Asheville Essentials

By Marla Hardee Milling, FrontDoor.com | Published: 2/10/2009

The Western North Carolina Farmers Market is a great place to pick up fruits and vegetables, jams, jellies, preserves, sourwood honey and dozens of other farm fresh items. Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau

Food and Drink

ENJOY A COLD BREW

Jack of the Wood
95 Patton Avenue
828-252-5445
Asheville is definitely a great beer town with some exceptional micro-breweries and a wide assortment of bars and pubs. Jack of the Wood is often named by locals as one of the coolest places in town. This cozy Celtic pub serves a variety of beers including the locally fresh-brewed Green Man ales. Other notable places to get a great beer: Bier Garden (46 Haywood Street, 828-285-0222) which offers the largest selection of beers in WNC with more than 200 varieties. Barleys (42 Biltmore Avenue, 828-255-0504) has more than 40 beers on tap, including local offerings, to complement its very popular pizzas.

BUY GROCERIES

Earth Fare
66 Westgate Parkway
828-253-7656
1856 Hendersonville Road
828-253-7656
There's a growing population of Asheville residents who prefer to eat organic produce, hormone-free beef, free range eggs, and other natural foods. Earth Fare began in Asheville in 1975 as a small health food store called Dinner for the Earth. In 1993, the name changed to Earth Fare and moved to Westgate Shopping Center opening as a full-service grocery. Since then it's expanded to 15 stores in four states. There are two locations in Asheville -- the location at Westgate on the west side of town, and another in South Asheville.

BUY LOCAL

Asheville City Market
161 South Charlotte Street
828-348-0340
Locals wait until the weekend to stock up on the harvest of local farmers at this popular tailgate market. It runs in season from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Truck tailgates and small tables and booths are laden with fresh produce, eggs, meats and fish, cheeses, pastries, sauces, fruit butters and preserves, cut flowers, and more.

GRAB A LATE NIGHT BITE

The Admiral
400 Haywood Road
828-252-2541
Located on West Asheville's "Main Street," The Admiral is one of the reasons this area is beginning to compete with downtown Asheville as a preferred place to hang out. Inventive dinner menu served from 5 to 10 p.m.; bar service until 2 a.m.

SIP A LATTE

Green Sage Coffeehouse and Cafe
5 Broadway
828-252-4451
A wide variety of unique coffeehouses have found a loyal following in Asheville. One that residents enjoy for its eco-responsible practices and choice of local and organic ingredients is Green Sage. Offerings include organic coffees and teas, purified water, and local and/or organic dairy products produced without synthetic growth hormones (rBGH) or antibiotics.

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