2 Best Sights in Asheville, North Carolina

New Belgium's beautiful expansive deck overlooks the French Broad River, making it a major draw for afternoon libations. Excellent 45-minute tours of this state-of-the-art brewery are free every day at 1:30 and 4:30. Tastings of several beers are included.

Sierra Nevada, one of the country's largest national craft breweries, situated its East Coast brewery and distribution center on a 190-acre site on the French Broad River. The beautifully landscaped complex includes a good restaurant, tasting room, gift shop, and hiking and biking trails. Sierra Nevada offers the best brewery tours in the region, ranging from a 45-minute brewhouse tour to a three-hour Beer Geek tour.

Tours book up quickly, so reserve as far in advance as possible.