A bachelorette itinerary in Asheville, North Carolina

In April 2024, I spent a long weekend in Asheville, North Carolina with 14 of my friends to celebrate my bachelorette and 30th birthday. I couldn't have asked for a better itinerary if I planned it myself (and I didn't!), so I really wanted to share everything we did for anyone else looking for inspiration on their trip to Asheville.

Flying into Asheville Airport (AVL)

We flew from LaGuardia to Asheville airport which was a quick and easy flight. It was only $70 to upgrade myself to first class (and when you factor in the $35 I would have paid to check a bag - net $35). I'm so glad I did because I ended up sitting next to a lovely girl named Noelle on her way back to a birthday trip to NYC. She gave me some great recommendations - including the name of the cocktail bar she worked at that we ended up stopping by on Saturday night!

Asheville airport was really easy to navigate. My cousin Marissa, who lives 2 hour drive away kindly picked my sister and I up from the airport and took us to her favorite vineyard, Burntshirt Vineyards, to start the bachelorette on a high with a flight of wine.

Our Airbnb was a 15-20 minute distance from the center of town. With 9 bedrooms available, if you have a big group, I can't recommend where we stayed enough. The views of the mountains were incredible, and we only scratched the surface taking advantage of all the house had to offer - a hot tub, game room, fire pit... I could go on. Here is the link: Mountain View Villa - Asheville: 16+ guests, 9 bedrooms, 9 beds, 6 baths.

Once we got settled into the Airbnb, we headed out to dinner at The Market Place, which we learned from our server is one of the oldest restaurants in Asheville, operating farm to table in Asheville since 1979. Our server was fantastic and we basically ordered at least one of everything to share. Highlights were the Hand cut pappardelle, Spring greens & Mushroom agnolotti, house made pickles, mac and cheese, - but everything we ordered was fantastic.

Following dinner we strolled over to grab a drink at Thirsty Monk rooftop. The drink menu was extensive and creative – I got a fancy craft alcoholic root beer and we enjoyed the spring Asheville weather on the cute rooftop deck.

Day 2: Hikes and flower frolicking by day, dinner and dancing by night

The following morning, we headed south through the Blue Ridge Parkway to experience the rolling mountains that surround Asheville in every direction up close. I chose the Mount Pisgah trailhead hike, 2.5 miles roundtrip and 700 ft of elevation – promising a good schvitz to counteract the cocktails and great views at the top. In all my extensive research of the perfect length hike for the occasion, absolutely no one mentioned the super winding, hairpin drive to the trail. If you also are doing hike research – let me be the one to warn you! It was nothing unmanageable, but those who got car sick easily may have appreciated a heads up.

The views at the top where we parked were immediately satisfying, with plenty of fresh air to right everyone’s quesy stomach. There were several trailheads beginning around the overlook point where we parked. We had to walk just a smidge further down the road to arrive at the Mount Pisgah trailhead. The trail was rocky but clearly outlined and provided a steady incline. After a last stretch of finishing incline, a well maintained wooden platform next to a cell tower awaits you - to catch your breath and take 360 views.

Pro tip – we ordered sandwiches from Biltmore Catering the day before and had them waiting for us in the fridge when we got home which was the perfect post-hike lunch.

After a quick shower and rest, we headed back out to The Biltmore Estate. We purchased grounds tickets for $80, which got us access to the 8,000 acres of land and technically a complimentary wine tasting at the wine tasting room on site, but not access to tour the house. We opted for the grounds ticket as the cheapest option and because we were not beholden to a specific time to arrive.  Plus, I figured while the inside of the Biltmore, which wasn't included in our tickets, was probably gorgeous, frolicking at our leisure around the grounds drinking wine felt a little more ‘bachelorette’ than an informative history lesson on the largest privately owned home in America.

I’ll admit, when I purchased them I found $80 to be a bit steep for grounds tickets, but me and all my friends were stunned by the gardens on the grounds. We strolled past Wisteria, Azaelea bushes in full bloom, and a conservatory filled with succulents and hydrangeas alike. We frolicked and took photos I will cherish forever. While we opted for the dress up and frolic for a few hours approach to the Biltmore, we commented how lovely it would be to come back in athletic gear and explore all the trails.

While our ticket included a complimentary wine tasting, the wine tasting area was nowhere near the main house or grounds. I’m told there was a shuttle that we could have taken, but they weren’t running by close to 5ish pm, and so we decided a better use of our time would to consider it a sunk cost and head back to th downtown area for a pre-dinner drink. Pro tip – it did take us a few attempts to get enough Ubers ordered for all 15 of us, so plan to call a bit earlier than you’re ready to leave.

We headed over to The Montford Rooftop Bar , which we were surprised to realize was the hotel bar for Marriott.  As advertised, it had a lovely view of the rolling mountains. Then we were off to Cúrate (which we had been pronouncing curate as in organizing things for a museum, but was actually more like karate), a highly recommended tapas restaurant everyone enjoyed.

Remember my seat-mate on the flight to AVL? She worked at a bar called The Crow & Quill, and turns out multiple people’s uber drivers also recommended it as a great place to get cocktails and hear live music. The bar was very moody and had Edgar Allan Poe motifs, and my fiancé arranged to buy us a round on him. Thanks, Justin!

After a fancy cocktail, we were in the mood to dance. On our way to Crows, we saw a divey looking establishment that looked promising (and was selling hot dogs outside), so we decided to check it out. I had no idea what the name of the bar was at the time, but I think it was Lazy Diamond. This bar was on none of our radars for all the research we had done . It’s like the bar fell out of the sky into our laps as the perfect next spot. There was music, cheap beer, and a neon lights dance room that played Shania Twain and White Houses. We danced, we sang, we took jello shots. It was perfect.

Day 3: Brewery tour

Day 3: Brewery tour

One of the top requirements for my bachelorette location was great craft beer and cute and sunny spaces to enjoy them in. Enter brewery tour day! We started the day with brunch at Bold Rock which is a cidery brewery, serving a myriad of fried breakfast foods to fill our stomachs before a day of beer drinking. We decided to do a ‘denim day’ theme for our outfits, and it was so much fun to parade around the different breweries as a little denim posse. Wicked Weed Brewing's Brewpub and The Funkatorium were PERFECT for groups, with outdoor long picnic tables so we could enjoy the sunshine. We also stopped at Green Man Brewery. 

Following our brewery tour, we headed back to the AirBnB and ordered some pizza for delivery and enjoy the house - including the hot tub! My BEST tip to anyone out there planning a bachelorette - you CANNOT day drink and then expect people to rally and go back out for the evening, ESPECIALLY the last night, ESPECIALLY if you're in you're in your 30s. If you spend your last night staying in and enjoying each other’s company, I promise everyone will kiss your feet with relief. Back at the house, everyone surprised me with gifts and games and I could not have felt more loved!!!! 

Thank you, Asheville, for showing us such an amazing time. It was the PERFECT choice for my bachelorette, and I am so grateful I got to have such a fabulous weekend sharing it with so many of my close family and friends.