Our Blog "A Local's Perspective"

When it comes to hiking in Asheville , the first thing folks think of is typically the autumn leaves. But if you don’t just visit Asheville, but live here—when you stew yourself in Asheville like a teabag in a hand-fired cup—you’ll notice that the mountains actually come alive with color twice a year: once in fall, and once in spring. Today we’re about one month out from the equinox. The March weather’s calmed down, the skies are clear, and there’s no better time to go out

Those who know me know I ain’t much of a shopper. Looking, browsing, wandering; all fine. But most of the time, it’d take a wedge and hammer to separate me from my hard won cash. Now thrifting is an exception. Nothing springs me out of my anti-consumerist fugue faster than some vintage merchandise, gently used furniture, and a price tag that says, “Fifty percent off.” What can I say? I got an eye for a deal. And in search of these deals, I’ve crisscrossed the whole of Ashev

Living as a local, sometimes it's easy to take the wonders of Asheville for granted. But absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I’ve had to be away from my hometown for a while now. So I sat down and I started thinking: if I had just one weekend in Asheville, how would I want to spend it? What you got here, dear reader, is a condensation of the very best things to do in the Paris of the South, in the vein of this article right here . But with just forty-eight hours to spen

Spring’s coming fast in the Paris of the South , and the weather can attest. Some mornings its a bone chilling thirty five but up to seventy by noon. Some weeks, you won’t know whether to expect rain, wind, or sun until you step outside. Some people may find these climatic vagaries disorienting. But I think it's fun. Exciting even. As much as the weather dictates my monthly schedule of sightseeing and amusements, a mixed bag (meteorologically speaking) makes for what I like

The other day I read an article in the Citizen-Times. Turns out little old Asheville ranks number nine on Tripadvisor’s Traveler’s Choice awards for the best food destinations not just in NC, not just in the South, but in the entire nation. That’s top ten, baby. But what’s not being accounted for here is the fact that Asheville sits just short of 100,000 inhabitants. Where else can you find so many awe-inspiring restaurants in so small a town? So I ran the numbers and it tu

Love is in the air once again here in Asheville, and since the last time I wrote about Valentine’s Day I’ve come up with some hot new ideas. Yes, this past year I’ve done practically nothing else but muse on how to milk every drop of romance out of the Paris of the South , so that you too can have the Valentine’s Day trip of a lifetime. You could I've found my calling. From indulgent dinners to idyllic mountain getaways, Asheville is the place to be if you got love in your h

It’s time once again to address one of my favorite subjects: coffee . But not just the drinking of it. As every caffeinated individual knows, presentation and ambiance make up at least half the battle. Heck, sometimes I walk on into a café not because I’m after coffee but simply for the delight of the atmosphere. And with temperatures in Asheville this January still staying at coat-and-scarf levels, I’ll take any excuse I can find to get off the street, and go inside some pl

New year , new blog post, new things to do in Asheville. You know how many times I’ve accidentally written the wrong year on a dateline? None. No times. Haven’t gotten it wrong once yet. That’s what you call a good start. If you too seek a splendid start to your new year, come on down to Asheville, NC , the Paris of the South. We got mountains, we got food, we got places to go, and we got opportunities to try new things. Yes, a visit to Asheville might as well be an all-incl

Woosh! There it goes! They tell me that colorful little number that just flew on past is called “the year.” Certainly felt endless in the thick of things, but here I am sitting at the year’s end once again, wondering what happened to all that time. There were hikes . Holidays . Dinners and lots of shows . Another vibrant fall and a rainy winter . So it goes. But now it's time to celebrate, to gather with friends and family, and to drink in all the recollections from the p

The weather outside is frosty and very soon we’ll have snowmen saying the fire is delightful. Yes, it's the holiday season here in Asheville, and you know what that means: pageantry, pomp, and so many gosh darn rows of Christsmas lights that we’re gonna need a bulldozer come Boxing Day. It's one of my favorite times of year to be a local. It's not so cold as to threaten life and limb, but it's chilly enough to get you in the right mood. Every restaurant , shopping center,

Ah, Thanksgiving. The only time of year it's permissible to devour a three-course meal of roast turkey, cranberry sauce, and assorted casseroles. Sometimes I think we’re cheating ourselves. Why can't we eat cranberry sauce all year long? Why can't we eat it three times a day? Indeed, why not four? I've yet to hear a satisfactory answer, and so this subject remains one of my many meditations during those long post-Thanksgiving afternoons, when all your relatives go their separ

Gone are the days of butterflies and sunscreen, and ice cream from the Hop , all blown away like so many dried leaves. Winter approaches, and soon it’ll be too cold to enjoy your favorite hikes, your strolls through the Biltmore Estate and the Arboretum . But me, I appreciate a cold day. Gives me an excuse to stay indoors and stir a hot cocoa packet into my daily ration of coffee. And if by some necessity I’m forced to go outdoors, well, I get to throw on my favorite jacket.

Ever since mankind learned to bang two rocks together, we’ve been on the hunt for entertainment. Song, dance, puppet shows. Some people even enjoy standup comedy Now here in the twenty-first century, we’re sitting on a true stockpile of entertainment. We're inundated with more motion pictures, stage plays, improv gangs, miniseries, limited series, world series, and thirty-second shorts than you can shake a stick at. What’s more all the content ever made can fit in your own li

It has been a full year since I last covered Asheville’s most resplendent season. Now, I am once again contractually obligated by Big Autumn to draw your attention to these few fleeting months in which my hometown hosts travelers from across the nation, all intent on witnessing the painted Blue Ridge landscape. It’s a heck of a sight. But a vacation cannot subsist on the changing of the leaves alone. Fall in Asheville is a delight for both locals and tourists alike, full of a

The other day I was comparing notes with a fellow world-traveler, and as often happens, I turned the conversion towards food. Portuguese, Spanish, French, and so on. Half a dozen countries later, and we had still only scratched the surface of Europe, let alone the other continents. Some people may disagree, but I even have to give some credit to the UK. I do love a good shepherd's pie. Now imagine that you didn’t have to take a twelve-hour flight to access such cuisine. A won

I know I’m always harping on the many wonderful restaurants of Asheville, but today I’d like to talk about the alternative to eating out. No, I don’t mean starving. Or foraging. I mean cooking. Perhaps the ol’ pan and spatula are the last things on your mind during your romantic getaway in the mountains and I can’t blame you. But if you fancy yourself a cuisinier fantastique, a true artist of the onion and the blade, or simply find yourself staying at a certain brand of luxu

With the year shifting towards the chillier months, I think it’s about time I cover one of my favorite subject: coffee, and where to drink it. Coffee truly is the beverage for every occasion. Just waking up? Coffee. Brunch? Coffee. Meeting friends for lunch? Coffee. It's headed towards midnight but by golly, the night is still young? Coffee. As a matter of fact, these blogposts would not be made possible without my continuous intake of coffee. Yes, I’m a coffee fan, a coffee

This summer I’ve had the pleasure of perusing some of Asheville’s finest shopping establishments, some already known to me, some not. Taken all together, I can promise that Asheville’s shopping scene is sure to knock off your socks. Or sandals. It's still warm enough for sandals. When it's not raining. Weather aside, shopping in Asheville’s a great way to get in touch with local makers, and an excellent excuse to check out the grooviest parts of town. So, if you want a break

These are confusing times. Yesterday, August first, I looked out my window to see a vagrant yellow blob, drifting across the lawn; turns...

West Asheville’s one of the most enticing parts of town, chock full of cafes, vintage shopping, and with Carrier Park and the River Arts...