Sierra Nevada Brewing Co is a food tour in Biltmore Village, Asheville.
Sierra Nevada's Mills River brewery, 15 miles south of Asheville, runs free 45-minute brewery tours every half hour from 11:30 to 16:30. Editor pick.
Route: Mills River Brewery Tour
Tip: Reservation required. The tour leaves the Liquid Center every 30 minutes; book ahead on the operator site.
Eating Asheville is the locally-owned downtown food tour. The Classic Food Tour visits up to five handpicked farm-to-table restaurants and food shops with insider commentary.
Tip: Book on the operator site at least 48 hours ahead. The High Roller upgrade ($89, 2.5 hours, 6 stops) is the longer format; private group tours on request.
Asheville Food Tours walks downtown Asheville's food scene with up to seven stops at handpicked restaurants and food shops. Alcohol included; Mon, Thu, Fri & Sat schedule.
Tip: Book on the operator site. Sister formats include The Food Fan Tour (Sun/Tue/Wed, led by food writer Stu Helm) and a Saturday 11:00 Brunch Tour.
Taste Carolina runs downtown Asheville walking tours through five or six tastings at farm-to-table restaurants, eclectic cafes and specialty food stores.
Tip: Book on the operator's Asheville page. Tours run rain or shine; comfortable shoes essential.
Asheville Brews Cruise has run brewery tours since 2006 as the city's original tour operator. Three South Slope breweries per tour, common stops include Twin Leaf, Hi-Wire and Catawba.
Tip: Book on the operator site; designated-driver discounts on group bookings. Scheduled 3-stop tours run Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun.
BREW-ed runs downtown Asheville walking brewery and history tours that National Geographic named among the top tours in the world. Cicerone-certified guides; several South Slope breweries per tour.
Tip: Book on the operator site at least 72 hours ahead. The 21+ format runs Mon-Sat afternoons. Private brewery tours can be booked any day.
French Broad Chocolates' Bean-to-Bar tour at their Riverside Drive factory walks the full chocolate process: cacao bean arrival, roasting, grinding, molding, and bonbon work. Daily, 45 minutes.
Tip: Reserve on operator site or email tours@frenchbroadchocolates.com. Arrive 10 minutes early; late arrivals not admitted. Ticket carries a 10% same-day discount.