Well Fed On the Town

You can dine on organic New Southern cuisine while listening to dozens of free-spirited types drumming in the park across the street. You can get dinner and see a foodie-themed movie in the outdoor courtyard of a French restaurant. You can experience a real Hookah bar where you can be entertained by a belly dancer. At the end of the night, you can hit one of several locally-owned coffee shops within a few blocks. You can try some of the local micro-brewed beers at one of several brewpubs, or sample some Guiness stout beer flavored ice cream.

Asheville, North Carolina might be a small city, but the nightlife is like no place else. Hey, it’s cool enough that it’s one of only two (yes, I said two) cities where the Smashing Pumpkins will be performing for a nine-night residency at The Orange Peel (which sold out in five minutes). The downtown area, lined with cute boutiques and sidewalk cafes, bursts to life after dark. The live music scene features everything from contra dancing at the Grey Eagle to the popular music festival Bele Chere, the largest free street festival in the Southeast.

Here are just a few things foodies can enjoy after dark in Asheville:

• Dine at one of the many independently-owned Asheville restaurants. For a unique experience, eat at one of the sidewalk cafes along Pritchard Park on a warm-weather Friday night to witness the Asheville Drum Circle. A couple of options include Tupelo Honey Cafe or Mayfel’s, both of which serve up Southern cuisine with organic ingredients commonly used.
• Check out Cinema Bouchon, a series of foodie-themed dinners served up in the Bouchon French restaurant’s courtyard where you also view a movie. The film line-up includes Chocolat, Diner, Like Water for Chocolate and Sabrina (the original version, of course).
• Visit a funky hookah bar, Hookah Joe’s, where you can smoke caramel-pineapple-butterscotch tobacco, sip on exotic and colorful cocktails, and get entertained by belly dancers.
• Sample some local craft micro-brew beers. You can either hit one of several brewpubs in town, or take the Brews Cruise to visit various breweries. Or you can hit one of several local ice cream parlors, including locals-favorite Ultimate Ice Cream which stays open late and serves up handcrafted Guiness stout ice cream.
• Cap off your evening with a visit to one of several locally-owned coffee houses. Especially when you’re in downtown Asheville, it can seem like there is a coffee shop on every corner (and no, not a Starbucks on every corner).

Top photo of contra dancing at the Grey Eagle, bottom photo of Barley’s Taproom, © Asheville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.