A friend of the family is getting married in NC, a bit south of Asheville. Our plan WAS to visit friends in Raleigh, drive to Asheville for a couple days ahead of time and then head to the wedding venue. Needless to say, that plan is off given the terrible impact of Hurricane Helene in that area.
We just learned that the wedding town and venues have been spared and the wedding will proceed as planned. We’ve pivoted and are now thinking of visiting Charlotte instead of Asheville. From what I can find it doesn’t look like Charlotte had any significant damage but I am still hesitant about putting any additional strain on what could be limited resources.
Does anyone have any inside info on whether visiting Charlotte is safe - safe not in the context of crime, wether, etc, but safe in that we will not be harming their ecosystem?
If it is ok, I’d love some suggestions for good neighborhoods to stay, things to do, etc. We won’t be there long, arriving Wednesday afternoon and leaving Friday morning. We like out of the ordinary art museums, breweries, trying unusual/local cuisines, and exploring cities in general. Restaurant recommendations are much appreciated.
Also, if you if any recommendations for a lunch stop between Raleigh and Charlotte, that would be helpful too.
Shamelessly bumping this up. We have again changed our plans and are staying in Raleigh an extra day to meet up with friends and then heading straight to Hendersonville, arriving a day earlier than expected.
Now I’m looking for something to eat between Raleigh and Hendersonville, maybe in a cute town to stretch our legs. Also I need one dinner, Thursday night, in the area.
I would stop in Salisbury, a significant place during the colonial era and home to 3 historic districts. Eat at the College Drive-In, one of the best places in the Piedmont.
A lovely place to walk is Davidson, where my daughter went to college. It’s very walkable and there are lots of places to get lunch there. It really is a pretty town and a remarkable campus. There’s an honor code and you actually can see cash tapes to trees and walls.
Both were served with baked beans, fries and red slaw (which we’d never had before but really liked)
And we fought over the huge basket of hush puppies.
I looked for livermush but didn’t see any in the places we ended up going to during the course of our visit. I am one of those weirdos who likes liver and was hoping to find some but my dining partners had other thoughts.
It’s best to search menus and when you find it, pick that place for breakfast without telling anyone. Livermush on a menu also is a good indicator of a good country ham biscuit. I’ve reviewed some places.
I often read your blog even though I am no where near most of the places you write about. We stopped at Allman’s on our way home from NC in 2022 based on your review. It was delicious and we’ve recommended it to others traveling that route.
