The Gang Goes to Asheville, NC, 2022
In case you didn’t know, I don’t pass up on vacations.
After spending time last year at Lake Wateree in South Carolina and having an amazing time, my friends and I were itching for another trip this summer.
Planning was looking grim for quite a while though, and we didn’t know if we could pull it off. The dates were locked in, but with a month left, we still hadn’t picked a location or figured out how many people were committed to going.
Eventually someone threw out Asheville, North Carolina as an option. I’d never been there, and I’ve heard cool things about it. It wasn’t smooth, but eventually we rounded up some people and booked a house that suited our style.
A Peaceful Easy Feeling
Vacation began Friday afternoon the instant I stepped out of the office. Once the car was packed up, we embarked on the first leg of our trip with a quick four hour drive into the heart of West Virginia. We crashed at a free campground nestled between two mountains- a beautiful sight to see as I woke up out of my hammock dangling between two cars.
By 10am the next morning we’re back on the road. As we get closer and closer to Asheville, the landscape becomes more beautiful and awe-inspiring than I could’ve imagined.
Soon we pulled up to the next stop- Wilson’s Riverfront RV park. This campground is strategically picked (for reasons you’ll find out later.) Upon arrival, we had about two hours until our next expedition: canoeing down the French Broad River, (the third oldest river in the world at 320-340 million years old!) and stopping to drink at local breweries along the way. We set up our tents under some shade and made our way to the launch point.
I jumped in the front of a canoe with my friend who brought his dog, a small Husky, and we began paddling down the shallow river. We didn’t get very far however until our canoe started doing spins down the river. We knew how to paddle (or so we thought), but for some reason it just wasn’t working for us that day. We chalked it up to bad communication, but managed to keep up with our canoeing group of 15 until we reached the first brewery.
The First of Many
Our first stop was Wedge Brewery. They had outside space with corn hole, ping pong and other games we helped ourselves to on the wonderfully sunny day.
After messing around in the neighboring River Arts District for a while, where the brewery was located, we started talking to our tour guide and headed back to our canoes. Eventually we bring up our canoe doing spin-outs and how we can’t figure out why. He casually mentions that the ends of our canoe are way up out of the water, making it so that we turn on a dime when we paddle (it would’ve been nice to know that ahead of time!) We forgive ourselves for our prior misunderstandings and our casual canoeing became much more relaxing after that.
Not much farther down we settled upon our second and final stop of the day. We could’ve stopped at one more brewery before leaving the canoes behind, but it was getting late and we didn’t want to miss the main event; New Belgium Brewing Co.
We pull off onto a small dock and walk up the riverbank to the bar. There was a spacious grassy area that was flat and open, making it easy to drink our cold brews in the lawn under the hot sun.
We stay until last call, just as daylight is fading away, and soon we’re wondering how we’re getting back to our campground. Luckily, our campsite isn’t too far away! We’ve got about three miles of walking ahead of us back to our campsite, but I found you can walk anywhere once you’ve had a few drinks in you. We stumble our way back to the campground, cook hot dogs that never tasted so good, and people start passing out around the fire.
A Luxurious Experience
Sunday we wake up, take showers at the bathhouse, and get ready to leave for the next event: yet another brewery. Our Airbnb rental house didn’t open up until the afternoon, and we had to be out of the RV camp by 11am, so with time to kill it was the natural choice.
About 25 minutes later we pull up to the entrance of Sierra Nevada Brewery. We turn up the driveway, peruse a few minutes through what feels like exclusive property fit for kings, and arrive at what looks like a hidden mountain resort. To the right of the main entrance are silos reaching up hundreds of feet into the sky. Peering through the windows, you can see workers pouring and mixing the ingredients to make the soon-to-be refreshing amber nectar.
We walk through the restaurant area just inside the entrance and out into the backyard area full of benches and picnic tables. Farther down the path leads to a big stage and where a local band is playing. To the right there’s a garden area with various flower and herb bushes, followed by a yard games area shaded by a pavilion.
People get in a long line for drinks, but I think to myself “This place is huge and probably has bars all through this place- I’m not waiting in line” so me and a friend go off on a little adventure.
The building allows self-guided tours, so of course we helped ourselves to our natural curiosities. We find a staircase, walk to the upstairs bar, grab some craft brews, and walk out to the second floor balcony to get a better view of the place.
Most people know how to drink beer, but few know how to make it. One of my friends brews his own beer at home, so he acted as a bridge of knowledge between us and the international brewing company. He told us about all the ingredients required, the process and work required, and the artful ways in which people create new blends and flavors.
Lake Lure Adventures
Our Airbnb wasn’t located in Asheville, so once it was finally opened up, we drove 45 minutes south east to the outskirts of a place called Lake Lure. Our house is tucked away on a secluded mountain, with winding roads up mountains you wouldn’t believe. Apple trees run through the expansive yard, and a two acre pond sits within view of the wrap-around deck and screened-in porch. Inside sleeps over ten people, which nicely accommodated our party of nine.
Monday morning came and we were excited to explore this new, undiscovered area. We make breakfast and drive to nearby Chimney Rock, a steep trail with several lookout spots and a sparkling waterfall.
The hike up to the lookout spots gave us all a good leg workout, but the views were more than worth it. We tested our bravery along the way, climbing up sketchy looking side-rocks and imagining what it’d be like if the railings weren’t there to catch us.
After making it to the top and snapping plenty of pictures, we decided to climb back down and check out the waterfall from the bottom.
As Tuesday arrives, we decide to take advantage of the big yard and play an ultimate frisbee game. It was 4v4 and very cutthroat, with all ranges of experience competing. The game was close all the way to overtime, and we left the yard exhausted.
Later that evening two of our friends had to head back home for work, but we were happy they were able to stay as long as they did. That left seven of us with two-and-some-change days left to enjoy.
The weather hadn’t been very conducive for outside activities up to this point, and it didn’t show many signs of changing as Wednesday came around. We found a two-story antique store not far away, so we decided to check out what the place had to offer. It was expansive, thorough and neat to walk through. On our way back we hit some tourist shops in the Lake Lure area, snagging numerous flavors of fudge and little trinkets along the way. We finished with some beers at a local restaurant and headed home for the night.
The Last Leg
We had to be out by 10am on Friday, so Thursday was our last full day in NC. One couple went and spent a few hours at the famous Biltmore estate, the largest private mansion in the US (which they rated very highly). The rest of us cleaned up the house and drove into Biltmore Village to browse the upscale shops. Most were high-end designer clothing shops, but we spotted Hi-Wire brewery down the road.
We then re-connected with the rest of the group and headed to Daddy Mac’s for some of the best food in Asheville. After having a delicious comfort meal of poutine and pulled pork, we walked off dinner on our way to Wicked Weed Brewing Pub a few blocks away.
Friday morning I woke up to a knock on my door and knew it was time to get outta town. We soon peaced out and were on the road back home- or so we thought. We had 8 hours of driving ahead of us and plenty of campsites between Pittsburgh and Asheville- we’d be crazy not to take advantage of them.
At the last minute we booked another Airbnb in West Virginia. It was extremely secluded and beautiful, and nobody had any cell reception. We swam around in the pond nearby, sat around the fire and watched shooting stars streak across the vibrant milky way galaxy. The following morning we woke up and finally finished the last two and a half hours north back home.
Our trip was unconventional, and although we barely managed, it was a blast being with my best friends. We figure a yearly summer trip to different places will keep us close and keep things interesting. My friends haven’t been to the beach in several years, so I’m trying my best to push for a hot, wet and sandy vacation next year!
