Cold Calling: 21 refreshing retreats in the South that offer a dose of natureâs air-conditioning
A subterranean cave, a chilly river, the highest summit east of the Mississippiâthese destinations are all shivery oases on dog-day afternoons
Photo by John Starrett
Can you even call yourself a Southerner if you donât spend at least a quarter of the year griping about the heat (and donât forget the humidity)? But during a season when the forecast seems permanently set to âscorching,â you can still find pockets of delicious coolnessâand we donât mean the blast radius around your air-conditioning vent.
The pandemic has been good for very little, but one silver lining is the rise of local delivery options and heat-and-eat meals.
Hickory Nut Gap, for example, recently launched a new home-delivery program for its Community Supported Agriculture meat boxes.
Launched in late February, HNG has partnered with Leading Green Distribution to bring contactless home delivery of sustainably raised meat to the Asheville area.
What s a CSA? It s basically a pre-paid promise to focus your cash with one local business, usually a farmer.
In this case, it means a renewable three-month subscription for Hickory Nut Gap steaks, roasts, sausages, ground beef, whole chickens, pork chops and more.
East Asheville restaurants often get overlooked. Trendy West Asheville spots get the social media buzz and downtown joints show up on everyone’s radar. Meanwhile, East Asheville plugs away, serving an ever-loyal neighborhood clientele.
Being on an opposite side of town, I don’t often find myself on the east side. That got me thinking about Copper Crown, a restaurant where I’ve had good meals in the past.
On the menu you ll find plenty of options, including larger plates from North Carolina catfish to Hickory Nut Gap Farms schnitzel. Almost all of the dishes reference local or regional ingredients and range from $18-24. For an entrée with multiple elements, this isn’t too much to ask, but if you’re ordering on a shoestring like I was, it might not get you the most for your dollar.