There’s a billboard along 240 going through West Asheville encouraging drivers to explore Burnsville, NC, just 40 miles away, which I did this past July.
A friend and I were planning a Sunday hike, and, hearing more and more that the pizza at Homeplace Beer Company was worth checking out, we decided to hike Crabtree Falls (which I’ve also been meaning to check out) and check out Burnsville on the way back.
There are two ways to access Crabtree Falls if you’re coming from Asheville (well, technically, three, but taking the parkway the entire way, while scenic, adds an hour to your trip): from the south through Old Fort and the North from Burnsville. We opted for the northern route, even if it was a little longer, A) so we could backtrack more easily if GPS didn’t work up on the parkway and B) because the route from Old Fort to the parkway involves a very steep, very curvy climb that makes this scared-of-heights driver very nervous (also, remind me to tell you the story about the time I was driving down that and encountered a motorcyclist having a very bad day). It’s a very scenic drive (about a half hour from Burnsville proper) following the picturesque, swimmable-looking Toe River.
Crabtree Falls is also very picturesque and a solid hike. Be warned, it tricks you! Crabtree Falls is one of those hikes that seems very easy on the way down to the falls but kicks your ass on the way back up. The falls are suitably impressive, and you can get up close and personal without compromising your safety or risking closing the falls for others 🙂.
Homeplace Beer Company was our first stop post-hike, and I was very impressed. The brewery itself is large with a great outdoor space that was very nice to sit at on a sunny, hot July afternoon, but for some reason just called out as a perfect spot to go in the fall. The beer was good—I loved their summer lager—but the show’s star was the pizzas, not just for their taste (it had a sweetish sauce, which isn’t always my go-to, but that I enjoyed here) but for the price. $8.00 for a personal pepperoni, wood-fired pizza! There’s no way that would be anything less than at least $14.00 in Asheville, which goes to show that it pays to get out of the city and experience the real America once in a while (though, the real America also included more “Trump 2024” and “Proud deplorable” bumper stickers than you encounter in our coastal-elite-sans-the-coast home turf). There’s a huge outdoor stage at Homeplace, and per the advertisements plastered around the brewery, they have live music Thursday-Sat—a Friday night of bluegrass there would be the most relaxing.
Stop number two was Birdfoot, “Burnsville’s Bottleshop, Taproom, and Outdoor Store,” located just across the road—easy walking distance—from Homeplace. This had similar vibes to Black Mountain’s WNC Outdoor Collective, only while the latter is more of an outdoor store with a bar, Birdfoot felt more like a bar selling some outdoor gear, but I really liked it! They had a great beer selection, and I’m all up for somewhere you could purchase a reasonably priced hammock after a few drinks. We were full from Homeplace, but the food truck at Birdfoot seems good (chimichurri-rubbed wings!).
Since we hit Burnsville later on a Sunday afternoon, there were quite a few places that were closed, but I’ve got my eyes on The Garden Deli and Plott Hound Books, as well as the Live Oak Gastropub and Bierdock Brewing in nearby Spruce Pine. Also reasonably priced? The Airbnb situation out that way. Prices are, like, $100-200 less on average (based on the very scientific ten-minute personal research project I just completed) than closer to Asheville.
While it’s not in Burnsville, we capped off our Sunday with a stop at Leveller Brewing in Weaverville, a town I’ve also yet to explore but I think now warrants some of my time. Overall, it was a top-tier, two-thumbs-up Sunday, and I found Burnsville to be a top-tier, two-thumbs-up town I’m excited to visit again.
AshevilleExplorer 
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