[redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.
Moe's, Pappa's great for kids. IMHO Chestnuts too upscale. I'd add Farmburger, 12 Bones (lunch only), Homegrown, Buxton Hall, Mello Mushroom (really, really cool decor and great pizzas). There are certainly many more that can be added. Also, for Asheville, your clothing description fits right in. Just add a lot of tattoos and everyone will think you are a local. Oh, and definitely do not bother to shave, either.😄 Welcome to Asheville and be what you want to be.
ricks
For downtown I would suggest Farmburger (also has incredible ground chicken burgers), Mello Mushroom, and adding Carmel ' s now. Check them out on the net. All 3 wonderful for people watching while eating. You can also add Salsa's next to Farmburger. Do not plan to eat too late, because some restaurants close around 9 even if they publicize later. Really. By the way, ALL breweries allow kids until around 8 or so I'm pretty sure. Check on that. They may or may not have food for them, however. You should stop by the Visitors Center barely north of downtown if you can to pick up a great restaurant guide. It's pretty accurate for food styles. There are dozens and dozens of good restaurants listed. TripAdvisor is not accurate in their listings, IMHO, so I would avoid it. Hope this is also helpful for DrRR. Oh, Barley's still has very good pizza by the slice.
ricks
I would also double-check on the rafting. Many local guides shut down after Labor Day.
All the suggestions have been great. I would definitely recommend Asheville Brewing Company. Great beer and a large food menu suitable for both of you.
I am getting hungry. Think I'll have a Honey Crisp apple.
ricks
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. I think there are enough good ideas here that'll allow me to see what we are feeling like that day and go find something good. I see burgers, pizza, mexican, beer, and more (all good stuff). Asheville is a great place to walk around and people watch, there's just a little bit of everything to see.
Although the beer isn't the focus of this trip, I can say that I'm sure to have a pint or two with dinner (and more once I get back to camp because sleeping in a tent without a few pints isn't a good idea).
My friend managed, partly owned and sometimes lived at Hannah's (literally, lived in the basement) once upon a time. I had some great times there (or at least I kinda remember some great times...I have some times there that I don't remember)!
The rafting is a group deal done through the Y-Guides program. This'll be our 4th year going. I know we've done the French Broad river a few times and did something different last year. We have bus loads of dads and kids, etc so I suspect they may just shut down once these trips are through.
Next year, I'd like to bring the family and raft on our own. I suspect I should contact you and ask advice if I can talk the wife into it.
Mountain Springs Cabins
pretty awesome...
"One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese
As I said up top, my GF loved Asheville Brewing's "brew n view" experience. The pizza was amazing, the beer (which was for me) was top notch, and while the movie wouldn't have been my first or second choice, it was so fun that I didn't care. The movie itself is like two or three bucks, so you can't top that for a cheap date. Walk in, order your food, and you sit in a very comfy seat with a big table in front of you. They even have candles so you can see what you are eating while you watch.
Edit... That's what I get for replying without reading.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."
ABC has a number of new different brews on tap that I think are excellent. Saw a great movie there last week for 3 bucks, also. Unfortunately, their pizzas have come down significantly in the past year IMO. Harris Teeter has great inexpensive pizzas now that you can get with lots of different toppings at no extra charge. Great crust, too. Much better than ABC. ABC does have other stuff that is pretty good, however. I Usually get their chicken tenders or other Italian stuff. Also, their tater tots are pretty mushy, however.
ricks
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. We packed in a lot of Asheville in a short time. And wow, I had kinda forgotten how awesome and beautiful it was up there. Highlights included hiking the Linville Gorge trails, hitting up Farm Burger, Corner Kitchen and Hole, and drinking a bunch of great micro brews. And the wife and I added a strong candidate to the "places to live when the kids move out" list.
“Coach said no 3s.” - Zion on The Block