We made the most of Asheville in 24 hours

We dined at a James Beard award-winning restaurant and ate Cuban food on a rooftop terrace with mountains views. Our Friday evening started with sipping adult craft cocktails at a cozy speakeasy before joining the weekly tradition of the Drum Circle in Pritchard Park.

During the tour of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial that includes his childhood home, the inspiration for his novel “Look Homeward Angel,” we learned his characters were so thinly disguised he didn’t return to Asheville for seven years.There was also time for a little shopping downtown, a farmers market and hiking in the mountains.

I’ve always loved visiting Asheville, North Carolina, with its mountain setting, walkable downtown and cool, hippie, anything-goes vibe. Add to that the opportunities for outdoor recreation and delicious restaurant scene and you’ve got the formula for an enticing getaway.

For this visit we only had one day, but we made the best of it with plenty of activities and even some down time to just chill.

Friday, noon
Lunch at Chai Pani Asheville

Although the original location of this Indian street food location opened in 2009 in Decatur, outside of Atlanta, we’d never been to Chai Pani.  Now Chai Pani Asheville is at the top of our list when we’re in town.

It recently moved to a new location not too far from its previous one downtown. After snagging a fantastic parking spot that cost us 65 cents(!), we walked a few blocks and were surprised at how much larger the new location is. The increased size did not translate into a shorter wait for this uber popular restaurant, however.

But the wait wasn’t too long and Chris was happy as the Catawba Brewing Company was conveniently located next door and he hates to see a brewery go unvisited. We met up with our friend Melissa, my high school friend who is now a local and helped with our weekend agenda.

The bright pink, orange and teal décor at Chai Pani was so cheery it made me smile. The faded murals on the brick walls remain from the building’s former home as a skating rink for the African-American community.

We took a seat at one end of the community table and enjoyed matchstick okra fries that reminded me of the ones we beg my college friends to make every time we get together. One year they brought a FryDaddy and chopped a billion pieces of okra lengthwise, fried them and sprinkled them with garam masala. We ate them as fast as they brought them out of the fryer.

We also had sloppy jai (spiced lamb hash) and a Malabar chicken thali with an extra order of naan to soak up all the delicious spices. (Check out the chicken recipe in this related story.)

See our related story: 12 stunning and unique treehouses in Asheville, North Carolina

Friday, 2:30 p.m.
Tour of Montford Area Historic District

Although we had both been to Asheville many times, we didn’t think we had a good feel for the city and decided to take a driving tour of the Montford Area Historic District. Many of the homes were built between 1890 and 1920 and are in the National Register Historic District. Architecture styles include Queen Anne, Colonial, Victorian and Arts and Crafts.

Friday, 3:30 p.m.
The Thomas Wolfe Memorial

After our drive, we headed to the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, also located downtown. If you weren’t an English major like me, here’s a refresher. Thomas Wolfe wrote “Look Homeward, Angel,” which is considered one of the most important literary works of the 20^th century.

The memorial includes a movie, small museum and a tour of his childhood home, which his mother ran as a boardinghouse. Thomas grew up in this home and the revolving boarders were the basis of characters in his book. Apparently, many of them were not very well disguised and were easily recognized, leading to much anger in the community and Thomas staying away from Asheville for seven years to escape the wrath of the locals.

Friday, 5:00. 
Stroll around downtown Asheville

With a bit of time to kill before we met back up with Melissa, we strolled around the downtown streets of Asheville, one of my favorite things to do. Other than an Anthropologie, you won’t see many chain retail or restaurant establishments. There are dozens lots of small, cute shops, restaurants and art galleries.

One of my favorite places is the Kress Building, which has rows of artists’ stalls featuring the work of local artists.

Friday, 6:30
Cocktails at The Crow & Quill

One of the benefits of hanging with a local is they know the hidden spots. You can’t get too much more hidden than The Crow & Quill. There’s no sign outside – you just have to know it’s there.

This antique-filled craft cocktail bar has more than 800 whiskeys and 1,000 spirits. We grabbed a cozy corner with leather sofas and chairs and sipped on delicious gin and tonics. It was a perfect respite from the hot afternoon and to toast the beginning of the weekend.

The bar has live music several nights a week. Chris stopped by another time and saw a swing band, which I would have loved.

Friday, 7:30 p.m. 
Drum Circle in Pritchard Park

As we headed up the street to Pritchard Park we began to hear the steady thump, thump, thump of drums. It’s an Asheville tradition that every Friday night from April to October whoever wants to show up with a drum can participate in the Asheville Drum Circle.

We saw all ages of people keeping the beat on their version of a drum, some standing or sitting in the middle while others were sitting on the concrete steps in the park. It was hard to tell if there was any leader or they just followed the beat of their own drum – hey, couldn’t resist that one.

One woman, wearing a red fringed dress with red shoes, got up and began dancing around the drummers, following her own groove.

The steady beat of the drums was rather mesmerizing and we stayed for quite a while before our growling stomachs urged us to move on.

Friday, 8:00 p.m.
Dinner at Hemingway’s

At Melissa’s suggestion, we headed to the top of the Cambria Hotel to have dinner at Hemingway’s Cuba Restaurant and Rooftop Bar.

How I love a good rooftop bar and the setting was perfect. We had views of the city and the Blue Ridge mountains beyond. Plus, I love Cuban food. After a refreshing cocktail, and a glass of rose for me, we had ceviche and some tacos. If the weather isn’t so great, there’s a large dining room as well for indoor dining.

Saturday, 9:00
North Asheville Tailgate Market

Held every Saturday from April to November, the North Asheville Tailgate Market features several booths of produce and crafts with around 60 vendors on the campus of UNC Asheville.

Saturday, 10:00 a.m.
The Blue Ridge Parkway and Craggy Pinnacle Trail

It would be a shame to come to Asheville and not drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile drive through the mountains and Appalachian Highlands of Virginia and North Carolina.

We drove to the trailhead for the Craggy Pinnacle Trail, about a 1.2-mile trail with a 250-foot elevation change. Although the trail was a little crowded as it was a beautiful Saturday, we made it up easily and paused to take in the amazing 360-degree views.

After the hike we stopped at the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center for some refreshments and more stellar mountain views.

For more information, visit ExploreAsheville.com

– Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief