10:15 AM
Leave China Grove
I‑85 S → I‑40 W → I‑240 W → Charlotte St exit. About 2½ hours of easy driving.
+ Google CalendarDay one
Wednesday, November 4
1:00 PM
Lunch at Sunset Terrace, Omni Grove Park Inn
290 Macon Ave · map · A table for two on the mountain‑view terrace. Afterward, wander the Great Hall and the terraces.
+ Google Calendar CuisineRelaxation3:15 PM
Check in at Hilton Garden Inn Asheville Downtown
309 College St · map · King room, high floor requested. Park in the garage and leave the car; everything tonight is a short walk or drive.
+ Google Calendar Relaxation5:15 PM
Dinner at Cúrate
13 Biltmore Ave · map · A 5‑minute walk. James Beard–winning Spanish tapas. Reservation for two, birthday noted. Order 5–6 tapas to share, one larger plate, and dessert.
+ Google Calendar Cuisine7:00 PM
Doors at The Grey Eagle
185 Clingman Ave · map · A 6‑minute drive. Arrive at doors to grab a table.
+ Google Calendar8:00 PM
Hayes Carll with Joelton Mayfield
Grammy‑nominated Texas country songwriter in a 500‑seat listening room. Tickets are taken care of · event page.
Culture
Wednesday night's headliner
Hayes Carll
A Texas songwriter in the Guy Clark and John Prine tradition: sharp, funny, a little heartbroken, and never overproduced.
Grammy‑nominated, Americana Song of the Year winner, and covered by Kenny Chesney and Lee Ann Womack, he still tours like a guy with a band in a room instead of a production. Songs like Beaumont, KMAG YOYO, and Drunken Poet's Dream get a whole crowd singing and laughing in the same breath.
The Grey Eagle is the perfect place to see him: a 500‑person listening room where the artist is twenty feet away and everyone came for the songs. Opening is Joelton Mayfield, a rising Texas songwriter in the same vein.
"Beaumont," live on Austin City Limits
Day two
Thursday, November 5
9:45 AM
Breakfast at Tupelo Honey
12 College St · map · A 2‑minute walk. Reservation for two under Allen Martin.
+ Google Calendar Cuisine11:00 AM
The North Carolina Arboretum
100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way · map · Paved garden paths, the bonsai collection, and fall color at elevation. $20 per car at the gate.
+ Google Calendar CultureRelaxation12:30 PM
Head home
I‑40 East → I‑85 North · Home by mid‑afternoon.
+ Google CalendarQuick reference
| Place | Address | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Garden Inn Downtown | 309 College St | Check‑in Wed 3:15 PM · garage parking |
| Sunset Terrace, Grove Park Inn | 290 Macon Ave | Lunch Wed 1:00 PM · concierge 828‑252‑2711 |
| Cúrate | 13 Biltmore Ave | Dinner Wed 5:15 PM |
| The Grey Eagle | 185 Clingman Ave | Doors 7 / show 8 · info@thegreyeagle.com |
| Tupelo Honey | 12 College St | Breakfast Thu 9:45 AM |
| NC Arboretum | 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way | $20/car · open 8 AM |