First and foremost, the recovery is still real in Asheville and if you are so inclined to help, here’s a link that can help those businesses and artists who have been displaced from Helene and offer a fun way for you to get your holiday shopping done online:
https://always.exploreasheville.com/love-asheville#support
Our time spent in Asheville was a bit different than we had planned given the road and store closures still in effect from the biblical storm of 2024! The ladies at the Chamber of Commerce were so happy we were there and encouraged us to walk the downtown and shop/eat as the best way to help right now. We were happy to oblige! A buffet style lunch is now the norm at Chai Pani (James Beard award winning Indian street food) since there is still no city water and restaurants are left to pivot (or close.) But it was still wonderful…butter chicken, desi salad, kale pakora, okra fries, etc…even their lime rickey was fabulous. Plus the vibe was festive, colorful and joyful which was nice to see given all the CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE signs we saw around town.
We tried to see the Biltmore, but you had to have tickets to even get in the grounds and given the holiday season, the tix were too spendy for me! Plus they had just reopened on Nov 2 and it was clear they had been brutally affected by the storm. Tim was totally uninterested, so we skipped that (may regret that but alas…)
Our best day was driving through the Pisgah National Forest, checking out Sliding Rock and Looking Glass Falls and spending some good time in Brevard! Eli and Kelly had actually slid Sliding Rock last summer and it looked really fun, but in November with no one there it wasn’t quite as appealing to me so I passed. The water was 55 degrees on average and the outside temp was 67 so I needed a bit more balmy temps to push me over the edge! The drive was beautiful, windy and a bit too late in the fall for the colors but lovely nonetheless.
We finished our scenic tour in the charming town of Brevard. We had a fabulous lunch at The Square Root and fun browsing at art galleries, the coolest toy store on the planet…O.P. Taylor’s….(I wondered if that was a nod to Mayberry or just his name) and a remarkably cool book store…Highland Books. Loved this town and the welcoming, artsy community they have created.
Last day, I was lucky to be there for the “soft opening” of the River Arts District (RAD) which brought tons of art lovers and shoppers back to the decimated area. I had not seen this area and had heard marvelous things about it but it was now 20% of what it had been before Sept. 27th….80% of the artists’ studios and supplies/art were literally swept away during the storm and those artists who were lucky enough to still have a studio, have opened their walls to displaced artists. The weekend I was there they also had tents lining the blocks with displaced artists selling their work and the outpouring of love, support and commerce was tremendous. The artists were so grateful…every one of them I spoke to thanked me profusely for coming and were overwhelmed by the crowds. I could have spent A LOT of $$$ there, but every now and then I remember I’m retired and I walk fast past the cool tents!!! A few examples below:
