INTRO & LOGISTICS

If you’ve already read my other article on Asheville, The Perfect Asheville Trip, Which Happens to be Dog Friendly, you will understand why Asheville is a fantastic bachelorette (or bachelor) destination. It has the second highest breweries per capita in the U.S., an abundance of outdoor activities, great restaurants and cool, artsy shopping. With a population of 91,560, it’s lively enough to keep groups entertained, but provides a “chill” counter option to traditional locations.

Asheville is  located ~250 miles west of Raleigh in the Blue Ridge Mountains and has a very small regional airport. I recommend flying into Charlotte International and driving the 2-hours to Asheville. If most of your guests are traveling from east of the Mississippi River, the trip shouldn’t be too taxing for them. However, if you have an abundance of west coasters, it might be worthwhile to consider a west coast destination that provides a similar scene, e.g., Portland, San Diego, etc.

I recommend a Thursday-Sunday or Friday-Monday trip, but you can easily spend a full week in Asheville. While spring through fall is the best time to visit Asheville, we went on a bachelorette there in February and had a blast (it doesn’t get too cold, ~40-50s).

BUDGETING & EXPECTATIONS

If you’re wondering what to expect, checkout my article on Group Trip Budgeting Expectations. Note, given my favorable perception of Asheville, I find it more reasonably priced than other equally desirable destinations. Two factors seem to impact this: 1) it’s location, it’s hard to travel to from the western part of the U.S. And, 2) it’s still less known compared to desintations like Charleston or Savannah.

LODGING

To go with Airbnb/VRBO or a resort/hotel, the age old travel question of this site. The answer will depend largely on the group size and preferences. I prefer options that give groups common areas to spend quality time together. Houses usually satisfy this requirement better than hotel rooms, but it depends.

I’d look at the Omni Grove Park Inn for an upscale hotel, spa stay. Basic rooms range in price depending on season, but start at ~$300/night in off season months. For more of an outdoor vibe, checkout Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins, which offers a campground feel in the middle of the city.

We stayed at this airbnb for the bachelorette trip that I went on. It provided the perfect mix of mountain retreat feels, but was ~10 minutes from downtown. We were able to get Ubers, food delivery, etc. easily. This airbnb also offers a similar stay experience. I’d also look at this penthouse and this bachelorette oasis for options that can accommodate larger parties.

ITINERARY

Day 1

Mid-Day: Get into town and grab lunch at White Duck Taco Shop, Riverside location. Don’t skimp on the Bangkok shrimp tacos or margaritas. Everything is good. If you have time to spare, walk over to New Belgium Brewing Company (0.7 miles) and visit their massive grounds.

**Alternative Option: Eat at 12 Bones Smokehouse, River Location, and walk around the River Arts District after.

3:00 OR 4:00pm: Check into accommodations, let the group clean up. **Tip** I always ask for an early check-in, and usually places can accommodate a time earlier than 3:00 or 4:00pm.

6:00pm: For a high-end, at home catered meal, checkout Cielo Catering. I’d also look at My Food Experiences and Crackerjack Chef, which are both highly rated. I’m a huge fan of staying in on the first night of a group trip, it gives people a chance to catch up and also pace themselves for the weekend ahead. If you’re staying at a hotel, I’d order in.

Day 2

7:30am: Light breakfast at the home or hotel.

8:00am: Half-day outdoor activity, depending on the time of year. For a more adrenaline filled activity, book a rafting trip with French Board Adventures. Otherwise, opt for a hike. I’d recommend The Mountains to See Trail: Cavern Gap to Haw Creek Valley or Looking Glass Rock Trail. Both are ~6 miles and ~1 hour from town. I’d pack some snacks, since this will cut into lunch a bit.

1:00pm: Get back to the accommodations, give people some time to shower, get ready.

2:00pm: Begin a south slope brewery hop. Note, all of these places have great non-beer and/or non-alcoholic options. On your hop, be sure to checkout all of the downtown shops. Head out to the Funkatorium for some elevated bar food and sour beer or urban wine. They have an awesome outdoor beer garden.

3:00pm: Walk ~0.2 miles to Hi-Wire Brewing.

4:30pm: Head to the famous Thirsty Monk and/or Dissolvr. The Dissolvr mostly serves sours beer, and while I’m not a beer drinker, their flavors are so tasty that they’ve been the closest place to convert me.

7:00pm: Have a dinner reservation secured. Look at Curate or Chestnut for higher-end, highly praised options. Both of these book far in advance. We ate at Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse, which offered a very reasonably priced, delicious tasting menu ($65 per person). I’d highly recommend it. For a more affordable, casual option, look at Chai Pani .

9:00pm: Determine if your group wants to head back to the accommodations or continue the night out.

Day 3

9:30am: Yoga at the accommodations with Asheville Wellness Tours.

12:00pm: Brunch at southern classic, Tupelo Honey.

2:00pm: This is when you’ll meet a fork in the road. You can continue activities out and about, or head back to your accommodations for group games, maybe some R&R in a hot-tub, and takeout, catering, or a bbq in. Pie.ZAA and Asheville Pizza South are two great pizza takeout options.

If you continue the fun out, you could book an adventure with the Adventure Center of Asheville. After, I’d checkout Botanist and Barrel Tasting Bar + Bottle Shop in Asheville (they take reservations). Finally for dinner, consider Posana or Rhubarb, both take reservations for larger groups.

Notes

Logistics is arguably the most important criteria when planning a group trip. Ultimately, people (typically) want an itinerary that maximizes time together. As such, prioritizing stops that don’t require a ton of transportation can ease the “stress” of herding a huge group. Building in down time, and time “in” can also be critical. I’ve found some of the best group trip memories to be playing games in an airbnb or sitting around a bonfire.