This column is brought to you by our dear contributor, Tanya Ansaldi, a mom who’s been criss-crossing the country with her toddler in tow.
If you have the pleasure of spending a day in the “Paris of the South”… otherwise known as Asheville, North Carolina, there is plenty to do to ensure a good time for the whole family. Allow us to breakdown the best way to spend 24 hours in this adorable city.
MORNING
Drive along the famous Blue Ridge Parkway taking in the scenic views and head to Craggy Pinnacle for a quick (1.4 mile round trip) and easy hike to the viewpoint. If you’re able to time your trip when autumn is boasting all its vivid colors, you’ll be able to capture some especially Insta-worthy photos.
Then head back to downtown Asheville and take in a Kids’ Comedy Tour with La Zoom bus tours. These are mostly targeted to kids aged 5-12 years old, but younger children are welcome and children aged three years old and under are free if they sit on an adult’s lap. The kids’ tours last an hour and tend to start at 11am. However, they don’t run every day so be sure to plan in advance, especially as children under 13 years of age aren’t allowed on their other tours.
AFTERNOON
With so many breweries, Asheville is also known as Beer City U.S.A. After your tour, walk over to Wicked Weed Brewpub for a casual lunch and try one of their specialty sour beers.
You can then spend some time exploring downtown Asheville’s many charming shops and boutiques. When your little one’s legs get tired, stop into Dobra Tea tearoom and cozy up on floor cushions for a relaxing break. As the name suggests, they have an extensive and exotic tea menu, as well as some little treats to keep everyone happy. It is a rather quiet spot – so perhaps better for tots that can be entertained with their treat or books and such, while parents enjoy the tea.
When leaving the tearoom, be sure to go just around the corner and see the fairy houses on Woodfin Street near Carolina Lane. Yes, I said fairy houses! If you look down along where the walls meet the sidewalk, you’ll see little doors and entrances to tiny houses and shops that must belong to fairies, as one miniature storefront is named Tinkerbell’s Closet. They are so cute, and little ones will be excited to see that fairies live in Asheville too.
EVENING
With so many incredible restaurants in Asheville, it’s hard to make a wrong choice, but some local favorites that have kids menus are Chai Pani, offering a bright, hip setting and fantastic Indian food, and Tupelo Honey, serving up responsibly-sourced, made from scratch Southern food. If you have a babysitter and are able to manage a date night, you can head to some of the more formal local favorites, such as Cúrate or Limones. Just make your reservation weeks in advance!
If you are in town on a Friday night, stroll over to Pritchard Park and join in on the weekly Drum Circle. It’s fun to watch, and little ones love to dance to the beat. People tend to start showing up around 6pm, but the crowd grows and it usually goes until 10pm.
WHERE TO STAY
There are several lovely hotel options in Asheville, but if you like to have a bit more space, with a proper one-bedroom (children can sleep in the living room on the sofa bed) allowing for more privacy and your own kitchen, then a couple of options at different price points are The Windsor Boutique Hotel and The Residences at Biltmore. The Windsor Boutique Hotel is centrally located downtown and offers a plush design aesthetic, and while The Residences at Biltmore is not a full-service hotel, you can have your own spacious condo with a cozy fireplace, daily cleaning service and a 24-hour front desk to help answer any questions.
All photos by Tanya Ansaldi
Got questions about visiting Asheville with kids? Send them to us! Got your own tips to share about Asheville? We’d love to hear those too.
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