By Brad Tuttle

updated 10:49 a.m. ET June 9, 2005

May issue, Budget Travel magazine - (1) Candy by the bucket: Who said the five-and-dime is extinct? There are seven Mast General Stores in North and South Carolina, where under one roof you can find coonskin caps, birdhouses, Radio Flyer wagons, and grape Nehis in glass bottles. The highlight is plucking peanut clusters and Atomic FireBalls out of barrels to fill up a one-pound bucket of mixed candy ($5.50). Built in 1882, the original Mast Store is two hours north of Asheville in Valle Crucis. It’s right out of Little House on the Prairie, with sloping floors, creaky stairs, and a monstrous potbellied stove. A location opened in downtown Asheville five years ago. Hwy. 194, Valle Crucis, 828/963-6511; 15 Biltmore Ave., Asheville, 828/232-1883.

(2) Transplants and wanderers: Asheville is full of characters who stopped by for a visit—while taking a road trip, perhaps, or hiking the Appalachian Trail—and liked the place so much that they never left. This explains the scarcity of southern accents: The city is in—but doesn’t seem entirely of—the South. It’s become a gathering place for outdoorsy, community-minded folks who love the quick access to nature but aren’t willing to give up movie theaters, quality restaurants, and other trappings of a small city.

(3) “The Beer Guy”: The newspaper of record—the Asheville Citizen-Times—has a regular column devoted to ales, stouts, and porters. “You can’t make a bad beer and expect to sell it in this town,” says columnist Tony Kiss, also the paper’s entertainment editor, who started covering the beer scene when the Highland Brewing Company, the first of the city’s four breweries, opened 10 years ago. “A lot of people are interested in something more than a six-pack of Bud.” Highland Brewing Company, 42 Biltmore Ave., 828/255-8240, tours available.

(4) Lincoln Log sleepover: The Pines Cottages, an old-fashioned motor court of 15 one- and two-bedroom cabins, is in a woodsy area just 10 minutes from downtown. Dating to the 1940s, the cabins were renovated when new owners took over in 2001. Most have kitchens and porches, and a few even have fireplaces, which can come in handy on chilly mountain nights. 346 Weaverville Hwy., 828/645-9661, ashevillepines.com, from $80.

(5) Knowing where the sausage is from: Down-home favorites at the Early Girl Eatery include eggs with country ham, fried catfish, and biscuits positively drenched in gravy. If that’s a little too southern for you, there are also plenty of healthier options, like multigrain pancakes and sesame tofu salad. The Early Girl makes its own breakfast breads, gravy, and sausage, and whatever wasn’t made from scratch on-site probably came from a local farm or river. Simple wooden tables and chairs line a long row of second-story windows overlooking downtown’s Pritchard Park. The coffee mugs are big, and the young, bright-eyed waitstaff keeps them full. 8 Wall St., 828/259-9292, biscuits with gravy $2.25.

(6) The banned-book list at Malaprop’s: In addition to titles of gay, lesbian, and transgender interest—and separate sections for graphic novels and local writers and poets—this very independent bookstore has several shelves of books currently banned by schools and libraries around the country. Gone With the Wind, Lord of the Flies, Hamlet, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and a few of the Harry Potter titles are all on someone’s no-no list. Several times a week, the bookstore-and-café hosts author readings and live music. The bulletin board where locals post events, jobs, and solicitations is absolutely worth a look. One recent flyer read: 2chix lawn care—support the women’s movement. 55 Haywood St., 828/254-6734.

(7) Nobody wears a tie: Instead, there are lots of baggy shorts, fleece vests, cargo pants, Birkenstocks, and sundresses. Everything is casual—including the typical career path. Jobs take a backseat to leisure, not vice versa.

Livia Corona Everything at Picnics is homemade, including the strawberry-rhubarb pie

(8) Thanksgiving dinner every Thursday: Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and all the other trimmings are served weekly at Asheville’s favorite spot for home cooking, Picnics Restaurant and Bake Shop. The mom-and-son operation—owned and run by Ron Smith and his mother, Minnie—has a menu that changes only a little from day to day: wood-roasted chicken, collard greens, cucumber salad, mac-and-cheese. “I’ll just never understand restaurants that don’t use real butter,” Ron says. There are a couple tables for sit-down meals, but the shop brings in a mostly to-go crowd ($27 buys a picnic basket for four with drinks, utensils, plates, and a tablecloth). It’s impossible to escape without scooping up a slice of death-by-chocolate cake or blackberry cobbler from the dessert counter by the door. 371 Merrimon Ave., 828/258-2858.

(9) Hazy days and quiet nights on the parkway: The Blue Ridge Parkway snakes up, around, and over the Appalachians for 469 miles, connecting the Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah national parks. On the parkway, at 5,000 feet above sea level and 20 minutes south of Asheville, is the Pisgah Inn, where all of the 51 units look out over miles and miles of hazy mountain peaks. 828/235-8228, pisgahinn.com, doubles from $80.

(10) Cloggers, hippies, and more: There’s a drum circle, political rally, or concert happening somewhere all the time. The City/County Plaza is  popular, as is Pritchard Park, in the center of town. It doesn’t have flowers or grass. What it does have is gatherings—lots of them. Skinny dudes with dreadlocks and camouflage cutoffs mill about playing the bongos or reading poetry. In summer, the park hosts a series of old silent movies accompanied by live music.

(11) Jugs that smile: The Appalachian Craft Center showcases work from dozens of regional artists. Particularly popular are the collectible “face jugs” (sculpted and glazed with quirky faces, $45 to $300), as well as brooms with specially carved and finished handles ($25 to $65). Kids, meanwhile, will love the simple wooden folk toys that were popular in Civil War times—and their parents will appreciate that they cost less than $5. 10 N. Spruce St., 828/253-8499.

(12) Sliding Rock: First-timers worry about bruising their behinds on the natural 60-foot water slide that drops into a six-foot-deep pool. A more worthy concern: The water—runoff from the mountains in the Pisgah National Forest—usually hovers around 55 degrees. Once reachable only by a trail, Sliding Rock now has a parking lot and changing house, a metal railing to help people climb up, and even a lifeguard in summer. The ride doesn’t hurt a bit—or maybe the frigid waters simply numb your nether regions. Pisgah Ranger District Information Center, 828/877-3265, visitwaterfalls.co, $1.

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