It’s no secret that Asheville’s food scene is on par with some of the more well known culinary hot spots around the country. But where do you start? A food tour is the ideal way to hit Asheville’s culinary highlights and local foodie culture, giving you a full spectrum experience. Here are some tours that give your taste buds something to talk about.
Eating Asheville Food Tours
With lively discussion and a dedicated foodie as your guide, you will experience the highlights of Asheville’s food and drink culture. Visiting different neighborhoods within downtown Asheville, your palate will be awakened with seasonal, local offerings from awarding winning chefs. You will walk away with an enlightened appreciation for Asheville’s vibrant food scene. Eating Asheville offers two tours that will give you a full taste of Asheville.
The High Roller Tour
This tour is for the more refined, elegant foodie who appreciate acclaimed fine dining. With each tour, you’ll visit at least one of Asheville’s James Beard nominated chefs (that’s like an Oscar for food). You experience a diverse sampling of food and drink parings, selected by talented, local chefs and beverage experts. This tour is available Thursday through Saturday, featuring seven stops, five drink pairings and a grand finale dessert!
The Classic Tour
The classic tour offers a more varied experience ranging from fine dining to bars to lesser known, hidden gems in Asheville. Available daily, this walking tour is ideal for someone wanting to discover a wide range of Asheville’s bustling foodtopia, downtown. Led by an experienced foodie, the tours lasts around 2.5 hours and includes 6 stops, dessert and 3 drink pairings!
For a full list of partnered restaurants, or to book a tour, visit their site: www.eatingasheville.com
Asheville Food Tours
Asheville Food Tours offer three distinct tours, curated to enhance your dining experience. With a maximum number of guests for each tour, they focus on giving you an intimate experience while you sample the finest artisan foods. With the opportunity to interact with chefs and storeowners, you explore handpicked restaurants and food shops along the way.
The Downtown Tour
The Downtown Tour will satisfy the foodie inside you! You’ll experience a spectrum of ethnically diverse dishes, as well as craft cocktails, beer and wine. In addition to the tour, you’ll receive an Asheville Food Tour Passport you can use for discounts or something free if you return to any of the restaurants or shops you toured. The Passport is good for 5 days. www.ashevillefoodtours.com
Food Fan Foot Tour with Stu Helm (Offered on Sundays)
Led by Asheville’s well known food writer, blogger and podcaster, Stu Helm, you get a unique, one of a kind tour of Asheville’s finest restaurants, cafes, breweries and more. You’ll eat, drink, walk and learn some Asheville history from one of it’s most edgy, color food writers. This tour is 21 and up. www.ashevillefoodtours.com
Brunch Tour (Offered on Saturdays)
Who doesn’t love brunch? This Saturday tour begins at 10:30am and features four unique stops, as well as two sweet stops. You’ll experience unique brunchy goodness, along with craft cocktails and a stroll through downtown Asheville. {You may also like our 10 Brunch Spots under $10} www.ashevillefoodtours.com
Asheville Farm to Table Tours
Asheville Farm To Table Tours offer a homegrown, memorable experience for all. These guided tours show you the passion and knowledge that our local farmers have for growing sustainable farms in Western North Carolina. Specializing in produce, cheese, chicken, beef or lamb, each farm adds their own unique approach to sustainable farming.
With careful attention to detail, each tour is authentic and diverse. You will source, sample and have the opportunity to buy fresh, local foods. At the end of the tour, the chef prepares a lunch for you with the farm fresh ingredients you visited, celebrating the age-old tradition of community farm dining.
With three tours to choose from, there will be no shortage of adventure and delicious food!
Appalachian Heritage Tour
A shorter tour, showcasing Madison County Farms and creameries. This tour happens every other Wednesday and is 3 hours. It’s a shorter stroll through the farms and then break for lunch at The Farmer’s Hands. Farms showcased in this tour are East Fork Farm, Highgate Farm, Spinning Spider Creamery, and The Farmer’s Hands.
Great Western Stageline Tour
A six hour tour focusing on western Asheville: Fairview, NC. Fairview is only slightly larger than six square miles, but home to several farms and a creamery. This tour runs on Fridays, from 10:30am-4:30pm. Showcasing Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery, Flying Cloud Farm, and Hickory Nut Gap Farm.
Jewel of the Blue Ridge Tour
Madison County, known as the “Jewel of the Blue Ridge,” highlights the rich Appalachian heritage of farming and traditional music, as well as the areas breathtaking beauty. This tour runs on Thursdays from 9:30-4pm and showcases East Fork Farm, Highgate Farm, Spinning Spider Creamery and The Farmer’s Hands. To book your tour, visit www.ashevillefarmtotabletours.com
No Taste Like Home Wild Food Tours
Asheville’s uniqueness doesn’t stop with the city. The Blue Ridge Mountains have one of the richest ecosystems on Earth, with over 300 wild edibles in our area alone. Featured in Southern Living and voted one of Fodor’s best food experiences in the world, No Taste Like Home specializes in forage-to-table adventures like no other right here in Asheville! {Also featured in our 5 Asheville Tours Locals Love).
This unique dining adventure will show you 10-12 wild foods available in the surrounding wild areas of Asheville. You’ll forage seasonal offerings like edible greens, berries, flowers, mushrooms, fruits, nuts, seeds. Then you get to sample your bounty!
Tours are offered in regular, mini and private sessions:
- The Regular Wild Food Tour (3 hrs) This tour will take you 20-30 minutes outside of Asheville into lush areas, perfect for foraging. You’ll learn the art of gathering and discover all the edible foods around that you never knew were there. Enjoy a sampling of what you gathered and take your bounty home to your own kitchen or a partnering restaurant will prepare it for you. $75 adult/$30 Child
- The Mini Wild Food Tour (1.5 hrs) Taking place on the grounds of the famous Omni Grove Park Inn, this mini-tour will introduce you to half a dozen wild edibles. Afterwards, you have the option to dine at the Omni’s sunset view restaurant, Vue 1913, which includes a complimentary appetizer featuring the wild foods you just met. $40 Adult/$15 Child
- The Private Wild Food Tour (3 hrs) Private tours are similar to the regular tour, only letting you tailor the experience to your interests. For example, if you would prefer to take a longer hike, or focus on medicinal uses of wild plants, you can customize that. Private tours start at $450 for up to six adults (and $75 for each additional adult).
To book your tour, visit www.notastelikehome.org
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