A Perfect Weekend In Brevard, NC

Two of my favorite things are discovering the many places and things that make NC wonderful, and sharing them with our clients and friends. Brevard is a little over 4 hours away from The Triangle and well worth the trip.  Known as the “Land of Waterfalls” this is a perfect spot for a romantic weekend or some exploring with the kiddos.  You will find Pisgah and DuPont forests and plenty of hiking, camping and exploring to be had.  Plus, downtown Brevard is a cute town complete with delicious restaurants, cool shops and great places to grab a drink and listen to music.  

1. Plan Ahead

We have used VRBO and good old Google to find places to stay, with great success.  First, decide if you want to feel like you are in a treehouse, or prefer a short walk downtown.  Our favorites include Pilot Cove for fabulous contemporary lodging (right at the base of Pisgah Forest), Trout House Falls for three of the loveliest cottages ever, and the best of a classic roadside motel at The Sunset Motel.

Download the All Trails app and plan your hikes.  You can narrow down your search by difficulty and then by foot traffic.  There are some obvious (and awesome) spots to hike, and those are also the most crowded.  So, decide how much human interaction you are looking for and pick the hike that suits you.  

Our last trip was on Labor Day weekend (a very busy weekend for the mountains) and via All Trails we found the “Dismal Falls” hike.  4 miles of complete privacy and the reward of a gorgeous waterfall made it anything but dismal.  

2. Schedule A Waterfall Tour

Want to get off the beaten path and see private waterfalls?  Reach out to Craig Miller with Miller’s Land of Waterfalls Tours.  Craig will find out how adventurous you are and put together a tour of waterfalls (all on private property) that will blow your mind.  On a waterfall tour with the kids we took gentle hikes to waterfalls behind houses, down dirt roads and on short walks into the woods.  On our “grown ups only” tour we lived a bit more dangerously.  We did strenuous hikes up and down (yes, down), using ropes to keep us from falling.  What we got were remote homes, private bridges and off the beaten path trails with views of amazing waterfalls. 

3. Make Some Time For Downtown Brevard 

(and look for the famous white squirrels)

I lovingly refer to downtown Brevard as “Asheville Light”.  Hip, but not too hip.  Sleepy, but not too sleepy. You will find great shops, art galleries, yummy food and an amazing toy store, O.P. Taylor’s .  Down a quiet alley you will find two of our favorites for a meal and dessert.  The Square Root has great ambiance and wonderful food, and Downtown Chocolates right across the way has amazing macarons, truffles and handmade chocolates.  

The white squirrels are found in a 50 mile radius in western North Carolina.   They are not albino, just white, and Brevard takes great pride in their town mascot. 

“I lovingly refer to downtown Brevard as “Asheville Light”.  Hip, but not too hip.  Sleepy, but not too sleepy. You will find great shops, art galleries, and yummy food”

4. Drink Some Beer

There are some great spots to grab a beer and lots of great local beer.  Here are our favorites. 

Cedar Mountain Canteen  – Located at the entrance to DuPont forest this is a laid back spot.  Perfect for a cold beer (or a glass of wine) after a long hike.

Oskar Blues Brewery –  Oskar Blues has been brewing in Brevard since 2012.  This brewery has a great outdoor patio (with food trucks), the super cool Tasty Weasel Taproom upstairs and live music 5 days/week.  Pisgah is a 10 minute bike ride away.

Brevard Brewing Company – Located in downtown Brevard, Brevard Brewing Company was the first brewery to open in Transylvania County and specializes in lagers.  A great spot after a few hours of enjoying all that downtown Brevard offers. 

The Hub – Get some gear, grab a beer and enjoy food trucks at the entrance to Pisgah Forest.  The Hub has a little bit of everything.  You can rent or buy a bike, get your outdoor gear, enjoy some of the best mini donuts EVER at The Velvet Cup food truck, and head into Pisgah for a day of adventure. 

5. Enjoy Some Live Music

Brevard is serious about music!  Home to the Brevard Music Center and their annual 10 week summer festival, it is a music lovers dream.  You can also walk into almost any restaurant, coffee shop or bar and hear live music.   

We hope you take some time to enjoy Brevard, and we’d love to hear what you discover.