Asheville, North Carolina's 5 Hidden Destinations That Locals Recommend

Asheville, North Carolina, has plenty of big-hitters. Downtown Asheville is full of shops, European vibes, and renowned food, and the surrounding mountains are home to America's most-visited National Park. However, for every Wicked Weed brewery and Bridal Veil Falls hike, dozens of hidden shops, restaurants, and outdoor activities fly under the radar. These great low-key destinations will make perfect stops on your next trip to Asheville.

I am by no means an Asheville local, but I was born and raised in North Carolina. I've got family dotting several small mountain towns surrounding Asheville, went to college in nearby Boone, North Carolina, and have spent countless weekends looking for deals, splashing in the waterfalls, and enjoying the drum circles around Asheville. I've also been lucky enough to have been led around town by several Asheville locals. This collection is based on my own experiences, recommendations I've received over the years, and the opinions of countless Asheville locals bold enough to share their favorite hidden gems online. While the tour buses idle outside Biltmore Estate, these destinations will take you inside BP gas stations, onto one-street mountain towns, and into consignment shops that survived a hurricane. Read to explore the Land of the Sky? Let's go.

If you want the best fried chicken in Asheville, you'll have to head to the gas station. Hiding inside a BP on the corner of Sand Hill and Sardis Roads (about 15 minutes from downtown Asheville) is the Sand Hill Kitchen, a culinary experience reserved for the brave. While it's natural to gravitate towards sophisticated terraces and multi-course downtown meals when you're traveling, Sand Hill Kitchen is where the locals eat.

This is not your average gas station fill-up counter. Chef and owner Jamie Wade opened this spot in January 2017, combining decades of restaurant experience with her grandmother's banana pudding recipe and serving it all in the same place you can buy car air fresheners. Less than a year after opening, the awards came in; Wade's fried chicken sandwich won Sandwich of the Year, and Sand Hill Kitchen's Winner Burger took home first prize in WNC's Battle of the Burger competition. Sand Hill Kitchen has even got a delicious pastrami-spiced Roasted Red Beet Sandwich for vegetarians.

Local food lovers on Reddit routinely heap praise on the kitchen, with one user saying that "Sandhill Kitchen is the definition of food made with love," while another Redditor commented that "Every single thing I've had there is top tier." Nearly every item on the menu has someone in Asheville arguing it is the best in town, but this gem's unique location keeps it under the radar for most visitors.

The best trips to Asheville budget a day to explore the surrounding towns. Lots of folks head towards North Carolina's land of waterfalls in Brevard, explore nearby Waynesville, or drive down into Maggie Valley. A lucky few will stumble upon one of Western North Carolina's best-kept secrets in Saluda, home to the steepest railroad grade in the United States. 

I've been going to Saluda almost every year since before I could say the word Saluda. Most of the time, when I tell people I'm going to Saluda, they say, "Where?" Well, allow me to show you. Saluda is about 40 minutes from Asheville, accessible via a relatively smooth drive down I-26 East. Downtown Saluda consists of one street with businesses on one side and train tracks on the other. The street's most famous stop is the Historic Thompson's Store, which serves double duty as the oldest grocery store in North Carolina, and Ward's Grill, an old-school diner with fantastic burgers.

One of the best things to do in Saluda is get outside. Two companies — Green River Adventures and The Gorge Zipline — are geared up to get you onto the Green River, either up close and personal on an inner tube or from above on a canopy tour. Back in town, nights go one of two ways: Enjoy a sophisticated experience at the Purple Onion, or head up the road to try draft beers at Green River Eddy's Tap Room, which also doubles as the Saluda Outfitters outdoor shop.

Like many American cities, Asheville is a great place to shop. However, unlike many American cities, Asheville is surrounded by the great outdoors, so this town's shopping niche is outdoor equipment. Most visitors stock up at REI, Mast General Store, or the Diamond Brand Outdoors downtown, but if you want to gear up as the locals do, head to Second Gear, an outdoor consignment shop selling lightly used, high-quality biking, camping, and living equipment. Hurricane Helene ravaged the store's old location in the River Arts District, washing away all its inventory and destroying its home. Since then, the store has relocated, reopened, and strengthened its connection to Asheville. 

Second Gear is the one store I absolutely refuse to miss every time I'm in Asheville, and I'm not the only one who loves the place. Lots of local shoppers shout out this consignment shop on Reddit as a well-run local business with a good selection of great stuff. It even stocks new equipment if you want to support a local business without wearing someone else's sweat. 

This no-frills Tex-Mex chain makes our list thanks to one local's very enthusiastic recommendation. That person is someone who has lived in Waynesville for decades, making frequent trips to Asheville to enjoy the big city and hike in the surrounding mountains. After long days of activities, she wants to go to one place and one place only: Papa's and Beer. 

Papa's and Beer has two locations in the Asheville area. One is on the south side of town, about 15 minutes from the Biltmore Estate, while the other is just a mile from downtown. You won't find this Mexican restaurant in many visitor guides or on lists of Asheville's greatest restaurants, but you will find plenty of locals taking their families out for affordable burritos, tacos, and draft beer, which is always a great combination.

Papas and Beer is known to be inexpensive and fabulous. The portions are generous, and some folks on Reddit report that diners can easily share one order of fajita nachos between two people. No matter what you order, you'll also gain access to a serve-yourself salsa bar, with guacamole, pico de gallo, and hot sauces galore.  Make sure to save room for dessert, as a Papa's and Beer dessert means a churro cart wheeled to your table with sprinkles, caramel, chocolate, and whipped cream for dipping. In addition to California-style Mexican food, Papa's and Beer has a wide-ranging beer list that includes local favorites like Dale's Pale Ale and even beer from the nearby Asheville Brewing Company.

Asheville and its surrounding areas are full of iconic outdoor destinations. With beautiful scenery everywhere, it can be easy to overlook downtown Asheville's Botanical Garden, but Asheville local Joanne O'Sullivan writes that this urban trail is the place to meet the locals. The garden is on the edge of the University of North Carolina Asheville. Its grounds preserve over 600 native Southern Appalachian plant species, including uncommon wildflowers like Oconee bells.

The garden is also home to a surprising amount of interesting history. You can walk past a 1840s log cabin, a marker memorializing a Civil War battle, and a sycamore known as "the moon tree" that sprouted from a seed that rode the Apollo 14 mission to the moon in 1971. To see it all, head down the half-mile walking loop that takes you down scenic bridges and past Asheville students studying, locals relaxing on benches, and maybe a proposal or two.

Every destination on this list is here for one of three reasons. I have been lucky enough to visit many of the destinations in person, while others were recommended to me directly by Asheville locals. Finally, the greater Asheville online community provided a broad range of underrated destinations to include. The focus was on places that residents actually suggest when people ask for something a little off the typical Asheville itinerary.