhaps the best known vineyard in Asheville, the Biltmore Vineyard. Bilmore Vineyard's first wine was so remarkably awful that the family labeled it the "crush of horror". In 1977 Philippe Jourdain was brought from France, with four generations of wine-masters in his family tree, his addition to the vineyard yielded incredible improved in vines and fields. Though relatively new to the scene, in 23 years Silver Forks Vineyard and Winery has become a fast favorite of tourists with its Euro-influenced wines.

With a variety of styles, qualities, and prices of food, Asheville really is the foodie's paradise. Among the most notable is the Admiral; masked by a simple cinder-block exterior, the Admiral boasts daily changing menus that utilize the finest ingredients from the area and give creative flairs to both local favorites and entirely unique creations. The Market Place offers menus constructed solely from the products of local farms, offering the quality of fresh farm food with the convenience of staying in town! Locals boast that Bouchon French Bistro is simply the. place. to go for surprisingly good escargot! The Curate offers the unique experience of an open kitchen and eating exceptional food in an 1927 renovated bus station. Nine Mile provides a vegetarian friendly atmosphere with all the spice of delicious Caribbean cuisine.

Regardless of what medium you prefer, there is art in Asheville to satisfy all your creative cravings. The atmosphere of the entire city is also one of warmth and welcome, US Airways Magazine hits the nail on the head when it says (in reference to the art scene and the feel of the city), "When you get right down to it, friendliness is what Asheville is all about. Strangers will strike up a conversation, cars will stop patiently for pedestrians. The grind that infects other cities seems to dissipate in the mountain air. Asheville, dubbed Eden Land by its early Scots-Irish settlers - the paradise once lost - has found itself fully and wholly again."