Tucked between the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean, Wilmington, NC and its three island beaches offer the perfect blend of historic charm and coastal adventure. Whether you’re planning along weekend escape or sun-soaked summer vacation, you want to include these must-do activities in your coastal itinerary.
Battleship NORTH CAROLINA
Stroll the nearly two-mile Riverwalk. With more than 200 locally owned shops, restaurants, markets, galleries and more just steps away, the Riverwalk offers easy access to the best of downtown. Hop on a sunset cruise with live music or charter a private sail. Catch a riverfront concert at Live Oak Bank Pavilion followed by drinks at a hidden speakeasy or rooftop bar. See famous film sites like the Naley Bench from “One Tree Hill” and go on a self-guided tour to discover more local spots where favorite shows like “Dawson’s Creek” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty” filmed.
Hit the water. The area’s diverse waterways mean no matter where you are, you’ll find epic, water-based adventures. Learn to surf from an Olympic Gold Medalist inCarolina Beach. Find your Zen with a SUP Yoga class in Wrightsville Beach. Kayak to Zeke’s Island Reserve from Kure Beach. Dive under the surface to discover historic shipwrecks just offshore. Say ahoy to a pirate-themed cruise to a private island in search of buried treasure. Or, stay on land and relax on the sand with crystal blue waters in your view.
Step back in time at area historic sites. Board Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, moored across from the Riverwalk, to discover the history of the most decoratedAmerican battleship in WWII and its sailors. Go on a guided or self-guided tour of historic home museums or learn about the area’s African American history on a WilmingtoNColor tour. In Kure Beach, explore Fort Fisher State Historic Site, site of the Civil War’s largest amphibious battle featuring a brand-new, interactive exhibitions and restored earthworks on the grounds.
Immerse yourself in the area’s blossoming foodie scene. Sample coastal flavors on a Taste Carolina Tour through downtown Wilmington or a Tasting History Tour through Carolina Beach. Sip your way around the Wilmington Ale Trail. Elevate your dining experience with a sunset dinner on a private island catered by a local chef with Epic Excursions, or go on their Oyster Farm Tour & Tasting excursion to learn about the area’s seafood scene and sample freshly caught oysters. Enjoy brunch and mimosas on a sailboat with Soundside Adventures.
However you choose to experience Wilmington’s coast, you’ll find every visit feels like the start of a new favorite tradition. Start planning your trip today with these must-do activities and discover more to add to your Wilmington & Beaches bucket list.
Twenty-some years ago, if you asked anyone what was so delicious about Wilmington, the immediate answer would have been Flaming Amy’s. The Fajitarito, especially with pineapple jalapeño salsa, was a culinary delight for any palate (and it’s still legit […]
Kiko Fejarang, The Duchess, Image courtesy of Tony Foreman
The Duchess resists easy labels. It’s a cozy British-style pub featuring a fireplace, wooden and leather furniture, and excellent fish-and-chips, while many of the dishes from chef and co-owner Kiko Fejarang highlight Guam’s native food, Chamorro cuisine, with Spanish, Japanese, and other Asian ingredients. “I have a lot of influences from my family in our cooking,” she says, among them the shrimp and corn patties served with a spicy aïoli gleaned from her aunties.
Executive chef Chris Scanga does everything in-house with simple ingredients that all meld together, like their gem salad with a dijon vinaigrette, pickled onions, and bacon lardons.
Garnering numerous best bartender accolades and serving as the Grand Marshal of the Annapolis St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2024, Martin “Beans” Gardner has worked behind the bar at 51-year-old McGarvey’s Saloon and Oyster Bar for 30 years. Welcoming customers to their very own “Cheers,” Gardner draws as many fans as the venue’s buck-a-shuck James River oysters. “I like to think of myself as a connection between the long-time clientele and the new, younger crowds,” Gardner says.
Martin “Beans” Gardner’s Current Favorites:
MARYLAND PRODUCT
George’s Organic Vodka (of Ocean City) and its mixers, including margarita and bloody mary. The company was created by a local bartender, formerly of Annapolis.
BEVERAGE TREND
Aromatic bitters in cocktails. Whether it’s orange, black, walnut, or original, these bitters have the customers wondering what that extra little touch in their drinks is.”
DRINK SOMEWHERE ELSE
As a big fan of different styles of beers, my dream location and drink would be to visit Munich and have a Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier.
With eight seats perched around an open kitchen, Sassafras delivers a 12-course meal inspired by regional farms and waters and fired up in a wood-burning oven. Owned by husband-and-wife duo chef Paul Edward and Caroline Benkert, the menu evolves with the seasons, but some staples include the pliable focaccia and kombucha pie.
After 12 years, Ekiben’s loyal following shows no sign of slowing down, with fans continuing to line up for its Taiwanese curry fried chicken, tempura broccoli, and tofu nuggets topped with spicy peanut sauce and herbs. It now boasts three city locations, with a fourth on the way in Frederick, its first outside of Baltimore.
Ten years after opening the tasting room at Old Westminster Winery, siblings Ashli Johnson, Drew Baker, and Lisa Hinton debuted their second project: Burnt Hill Farm, an estate vineyard whose serene, minimalist buildings overlook the Appalachian Mountains. The reservation-only tasting room pairs wines with bread made from stone-milled grains and chef Tae Strain’s small plates, which capitalize on the farm’s bounty.
A former convent, the Visitation Hotel’s mid-19th-century building is a stunner, featuring the Wye Oak Tavern led by celeb sibling chefs and Frederick natives Bryan and Michael Voltaggio. While pescatarians can eat well, the focus here is really on the meat, from the dry-aged ribeye to the juicy Tavern burger.
Silver Spring offers an abundance of Ethiopian cuisine, and the family-owned Beteseb Restaurant remains a local favorite for its beef tibs (tender beef cubes sauteed with veggies) and hearty vegetable combos with lentils, cabbage, and collard greens. It’s also one of the few Ethiopian restaurants that serves breakfast, with scrambled eggs and fava beans on the menu.
The Ivy Hotel’s Magdalena Bistro draws diners for its locally sourced Chesapeake Bay flavors, featuring the cuisine of executive chef Scott Bacon. Hotel guests wake up to lemon ricotta pancakes, savor pimento cheese sandwiches with afternoon tea, or mix their own cocktails with the eclectic selection of spirits at the DIY bar.
With leather seats and wood panels on the walls and ceilings mimicking the inside of a whiskey barrel, The Cannon Room bar feels like an intimate private club. Drinks made with the local Sagamore Rye steal the show, while the afternoon boozy tea highlights tea cocktails paired with seasonal sweet and savory treats.
Anthropologist Dr. Bill Schindler and his wife, Christina, oversee a scratch kitchen that assembles sandwiches and pizza made with wild-fermented sourdough and desserts made without refined sugar. The pair travels the world, from Peru to Kenya, in search of ancestral food traditions that inform their menu, and hosts cooking classes and culinary trips.
Chef Mia Orino and her husband, Carlo Gan, started Kamayan as a pop-up, hosting feasts around Atlanta. The name is a homage to a traditional Filipino meal served atop banana leaves. Now guests can get their favorite Filipino bites, like sizzling sisig (served in a piping hot skillet) and vegetable lumpia, at Orino’s petite restaurant that brings the warmth of the Philippines to Doraville with bamboo furniture and vibrant art. When Orino isn’t cooking at Kamayan, she’s prepping meals for the community and supporting her favorite locally owned businesses.
This is one of the first places Carlo took me when I moved to Atlanta. I love everything on the menu there, especially the grits, the biscuits, and of course, the chicken.
It has to be Chai Pani’s lunch buffet. I go for the comforting dishes and there’s a familiarity to it every week. There’s also unlimited chai—I think I abuse [it], but for me it’s just very comforting.
This Chinese restaurant is our neighbor, and they were recently added to the MICHELIN Guide. We sneak out and bring our staff the food and everybody loves it.
The beverage director of Lucky Star and self-proclaimed “food and beverage dork” takes a mad scientist approach to his drinks, always seeking the coolest ways—like clarifying pectin in a centrifuge—to maximize a drink’s potential. He also tries to use as many locally grown and foraged ingredients as he can.
Kirk Gibson’s Current Favorites:
GEORGIA PRODUCT
I love Minhwa Spirits, a soju distillery in Doraville. I’m also proud of the yuzu we get from Franklin Farms in Statesboro. We use every part of it, like making oleo saccharum from the peel.
BEVERAGE TREND
I like how a lot of bartenders have incorporated more savory elements into cock- tails. We have a carrot and mezcal drink on the menu, and we’re trying to make caramelized onions work in a cocktail, possibly a gibson. It opens up a whole world of ingredients most people had not thought of previously as belonging in a cocktail.
DRINK SOMEWHERE ELSE
My go-to classic order is a bijou, equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and green chartreuse, with a dash of orange bitters. It’s a really lovely, complex herbaceous drink anywhere, but I es- pecially get one at Kimball House.
Ryokou, brainchild of sushi chef Leonard Yu, opened in December 2024, bringing a different type of omakase restaurant to Atlanta’s Adair Park. The name means “trip” in Japanese, and that’s how the experience feels: an artful multicourse tour of Japan’s varied regions. The standout bite isn’t even fish—it’s a delicate mushroom capellini with miso and truffles.
Sea Wolf looks like your typical beach town dive, but it’s also where the locals go for an excellent selection of oysters. You’ll find a well-curated list of fresh bivalves, but most importantly they have locally produced Tybee Island oysters known for their full briny flavor. Pair them with a painkiller.
Sea Wolf Oyster, Tybee Island
Best Music and Milkshake Combo: The Rookery, Macon
Opened in 1976, The Rookery hosted early gigs for Widespread Panic and has been a celebrity-spotting hub in the years since. The main attraction? Their decadent burgers—like the James Brown with blue cheese and sautéed onions—and milkshakes, like the Jimmy Carter topped with bacon.
Best Seasonally Topped Pizzas: Fortify Pi, Clayton
Fortify Pi, located on Clayton’s Main Street, excels in a creative range of pizzas (though the classic pepperoni is pretty great, too). Rotating throughout the year, they highlight locally grown ingredients, like summer’s ratatouille pie with eggplant, grilled zucchini, and fresh mozzarella.
The Boll Weevil, housed in a historic building near the Augusta River, serves café fare, but it’s the cakes that command attention. Sold by the slice, they’re mile-high and indulgent, from turtle crunch (with cheesecake and chocolate fudge) to canary lemon layered with bright lemon custard and lemon frosting. llivan opened this refined American tavern in the old steam laundry at the bucolic University of the South to create a place where students, faculty, tourists, and locals all want to eat.
Municipal Grand would be worth a visit for its prime Abercorn Street address and chic mid-century modern interiors alone. But the Death & Co.-backed property goes further, delivering killer cocktails and shareable plates at Municipal Bar and the rooftop pool. Come for dinner or happy hour, but don’t miss the hash browns with caviar.
It’s hard not to feel inspired while dining at Elise, with its location at the Woodruff Arts Center, home of the High Museum of Art. Records spin at the bar, rich jewel tones fill the white canvas designed by architect Renzo Piano, and chef Craig Richards’ dishes—like cold- smoked oysters—engage all the senses.
Annie Coleman faced high expectations when Flora and Fauna opened in the former Back in the Day bakery space. One bite of her pumpkin spice cheesecake monkey bread or soft, buttery biscuits shows she’s honoring the legacy while carving out a deliciously distinct identity.
For Austin chef Fermín Núñez, masa is foundational to his menus. Born in Mexico, Núñez has opened three of Austin’s most celebrated Mexican restaurants—Este, Suerte, and Bar Toti—all of which use masa to provide fresh, handmade corn tortillas, tamales, sopes, and other dishes. He found an ally in the brand Masienda, founded by Jorge Gaviria, who wrote the cookbook Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple (Chronicle Books, 2022). Núñez was a natural fit when Gaviria went looking for a chef to help him put together his next cookbook, Vitamina T: Your Daily Dose of Tacos, Tortas, Tamales, and More Mexican Street Food Classics (Clarkson Potter), which came out April 2026.
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Cinco de Mayo is a perfect occasion for food, inviting tables filled with bold flavors, vibrant colors, and dishes that celebrate both tradition and creativity. From slow-simmered meats and street-style classics to bright seafood dishes and refreshing cocktails, we’ve gathered eight recipes that are as festive as they are flavorful. Lean into comforting staples like tamales and birria tacos, or explore lighter dishes like lobster aguachile and salmon tostadas that balance richness and freshness. Whether you’re hosting a lively gathering or keeping things small and relaxed, these recipes are perfect for bringing traditional flavors and dishes to your table this Cinco de Mayo.
Inspired by Yvette Jemison’s family tradition, this pork tamale recipe channels generations of flavor into every bite. The filling is rich and aromatic, with garlic, cumin, and chili flavoring tender shreds of meat that carry a warm, savory depth, while the masa brings a subtle nutty, sweet flavor that balances every bite. Wrapped in corn husks and steamed until just set, they emerge fragrant and comforting, ready to be pulled apart and served with salsa or guacamole.
Florida chef George “Tex” Jasso’s birria-style taco recipe is a rich, slow-simmered ode to bold flavor, featuring tender shredded beef bathed in a deeply spiced chile broth layered with ancho and guajillo chiles, warm cinnamon, and toasted spices. The meat soaks up that complex, slightly smoky heat before being tucked into corn tortillas dipped in the same savory jus and grilled until crisp at the edges, melting inside. Served with a side of the flavored broth for dipping, each bite is juicy, aromatic, and deeply satisfying, especially when finished with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
This classic custard dessert is the perfect sweet finish to your Cinco de Mayo spread, pairing silky, gently set custard with warm notes of cinnamon and bright citrus from lemon peel. The texture is smooth and melts in your mouth, while a layer of golden caramel adds just the right touch of bittersweet depth. Served chilled, it’s a light dessert that balances out a table of bold, savory dishes with something soft and creamy.
Chef Katsuji Tanabe’s green enchiladas are a perfect vibrant centerpiece for a Cinco de Mayo spread, swapping the usual red sauce for a lush, tangy blend of tomatillos, jalapeño, and garlic mellowed with a touch of cream. The result is a bright, slightly spicy sauce that coats tender chicken-filled tortillas. The melted cheese adds richness, while a fresh frisée and lemon salad piled on top cuts through with crisp texture and acidity, making each bite layered with delicious flavor.
This elote recipe from Nashville, Tennessee, restaurant Mas Tacos Por Favor transforms simple grilled corn into a rich, delicious classic Mexican side dish. After the corn is grilled until lightly charred and smoky, it is slathered in creamy mayonnaise, rolled in salty Cotija cheese, and finished with a squeeze of lime and a dusting of cayenne. The result is an irresistible mix of sweet, tangy, spicy richness in every bite, bringing the flavor-packed street food right to your kitchen.
Rancho Lewis in Charleston, South Carolina, brings a smoky, unexpected twist to the perfect Cinco de Mayo cocktail. The hatch green chile margarita blends bright lime and agave with the subtle heat of green chile puree. The result is refreshing with a slow-building warmth that lingers just enough to keep you coming back for another sip.
Chef Katsuji Tanabe combined his Japanese heritage and classic Mexican flavors in his rendition of lobster aguachile. This vibrant, spice-forward appetizer lives up to its name with a spicy, tangy sauce made with tamarind, lime, vinegar, and fiery habanero. Tender lobster is layered over crisp corn tostadas, then soaked in the bold sauce and finished with pineapple, fresh chile, and briny tobiko. Fresh cilantro lifts everything at the end, creating a dish that’s perfect for the start of a festive Cinco de Mayo meal.
Chefs Angelina Espinoza, Carlos Quesada, and Lupe Nanbo of AltaToro in Atlanta, Georgia, share this recipe for a layered, flavor-packed bite that brings together smokiness, creaminess, and bright acidity in a show-stopping presentation. Mezcal-cured salmon is placed on a crisp tostada with fresh avocado mousse, tangy crema fresca, and a black bean purée. Topped with pickled onion, salmon roe, and a touch of salsa macha to cut through with notes of brine, heat, and crunch, this dish is vibrant and delicious.
“All right, all eyes on us now,” says Scoundrel chef and owner Joe Cash.
When his restaurant earned one star in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide American South, Cash reacted with the complicated emotions expected from someone who deliberately left an award-chasing career in New York to open a restaurant in his much smaller, up-and-coming hometown of Greenville, South Carolina.
“It’s this huge honor, huge privilege, and I think now our biggest thing is, how do we make sure that every single day, every single person that comes in here feels and believes these guys earned this, and they deserve it?” he says.
La Fête Bar, Image courtesy of Caleb Chancey
Cash’s response echoes that of many other chefs who learned in 2025 that two juggernauts of culinary influence, the MICHELIN Guide and Bravo’s Top Chef Season 23, were headed South with a heavy focus on the Carolinas.
“It poses an interesting opportunity,” says Kristen Hall, chef and owner of La Fête in Birmingham, Alabama, of her Bib Gourmand award. “Now we’re in the Guide. Now we have to maintain that. That’s part of the reason why I didn’t necessarily want a star. With a star comes expectations from guests.”
Places like New Orleans, Atlanta, and Nashville have long been considered culinary destinations, and Charleston’s status continues to rise through awards and the establishment of festivals the caliber of the Food & Wine Classic. Now, these dining hubs have the opportunity to share the spotlight with the region’s lesser-lauded cities.
“A lot of people for a long time have said Charlotte doesn’t have a good food scene, and I would argue to the bone that it does,” says chef Andres Kaifer of Charlotte’sCustomshop. In addition to a recommendation in the Guide, Customshop was among several restaurants that hosted Top Chef judges for dinner when they were in town filming late last summer. The social media buzz from judge Gail Simmons, in particular, created immediate impact and felt validating, Kaifer says.
“I left Miami because of how attractive the food scene was in the Carolinas,” Kaifer says. “We have a very rich and diverse food scene.”
The MICHELIN Guide, inclusive of seven states, boasts 228 restaurants representing 44 types of cuisine, meaning it’s not only stereotypical Southern food or only white tablecloth, tasting menu restaurants that have caught the attention of the judges and the international dining community.
Jeff and Jamie of Tonidandel Brown Restaurant Group in Charlotte
For Jeff Tonidandel of Tonidandel Brown Restaurant Group in Charlotte, it was a surprise to have three of their restaurants—Ever Andalo, Haberdish, and Supperland—included in the Guide.
“We don’t do things I typically think MICHELIN is looking for,” he says. “At every one of our places you can eat family-style and have shareable large portions.” Hall thinks similarly about La Fête’s inclusion and the broader implications. “The assumption that MICHELIN-[recognized] restaurants are expensive and fancy—La Fête is neither of those things,” Hall says. “There are definitely more people with the awareness of what exists here beyond the stereotypical Southern food experience.”
Even with the diversity of cuisine, the secret to culinary success here is the ideal location for sourcing ingredients, says Joe Kindred, chef and co-owner of three restaurants in the Charlotte area. “You can always see my Southern roots,” Kindred says. “I think that it’s really [easy] to tell if the chef is from the South. It’s my job to really tell that narra- tive and not be afraid of that narrative.”
Joe and Katy Kindred’s restaurants Albertine, Kindred, and milkbread also served Top Chef’s host Kristen Kish and judges Tom Colicchio and Simmons, and benefited from the enhanced visibility.
Practically speaking, though, the sudden increase in reservations at each named or awarded restaurant creates logistical challenges. For La Fête, Hall immediately ordered more glasses and spoons.
“Volume creates a huge challenge,” she says. “It’s fun to be busy, but it’s only fun to be busy when you’re prepared.”
Cane Pazzo’s Lumache and Cabbage, Image courtesy of Andrew Cebulka
For Asheville, however, the challenge of MICHELIN-related attention is welcome after Hurricane Helene decimated the restaurant community in 2024.
“I think this concentrated attention comes at a meaningful moment,” says Eric Scheffer, founder and CEO of Scheffer Group, which operates popular neighborhood restaurants in Asheville. “This spotlight doesn’t create something new; it amplifies and codifies Asheville’s place in the culinary South. The timing also matters because people understand, at least on some level, the emotional and financial challenges that our community just endured.”
Philip Bollhoefer is vice president of food and beverage for Parks Hospitality Group, which notably includes Soprana Rooftop Cucina, now a MICHELIN-recommended pizza restaurant on the roof- top of Embassy Suites in Asheville. He says Soprana’s additional obstacle of being located inside a hotel pushed the team to focus even more on sourcing the best local ingredients possible and ensuring the staff was ready to engage guests.
“We do feel a pressure and a responsibility now that there is a different clientele coming to the South with different expectations,” Bollhoefer says. “We’re excited to give everyone that learning opportunity to see what the South is all about.”
Many within the region are encouraged that the Guide and Top Chef attention and impact aren’t isolated to only those restaurants making the lists.
“A rising tide lifts all ships,” says Frank Scibelli, owner of FS Food Group and seven concepts in North Carolina, including MICHELIN-recognized Little Mama’s. “For sure it’s good for everybody. I think it’s obviously motivation for people who didn’t make it.”
For Mark Bolchoz of Cane Pazzo in Hanahan, South Carolina, his restaurant was too recently opened to be considered for the Guide, and that was okay, then. “In the immediate I wasn’t super focused on it,” he says. “We had just opened, but it’s hugely important for next year.”
Katy Kindred, who trained for such awards for many years alongside her husband in San Francisco restaurants, welcomes the pressure the industry may experience.
“Having accountability outside of Yelp is important,” she says. “Having the MICHELIN Guide here is having a similar effect [to a restaurant critic]. It gets everyone on their game.”
As to the long-term effects of both the Guide and Top Chef on the Carolinas and beyond, it remains to be seen.
“The way that I see it, we don’t really know how deep or wide the impact of MICHELIN being in the South will be,” Hall says. “As long as we see it as an opportunity for positivity, then it’s a good thing.”
Shuai and Corrie Wang, husband-and-wife owners of Jackrabbit Filly and King BBQ in North Charleston, South Carolina, recently came into the spotlight with Shuai’s appearance on Top Chef. “I had a really wonderful experience,” says the chef, who was a finalist. “I met a lot of great chefs and lifelong friends, learned a lot about myself, and I think the chefs really pushed me forward, creative-wise.” When they’re home, the Wangs, in Shuai’s words, “eat like f—ing children,” with chicken fingers a staple. “Corrie makes really, really amazing salad. Besides Chinese food, we make a lot of [Latin] food, particularly Mexican food, so a lot of beans and rice. We’re also big fans of a snacky girl dinner with just cheeses and tinned fish,” he says. For a midnight snack, Shuai reaches for peanut butter and dates, while Corrie says she goes for “some kind of ice cream, and I’ll just take spoonfuls and eat it over the sink.”
Shuai and Corrie Share Their 5 Fridge Essentials
Grocery stores are kind of like our version of wandering a bookstore. We are a little addicted to Lowe’s Foods, because you can also grab a beer while you shop around.” —Corrie Wang
Image courtesy of Sully Sullivan
1. Shaker Cheese
Corrie: I can’t help it. We’ll have some kind of Chinese- or Korean-style noodles, and I’m like, you know what this needs?
2. Gallon of Duke’s
Shuai: We actually buy it by the jug, because that’s how much mayo we go through.
3. CSA Veggie Bag
Shuai: When we have time, we love getting the CSA bag from Rooting Down Farms.
4. 18 Bottles of Hot Sauce
Corrie: People like to gift us hot sauces, and we never defer from opening them until we finish something else.
5. Tortillas
Corrie: We eat a lot of salads, and we’ve started putting them with a tortilla base so that we can still have the burrito fix.
Art, wellness, and food lovers can choose their own adventure in North Carolina’s most charming mountain town.
For the Curious Eaters and Drinkers
Asheville has always punched above its weight in the food and beverage field—the tiny-but- mighty mountain town was long ago branded Beer City and counts multiple James Beard nominees and winners.
Chai Pani in Asheville, Image courtesy of Tim Robison
Among those trophy holders are Cúrate(Spanish tapas and wine) and Chai Pani(Indian street food), 2022 James Beard Award winners for Outstanding Hospitality and Outstanding Restaurant, respectively. In 2025, chef Ashleigh Shanti’s first cookbook, Our South: Black Food Through My Lens (Union Square & Co.), won a Beard media award; find her cooking up hot fish sandwiches, sweet potato cabbage pancakes, trout bologna, and shrimp burgers at Good Hot Fishin South Slope, a downtown neighborhood full of local craft beer taprooms. MICHELIN Guide’s first American South issue in late 2025 recognized multiple eateries, including Luminosa, Mother, Little Chango,Tall John’s, The Admiral, and Leo’s House of Thirst. You can also go behind the tanks and see how it’s all done on a 90-minute production tour (with tasting samples) of New Belgium Brewing, perched above the French Broad River in West Asheville. Sierra Nevada in Mills River has a flight of tour opportunities, from 45 minutes to the three-hour Beer Geek Tour.
Willy Wonka was make-believe; Asheville’s world-famous French Broad Chocolatefactory is for real, and the proof is in the daily Bean to Bar Chocolate Factory Tour, which includes a chocolate tasting. Eat, drink, and walk your way through downtown with insider info and quirky history from local experts with Asheville Food Tours. Three different specialized itineraries with up to seven stops are coursed out over three hours. While appreciating art in the River Arts District, enjoy breakfast at ButterPunk, lunch at Piccolina, and dinner at Crusco, three chef-owned newbies on Depot Street.
For the Arts and Crafts Lovers
Folk Art Center, image courtesy of Chelsea Lane Photography
Western North Carolina has long been a siren call for artists of every medium. The Penland School of Craft, John C. Campbell Folk School, and Haywood Community College have prestigious programs for craft, an expression of form and function inherent to Appalachia. Building the Biltmore Estate beginning in 1889 required legions of skilled craftspeople, artisans, and artists—many emigrated from Europe and then settled in the area.
The gorgeous drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway sets the tone for visiting the Folk Art Center, home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and the work of hundreds of makers for purchase. Visit Grovewood Villagetucked away on wooded acreage adjacent to the Omni Grove Park Inn for art, craft, architecture (100-plus- year-old English cottages clad in pebbledash), and history. The site once housed the weaving and woodworking operations of Biltmore Industries, currently home to Grovewood Gallery, working artist studios, and the Estes-Winn Antique Car Museum.
Take a linear gallery stroll on downtown Asheville’s main artery; Biltmore Avenue and Broadway Street meet at the Asheville Art Museumat Pack Square. And side streets are abundant with galleries representing local, regional, national, and international artists. Momentum Galleryhas a select display of glass pieces and serigraphs by Dale Chihuly. The River Arts District(RAD) along the French Broad River was one of the areas hardest hit by Helene flooding in September 2024, but there is much reason to celebrate the return of artist studios and reopening of the 50,000 square foot Marquee, a design-centric market.
For the Wellness Seekers
Since the early 1800s, Asheville has been revered as a wellness and healing destination. For nearly as many years, entrepreneurs have packaged ancient and state-of-the art practices to offer visitors invigorating refreshes, inner adventures, and soothing breaks from the daily grind.
Namaste in Nature’s microretreats are a trifecta of hiking wooded trails through quiet forest, meditation and centering at the base of a waterfall, and yoga with mountain views; select sunrise, sunset, or high noon. Balance body, mind, and spirit through a three- step circuit of contrast therapy: heat, chill, relax. Sauna House is intentionally structured with traditional cedar dry and aspen wood wet saunas, a stainless-steel cold plunge, and heated lounge furniture. Shoji Spa and Retreat is Asheville’s only alfresco spa, located 2,500 feet above stress level, immersing guests in Japanese culture and practic- es. Wrap yourself in a yukata (bathrobe) and walk the serene garden path to a private saltwater hot tub, with one open wall to soak in the lush view. Massage treatment packages and lodging options are available to make a weekend of it.
Shed your clothes and let go, supine on the surface of Still Point Wellness’ private Float Lab tank, filled with skin-temperature water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt that draws all the tensions, aches, and pains from your body. A float specialist walks novices through what to expect while immersed for 60 or 90 minutes in the darkened and soundproof pool; slowly reenter with a cup of herbal tea under a weight- ed blanket in the Integration Lounge.
For a town of slightly more than 14,000 people, Bardstown punches well above its weight when it comes to hospitality. Known as the Bourbon Capital of the World, this historic Kentucky community welcomed more than a million visitors last year, many traveling the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Situated about 45 minutes south of Louisville and an hour from Lexington—right in the heart of the “amber triangle”—Bardstown boasts 11 distilleries within a 16-mile radius. For years, bourbon pilgrims would make their rounds among the rickhouses and tasting bars before heading back to larger cities for dinner and overnight stays. Today, a wave of standout restaurants, bars, and boutique lodging makes a compelling case to stay a little longer.
What makes the shift remarkable is the way Bardstown balances old with new. As Kentucky’s second-oldest city, Bardstown remains rooted in historic small-town charm. “We’ve grown—which we needed—but we’ve also kept our character,” says Hannah Medley with Bardstown Tourism. At longtime favorites like Mammy’s Kitchen, the owner still makes the rounds with a warm “how y’all doing?” while just a few miles away, the clubby speakeasy at the newly opened Trail Hotel would feel at home in a major metro. It’s this mix of authenticity and ambition that’s transforming Bardstown into one of the South’s most exciting culinary towns on the rise.
Two words: Yum Yums. Locals know it’s worth arriving early at this third-generation family-owned bakery to snag a box of these braided pastries, their gooey cinnamon-coated centers still warm and glazed golden twist stopped with generous drizzles of vanilla and chocolate icing.
In late 2022, Kentucky-based Common Bond Hotel Collection reimagined a former roadside motel and eatery into the retro-chic Bardstown Motor Lodge and neighboring restaurant, Toogie’s Table. The transformation infused new life into both the rooms and menus, with elevated takes on down-home dishes like country ham fritters, cast iron salmon over rice with kimchi, and when it’s on special, some truly great fried chicken.
Helmed by executive chef and cookbook author Marvin Woods—twice featured at the James Beard House—The Trail Hotel’s open-concept restaurant serves modern Southern fare with style. Highlights include burgoo, tuna sashimi, cornmeal-dusted catfish with chowchow, and a thick-cut ribeye with fried potato wedges, all backed by a deep bourbon list and expertly crafted cocktails.
The Bardstown counterpart to NEAT’s original Louisville location lives up to its tagline of “history by the pour.” Housed in a renovated century-old building, the intimate lounge, along with its knowledgeable bartenders, invites guests to settle in and explore a whiskey list that spans the decades.
Bardstown’s first craft brewery pours housemade beers in a range of styles—from pilsners and IPAs to stouts and sours—paired with a gastropub-style menu. Try the cheese-studded sausage balls (made with local favorite Jake’s Fresh Country Sausage) and the indulgent, double-decker Southern Fire smashburger.
You can’t go wrong with any of the small plates at Willett Distillery’s tidy on-site restaurant—it was a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist, after all—but the standout is its egg salad: made with smoked Duke’s mayonnaise, lightly sweetened with yolk jam, and layered between pillowy brioche crowned with a delicate layer of shredded parmesan.
This cozy lounge sets the tone for an evening out with a wood-paneled, leather-accented vibe, a light menu of charcuterie boards and flatbreads, and of course, excellent cocktails like a classically made sazerac and a Manhattan riff with Cynar and Benedictine.
Step aboard a restored 1940s dining car for a two-and-a-half-hour round-trip journey through the Kentucky countryside paired with a four-course menu prepared by the train’s chefs. Reservations go quickly, especially for the popular Bourbon Excursion.
Each September, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival transforms Bardstown into bourbon’s epicenter. This year, the four-day event drew guests from 47 states and 15 countries, with roughly 5,000 daily attendees and more than 60 distilleries represented on the Great Lawn outside the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2026, the festival has recently been revamped to include a ticketed grand tasting, educational and culinary events, bottle sales, and unlimited reentry. “Being in Bardstown is such a key part of our festival, and we want our guests to experience all the city has to offer,” says festival president and COO Randy Prasse.
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Image courtesy of Visit Bardstown
This downtown market is a one-stop shop for stocking your hotel room or rental for a weekend on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with a variety of Kentucky Proud products, prepared meals, meats and cheeses, and snacks. It’s also the launch point for exploring town via one of its two walking tours.
Yes, it’s a liquor store, but this employee-owned shop doubles as a community hub, offering half-ounce pours of rare whiskies at its tasting bar, a broad selection of single-barrel picks, and a large retail space stocked with hard-to-find bottles.
Most distilleries have gift shops, but the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience stands out with its curated mix of apparel, barware, books, décor, and bottles—including, on many days, an allocated release or two.
Billed as the world’s first bourbon-centric hotel, The Trail opened in May 2025 and is built on the bones of a historic Holiday Inn. Its 95 guest rooms—many of them centered on a courtyard pool with an oversized hot tub—include eight bourbon-themed suites. Guests can dive into whiskey culture with five bars, a private speakeasy, Par & Pour golf simulator lounge, and even a Bourbon Butler service to help curate excursions. For recovery, the Rejuvenation Room offers a welcome retreat.
