the great outdoors, food, beer, and other amenities
the great outdoors, Brevard, and nearby areas
What we especially love about our tiny house is that it has a country feel, is only 5 minutes from the national forest, but equally close to all your basic needs. The Forest Gate intersection (the traffic light just 2 miles west on 64) has Ecusta Brewing, an outdoor outfitter, the Hub Cycle shop, Pisgah Tavern, Crank Coffee, Wal-Mart, Subway, a Japanese restaurant (excellent, btw), and a number of other things including Dolly's Dairy Barn right before you enter the forest (a popular ice cream stop). Heading into Brevard you'll find Food Matters Market (a natural food store), Ingles, and Food Lion. All of those options are no more than 10-12 minutes away. If there's something you're particularly looking for, reach out to us and we'll do our best to help you.
Most people flock to this area for the awesome natural beauty and outdoor adventures. They don't call it the "Land of Waterfalls" for nothing! Even splashing in our creek and walking the neighborhood is nice. But of course you'll want to check out what the area has to offer.
Lastly, the town of Brevard is a pictureseque, enjoyable mountain town, with a great downtown area for walking and browsing. There's an indoor gem mine, lots of shops including the White Squirrel Shoppe, galleries, and a variety of restaurants. Craft breweries also abound in this area, so we've listed a few of our favorite restaurants and popular breweries.
Good stuff, especially after a hike. Open seasonally.
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Dolly's Dairy Bar & Gift Shop
128 Pisgah HwyGood stuff, especially after a hike. Open seasonally.
Crank Coffee
112 Hendersonville HwyPopular with hikers and bikers alike.
Outdoor shop, bike shop and bar with a food truck on the edge of the forest.
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The Hub and Pisgah Tavern
11 Mama's PlOutdoor shop, bike shop and bar with a food truck on the edge of the forest.
This is the biggest of outdoor offerings, and also the closest. All you have to do is drive out to the main road (Hwy 64), turn right go about 2 miles to the first traffic light, go straight across, and you'll almost immediately be in the forest. We've left a few brochures about hikes on the coffee table for you. Some options include:
Sycamore Flats: the first thing you'll come to. A lovely swimming and picnicking area along the Davidson River.
Looking Glass Falls: a roadside waterfall with a bunch of steps to get closer
Sliding Rock: Who doesn't love a natural waterslide? Sliding rock is lifeguarded and has a small fee. It is great fun on a hot summer day, but can get crowded and sometimes closes if it's at capacity. Be warned: the water is COLD.
Moore Cove Falls: an easy (just over 2 miles round trip) hike to lovely falls where you can walk and climb around behind the falls.
Looking Glass Rock: off to the left at the first fork of the road. A good, solid 5 miles round trip with 1600 foot elevation gain. Great view at the top.
Mount Pisgah: a further drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway (30-40 minutes), this hike is about 3 miles or so round trip, with a little bit of scrambling near the top to an awesome view on a clear day.
Graveyard Fields: close to the Mt. Pisgah trailhead, a pretty moderate, high elevation hike to waterfalls, about 4 miles roundtrip.
Please note that you'll most likely lose your cell signal shortly after entering the forest, so you'll want to plan before you go. There's also a ranger station on your way into the forest.
National Forest Road
National Forest RoadThis is the biggest of outdoor offerings, and also the closest. All you have to do is drive out to the main road (Hwy 64), turn right go about 2 miles to the first traffic light, go straight across, and you'll almost immediately be in the forest. We've left a few brochures about hikes on the coffee table for you. Some options include:
Sycamore Flats: the first thing you'll come to. A lovely swimming and picnicking area along the Davidson River.
Looking Glass Falls: a roadside waterfall with a bunch of steps to get closer
Sliding Rock: Who doesn't love a natural waterslide? Sliding rock is lifeguarded and has a small fee. It is great fun on a hot summer day, but can get crowded and sometimes closes if it's at capacity. Be warned: the water is COLD.
Moore Cove Falls: an easy (just over 2 miles round trip) hike to lovely falls where you can walk and climb around behind the falls.
Looking Glass Rock: off to the left at the first fork of the road. A good, solid 5 miles round trip with 1600 foot elevation gain. Great view at the top.
Mount Pisgah: a further drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway (30-40 minutes), this hike is about 3 miles or so round trip, with a little bit of scrambling near the top to an awesome view on a clear day.
Graveyard Fields: close to the Mt. Pisgah trailhead, a pretty moderate, high elevation hike to waterfalls, about 4 miles roundtrip.
Please note that you'll most likely lose your cell signal shortly after entering the forest, so you'll want to plan before you go. There's also a ranger station on your way into the forest.
A mountain biker's mecca, enthusiasts of the Hunger Games will be interested to note that the scenes in the arena were filmed in this forest. There are a number of hiking and biking options, the most popular being the hike to Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, and High Falls. You can also swim in the lake below Hooker Falls. To get to this parking area, turn left onto Hwy 64, go about 4 miles, and turn right on Crab Creek Rd. Go a little over 4 miles to DuPont Rd. and turn right. About 3 miles down you'll find the Hooker Falls parking area. There are a number of other lesser-traveled trails in the park. You can find more info about these, and a variety of other hiking options, at www.romanticasheville.com/hiking.html.
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Dupont State Forest
Staton RoadA mountain biker's mecca, enthusiasts of the Hunger Games will be interested to note that the scenes in the arena were filmed in this forest. There are a number of hiking and biking options, the most popular being the hike to Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, and High Falls. You can also swim in the lake below Hooker Falls. To get to this parking area, turn left onto Hwy 64, go about 4 miles, and turn right on Crab Creek Rd. Go a little over 4 miles to DuPont Rd. and turn right. About 3 miles down you'll find the Hooker Falls parking area. There are a number of other lesser-traveled trails in the park. You can find more info about these, and a variety of other hiking options, at www.romanticasheville.com/hiking.html.
Although it's a little farther away (about 35 minutes), this park is one of our favorites. Just take 64 west and stay on it (that'll require a left turn at the first traffic light, and a second left once you're in Brevard, just follow the signs for 64 west) a little over 20 miles. Once you get to the Lake Toxaway/Sapphire area, turn left onto NC 281. Go about a mile and turn left onto Grassy Ridge Rd. The park has an awesome visitor center, and just one trail - about 3 miles round trip to Rainbow Falls, and another 1/2 mile each way to Turtleback Falls. The hike is moderate, enjoyable and with a nice swimming hole at the top, with the option to slide down Turtleback Falls (a 20-foot drop) for the daring. It's a hike our whole family enjoys, especially in the summer when there's often a gelato stand in the trailhead parking lot (useful for bribing children to finish the hike).
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Parco Statale di Gorges
976 Grassy Ridge RdAlthough it's a little farther away (about 35 minutes), this park is one of our favorites. Just take 64 west and stay on it (that'll require a left turn at the first traffic light, and a second left once you're in Brevard, just follow the signs for 64 west) a little over 20 miles. Once you get to the Lake Toxaway/Sapphire area, turn left onto NC 281. Go about a mile and turn left onto Grassy Ridge Rd. The park has an awesome visitor center, and just one trail - about 3 miles round trip to Rainbow Falls, and another 1/2 mile each way to Turtleback Falls. The hike is moderate, enjoyable and with a nice swimming hole at the top, with the option to slide down Turtleback Falls (a 20-foot drop) for the daring. It's a hike our whole family enjoys, especially in the summer when there's often a gelato stand in the trailhead parking lot (useful for bribing children to finish the hike).
Two great rivers flow through this area, the French Broad and the Davidson (our creek flows into the French Broad). You can book tubing, paddling, or fly fishing trips with Headwaters Outfitters in Rosman (just a few minutes west of Brevard). www.headwatersoutfitters.com. We've done their tubing trip on the French Broad, and it's enjoyable, and mellow enough for kids.
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Headwaters Outfitters
25 Parkway RdTwo great rivers flow through this area, the French Broad and the Davidson (our creek flows into the French Broad). You can book tubing, paddling, or fly fishing trips with Headwaters Outfitters in Rosman (just a few minutes west of Brevard). www.headwatersoutfitters.com. We've done their tubing trip on the French Broad, and it's enjoyable, and mellow enough for kids.
Pisgah Stables operates a variety of trail rides, April through October.
www.pisgahstables.com.
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Pisgah Forest Riding Stables
National Forest RoadPisgah Stables operates a variety of trail rides, April through October.
www.pisgahstables.com.
Super good, authentic Mexican food right downtown, with a sweet outdoor sitting area. It's our favorite restaurant in town so far.
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QUIXOTE FINE CUISINE
43 S Broad StSuper good, authentic Mexican food right downtown, with a sweet outdoor sitting area. It's our favorite restaurant in town so far.
A fun, old-fashioned soda shop and grill with great ice cream and lots of memorabilia.
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Rocky's Grill & Soda Shop
50 S Broad StA fun, old-fashioned soda shop and grill with great ice cream and lots of memorabilia.
A nice little sandwich shop downtown that even carries some local beer, nice soups, and even gluten-free sandwich bread (an exciting feature for 1 person in our family).
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Mayberry's Soups & Sandwiches
30 W Main StA nice little sandwich shop downtown that even carries some local beer, nice soups, and even gluten-free sandwich bread (an exciting feature for 1 person in our family).
This is an amazing toy store. It just keeps going and going. You could easily kill an hour or more here on a rainy day.
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O P Taylor's
16 S Broad StThis is an amazing toy store. It just keeps going and going. You could easily kill an hour or more here on a rainy day.
Brevard Music Center has a nationally renowned summer festival and concerts in the amphitheater all summer long. You can look for tickets at www.brevardmusic.com.
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Brevard Music Center
349 Andante LnBrevard Music Center has a nationally renowned summer festival and concerts in the amphitheater all summer long. You can look for tickets at www.brevardmusic.com.
We are not beer drinkers ourselves, but Oskar Blues is very popular around here. The scene is really nice - kid friendly, dog friendly, often live music and a food truck. They also make their own non-alcoholic beer and other sodas.
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Oskar Blues Brewery Taproom - Brevard
342 Mountain Industrial DrWe are not beer drinkers ourselves, but Oskar Blues is very popular around here. The scene is really nice - kid friendly, dog friendly, often live music and a food truck. They also make their own non-alcoholic beer and other sodas.
This is the closest option, just over 2 miles down the road at the first traffic light. They've got a lovely spot for their back porch, right along the Davidson River.
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Ecusta Brewing Company
451 Pisgah HwyThis is the closest option, just over 2 miles down the road at the first traffic light. They've got a lovely spot for their back porch, right along the Davidson River.
Sierra Nevada is about 20-25 minutes up Hwy 280 toward Asheville (right by the airport). It's quite a sight - it looks like a palace. They have an upscale restaurants as well as a more casual back porch, and offer brewery tours.
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Sierra Nevada Brewery
100 Sierra Nevada WaySierra Nevada is about 20-25 minutes up Hwy 280 toward Asheville (right by the airport). It's quite a sight - it looks like a palace. They have an upscale restaurants as well as a more casual back porch, and offer brewery tours.
If like, us, you are a cider fan, you'll want to head to this place, also up Hwy 280 in Mills River, closer than Sierra Nevada. They have a variety of cider flavors (and a few beer options as well), non-alcoholic cider, board games, a nice deck, and sometimes live music and a food truck. We've even left a growler in the house for you. You're welcome to go get it filled, drink up, wash it out, and leave it for the next guest.
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Bold Rock Hard Cider
72 School House RdIf like, us, you are a cider fan, you'll want to head to this place, also up Hwy 280 in Mills River, closer than Sierra Nevada. They have a variety of cider flavors (and a few beer options as well), non-alcoholic cider, board games, a nice deck, and sometimes live music and a food truck. We've even left a growler in the house for you. You're welcome to go get it filled, drink up, wash it out, and leave it for the next guest.