Ok, let’s be honest. No matter what season you visit Asheville during, it’s going to be beautiful and have something different to offer throughout the year. With Covid still being present, we’ve really been taking advantage of more weekend time to take road trips safely in our car with our fur baby Archie. It’s been really nice to get the chance to explore more of the state, that we now call home. North Carolina has so many hidden gems in general, but what I especially love is you’re only a couple hours to the beach, or a few hours to the mountains- truly giving you the best of both worlds. Not to mention that while they get the season change, one season never seems to outstay it’s welcome. Come with me today, as we explore what to do, see, and where to stay on your Summer trip to Asheville, North Carolina. I’m so glad you’re here!
Asheville is a great place to visit in Summer time to slightly escape the hot weather of this season. Don’t get me wrong, it is definitely still Summer temps, but because of the elevation the temperatures do drop a little bit more, especially in the evenings and as you increase in elevation. Our temps went as low as 65 degrees up in the mountain on the blue ridge parkway and that cool Summer air was so nice!
This was our third time visiting Asheville (we’ve been in the Spring and Winter, but never the Summer or Fall). We had the opportunity this go around to ditch the usual hotel stay (which Asheville has many of) and instead stay in a super cozy, rustic, laid back air bnb, “The Creek Casita” renovated by Amanda @townesandbirdie, just 20 minutes from downtown Asheville. This place is super cute and remote- which when you take a trip to the mountains is kind of nice to escape the hustle and bustle without being too far away from grabbing dinner and drinks in town. The sound of the little creek it is on was super soothing to hear while enjoying coffee each morning and I would totally recommend staying here with a small group of friends or family to really enjoy the beautiful nature and rustic vibes of the North Carolina mountains. Also, the kitchen comes complete with the cutest white Smeg fridge of my dreams and little mason jars for your drinking glasses!!
Here are some things to know before you go:
Check your apple or google maps for route options before you go. We didn’t and wish we had as the apple maps took us up some windy, slow back roads versus just staying on 40 most of the way. I recommend staying on 40 as long as you can for the quickest, most direct route.
This cute little house is located right alongside a creek and to get to it you’ll drive down a dirt driveway. There are stone stairs leading you down to the house but after the stairs you do have to walk through the grass to get to the front door (it’s not paved yet) so no big deal, just make sure you can carry your luggage and pack appropriate shoes.
The home is 20 minutes away from downtown Asheville, located in Weaverville NC, which also had a very small but charming little downtown. We had a delicious Italian Dinner in downtown Weaverville at The Glass Onion one evening, and would go back again. The freshly made garlic bread was seriously worth every sing carb.
Creekside Casita sleeps 4 people, with a comfy queen bed in one room and two twin beds in the other room. You share a bathroom and the place is pet friendly, yay!
Here are some things we loved:
The soothing sound of the creek. There’s a side porch with 4 chairs that overlooks the creek and I can only imagine how pretty it would be when the leaves change for fall.
When you walk in you’re greeted by the fresh smell of an essential oil diffuser and all the products from the hand soap to the lotions in the bathroom are organic, vegan, paraben and sulfate free.
There’s a mini washer and dryer which is helpful for warming towels or if you plan to stay longer than a weekend and need to wash some clothes, it’s nice to have that available.
The Queen bed was super soft and cozy with pretty white and navy linens and an overall rustic design space. Oh and it’s small dog friendly so Archie felt right at home!
Here are some fun things to do while in the area during Summer Time:
Hike to Linville Falls- This is right off the blue ridge parkway and It’s a relatively easy mile and a half hike (so I’m told). If you’re wanting to get a little more adventurous and explore more of the beautiful waterfalls in NC, you can take a self guided day drive through Pisgah mountain waterfalls. We ran out of time to do it this trip, but we would love to visit again soon to explore some of these waterfalls!
Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar- Get comfortable in this old book store while sipping some champagne! They have so many used books with an ever-changing inventory and they have live music some weekends too! It’s a super cute place to certainly stop by for a drink or two and enjoy one of their charcuterie boards. And guess what?! It’s dog friendly!! We had some wine and champagne on the patio with Archie and had the best time.
3. The Omni Grove Park Inn- Grab a bite to eat on their terrace overlooking the mountains! The views are breathtaking here and in the Fall would be so beautiful too! We just may have to plan a trip back.
4. Drive the blue ridge parkway up to Mount Mitchell- The Highest peak east of the Mississippi river and the views are incredible. Be sure to pack a light sweater or jacket because the temps dropped into the low 60s up there! Once you park, it’s only about a half mile hike to the top overlook. Archie really enjoyed the cool mountain views too!
5. Visit The Never Ending Flower Farm, ran by local Loretta and her family. This is a gorgeous You-pick flower farm located just 20 minutes from Asheville. Everything you need to pick your flowers is available on site, including garden scissors, water for your flowers and your choice of a quart size glass jar for $25 or a 3 gallon bucket for $75. Simply Venmo or Paypal Loretta and you’re set (her info is where you pick up your jar of bucket for picking). The flowers in bloom while we were there were Sunflowers, Dahlias, Zinnias, snapdragons and marigolds. The Dahlias were GORGEOUS and I had so much fun creating my own little bouquet of fresh cut NC farm flowers. They welcome you to take photos and are open daily 8AM-8PM. Read more before you go on their website here or check out their Instagram @theneverendingflowerfarm. From there, head to my Instagram Stories highlight, “Asheville” to see more video footage of this flower farm.
6. Last but not least, no trip to Asheville (especially if it’s your first time) is complete without a visit to the iconic Biltmore. This mansion is over the top dreamy y’all! They have a winery that you receive a complimentary tasting to with your Biltmore ticket purchase and the gardens are beautiful. They also have horseback riding around the property so you could literally make an entire day out of the Biltmore. You can even bring your dog and have a picnic on the lawn, however dog’s are not allowed inside of the Biltmore house or anywhere other than the lawn area. My advice though with this would honestly be to visit in the Spring time when the garden is just blooming and the temperatures aren’t too hot (May though mid June). Or I would come in November to experience the Fall foliage, garden mums and the house all decorated for the Holidays! They do a Christmas tree in every single room and it is truly spectacular to see!
