Play Through the Mountains: A Day in Black Mountain and Swannanoa
Just east of the city, Black Mountain and Swannanoa trade traffic for a walkable Main Street, mountain trails, and an easygoing food scene, and Biltmore Championship Asheville Week is a great excuse to make the short drive.
Fifteen minutes outside of Asheville, the two towns sit side by side in the Swannanoa Valley, full of makers, cooks, and shopkeepers working at a mountain pace. Spend the day wandering downtown Black Mountain, chasing a trail, and grabbing a bite in Swannanoa on the way. Here are our recommendations for heading east:
Morning | Wander Downtown Black Mountain
Downtown Black Mountain is a walkable few blocks of independent shops. Start at Seven Sisters Gallery, a downtown fixture full of pottery, paintings, woodwork, and handmade jewelry from local and regional artists. Browse the largest selection of Polish pottery in Western North Carolina at Europa, alongside cuckoo clocks and imported gifts. Then find Sarah Sunshine Pottery on Cherry Street, where every mug and bowl is hand-thrown in glazes named for the surrounding mountains, with a free handmade magnet on any pottery purchase during championship week. For a break from browsing, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, in a restored 1920s building, shows regional art and hosts performances year-round.
Late Morning | Into Swannanoa
Head a few minutes down the valley into Swannanoa. Refuel at Short Sleeves Coffee, a from-scratch roaster pouring carefully made coffee out of a restored 1920s gas station, then swing by Blunt Pretzels, where a German baker turns out giant soft pretzels and knots best paired with a beer in the garden.
Afternoon | Get Outside With a Guide
Namaste in Nature is taking 10% off its guided Micro Retreat yoga experiences during the week: a Waterfall Micro Retreat pairing a waterfall hike with riverside yoga, and a Mountaintop Vortex Micro Retreat that drives you up for yoga and a hike with the Blue Ridge spread out below. They will also take 10% off a private customized group yoga class, brought to wherever you are staying. If you’re looking for a watersport experience like kayaking or SUPing, GreenFlash Watersports is also offering 10% off any activity.
Late Afternoon | Lunch With a View
Grab a table at My Father's Pizza back on Cherry Street in Black Mountain, a family-run tradition since 1990, where the pies, pastas, and subs come from recipes made fresh in-house and the patio looks out on the Seven Sisters range. Or settle in at Foothills Grange, the downtown restaurant from the team behind Foothills Local Meats, serving beer and hearty, meat-forward American plates with indoor seating, a patio, and a kids' play area.
Evening | Distilleries, Cider, and Dinner
Black Mountain’s beverage scene is not to be missed. Pisgah Brewing Company has been pouring craft beer and hosting live music since 2005, Oak and Grist Distilling Company runs tours and tastings of its small-batch, grain-to-glass gin and whiskey, and Black Mountain Cider + Mead turns local apples and honey into dry ciders and session-able meads inside a former furniture factory. For dinner, The Pure and Proper plates creative New American small plates and craft cocktails inside a cleverly remodeled 1940s gas station, while Hell or High Water, tucked into the historic Icehouse, serves shareable, locally sourced plates and cocktails with views from its rooftop patio.
