While Kris and I retired to WNC years ago, I asked my good friend and fellow MALT Homebrew Club member to give some flavor to his hometown (we live 20 miles south). Kerry shares these keen insights into what to do and see around Asheville and why , if you are coming for HomebrewCon, you should consider spending a few extra days to enjoy!
Some Asheville Local-Color Tips
We are, of course, so very pleased to be the host city for 2026 AHA Home-Brew Con’s rise from the ashes following the aftermath of the disastrous 2020 Covid era, especially as we had some ashes of our own to rise up out of thanks to a nasty old girl named Helene. She tried but failed to crush our spirits and we’re back with bells on, so thought you might want some entertainment tips from a local for your visit to our fair city.
The venue and the primary hotels are right downtown within easy walking distance to a great many food, drink and fun establishments. Asheville is a very walkable city, but even if you want to explore some of the more far-flung options, it’s hard to drive more than 20 minutes from downtown to get where you’re going. My homebrew club (MALT) cohorts and I highly recommend you add a day or so on either side of the con to check out all the great things there are to do here, especially the vibrant beer scene. We’d love to join you, in fact.
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Breweries & Taprooms**
From the venue, you can walk to a dozen breweries and/or cideries on or around downtown and the South Slope: Green Man, Dirty Jack’s, Twin Leaf, Burial, Archetype II, Urban Orchard, High Wire, Asheville Brewing, The Bier Garden, White Labs, Dissolver, Wicked Weed, The Funkatorium… you can’t go wrong at either. There are plenty of tap-rooms as well - Ben’s Tune-Up (a Sake brewery) and the Asheville Club downtown are favorites of mine.
A short drive out to the Arts District (so brutalized by Helene, but back on its feet) you’ll find the Wedge (an Asheville original) and Wedge Foundation, RAD Brewery (we hold some of our MALT meetings there, good folks), High Wire Tasting Room and Old London Road (great English pub vibe, especially if you’re a soccer fan).
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West Asheville holds some real gems:* Diatribe (national award winning brewer from our club), Oyster House, Cellarest, Archetype I and some excellent taprooms: Westville Pub (tons of taps), Universal Joint, Fleetwood’s (truly eccentric, you can get married there), The Whale (huge selection of top-shelf taps), One World (great for good brews and music). Slightly further south look for Hillman near Biltmore Estate.
Have to mention the big boys: New Belgium’s second national brewery is right across the French Broad River featuring the Liquid Center and you shouldn’t miss Sierra Nevada’s breathtaking facility out by the airport with self-guided or guided tours and a fantastic line up of ale options including zero-G. While you’re out that way, drive a little further to Burning Blush, one of my top 3 favorites. I have to include Mike Karnowski’s Zebulon Ales north of town in Weaverville. Mike knows more about brewing and it’s history, than anybody I know.
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Downtown Cocktails**
Sovereign Remedies, Antidote (distillers & mixologists), Little Jumbo (our low-key favorite), Top of the Monk, The Times Bar in S&W building. Nearby River Arts District: Anoche - (Tequila/Mezcal experts), and The Crucible (divey & cool).
Downtown Restaurants
The restaurant scene is too vast to cover sensibly, but here are some of my walking distance favorites: Curate’, Table and Luminosa are my top 3 don’t miss options. Higher end fare, Beard Award nominees, etc. - so good. Just below them are Zambra (small plates), Limones (High end Mexican), Tupelo Honey (southern), Market Place (farm to table), Early Girl (same), Jack of the Wood (fine pub grub & music), Farm Burger (best burgers anywhere), Barley’s Pizza (huge beer list, great pizza), Soprana wood-fired pizza (top of Embassy Suites Hotel, incredible mountain view), White Labs, Chai Pani (top flight Indian), Wicked Weed (good beer/food).
If you don’t go to French Broad Chocolate Factory and taste their liquid truffle, your life will forever be only half-lived. They own their own cocoa farm in South America. Mind-boggling.
Slightly outside of downtown: The Admiral (dive bar turned Michelin restaurant), Sunny Point (all day breakfast & southern fare), Nine Mile (Caribbean noodles - awesome!), BiscuitHead (untouchable breakfast joint), Luella’s BBQ (sides to die for), Vinnie’s (fine Italian), Plant (good vegan), Forestry Camp (Burial Brewing beer, great restaurant, amazing history), All Souls Pizza (with lots of outdoor playspace), Golden Hour in Radical Hotel (artsy, excellent).
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Fun**
If you’ve never been to Biltmore House, it’s really something. Not cheap, most of a day, totally worth it. You’ll never forget it. The best thing you can do for yourself is hiking the hundreds of trails around us. So good for your soul. Favorites: Craggy Gardens, Mt. Mitchell, Sam’s Knob, Graveyard Fields & Pisgah Inn for lunch, Devil’s Courthouse (steep but short, crazy view). Look ‘em up. All off Blue Ridge Parkway.
The North Carolina Arboretum is a wonderful afternoon of plants, trails, streams, displays. Good stuff. The Folk Art Center on the parkway has really nice mountain arts & crafts and natural history information… well worth the visit. Also the WNC Nature Center is very cool. Animal centric - they have otters.
Friday nights downtown (Pritchard Park) there will be a large drum circle from 7:00 to 10:00. Come dance, people watch or bang a drum, they have extras. Hard to miss if you’re out and about. There are also a lot of art galleries on Biltmore Ave downtown. Blue Spiral is a fave.
Moogseum is awesome if you like synthesizers. Bob Moog lived here for a long while. Excellent shopping can be found downtown at the Grove Arcade. Insane architecture. Right next to it is the Asheville Pinball Museum. $15 gets you all day access to 70 or so vintage pinballs machines. They have beer, leave and come back.
The Orange Peel and Grey Eagle are super music venues. Check them out while you’re here. My best and most favorite recommendation is the LaZoom Comedy Bus Tours. If you like beer, local color & history and are prepared to laugh til you puke, do this. Adult’s only I suggest.
I so hope you’ll stay and enjoy our neck of the woods during, before & after the big show.
All the best, Kerry