I’m happy to announce the deer sausage was a highlight of the trip! Photo by: Evan Berman

Between Christmas and New Year’s, my family and I visited Asheville, North Carolina. It was an excellent opportunity to get away for a bit and spend some quality time together. We had a great time, getting out into nature and tasting delicious food and drink.

This recap is the last part of the Blue Ridge Excursion. For more information on this trip, follow these links:

Intro

Hotel: Fairfield Inn & Suites Tunnel Road, Asheville, North Carolina

Hiking on the Appalachian Trail

Food and Drinks in Asheville

Conclusion (This Article)

Overview:

It had been nearly 3 weeks since my trip to Norway but much longer since our last family trip. We wanted to spend some time as a family and get out into nature. Asheville is located near the beautiful Appalachian Trail and is known for a thriving craft food and beer scene. We sampled each of the above and they lived up to expectations. While I won’t be moving there any time soon, we had a great trip and this was an excellent way to end the year!

The Trip, Visualized:

As mentioned in the introduction, this trip was simpler than in previous reports. We drove from Charleston to Asheville and spent 2 days enjoying the area.

Additionally, here is the hotel that we stayed at in Asheville:

Fairfield Inn & Suites Tunnel Road

Highlights from the Trip:

It’s hard to narrow down any trip to just a handful of moments, but here goes. The top 5 moments from this trip were:

• Hiking the Appalachian Trail
• Eating deer sausage and sampling beer at several breweries
• Earning 9,000 American Airlines Miles from staying 2 nights at Fairfield Inn & Suites
• Spending time with family!

Our trip was brief but incredible. Christmas Time is always a magical season and getting out in nature is always an added bonus!

Price:

I always include the prices I’ve paid to give an idea of what it costs to go on these trips. This report is slightly different as we did not fly. Without further ado, let’s dive into the numbers:

Food and Drink:

Our meals were family style. We met up with other family members and shared great food, drinks, and laughs. As such, I won’t share the typical pricing here.

Transportation:

We only paid for gas on our transportation. The total came out to only $41.52. Not too bad!

Flights:

N/A

Hotel:

• Asheville: $513.17.

Activities:

Our main activity was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. The great thing about the App Trail is it’s completely free! The Folk Art Center has a small entry fee of $10 per person but that is certainly an extra and not the highlight of the hiking experience.

Total Price:

• Asheville: $464.69

In all, the trip cost $464.69 in hotel and gas, plus the food and drinks for this brief vacation. Asheville at Christmas Time is very popular and we were lucky to be able to experience great bars and restaurants on such short notice.

Points Earned:

Food and Drink:

N/A, we split the meals.

Transportation:

83 Capital One Venture Miles (2x on everything)

Flights:

N/A

Hotel:

1,541 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (3x on Travel) and 9,000 American Advantage Miles.

Activities:

20 Capital One Venture Miles (2x everywhere)

Total Points:

In all, I earned 1,541 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, 103 Capital One Venture Miles, and 9,000 American Advantage Miles. Those AA Miles are the highlight of the earnings on this trip!

Evan’s Recommendations:

I’d like to give my thoughts on what was good, bad, and so-so on this trip. To do that, I’ll list 3 categories: can’t miss items, avoid, and if you have time. The options come from the entire trip, so it’s possible 1 place has all the recommendations or none of them. As always, what do you think? Let me know if you think I’ve omitted anything or have overrated an experience.

Can’t Miss:

• Hiking the Appalachian Trail:
  • This is not just a suggestion for the Asheville area, the App Trail is one of the most beautiful areas to explore!
• The Admiral
  • This is arguably the best restaurant in Asheville, we had an amazing meal and there are many different options.

If You Have Time:

• Wicked Weed Funkatorium
  • If you’re a sour beer fan, the Funkatorium is a must-visit in Asheville!

Avoid:

I wouldn’t suggest avoiding any place, except possibly the Folk Art Center. Modern art, especially in these settings is by no means my cup of tea. If you enjoy that type of thing, go for it, but I’d stay away next time.

Summary:

Asheville was a fun trip. We had a great time and got to experience several wonderful meals and drinks. Hiking on the App Trail is always a pleasure. Hope you enjoyed this brief trip. Next up: Dallas.