Read about our first Brevard visit in May 2025 here, and our second in November 2025 here.

I just got back from a couple days in Brevard without the Airstream, without J, and without my Airstream Dog. While normally I wouldn’t post here about a non-Airstream trip, I have some good stuff to report for our next Brevard visit—which will be soon because I really love it there.

Cousin C from Atlanta and I met up in Brevard for a fun little girls’ getaway, along with her sweet pup Joy. My own sweet pup was just spayed, and sadly had to stay home while recovering. Our lodging was an adorable airbnb—Brevard is loaded with really cute dog-friendly rentals—and we walked all over the downtown area, getting in the car only for hikes and white squirrel hunts.

And YES—before I get into the nitty-gritty of the post, I am thrilled to report that I FINALLY SAW A WHITE SQUIRREL!!! You may know about the white squirrels of Brevard, and you may know that I have tried and failed repeatedly at finding one, but I am a failure no more!

Two big differences between this visit and my two previous times in Brevard with the Airstream were 1) since we stayed downtown, our center of gravity was the commercial area around Broad/Main and King Street, rather than farther north near Pisgah Forest where we camp; and 2) since I didn’t have my beer guy with me we didn’t hit a single brewery. Well, we went to the home of Nobelbrau Brewing, but not for the beer.

Hiking

For our one full day in Brevard, we targeted two hikes, both about 20 minutes from town: a favorite view hike in Pisgah National Forest in the morning, and a favorite waterfall hike in DuPont State Recreational Forest for the afternoon. But we had to shuffle plans due to the forecast, and a leisurely morning, and brunch plans… and ended up just doing the waterfall hike. The 3ish-mile hike in past High Falls and Triple Falls is along a wide, dog-friendly trail with a couple short climbs and a bunch of places to wade into the river.

Eating and drinking

Our first day in Brevard, we had afternoon drinks and a pretzel at 185 King Street, also the home of Nobelbrau Brewing, an establishment J and I had enjoyed before. But then (maybe because it was in late November) we didn’t realize they have a fantastic dog-friendly backyard! C, Joy, and I sat out back for a bit, then moved inside to watch the end of a World Cup soccer game. Dogs are allowed inside at 185 King Street too!

Brunch at Morning Social was a must-do on our list the next day, and we both inhaled quinoa bowls after our hike. Their covered picnic tables are also dog-friendly. J and I went there twice and I think I’ve gotten the quinoa bowl now across all three visits. It’s so good, and they source as many ingredients locally as they can.

That evening, after poking around downtown shops, we sat at the bar at Territory for a glass of wine and more World Cup soccer. What a cool spot! It’s a cocktail/wine bar, bottle shop, and gourmet food and gift store. Everyone was super friendly and knowledgeable, and we weren’t terribly disappointed when the skies opened up and we were forced to stay for more wine and two pizzas and two salads. It was a fun and delicious scene a short walk from home, and I’m excited to take J there next time.

Shopping and squirrel hunting

Downtown Brevard has many cute boutiques and tourist shops clustered around the Broad St and Main St intersection in the heart of town, and many of them are dog-friendly. We particularly enjoyed Theophilus for women’s clothes, gifts, and home goods (a store better explored with C than my usual travel companion), DD Bullwinkel’s for outdoor gear, and White Squirrel Shoppe for all your white squirrel needs.

To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, downtown Brevard is hosting a patriotic window decorating competition and a street festival July 3-4. The decorated windows were so creative, but of course White Squirrel Shoppe’s window was my favorite.

I only felt qualified to buy white squirrel merch after finally seeing a white squirrel at Brevard College!!! Victory!!!

But I wanted to see more than one white squirrel to feel like I’d really made it as a squirrel spotter. The expert at White Squirrel Shoppe recommend we try Franklin Park, home to a few colonies of white squirrels. I stopped by on my way out of town our last morning and jackpot! I saw two! I can’t wait to take J next time, although I’m not sure he’s as excited about the white squirrels as I am. Tilly, on the other hand…

To do

From this trip:

• Take J to Territory
• Take J and Tilly to the backyard of 185 King St
• Take J and Tilly to Franklin Park?

Hikes from our previous to-do list:

• 7-mile hike with views in Table Rock State Park, 45 minutes away
• 4-mile hike to the best (?) waterfall in South Carolina in Caesar’s Head State Park, 20 minutes away
• 4-mile hike along a creek to a waterfall, 20 minutes away, or a 6.7-mile version with an extra waterfall
• 5 miles with views 40 minutes away in South Carolina

Food from our previous to-do list:

• Pisgah Bakehouse: I drove by on my way home and almost stopped but I was in a rush to get to VA for the USA-Australia World Cup game
• Smoke On BBQ: a reco from one of J’s colleagues

New activities for the list:

• Bracken Preserve: just outside downtown, for a convenient hike or bike
• (The Bracken googling led me to this White Squirrel Hiking Challenge! Can we do eight hikes in a short visit?)
• Dolly’s Dairy Bar: famous ice cream next to The Hub, our favorite camping hangout
• Cedar Mountain: a tiny hamlet near Brevard. Cousin C and family lunched there on the way to drop a kid at camp and she said it’s adorable

[I asked J to proofread this post and his comment was “it’s a lot of squirrel stuff.” HAHAHA]