We found tons of waterfalls along the Blue Ridge Parkway, just outside of Asheville. Hiking is perfect for beginners as trails are maintained well and signage is excellent.

We ventured West out of Asheville, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the Waterrock Knob Visitors Center (milepost 451.2). The views are stunning, you can see as far as the Great Smoky Mountains (we hope that will be a future trip). As we hiked, some others on the trail mentioned the airplane crash, so we kept pushing on until we happened upon it. A somber site to see the wreckage amongst the pine trees, definitely worth the trek.

We stumbled upon Ben’s Tune-up while walking aimlessly amongst the myriad breweries in town. Ben’s is very unique and brews their own sake, a helluva treat after my tongue was bombarded with hops for most of the afternoon (my detour to https://www.urbanorchardcider.com/ left much to be desired—the flight I had was sadly a miss). Arriving at Ben’s, I noticed the sake offering and grabbed a drink, a real treat. We loved the live jam band and hung out until our appetite reminded us to move on to dinner.