A Weekend in Brevard, NC

Brevard is a charming little mountain town just southwest of Asheville. It has great access to Pisgah National Forest, hiking trails, waterfalls, and biking trails. It is a perfect gateway town to adventuring in the outdoors and then having numerous restaurants, breweries, and bars to visit afterwards!

Adventures and Ales Top brevard recommendations:

• Looking Glass Waterfalls: This beautiful waterfall is located right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway just 15 minutes from downtown Brevard. No hiking required!

• Visit Gorges State Park for the Rainbow Falls Trail: This hike is 4 miles long with 1,000ft of elevation gain. It takes you to Rainbow Falls, Turtleback Falls, and Drift Falls! Overall very nice and definitely recommend.

• Cup and Saucer: This breakfast and lunch spot is known for biscuits, and they are delicious! Highly recommend—located right downtown.

• Ecusta Brewing: A solid brewery right off the Brevard Bike Path. They have 20 beers on tap, ciders, and cocktails. The front patio is nice with mountain views.

• Gordingo’s in located inside Ecusta with delicious Mexican eats!

• Sideways Farm and Brewery: This brewery is in nearby Etowah and always has great beers with chill vibes.

• Sully’s Steamers: Sully’s is known for their steamed (not toasted) bagels and they are always quite tasty! Located right downtown.

• Noblebrau Brewing: A solid brewery in Brevard most known for their live music. Be sure to check the schedule ahead of your visit as most concerts are ticketed events. They have a great back patio space and a small food menu as well.

  • Griffon and Sphynx is an average brewery right across the street from Noblebrau for another brew!

Other things to do in and around brevard:

• Oskar Blues Brewery: This big name brewery has a large outside space with a huge tap list of their beers, Cigar City Brewing, and Perrin Brewing beers (all owned by the same company). They have an onsite food truck with a burger-focused menu.

• Check out nearby Cashiers: This is another cute little mountain town about 40 minutes further west of Brevard. If you are heading to Gorges State Park it’s just a bit further and a great area to grab lunch!

  • Whiteside Brewing is located in Cashiers with solid beers and eats. They have a great outdoor area, but it does get very busy here as a heads up.

• Whitewater Falls: The trail to this large waterfall is just a half mile round trip and very easy. You can also go down to a lower platform for more views and steps. This is part of the national forest service and you do need to pay to park here as a heads up, but it was only $3 when I visited and the pass is good for other area spots as well.

• The Blind Mule: This restaurant is downtown with chill vibes, tasty cocktails, and pretty good eats.

Have you ever been to Brevard? What are your favorite spots? Let me know in the comments! Cheers —Alexis

Boone, NC

Boone is a cute little mountain town in northwest north carolina!

Boone Tips: 

• You can definitely see this small town in a weekend! Fall is absolutely the best time to visit so you can leaf peep your heart out, but it is also the most crowded time to visit so keep that in mind!

• Boone is also home to Appalachian State University so just be aware of things like Homecoming and football games that can lead to traffic.

Lost Province Brewing

Adventures & Ales Top Boone Recommendations: ​

• Lost Province Brewing: A great brewery right downtown with delicious food options! I love their pizza and that they have a dog-friendly enclosed patio space. They have a rooftop seating area as well with a fun atmosphere.

  • Their second taproom, Lost Province Hardin Creek, is home to their production facility and a small taproom. Coyote Kitchen is also owned by Lost Province with their beers on tap and Southwest Caribbean Soul Food.

• Stick Boy Kitchen: The best spot for breakfast in town! Get there early or order ahead online to avoid a wait.

• Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway: This gorgeous drive has numerous viewpoints, picnic areas, and trails to explore.

  • Flat Top Mountain Trail: 5 miles with 593ft of elevation gain and takes just under 2 hours. It is only 13 minutes from downtown Boone. This trail is rated moderate but not bad at all, just a moderate incline the whole way up to a fire tower.

  • Bass Lake: There is a 1 mile flat loop trail around the lake or you can just stop for a good spot for a picnic or beer.

  • Beacon Heights Trail: A short and sweet .6 mile, 154ft of elevation trail that takes about 20 minutes to complete. Heads up there are actually two overlooks and the AllTrails route only has you go to one, so don’t miss the other!

  • Jumpinoff Rocks Trail: This is a short and sweet trail out to an overlook. .9 of a mile long with 210ft of elevation gain and about 25 minutes to complete.

  • Cascades Trail: A popular, short trail out to a waterfall. .7 of a mile long with 175ft of elevation gain and about 25 minutes to complete.

  • Rough Ridge via Tanawaha Trail: 5.5 miles long with 839ft of elevation and takes just under 3 hours. The Linn Cove Viaduct and Rough Ridge are both gorgeous but they are at the start and end of the trail, the rest of the time you’re just in the forest with no views.

  • Skip: Green Knob Loop Trail which is 2 miles long with 528ft of elevation gain and takes just under an hour. There are no views aside from the pond at the trailhead (AllTrails address is incorrect, it is the next pull-off west of AllTrails). It is buggy and boring.

• Hike at Elk Knob State Park: I did the Summit Trail that was a little over 4 miles—2 of which are straight up and 2 of which are straight down. There were great views throughout the trail and at both viewpoints. The trailhead is about 25 minutes north of Boone.

• Booneshine Brewing: A solid brewery right on the edge of town with a full food menu and beer garden.

• Appalachian Cookie Company: Insanely good cookies. They are baked to order so I would recommend ordering online ahead of time so you don’t have to wait 20 minutes at the shop.

• Stay at Glamping Unplugged: I have stayed here twice and absolutely loved it! They have secluded domes on a peaceful river just 20 minutes from Boone!

• Dan’l Boone Inn: This family-style restaurant is absolutely worth the hype. Expect a line and delicious southern eats!

• Parallel Brewing: Solid beers right across from App State’s stadium. They also have wine and hot dogs!

• Hatchet Coffee: A super cute coffee spot that also has Stick Boy bagels and pastries!

Glamping Unplugged

Other Boone Things to Do:​​

• Appalachian Mountain Brewery: Another brewery option located near ASU’s campus with a large tap list.

• Local Lion: A cute coffee shop with baked goods selection as well!

• Wild Craft Eatery: A nice spot for lunch and dinner. Tasty eats, a lot of local beers, a nice patio, but very slow service.

• Visit Blowing Rock! This is another cute mountain town just a few minutes from Boone. The picturesque downtown is full of restaurants and shops. Parking here can be awful as a forewarning.

  • Blowing Rock Brewing Company: A cute brewery in downtown Blowing Rock with a full food menu and outdoor seating. If the main taproom has a wait they have a back window for beer and snacks too.

  • The Speckled Trout: A great restaurant in the heart of downtown, with a stellar patio. Heads up it gets insanely packed here so plan ahead.

  • Hike the Boone Fork Trail! This trail is less than 10 minutes from downtown Blowing Rock and right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. It ended up being about 6.5 miles and there were a couple of ladders and steep stairs to keep in mind for dogs/kids.

Want to explore more of the area? Here is my guide to a weekend along the Blue Ridge Parkway! It includes nearby Banner Elk and other great stops!