A Perfect 3 to 4 Day Weekend Itinerary in Asheville, North Carolina Itinerary- 1,2,3,4,5 Days Itinerary for Asheville, North Carolina. You might be thinking how many days should I spend in Asheville? What is there to do in Asheville? Where do I stay, and much more. Asheville is the perfect weekend or long weekend trip. We have gone back a few times to keep finding new things to do, from trying more of the best places to eat, the most unique breweries and scenic hikes in Asheville. This is my guide to a perfect weekend in Asheville.

Overview

What Is There To Do In Asheville?

Where To Stay

When To Go

How Many Days Do I Need?

Itinerary By Day

Other Options In Asheville

What Is There To Do In Asheville?

Asheville has been a continuously growing area for several years. Every year there seems to be new breweries, cocktail bars, restaurants, shops and always a different hike to go on. It is a place we keep going back to.

This itinerary is best for those who like shorter days hikes with a good meal and refreshing drink to end your day. We did a mix of hiking, eating and brewery hopping.

Where To Stay

There are tons of options of where to stay in Asheville, from downtown, to in the mountains and somewhere in between. We stayed about 15 minutes outside of the city at the “Gather Around the Fire Pit AirBnB“. We wanted something in between the mountains and the city as we were seeing both. And we definitely wanted something with an outdoor fire pit so we had the option to sit outside and enjoy our to-go drinks, and a place with a kitchen as we were gong to make a Thanksgiving meal during our time there. Check out this article on The Best AirBnB’s in Asheville, both in the mountains and near the city.

Booking.com

When To Go

Asheville can be visited at any time of the year. But if planning to hike I would shoot for fall, spring or summer. In the fall expect crowds as many people go here to see the leaves change along the Blue Ridge Parkway. In the winter some higher elevation hiking areas could be snowy or muddy. Make sure you bring proper gear if planning to hike.

We went over Thanksgiving weekend and had rather warm weather, it was in the 70s, perfect for hiking and enjoying outdoor breweries.

How Many Days Do You Need in Asheville?

Asheville is worth seeing on a weekend, but there is plenty to fill you time while there if you are there longer.

We were there for 3 full days plus our arrival and departure day.

Our Itinerary By Day

Arriving in Asheville late at night we grabbed a drink at Green Man and some crowlers to go at Catawba Brewing before breweries and restaurants shut down for the night. Glad we got a chance to check out a few breweries before our first full day there.

Day 1

Start With A Hike

We hiked Black Balsam, Sam Knob and Moore Cove Falls on our first day, making it a longer hiking day. We then did Graveyard Fields Loop the next day. They are in the same areas, so you can switch up which days you hike which trail.

Black Balsam & Tennent Mountain Hike

At this location you can choose to do a short 1.7 mile hike to Black Balsam Knob or extend the trail on the Art Loeb trail for 5 miles (called the Tennent Mountain Hike). We chose the 5 miles, the incline wasn’t too bad and it was a scenic trail along the mountain ridge.

Sam Knob

If your legs are not trail yet I would suggest taking the Sam Knob Trail which is within walking distance of the parking for the Black Balsam Trailhead. This is a 2.5 mile hike, fairly easy with only one section of scrambling. But the top has lots of trails to take to look over the rolling mountain range.

Packed Lunch

We ate our packed sandwiches at the end of Sam Knob Trail. It was a perfect lookout to rest our feet. If not able to pack lunch La Bodega by Curate had to go sandwiches that looked amazing!

Stops Along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Taking our time getting back we stopped at a few of the scenic overlooks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We took a different route back to Asheville, we drove through Mt. Pisgah National Forest. This is where we decided to pull off for one last hike for the day at Moore Cove Falls.

Moore Cove Falls

Moore Cove Falls is a pretty popular hike in the Mr. Pisgah National Forest. It is family friendly. The hike is only 1.4 miles round trip. Making it a fairly easy trail with not much elevation change. But the end up pretty cool, the waterfall itself was small, but I thought it was a lot of fun walking behind the falls.

Dinner at Wicked Weed

Since we got in late this day from our hikes we went for dinner at Wicked Weed. If planning to go here on a weekend I would plan to make reservations. We went later in the evening on a week night and walked right in.

Day 2

If not interested in another hike. This would be a great time to visit one of Asehville’s many great brunch spots (listed below). We started our day with a short

Graveyard Fields Loop

The Graveyard Fields Loop is a family and pet friendly hike. This a perfect morning hike to get a few miles in but also be back into town to explore some more. This trail is about 3.3 miles long, with some options to extend. It takes most hikers around 2-3 hours with very little elevation gain. Start this hike at the Graveyard Fields Parking Lot (off the Blue Ridge Parkway)

Late Lunch at Ben’s Tune Up

After getting back from our early morning hike we cleaned up and went for lunch at Ben’s Tune Up. They are known to be a funky bar but also have house made sake and Asian dishes.

Brewery Visits

We had great weather this day and gave us a chance to hop around to a few different breweries. I would suggest trying out Twin Leaf.

Pizza at Funkatorium

Ending our day for some Tagilo Pizza from Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium rounded are another perfect day in Asheville.

Day 3

We wanted a full day to explore downtown Asheville and all its great food and drink options, so we opted out for hiking on Day 3.

Hole Doughnuts

Our first stop was Hole Doughnuts. This is located in the Westwood region of Asheville. You might want to drive here. This little shop makes the doughnuts on the spot as you order. So expect a little bit longer wait for a donut shop. They have three staple flavors Vanilla Glaze, Toast Almond Sesame and Cinnamon Sugar, and then a rotating seasonal. You can also get coffee, tea and juice here. If planning ahead you can order online to reduce your wait time.

Arts District

Next we headed over to the River Arts District where I ordered a coffee from PennyCup Coffee Co. and we sat and enjoyed our breakfast before wandering the River Arts District.

Wedge Brewing

After some shopping ordered brews to enjoy outside at Wedge Brewing.

Cocktails at Antidote

Our next stop was at Antidote. Antidote is connected to the Chemist Spirits Distillery. It has a great outdoor space with fire pits and a stunning indoor cocktail bar. We could have stayed here for a few. Their distillery tours and tastings were not being held due to COVID-19.

Curate

For a late lunch we ate at Curate, which I have been waiting to eat here for a long time. Curate specialized in Tapas style dishes, my favorite type of meal! Everything we had here was amazing, make sure you make reservations a few weeks ahead of time.

Ginger’s Revenge

Another new favorite in Asheville for us is Ginger’s Revenge. We love ginger beer, and here they had tons to sample and buy. Ginger’s revenge is located a little north of downtown, but it is worth the drive or Uber. My favorite was the Cranberry herb, we loved all of them so much we bought some 4 packs to take home.

White Duck Taco

Not far from Ginger’s Revenge is the riverside White Duck Taco. There is another location that is in town, but this location is much bigger with tons of picnic tables along the river to eat at. Since we had a late lunch at Cruate we made a late night stop here before heading back to our AirBnB. There are tons of wild varieties of tacos to try here. And don’t get too wide eyed, we thought they would be small and they were rather large tacos. But all were still delicious.