5 days in the blue ridge mountains

Wednesday

We drove 9 hours to Black Mountain, NC. After setting up our tent and unloading our car we made our way into town for some dinner. For dinner we went to Phil's Bar-B-Que Pit. With dog friendly seating outside and a variety of menu items, it was a no brainer for us. We had the Bar-B-Que Nachos and Phil's Deluxe Sampler Plate. With 6 sauce choices, you're sure to find something you enjoy. After dinner we relaxed on the deck and watched the sunset.

Friday

On Friday we loaded up our car and stopped at Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard before checking in at our Airbnb. Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard is located outside of Hendersonville, NC. They offer pick your own apples and pumpkins and are dog friendly. Their apple cider slushy was phenomenal. We picked Fuji apple varieties and Golden Delicious.

Friday Afternoon/Evening

After the apple orchard we headed into downtown Hendersonville. Every year Hendersonville installs the Bearfootin' Public Art Walk. Bears line both sides of Main Street May-October and are auctioned off at the end of the season. Part of the proceeds are donated to a local non profit. We checked out the Mast General Store and bought some dog treats at Wag! A Unique Pet Boutique.

Saturday

On Saturday we drove to Pisgah National Forest and checked out Looking Glass Falls, Moore Cove Falls Trail, and Sliding Rock before driving to Asheville to check out some breweries.

Looking Glass Falls is along Pisgah Highway. You may park along the road and walk to the staircase leading to the falls (distance is dependent on parking). There is a great view of the falls from the top of the staircase so descending the stairs is not necessary.

Moore Cove Falls Trail is an out and back trail approximately 1.2 miles long. The trail leads to a waterfall and is dog friendly. Dogs must be on leashes.

After Moore Cove Falls Trail we headed to Sliding Rock. Sliding Rock is a 60 foot natural water slide with an 8 foot deep pool at the end of the slide. The rock is open 365 days a year but Lifeguards are present only at certain times. For more information on Sliding Rock, visit the USDA Forest Service website.

Breweries of Hendersonville and Asheville

Friday and Saturday we checked out breweries in both Hendersonville and Asheville. The first brewery we visited was D9 Brewing followed by Oklawaha Brewing and Blue Ridge Beer Garden in Hendersonville. All 3 had outside dog friendly seating. At D9 we tried a flight, we ended up grabbing a 4-pack of Hakuna Matata (tropical IPA) and Wild Things: Campfire Bandit (dark sour with S'Mores). The dark sour was a great mix of sweet and sour. The Blue Ridge Beer Garden was a primarily outside beer garden with multiple fire pits and a food truck. We really loved the atmosphere there.

In Asheville we stopped at Wicked Weed Brewing Funkatorium, Bhramari Brewing Company, and Burial Beer Company. Wicked Weed Brewing Funkatorium specializes in West Coast Style IPAs, open fermented Belgians, and barrel-aged sours. Burial Beer Company is our favorite brewery in Asheville. They have a beer for just about anyone. All of the breweries we visited were dog friendly and the pups had a great time!