Family weekend · Thu – Sun

Asheville Trip

The house: 62 Wilderness Trail, Candler NC · 15–20 min west of downtown
Reserved

Strada · Saturday 6:30pm · rooftop patio

Free to cancel until Saturday 12:30pm. $60 fee after that.

The house

Code5198  Front door, top porch. Press lock to lock up.
DrivewayYou'll pass the back of the house on your right. At the Y, take the sharp right, then down the gravel driveway. Extra parking at the lower pad by the garage (nothing inside the garage).
TrashBins in the garage. Everything must be bagged.
WiFiPisgahview_guest · password Trailmix@2024

Saturday dinner

Strada Italiano

Italian · downtown · $$

Reserved, see above.

Packs Tavern

Tavern · downtown · $$

4 min walk from Strada. Rain / emergency backup.

Brunch

Hole DoughnutsA+S fave

West AVL · 8am–1pm

Fresh doughnuts fried to order. We've been many times and love it. Order online ahead to skip the line.

Sunny Point Cafe

West AVL · opens 8:30

Very busy weekend mornings. Show up 15 min before open, or put a name in and walk Haywood Rd.

Biscuit Head

West AVL + Biltmore Ave · til 2pm

Big biscuits, jam bar. Two locations.

Coffee

Dripolator Candlernear house

10 min · opens 6:30am

Drive-thru + café. Good breakfast sandwiches.

The reliable fallback, same shopping center as the groceries.

Raz Drive Thru Coffeenear Arboretum

4.9★ · closes 2pm

House-made syrups. 5 min from the Arboretum.

Rowan Coffeelocal rec

2 locations

downtown Broadway St, a block from Strada, closes mid-afternoon. West AVL next to Biscuit Head, open late Thu–Sun with wine + food.

Malaprop's Bookstorelocal recdowntown

opens 10am

Bookstore with a café inside. Coffee + browsing in one stop.

Casual eats

White Duck TacoA+S fave

Downtown + more · $5 tacos

Everyone eats well for cheap.

Huli Sue's BBQ and GrillA+S favedowntown

Hawaiian · 12–8pm

Hawaiian BBQ, brisket everything, POG juice. Owners are from the Big Island.

Luella's Bar-B-Que

North side · open daily

Solid BBQ, no lines.

Breweries + cider

Wicked Weed BrewpubAndrew's fave

Downtown

Full food menu, easy for 6.

Burial BrewingA+S hangout

South downtown

Mostly outdoors, no food. Near White Duck.

Sierra Nevada

Mills River · ~25 min S

Huge campus, free self-guided tour, restaurant seats big groups.

Bold Rock Cidery

10 min from Sierra Nevada

Beautiful spot, near the Arboretum. Could do both in one run.

Hikes + overlooks

All short. Nobody's doing a real hike.

Max Patch

Optional · 1 hr each way

1.5 mi loop, 360° views, best in the region. But: last 6 miles are gravel, no cell service or bathrooms. Morning only, skip if rain.

Fryingpan Lookout Tower

Parkway · ~45 min · paved

1.5 mi round trip, easy grade, then climb an old fire tower for 360° views. The easier Max Patch.

Pounding Mill Overlook

10 min past Fryingpan

Zero walking. Maybe the best drive-up view on the Parkway.

NC Arboretum

20 min · $25 per car

Flat garden paths, indoor air-conditioned bonsai exhibit. Near Sierra Nevada + Bold Rock.

Maybe

Tom Petty tribute (Somewhat Petty)

Orange Peel · 7pm · ~$31

Standing room venue; table seats cost more but you sit all night, worth it for mom + dad. Conflicts with the 6:30 dinner, so speak up early if interested.

Rough plan

Everything above is a menu, not a checklist. Only Strada is locked. Plenty of room for Catan and hanging at the house.

Thursday

Everyone rolls in, groceries, games at the house.

Friday

Downtown day at whatever pace. Head back early if we feel like a game night.

Saturday

Morning hike or overlooks, afternoon flex (Sierra Nevada / Bold Rock / Arboretum, or chill at the house), dinner at Strada 6:30.

Sunday

Check out, head home.