So all your friends are engaged… congratulations! Now it’s your turn to plan, or just survive, their bachelor and bachelorette parties, or just your yearly besties group trip. Don’t worry, we got you covered, oh shy one. Keep reading for our suggestions on how to survive a group trip to Asheville with built-in introvert escapes, whether you’re just needing to recharge your batteries or needing to rehydrate from a hangover.
Step 1: Fill Up Early
Don’t. Skip. Breakfast. We recommend a baseline of the southern trifecta: biscuits, grits, and gravy. You can’t go wrong with Biscuit Head, Asheville’s leader in the biscuit business, or The Med in the heart of downtown. Need an extra shot of espresso while your friends wait for a table? Walk over to High Five Coffee downtown, just ½ a block from The Med, for a few minutes of alone time before breakfast.
Step 2: Let Someone Else Do The Talking
As an introvert, early burnout leads to “are you okay” questions later. The best way to avoid this is to book a LaZoom Tour, any LaZoom tour, and let our guides do the entertaining. Plus, we’ll give you something to keep talking about – you’ve never seen a show like this before.
For history buffs, hop on Hey Asheville, our 90 minute ride through Asheville’s greatest neighborhoods and learn the top hits of the area’s history. Surrounded by chatterboxes? Book a Fender Bender tour, a 3 hour tour to 3 breweries while a live band plays on the bus. They can talk, you can just enjoy the music! Rather fill the space at night? We got you covered with our Ghosted Tours, 60 minutes of spooks (and laughs) as soon as the sun goes down.
No matter which tour you choose, the spotlight won’t be on you, and that’s what matters.
Step 3: Explore Places You Can Disappear Into
Asheville is full of local businesses that have something for everyone. Wander downtown or in the River Arts District and get lost in a shop full of crystals, bee pollen products, or clothes that make you wonder “is this a shirt or pants?”
The Grove Arcade downtown is an excellent place to conveniently “lose” your group for a few minutes while you reconnect with your sanity, an indoor (and air conditioned) mall with all local shops, each a little too small to fit a group of 10 in together and a little too big to have to fill every minute with small talk.
Step 4: Rest, So You Can Rally
Foot massage, anyone? An hour of serene paint-your-own pottery, perhaps? Salt cave that’s so peaceful it makes you feel like you shouldn’t be talking even if you are? Say no more.
While you’re in the Grove Arcade, stop by Wake Food Sanctuary, which is exactly what it sounds like, or walk a block over to Wall Street and visit Claying Around for some peaceful crafting. Something that’ll really shut them up is the Asheville Salt Cave, a meditative experience you’ll never forget and they’ll want to post on Instagram.
Step 5: People Pleasers for Every Kind of Party Person
It might not be possible to totally avoid some partying, but you can’t go wrong with a rooftop. The Montford Rooftop Bar, Soprana, Wildwood Still, or Top of the Monk all allow your token extrovert and introverts to thrive in an environment that is somehow both energetic and serene. Lose yourself in the sunset views over the mountains while they yap about their mother-in-law (or whatever extroverts talk about). Everybody’s happy.
