The Best Pet-Friendly Spots In And Near Asheville, North Carolina

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I like to refer to Asheville as the hippie melting pot of culture, breweries, culinary treats, and natural beauty.  With each visit, I find something new to love.  On our most recent weekend in Asheville, we brought our dog with us, nervously wondering how much it would hamper our freedom.  As it turns out, we found plenty of pet-friendly activities, so I’m sharing our itinerary with you!

Accommodations

• Staying in Asheville can be fairly pricey, so we opted to camp with some friends at Lake Powhatan Campground.  It is located about 10-15 minutes from downtown and there is a grocery store nearby where you can pick up food and supplies for camping.   The campground has bathrooms and showers along with beautiful areas to hike.  We loved being able to relax in nature here with our dog by our side.  She stayed in the tent with us and seemed to enjoy it!   COST: $22/night (this was for all 5 of us who were camping!)
• If camping isn’t your cup of tea, there are a bunch of affordable pet-friendly Airbnb options near downtown!  If you’re new to Airbnb, feel free to use my code to get $40 off your first stay!

Brews

It feels like there is a brewery on every street corner so you might feel conflicted on where to go.  Let me help you.  Head to Bhramari Brewing.   Come again?  Going somewhere where I can’t pronounce the name?  That’s right, embrace the adventure! It’s about 2 blocks away from the more well-known Wicked Weed Brewery.   They have their own parking lot out back which is a huge bonus and they’re usually less crowded than Wicked Weed.  The best part – this nice patio out back where you can eat and drink with your fur baby.  They even brought her a bowl of water.  I love when businesses show consideration for our animals.

They have a nice selection of sour beers here, but something else caught the eye of my inner Asian (I can say that because I grew up in China) and I had to try it – a Boba Mosa!  It was good but I probably wouldn’t get it again, because popping Boba is just not my thing (and their other drinks are just so dang good!) They have so many creative concoctions to try.   You will have plenty of tasty options, no matter what type of drink you prefer.

Food

BBQ pork nachos are on point, and I also loved my Crispy Chicken Sandwich.   Let’s just say those nachos didn’t last long in our group of 5.   Another must-try on their menu: Spelt Grain Pretzels.  I’ve ordered them both times we came here and they’re so good that I didn’t want to share with anyone (and apparently devoured them before I could even think to take a picture).  They have cornered the market on the tastiest food and beer pairings here.  Hold up though, make sure you save some room because your culinary adventure isn’t done!

 

Cake

It seems strange to talk about cake at a brewery but trust me, you NEED to order the cake here. Gabe and I first came here about a year ago and had this 7 layer chocolate berry cheesecake.  Manager Asha Hertel runs her cake baking business, Kali Cakes, out of Bhramari. The cake selection rotates weekly but rest assured that it will be the best dessert you’ve ever had.  We had the Key Lime Cake on our most recent visit and it was equally delicious.   I’m usually not even a big cake person, but Asha’s cakes are exceptional.   What an unexpected place to find stellar sweets, right?!

Other Pet-Friendly Locations And Activities In Asheville 

• New Belgium Brewing – a little further outside of downtown, but this newer addition to Asheville has ample room for your pup to chill outside and some nice views of the water below.  We went on a rainy day, so it was nice that they have a covered patio!

• The Biltmore Estate – dogs are allowed on the grounds and at certain restaurants in Antler Village
• Bearwallow Mountain Trail – 1.7 mile loop
• Battery Park Book Exchange And Champagne Bar
• Three Dog Bakery –  the world’s first fully-functioning bakery just for dogs!
• Sliding Rock – you can bring your dog here to wade in the water, just can’t take them sliding down the rock.

Ready for a visit with your pup?  Let me know if you have any questions or want other suggestions regarding things to see and do in this wonderful city!

Check out some of my favorite pet products that are helpful for travel here.

Thanks for reading and please share with fellow pet-lovers!

Emily