Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before
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TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted
LanguagesEnglish
Group sizeUp to 14 travelers
Overview
Six tastings, one walkable loop through downtown Asheville, and a food scene most visitors miss. Start with a chargrilled Indian street food roll in warm flatbread with slaw and chutney, then a buttermilk biscuit built around dry-cured Appalachian ham. Next, a pressed panini on toasted ciabatta from a shop better known for its hand-cut potato chips.
Somewhere in the middle, your Secret Food Tours guide leads you into two local artisanal shops for tastings kept off the itinerary until you're standing in front of them. Dessert is a quarter-pound ice cream cookie sandwich.
Your guide lives in Asheville and will tell you why the arcade outside was meant to carry a fourteen-storey tower, how the city's refusal to default on a Great Depression debt saved the buildings you're standing in, and where locals eat on a night off.
Small groups, an easy walking pace, and a guide with strong opinions about where to eat next.
What's included
Bancon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit at a popular local bakery
Pressed panini on ciabatta, split two ways, at a downtown chip café
Two secret tastings at local artisanal shops, revealed on the day
Chicken tikka roll at an Indian street grill
Ice cream cookie sandwich, halved, at a downtown cookie shop
Gratuities
What to expect
Grove Arcade
40m
The tour meets at the Battery Park Avenue entrance of this 1929 landmark, built as a grand indoor market and still full of independent shops and food traders.
Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar
15m
Inside the arcade at our meeting point, a two-storey bookshop and wine bar guests often come back to after the tour.
Basilica of Saint Lawrence
Pass by
A short walk from the meeting point, with the largest self-supporting elliptical dome in North America, built by the Spanish architect who worked on Biltmore.
Pritchard Park
30m
The route passes this small downtown square, home to the Friday night drum circle.
30m
A narrow curving lane of independent shops the route crosses, marked by the oversized flat iron sculpture on the Asheville Urban Trail.
Woolworth Walk
20m
A former five-and-dime turned local art gallery, still with its 1950s soda fountain counter, passed between stops.
Urban Trail
15m
The tour route overlaps this self-guided trail of 30 bronze sculptures and plaques, several of which your guide will point out.
Pack Square
30m
Downtown's historic public square, a focal point since 1797, at the eastern end of the walking area covered by the tour.
Meeting and pickup
Meeting point
Meet the guide at the Grove Arcade entrance on Battery Park Drive
End point
The tour ends at the last stop. About 0.5 miles from the meeting point.
Additional information
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please note: the itinerary and menu is subject to change, based on the locations' availability, weather, and other circumstances.
Please ensure to contact us in advance of the tour for any dietary requirement, to ensure we can cater for them the best we can.
This tour involves a fair amount of walking; comfortable shoes are recommended.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
