5 Asheville Adventures For Your Last-Minute Summer Travels

It's About Time For a Not-Too-Hot Summer Vacation For August.

It’s time to pack in a family vacation for August. One last hurrah before summer is over! Before school starts back up, use those airline miles up before they expire.

If June and July’s summer getaway options were too crowded, come on down to Asheville this August. What makes it a great last-minute vacation spot? It has the summer essentials: outdoor activities, summer weather that’s not stifling, and a care-free spirit.

Here’s 5 things you can do to live up the last bit of your summer:

Grab a Beer...or a Flight!

Crack open a cold one to toast the end of summer. Absolutely love beer? ...or have you not found the brew for you yet? Either way, Asheville is big on the beer scene, and she’ll cater to you. Try out some IPAs, white and pale ales, dark porters, specialty brews (like beer stored in whiskey barrels), or fruity malt beverages.

Round off your dinner with a local brew, like a Sierra Nevada or Highland beer. Local restaurants almost always have at least one local brew on tap. You can also order your choice of beers as a flight.

Or make drinking beer the whole event and go to the brewery. You can take the full tour of the brewing facilities before your drink, or just go for the beer. While there are many brewery options, here are a few hot spots to sip a summer brew:

• Sierra Nevada Brewing. Lots of seating (indoors and out) and excellent restaurant,

• Green Man Brewery. Tasting room with English-style ales.

• New Belgium Brewery. Tours and taproom.

• Hi-Wire Brewing. Taprooms in both Downtown and in Biltmore Village.

Picnic and Play at a Lake

Pack a lunch, take along the family, and live up the end of summer with a day at the lake. Break open that vacation novel you brought. Grab a float or rent a boat. Enjoy a laid-back afternoon.

Want to swim? Lake Powhatan and Lake Lure are moderately sized yet give you a secluded lake experience. You can rent boats on both of these lakes as well.

Want a lake just for the picnic view? You’ll love the easy-access Lake Jullian. Several covered and uncovered picnic areas are scattered about.

For a real private destination lake feel, visit Fawn Lake. Nestled in the DuPont Forest, it has its own parking and about a 15-minute hike. The walk is doable with sandals and a wagon, and yet enough of a walk to keep away most regular tourists. This lake has a small Dock and gazebo, and the lake itself is surrounded by the gorgeous forest. .

Go Camping (or Glamping) in the WNC Woods

Is summer really summer without a camping excursion? Thankfully, Asheville has a wide range of camping. You aren't stuck with extreme minimalist Boy Scout camping (unless you’re into that—in which case, check out the Appalachian Trail). Many campsites (and glampsites) are an easy drive and don’t require hiking in.

Sometimes (and for some of us, all the time), camping is most enjoyable when there's an actual bed and four walls. Lake Powhatan Camping offers great glamping options, and also offers traditional tent camping sites. And if you want to add some luxury to lodging in the woods, check out Asheville Cottages.

You might not feel like it’s real camping unless there’s a tent and a campfire. In that case, camp close to your car with French Broad River Campground and North Mills River Recreational Camp Ground. Because camping without having to haul wood and beer into the woods is always a bonus.

Play a Round of Golf (Regular or Mini Golf)

Lazy Days are best spent with lazy activities. Thankfully, Ashville weather is on the lower side of Southern heat and humidity. This summer, you can golf on courses with plantation grandeur, but without the deep south mugginess and heat.

Enjoy your rounds on the sprawling lawns of the Asheville Municipal Golf Course. And for luxury golfing, check out the Omni Grove Park Inn Golf Course. The Omni is an especially good option if you’d prefer not to join a traveling companion on their excursion to the Omni Spa or shopping downtown.

If you have to bring the kids or enjoy that campy summer feel, go out for some mini-golf! Get competitive or take it easy. Tropical Gardens Mini Golf and Lakeview Putt and Play are delightfully laid-back courses.

Dine on the Year’s Freshest Food

North and South Carolina are hotspots for incredible produce. What’s more, the already stellar food peaks during late summer. This is the best time to come for the food—and you don’t have to look far. Local food is not hard to source in Asheville, so most restaurant’s regular menu will burst with peak flavor.

With such easily available locally-grown food, you’ll enjoy any cuisine. Authentic food of any style tastes best when fresh. Try out downtown’s well-established Salsa’s for Mexican/Caribean cuisine.

Several restaurants, in particular, are know for their farm-to-table menu. For upscale downtown dinner-dining, try Posana. Also, the Corner Kitchen is an excellent breakfast/brunch spot in Biltmore Village. For good old-fashioned southern cooking, visit the Moose Cafe, which is right next to the farmer's market.

It’s Peak Season in Asheville, NC

What activities really complete your summer vacation? What gets you to relax? What have you been looking forward to doing after a challenging first half of the year?

We at Asheville Cottages wish you a wonderful summer full of the activities you love, wherever you may be. And we hope that you get to have that rejuvenating season you more than deserve! Remember, we’re happy to host you whenever you come down. You’ll always be welcomed with clean, cozy accommodations, luxury amenities, and friendly hosts.

Have a safe, happy summer!