The first time acclaimed indie musician visited Asheville, North Carolina, was roughly a decade ago, at the end of her first national tour. She was smitten. A city with a small-town feel (it has just under 100,000 residents), Asheville is nestled among the Blue Ridge Mountains and surrounded by rivers and forests, drawing artists and outdoorspeople alike. Locals wanted to chat. They eagerly showed her their favorite watering holes and trails. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥楾his is real living,鈥欌 Olsen recalls. 鈥淚 just dreamt of it.鈥
She moved there from Chicago in 2013. Since then, she鈥檚 released six records, which include three of her biggest hits, those albums all earning designation: Burn Your Fire for No Witness (2014), My Woman (2016), and All Mirrors (2019). But like so many musicians, she was forced at the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 to . Without the outlet of live performances and travel, she set about exploring her adoptive hometown and surrounding landscapes. This was a time of some personal turbulence, too: last year, Olsen to her friends and family, not long before both of her parents died. 鈥淥ver the pandemic, it was so healing to say I lived in a spot like Asheville,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 think I just fell even deeper in love with it all. I was just like, 鈥極h, I鈥檓 going to stay here forever.鈥欌

Olsen makes rock music that veers between spare and bombastic, anchored by her bright voice and intimate lyrics. Earlier this year, she released her seventh full-length album, Big Time, a country-inflected record whose writing and feel were informed in part by this period during which she sought refuge outside. The cover鈥攁 photo of Olsen silhouetted against hazy mountains鈥攚as taken on , a bald summit that the Appalachian Trail passes over. 鈥淚 love just going on aimless drives or going on hikes alone and just being quiet and seeing how small I am and being in nature. It just reminds me that we don鈥檛 survive more than this big mountain. It鈥檚 bigger than we are. It will be here when we鈥檙e gone, you know?鈥
Over Zoom, while packing her bus for an upcoming tour, Olsen told us about some of her favorite spots in Asheville and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. Not all of them, mind you: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you about the secret spots,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ecause, you know, there鈥檚 rules and stuff.鈥
Coffee
On a summer day, Olsen likes to grab coffee to go and find a place in a park overlooking the French Broad, a river that winds through Asheville, to write for a while. She recommends Le Bon Caf茅, a coffee truck near her home in the Montford neighborhood, or High Five Coffee鈥, which only takes orders to go. And for a 鈥渇ancy spot,鈥 Olsen enjoys , a newer outpost in the center of town that serves thoughtfully sourced brews and a variety of pastries, including inventive waffles鈥攐ne recent offering, for example, came topped with whipped ricotta, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds.
Food
On a typical night at home, Olsen might order tacos鈥, , and all make her list. And she likes , a caf茅 behind the restaurant Curat茅, for its Spanish tortilla. But for some of the best food in town, she says to look no further than , a wine bar whose kitchen turns out a range of small, shareable dishes. 鈥淭he plates are simple and consistent and they have it dialed in,鈥 she says. The owner, Drew Wallace, has opened several Asheville restaurants, including and , which Olsen calls a go-to for lobster rolls, cheeseburgers, fries, and milkshakes.
Drinks and Nightlife
For wine, cocktails, and ambience, Olsen likes Pink Moon, a speakeasy-style bar located behind Double Crown, a classic dive with country karaoke. (Pink Moon posts a password for entry daily on .) To catch a show, there鈥檚 鈥攚hich, in addition to putting on country and punk shows, serves as a wedding chapel and vintage market. And for dancing, there鈥檚 This event and performance venue opened just last year and hosts drag nights and live DJs. According to Olsen, its presence marks a big change in Asheville鈥檚 cultural scene. 鈥淚t鈥檚 millennial and Gen Z running the show. It鈥檚 queer and BIPOC people running the show, owning the spaces, and having the support,鈥 Olsen says. 鈥淲e have so much work to do for people being inclusive in the South, but it鈥檚 cool to see that my friends are part of this movement.鈥

Parks and Trails
Within the metropolitan area are a number of green spaces to stroll or run in鈥擮lsen cites , near her home, for one. But for a wilder slice of the mountains that wind through North Carolina, there鈥檚 Craggy Gardens, a modest but rewarding hike just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Most of this mile-long out-and-back is shaded by mossy trees and, in the summer, the purple blooms of rhododendrons. You might pass through a blanket of mist before reaching the summit. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really rewarding end,鈥 Olsen says. 鈥淥n the other side, you see the whole view of the mountains.鈥
Day Trips and Beyond

When she鈥檚 heading into the region outside of Asheville, Olsen tends not to research trails and areas ahead of time鈥攊nstead, she likes to take meandering drives and stop when something catches her attention. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to look something up; I鈥檓 just going to go get lost,鈥 she says. For example, she follows the sinuous 33-mile stretch of Highway 209 known as . 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of rolling hills,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also just really beautiful to drive and park and hike different spots along it.鈥
Still, Olsen has revisited some places, like the villages of Hot Springs and Trust, excellent hubs for exploring the Pisgah National Forest, which wraps around Asheville. 鈥淭he Pisgah region is the one I really love,鈥 she says. Olsen frequently hikes up , near Hot Springs, whose strenuous uphill culminates in a panoramic view of the French Broad River and the Blue Ridge Mountains; and , a popular that feeds into the French Broad.
And with hundreds of waterfalls in the surrounding area (the neighboring town of Brevard has styled itself the 鈥鈥), there are plenty of places to cool off after a long outing鈥攎any of them with amusingly descriptive names. Olsen enjoys , which drops 404 feet in Chimney Rock State Park southeast of Asheville; Looking Glass Falls (pair it with a hike up nearby Looking Glass Rock); in Dupont State Forest; and , where the water cascades down a 60-foot slab of rock that visitors often use as a water slide. The sheer number of under-the-radar spots in and around Asheville means that everyone has a favorite, uniting the city鈥檚 creative and outdoors communities. 鈥淚n every clique or scene,鈥 Olsen says, 鈥渆verybody goes into nature in Asheville.鈥