Brevard, NC may be a small mountain town near the Blue Ridge Parkway but it is big on activity and entertainment. Whatever your interests or age, you’ll find Brevard a fun place to vacation. From biking to hiking, bluegrass and opera, you’ll be entertained. Be as busy as you want to be or relax on the porch with a good book and enjoy the fresh mountain air. For more information about events and activities visit www.explorebrevard.com. Below we’ve mentioned a few of the activities we enjoy and services or retailers that have been enjoyed by past guests.
Transylvania County is home to some of the best single track mountain biking trails in the country. Ask Daniel at the Red House for trail recommendations. He’ll even come along for the ride if the housekeeping schedule allows. Sycamore Cycles, The Hub, and Squatch cycles all offer bike rentals and great information on the rides available. If you want to make the most of your biking vacation, consider calling Red Wolf guides to enlist their excellent guide services. If almost unlimited natural terrain is not enough or you want to exercise your ebike check out Ride Kanuga, a purpose built one way private trail system constructed in partnership with Neko Mulally. If spending time in the air is how you like to ride, a new addition to the area is the Riveter bike park. Located next to Sierra Nevada brewery, the indoor park offers great jump lines for bikes as well as climbing and wellness resources.
There are a variety of opportunities for water sports in the area including flat water float trips, white water boating, touring kayaking or stand up paddle boarding on nearby lakes as well as world class fly fishing. Find out more about these opportunities from the following businesses. For fly fishing trips and equipment Davidson River Outfitters. For boating on the French Broad River contact Headwater Outfitters. Check White Squirrel Paddle Boards to get out on the river or a quiet lake. Joe at Pura Vida Adventures can help you organize a river or canyoneering adventure.
Looking Glass Rock is well-known in climbing circles for its granite face offering two to eight stage climbs up to 600 ft. In the same vicinity is Cedar Rock, which also offers a variety of climbs. For guided trips, contact Fox Mountain Guides or Pura Vida Adventures. Brevard Rock Gym also offers indoor opportunities for beginners and experienced climbers to practice.
pro shop and club house. Etowah Valley Country Club is also a convenient course to Brevard.
The North Carolina state theatre, the Flat Rock Playhouse is about a thirty minute drive and closer to home is the Brevard Little Theatre. Both offer a variety of performances through the year.
Downtown Brevard has a range of opportunities for “retail therapy”. There are a number of antique stores and gift shops, specialty food shops, outfitters and jewelers. Under one roof of the Hollingsworth Building one can shop, eat and relax. Main Street Ltd offers shopping for the whole family including CampPacs for kids. For a detailed list of businesses, visit the Land of Waterfalls website.
The art community in Transylvania County is thriving. Visitors can plan a whole trip around the numerous galleries and artist studios that are open to the public in and around Brevard. The Red House Inn features photographic artwork, pottery and paintings from many local artists, and Tracie will be happy to help you plan a tour of the local galleries. For events and information about artists in the area visit TC Arts or www.artsofbrevard.org featuring information about local artists and up-to-date events calendar including 4th Friday Gallery Walk.
A wide range of restaurants in Brevard, many of which are within walking distance from the Red House Inn, offer fantastic dining experiences. For restaurants with outdoor dining we like to recommend Marco Trattoria. Jordan Street Cafe offers a more local experience with both a bar and restaurant atmosphere and good food. The Square Root is a five minute walk from the Inn and offers good food in contemporary atmosphere. One of our newest restaurants is Magpie Meat and Three serving traditional Southern fare. An afternoon scone and cup of coffee from Bracken Mountain Bakery should not be missed and Food Matters Market or Blue Ridge Bakery are great places to pick up snacks or lunch before heading out for a hike.
Brevard has always been known as a music town with the Brevard Music Center offering world class classical music for over 75 years. In recent years the music scene in Brevard has blossomed and we now have two dedicated music venues. 185 King St is situated in the Lumber Yard Arts District and is a two minute walk from the Inn. It is a custom built music venue with great acoustics and a good beer selection that features both local bands and travelling artists of all genres. In addition to this many of the downtown restaurants also have live music. On Tuesdays the local music shop has an old time music session that is open to the public. The Tasty Weasel, the Oskar Blues Brewery Tap Room, has a full calendar of entertainment including old time music Monday nights.
Brevard is now home to three craft breweries. Brevard Brewing Company on Main Street is an easy walk from the Inn and offers a selection of brewed-on-site German style beers. Oskar Blues Brewery NC location is located about 1.5 miles out of town with easy access from the bike path or by car and they have a nice taproom located above the brewing floor and a great outdoor area that is often home to a food truck and some live music. Ecusta Brewing is located at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest. A bit further afield but worth a visit is Sierra Nevada in Mills River near the Asheville Airport.
