Got guests coming into town? Skip the cliche forays and introduce them to our fantastic little city with some quintessentially quirky Asheville experiences. From color aura readings + forest bathing to art and foraging for food in the mountains, here are our picks for the most authentic local activities.

You gotta eat

A leisurely brunch when traveling is practically a requirement, and we’ve got two words to make our case: breakfast quesadillas. Take your hungry guests to a spot known only to locals: Abejas’s House Cafe. This South Asheville spot serves up fresh, Latin-inspired dishes like Mexican chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, and, of course, the aforementioned breakfast quesadillas, which are stuffed with a spinach, red onion, ham + cheddar omelet and served with sides of guacamole and cheese grits.

When that big breakfast finally wears off, tuck into a nice evening meal at Avenue M. Located in an airy, expansive historic North Asheville building, the team here whips up a rotating menu of elevated dishes made with locally sourced ingredients, like triangoli pasta with green garlic, preserved lemon, and pecorino. Pro tip: if you see the heirloom tomato + pimento cheese pie on the menu, get it.

Forest bathing is about slowing down and immersing yourself in nature. I Photo by AVLtoday

You gotta see the mountains

It’s one thing to see the mountains, it’s another to take a digital detox and immerse in them. Forest bathing with Asheville Wellness Tours is a great way to consciously take in the sights, sounds + smells of the forest. Their guides not only know the land, but offer insights to help you slow down and fully experience nature in your own way.

Want less bathing with your forest? Pack (or purchase) a picnic and set off to see the Blue Ridge Parkway. This famed 469-mile roadway that stretches from Virginia to North Carolina not only offers unparalleled mountain views, it’s also a link to the small towns + cultural history that define this unique region.

You gotta do the things

Brook discovered her dog, Tallulah, balances her chakras perfectly. I Photo by AVLtoday

Asheville prides itself on being weird, and a great place to let your freak flag fly (as well as obtain some newfound freaky knowledge) is with a Color Aura reading at Adoratherapy at The Grove Arcade.

The process uses biofeedback probe technology + photography to reveal the colors associated with your chakras. It also includes a 14 page report detailing the significance of your main aura color and how it relates to your personality type + characteristics. Best of all? You can also get your pet’s color aura read, too.

Because Asheville is Beer City, guests may expect some beer-centric excursions. To have your beer and drink it too, we recommend dropping into Down Dog. The yoga studio, bar, and off leash dog park is the most “Asheville spot” to come along in a minute, and is a great place to sip brews, stretch, people watch, and also distribute dog scratches.

It wouldn’t be Asheville without a drum circle, so checking one out comes highly recommended. Whether you want to watch, dance, or get in on the drumming action yourself, it’s one of the city’s warmest expressions of community fun, and it’s an experience not to be missed.

Asheville is known for its art scene, and we’re especially fond of everything you can see in the RAD Foundation, an 8000-square-foot community art center with artists’ studios, galleries, and classes + workshops in the River Arts District. And if you really want to impress your guests, drop some RAD history on ’em.

Our mountains are among the most biodiverse spots in the world, and a fun + fresh way to explore and taste them is with a foraging tour with No Taste Like Home. Leader Alan Muskat and team teach folks to learn how to identify native-growing edible plants in and around Asheville, and once you've gathered a bounty, you can even take it to a partner restaurant and have the chefs there whip it up into something delightfully delicious.

You gotta stop into a watering hole

Being dog-friendly is the only thing that can make a dive bar any better than it already is. I Photo via @allthingsasheville

The city is full of places where you can get an expert craft cocktail, but we recommend the stiff drinks and low lights of the Double Crown for a real taste of the 828 that extends past the bottom of your glass. Not only is its whiskey selection stellar, the bar also offers karaoke nights where you can indulge your inner chanteuse. Every Friday night, you can catch sounds spun by local Rotations DJs. We hope this West Asheville institution never closes.

And about that craft cocktail. If that’s what you’re after, you’ll find luscious libations galore at the Golden Pineapple. Owned + operated by longtime local bartenders Donnie Pratt and Katey Ryder, its novella-sized menu, kitschy decor, and friendly staff make this spot as friendly and sweet as its gilded namesake. Pro tip: you won't regret dropping in on its popular burger or pizza nights.