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AshevilleExplorer

A super original Asheville, NC travel blog. Consider yourselves motivated, inspired, and influenced.

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A plant in a holder in a coffee shop on West Asheville's Haywood Road.

Overheard on Haywood Road, Part 8

Coffee shop eavesdropping in Asheville yields absurd wisdom, delusional Tarot readers, van-dwelling boyfriends, and enough hipster nonsense to fill a small town—and a blog series called Overheard on Haywood Road.

Overheard on Haywood Road
Man with scruffy beard, beanie, and frayed sweater sits at a coffee shop table, nails painted blue, looking unimpressed, with a coffee cup in front of him and blurred patrons in the background.

#Blessed

A coffee shop sneeze turns into a very Asheville meditation on politeness, performance, and the quiet holiness of basic human decency.

Coffee shop, faith, fiction, god, hipster nonsense, life, writing

2026 Western North Carolina (WNC) Bucket List Check Off: Shoji Spa

The first item I checked off my 2026 Western North Carolina (WNC) Bucket List was visiting Asheville’s Shoji Spa, a Japanese soaking spa.

2026 Western North Carolina (WNC) Bucket List, Sauna Culture, Shoji Spa, Spa
A sunrise at Bearwallow Mountain in NC.

You Don’t Need to Optimize a Sunrise 

Sometimes a sunrise could just be a sunrise.

adventure, Bearwallow Mountain, hiking, nature, photography, sunrise, travel
A disco ball hanging in the corner at The Crucible bar in Asheville.

Grown Up Awards Mostly Aren’t Based on Merit

Awards are typically applied for, campaigned for, and often…paid for. Most are not based on merit alone.

Asheville, Deep Thoughts, Social justice warrioring, Awards, Awards Bait, The Crucible

The Omni Grove Park Buffet’s Desserts Are Worth the Price of Admission 

The Omni Grove Park Inn’s seafood buffet is…a seafood buffet. The dessert selection, however, is fantastic.

Asheville, Dessert, food, Jettie Rae's, Omni Grove Park Inn, restaurants, Seafood, travel, vacation

Overheard in the Asheville Saunas, Part 3

More nonsense from the saunas of Asheville.

Overheard in the Asheville Saunas
A view of the Riverbend Cottage cottage rental from a view on the Laurel River Trail in Western North Carolina.

A 2026 Western North Carolina (WNC) Bucket List 

An Asheville local’s 2026 Western North Carolina bucket list, featuring must-do hikes, weekend trips, food tours, and Blue Ridge experiences.

adventure, Asheville Food Tour, Babel Tower Trail, backpacking, Burgess Falls, hiking, Hot Springs, LeConte Lodge, Marshall, Mt. LeConte, nature, Shoji Spa, travel, Yellow Mountain Trail

This Should’ve Been Overheard on Haywood Road

The following conversation wasn’t overheard on Haywood Road, but it 100% should’ve been.

Am I Asheville Fat?

A personal essay on being labeled “Boulder fat,” BMI misclassification, Ozempic, and how gay body standards thrive in progressive cities like Asheville.

diet, fitness, health, obesity, weight-loss

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