Mars on the Daily

**This blog post contains affiliate links from REI . If you use them, I might
be rewarded credit or a commission of the sale (at no extra cost for you). Please note that I only recommend tools that I personally use and love and I always have my readers’ best interest at heart.

Asheville travel – What to do and eat!

Nine Mile restaurant – This Bob Marley themed restaurant will put you in the mood. I called ahead to check out the vibe, and from the start, they were very welcoming. I parked down the block on the street near the cute old homes. I sat at the bar, had some cider, and ended up meeting three single women, who two of them were also visiting from out of town, and one local. What an incredible and empowering feeling to sit there with three interesting women and laugh and drink all night.

Sierra Nevada brewery – The best thing for me about this brewery was the burger- the Sierra Nevada burger. I’m always a sucker for a good burger. From what I remember, their fries are cooked in duck fat,  and they were amaze-balls!! The brewery itself is gigantic. They provide tours, which I have not done myself, but plan to in the future!

The Montford rooftop bar – After driving 12 hours alone with little stops, this was the PERFECT end to my road trip. I got there just in time for sunset on the deck. This rooftop bar is located in the Hyatt Asheville hotel which includes complimentary valet (with a stamp from a waitress). I enjoyed a 3-course meal for one, starting off with The Strawberry Alarm clock cocktail, a vegan pizza (which they must have changed the menu because I did not see the vegan pizza or dessert I had), and topped it off with creme brule.

Oskar Blues brewery north – I met a woman at the Nine Mile restaurant and we joined each other in a hike the next day. She had been to Asheville many times to participate in athletic events year-round and was familiar with the area. I followed her to this brewery in the middle of no-where, where we enjoyed a beer and headed off to the Sierra Nevada brewery to drink some more (and eat some yums).

Green sage café – Hands down the BEST vegan breakfast of my LIFE. Both of the times I went, I ordered a juice, the soysage buttermilk biscuit (the soy “meat” was obvs vegan, but you can also choose to get the biscuit vegan as well), and the everything avo-toast. The spices on this avo toast are what made this for me. Like nothing, I’ve ever had before. The coolest part of Green Sage Cafe is its value for sustainability. They have a station with regular trash, compostables, and recyclables.

Asheville salt cave – This was definitely one of the things I looked forward to the most in my solo pursuit in visiting Asheville. Every hour they have a new set of guests, enjoy this beautiful salt room. They have you wear blue sleeves on your shoes to keep the room clean. The room itself is SO relaxing. You can sit on the lounge chairs, on the floor, next to the waterfall, whatever you choose. The room is completely filled with Himalayan salt and feels magical.

Vortex donuts – I stumbled on this place while I was in downtown Asheville. I was looking up Asheville foodies, and scrolling through some accounts I found this bad boy and BOOM, bought some vegan doughnuts and went up to the blue ridge parkway to eat them with a view.

Blue Ridge Parkway – Growing up, we took a vacation to North Carolina every year. Visiting the Blue Ridge was an annual activity in the itinerary. There’s plenty of hikes and beautiful areas to picnic with the family.