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[tinybitsofheart]

hey y'all so my friend and i are heading out this sunday for st. augustine, florida from virginia. we have a loose itinerary and just want to get away for a week. we're probably gonna head through asheville, savannah, maybe charleston, gainesville, places like that on our way down. i know there are a few people here who have or still live in this part of the country so do you have any recommendations for us? weird dive bars, cool bookstores, spooky places, scenic views? any suggestions are much appreciated!

[Phitney]

I got you covered for Asheville...

Foods/Bars:

* Rosetta's! It's downtown on Lexington Ave and has really yummy Southern-style vegan/vegetarian food that even non-veggies love. I learned how to make all of their menu items when I moved away because I missed it so much. Now they have a kombucha bar in their new downstairs area!
* Lucky Otter  -- really good burrito place in West Asheville. They have crazy burritos like satay, jerk, bbq, coconut curry, etc. All sorts of good stuff
West Village Market -- get some awesome juice or smoothies from the juicebar. I've never seen someone as passionate about juice as the guy behind the counter. (West Asheville)
* Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company - Delicious pizza, pretty delicious beer. Try the jalapeno beer and go to their location in North Asheville on Merrimon instead of the one downtown
* The Prospect - neat sort of divey bar downtown. I went on one of the last nights I was in Asheville and wished I had gone there more.
*** There's so much local beer in Asheville if you like beer, so try as much as you can - Highland, Green Man, Wicked Weed, Hi-Wire, Pisgah, Asheville Brewing Co, and lots more. You can find most of these in any bar in Asheville, except Wicked Weed might just be at their location downtown. Same with Hi-Wire (Fun fact: this brewery was opened by one of the pharmacists I used to work with!)

Shops:

* Harvest Records -- best record store ever run by the best dudes ever. I find myself comparing every single record store to them and they can't be beat. Say hi to Matt and Mark for me! (West Asheville)
* Orbit DVD - best video store even just to browse around. Look at the "What the Fuck!?" section. (West Asheville)
* Downtown Books & News - awesome used bookstore with a huge selection. (Downtown)

Stuff to do:

* Blue Ridge Parkway - if you don't do anything else, at LEAST go for a drive on the parkway. The leaves have mayyyyyybe started changing now, so it's starting to get extra pretty. Most pull-offs have hiking trails so you don't have to go far, but if you do have the time, head out to Black Balsam Knob for some bald mountain awesome views goodness. Or climb Mt Pisgah. It's only 1.5 miles but a little steep at times. Or if you want waterfalls, Graveyard Fields is easy but always crowded (you might be alright if you go during the week, though). Or Skinny Dip Falls (I've never actually seen anyone skinny dip here, though)
* Walk around West Asheville. Downtown is okay, but West Asheville is the best. Lots of fun shops and places to go.
* French Broad Greenway - Really nice paved greenway along the river. I used to ride my bike, jog, and skate here all of the time. (West Asheville)
* Beaver Lake - there's a bird sanctuary nearby that I adored in addition to the best climbing tree ever. (North Asheville)
* River Arts District - also by the river and somewhat near the French Broad Greenway. Lots of graffiti, old buildings, art galleries, and Wedge Brewing if you haven't had your fill of beer, yet. Sierra Nevada and Fat Tire are in the process of setting up shop in this area, too.

Lots to do, but I love and miss Asheville dearly. When I visited a couple months ago I was running around like a crazy person trying to do all of the things I wanted to do there in just one small weekend.

[tinybitsofheart]

that's so much great info--thank you! asheville will probably be our first stop so i'm stoked we'll have lots of things to look forward to.