If you’re ever feeling cabin fever and looking for new surroundings, the city of Asheville, voted “Best Weekend Getaway” by the Elon community, could be the place to visit.
Elon senior Danielle Schall lives in Asheville and said the city isn’t too big or too small — a perfect medium. She said she gets to know the locals very well and that the town values its community.
“We give back to the community,” Schall said. “When it’s cold out, people go around handing out blankets to the homeless and lots of restaurants donate to homeless shelters.”
Shall said the atmosphere of Asheville is focused on sustainability with great hiking trails, waterfalls and other campgrounds scattered throughout the area.
Patti Gibbons, director of cultural and special programs at Elon University, said she visits Asheville frequently with her family.
“There's a particular restaurant that I love to go to and it's called Zambra, and it's a tapas restaurant and they have really great food,” Gibbons said.
Gibbons and her family spend a lot of time exploring the Biltmore Village and the many restaurants on Haywood Street in downtown Asheville.
“Some of the restaurants will stay open every day and so you can always go, you never miss it,” Gibbons said. “There's just so many great places in Asheville to visit, and it's only about three hours away.”