The Best Breweries Within 1.5 Hours of Charlotte

The city of Charlotte has a ton of fantastic breweries, but sometimes you get sick of going to the same places all the time or you want to get out of town for a little adventure. Here are the best breweries within an hour and a half drive from Charlotte that are worth exploring:

Fonta Flora Whippoorwill Farm in Nebo, NC

Distance from Uptown Charlotte: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Okay yes, this is slightly further than an hour and a half but I promise you it’s worth those six extra minutes. Fonta Flora has been a powerhouse in the North Carolina brew scene since they opened in 2013. They are consistently pushing the boundaries with their Wild Ales and have absolutely nailed the Lager game. They recently dipped their toes into the Hazy IPA world as well with several collaboration brews and they have each been phenomenal.

In 2018 the Fonta Flora opened Whippoorwill Farm. This location is an expansive farmland with a plethora of outdoor seating and a small barn that houses the brewery and indoor seating. Singlewyde is their onsite food truck that makes incredibly delicious wood fired pizzas and other fantastic snacks. There is no better way to spend an afternoon than at on the grassy lawn of Whippoorwill Farm.

High Branch Brewing in Concord, NC

Distance from Uptown Charlotte: 30 minutes

High Branch is located in Gibson Mill, an old—you guessed it!—mill, with a food hall coming soon. They opened in 2015 and were originally in a smaller space in the mill. They make superb beers of all styles, but their Hazy IPAs and Fruited Sours are their best work.

Newgrass Brewing Company in Shelby, NC

Distance from Uptown Charlotte: 55 minutes

Newgrass is best known for their insanely flavored Fruited Sours, and for good reason, but don’t sleep on their Stouts either. A flight is definitely the best approach at their taproom to try a variety of their brews. They have a two story taproom with games and a small side patio space. They also offer a full farm-to-table food menu with delicious eats.

LESSER-KNOWN BEER CO. in Winston-Salem, NC

Distance from Uptown Charlotte: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Lesser-Known is the newest brewery in Winston-Salem and already the best brewery in town. They focus on underrepresented beer styles, the majority of which are Lagers. Lesser-Known is just south of downtown and has a nice patio space as well as a small indoor taproom. They have a small food menu when they don’t have a food truck onsite. They are quickly gaining notoriety and should not be missed. Inside their taproom The Walk In has guest taps and guest bottles as well.

Slow Play Brewing in Rock Hill, SC

Distance from Uptown Charlotte: 32 minutes

Slow Play is located right behind Winthrop University’s campus just across the border from Charlotte in South Carolina. They make great IPAs and Fruited Sours in particular, and you are bound to find a style you like on their large menu. They have frequent live music and other events to keep you entertained and a nice patio for relaxing outdoors.

Cibi Cibi is their onsite food truck serving up hot chicken sandwiches, smash burgers, and an array of other tasty dishes and sides. This is one of the best food trucks in the Charlotte area, so be sure to arrive hungry.

Percent Tap House in Harrisburg, NC

Distance from Uptown Charlotte: 26 minutes

Percent Tap House is the closest brewery to Charlotte on the list but it is still overlooked. Percent is a quaint little brewery in a shopping center in the CLT suburb of Harrisburg. They are part beer bar, serving up some killer guest taps. Their own beer is top notch as well—their IPAs, Fruited Sours, and Stouts have all been great. They have a small indoor taproom and a patio for enjoying your brews.

Royal Bliss Brewing in Denver, NC

Distance from Uptown Charlotte: 30 minutes

Royal Bliss is located in a shopping center in Denver, just northwest of CLT. Their IPAs, Pale Ales, and Pilsners are their strengths and there is always good vibes. They have a nice turf patio space, an upstairs deck, and spacious taproom overall. Their beers are great, but their grilled cheese sandwiches are next level. The Carolina Mac Melt with macaroni, muenster, and mozzarella (pictured above) is one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve ever had.

Incendiary Brewing Company in Winston-Salem, NC

Distance from Uptown Charlotte: 1 hour, 16 minutes

Incendiary in located in the Bailey Power Plant with industrial vibes and large outdoor space. They opened in 2018 with noteworthy IPAs and Lagers. Snag a pizza from Cugino Forno next door to enjoy with your brews! I also recommend checking out Fiddlin’ Fish while you’re in the Winston-Salem area!

What are your favorite breweries Worth the drive from Charlotte? Let me know in the comments! Cheers —Alexis

A Day Trip to the Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is the perfect day trip from Portland, Oregon. This scenic area is just about an hour away from PDX. It is full of hiking, waterfalls, water sports, and fantastic craft beer.

Check out my full beer and travel guide for Portland!

Here is my day trip itinerary for the Columbia River Gorge:

Hike in the columbia river gorge

Multnomah Falls is the highest waterfall in Oregon and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area. I recommend doing the Wahkeena Falls loop which hits five different waterfalls. I did this AllTrails hike which ended up being 5.8 miles, 134 flights up, and took about 2.5 hours.

The trail starts along a ridge heading from Wahkeena Falls to Multnomah Falls. Multnomah Falls are truly an incredible sight. From the base of the falls you head up the trail across the iconic bridge on the falls and into the land of switchbacks. You wind up for quite a while until you’re at the top of the Multnomah Falls, and then head into the woods. First you encounter Wisendanger Falls, and then Ecola Falls which is a bit smaller and harder to see from the trail. From Ecola Falls you wind through the woods for a while until getting to Fairy Falls, which you essentially follow all the way back down the mountain to the trailhead at Wahkeena Falls.

The trail provides great views of the surrounding gorge and was a delight to hike throughout. It was mildly overgrown in some areas when I visited and there were a plethora of large slugs, so just watch your step! I recommend starting your hike early to avoid the crowds. Getting there anytime between 7-8am was fine, but by 10am the parking lot was packed. There are several other waterfalls and hikes along the Historic Columbia River Highway as well!

Multnomah Falls

Hood River

From your hike head further into the gorge to the town of Hood River, the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. The drive is right along the river and absolutely gorgeous!

I recommend making Stoked Coffee your first stop. This cute little coffeeshop is right on Hood River Waterfront Park. Grab a coffee and meander through the park or find a bench to watch the windsurfers!

Hood River also has several breweries worth checking out:

Full Sail Brewing

Full Sail Brewing

Full Sail has a small elevated patio with nice views overlooking the Columbia River. They have a full food menu, average beers, and restaurant-style vibes.

Ferment Brewing Co.

Ferment Brewing Co.

Ferment has a huge deck-style patio right on Waterfront Park. The views here were my favorite in Hood River. They have a full food menu with delicious offerings and fantastic beers—the best of the day! Ferment can be quite popular, so expect a line if visiting during peak season.

pFriem Family Brewers

pFriem Family Brewers

pFriem is probably the most well-known brewery in the area and for good reason—their barrel aged beers are top notch. With that popularity comes long waits for a table, so I recommend heading to Bear’s Den next door. This is their beer-only outdoor section, whereas their taproom has a full food menu and more of a restaurant set-up. pFriem is also right on Waterfront Park, but they are on ground level so you don’t get the views that you do at Ferment.

Views from the Wahkeena Falls trail

Have you visited the Columbia River Gorge? What are your favorite spots? Let me know in the comments! Cheers —Alexis

A Day Trip to the Blue Mountains

The view from Echo Point

So you want to explore the Blue Mountains but you’re not sure where to start? Check out my guide below to plan your perfect day trip from Sydney!

Which option is best for you?

There are a few different ways you can explore the Blue Mountains from Sydney:

• On your own via car

• On your own via train

• With a tour group

Personally, I despise tour groups, so I knew I wanted to do this adventure on my own. I also have absolutely no interest in renting a car in a foreign country, let alone a foreign country that drives on the opposite side of the road than I am used to, so I was thrilled to discover that you can easily get to the Blue Mountains from Sydney via train!

I highly recommend this option, even if you have a rental car, because the trails don’t loop back to their original spot, so you would have to walk back to your car from wherever you end your hike, which is just plain inconvenient.

Check out all of my Sydney recommendations here!

The Three Sisters

Part of the luscious trail of the Prince Henry Cliff Walk

Getting from Sydney to the Blue Mountains via Train

The journey is so much easier than you would expect! Take the train from Sydney Central Station to Katoomba Station. It’s two hours from one to the other, or an hour and forty-five minutes if you hop on the express train.

It’s only a 15 minute difference, but for the timing worked out for me so I went for the express.

To take the train you will need an Opal card, you can get one at any train station and reload it at stations, wharves, most convenience stores, or on the Opal app.

The train leaves from Sydney Central every hour, so you can be flexible with your plans for whenever you prefer to start your adventure.

I hopped on the 8:42AM Express to Katoomba & the 3:24PM non-express back to Sydney Central, which to me was the perfect amount of time.

Once you arrive at Katoomba Station you will walk one mile straight down Katoomba Street from the station, turn left at the large sign for Echo Point, and BAM! that’s it! You made it to the Blue Mountains National Park!

See, I told you it was easy!

Pro Tip: Stop at one of the grocery stores on your walk down Katoomba Street for snacks and water!

Okay so you’re at the Blue Mountains, now what?

Your adventure begins at Echo Point, where you have sweeping views of the Blue Mountains and the Three Sisters to the left. Follow the path to the right to pop down to Elizabeth Lookout for a slightly better view of the Three Sisters.

You’re standing there soaking in these gorgeous views and then seven million tourists and selfie-sticks are pushing you to the brink of craziness and you’re thinking ‘what did I get myself into?!” but don’t fret. The tour bus crowds are generally only an issue at Echo Point. The deeper you go on the trail the less people you encounter.

Once you’re ready to start your hike, I recommend heading east along the Prince Henry Cliff Walk. You can also go west towards Scenic World, which has great options for kids or those who don’t want to hike.

You are going to essentially follow the Prince Henry Cliff Walk your entire hike, so don’t fret about getting lost or making a wrong turn!

When you begin your journey it is a paved trail to The Three Sisters, where you can walk down and get up close to the legendary monument.

From here, you continue along the Prince Henry Cliff Walk where the trail becomes dirt and you leave the crowds behind. There are stunning views along the way via various lookouts, but unless you are really determined, you do not need to stop at each one, the view does not change that drastically within a couple of minutes. I would recommend Lady Carrington Lookout, which has nice views.

Burrabarroo Lookout is the perfect spot for a snack/lunch break, but be sure to go all the way deep into it. At first glance it appears like there is no view, but you need to climb over the rocks all the way to the fenced space for a great view.

Leura Cascades

Not long after Burrabarroo you have to pop up onto the road for about two minutes, then you walk down the steps on your right. Quickly after this you are at the Bridal Veil Lookout, where you can see Bridal Veil Falls.

On your walk from the lookout to Bridal Veil Falls there are a lot of steps down, some of which are a bit slick, as a heads up.

Just past Bridal Veil Falls you will hit the Leura Cascades, a small waterfall with steps along the right that lead up to a picnic area. There are bathrooms here, the only ones along the hike, so take advantage!

From the picnic area you will head to Bridal Veil View. It’s not the most impressive waterfall set against the large mountain, but it’s still cool to see.

From here you will walk up quite a few stairs to Tarpeian Rock Lookout, where you can soak in the majestic views and take a rest on a bench if you need to after all those steps up!

Just past Tarpeian Rock is Elysian Rock Lookout, which is also great! You can decide from here if you want to walk up to Leura or venture just a bit further to Gordon Falls. I was not impressed with Gordon Falls whatsoever. Maybe after a heavy rainfall it would be better, but overall it was disappointing.

From here you will walk into the town of Leura. Take Olympian Parade to Leura Mall, and the train station is at the end of Leura Mall. In the town of Leura there are a few restaurants and coffee shops if you need to refuel before hopping on the train back to Sydney.

Hiking in my Founders Brewing shirt!

Key information for planning your Blue Mountains trip:

I spent 3.5 hours in the National Park & a half an hour on each end walking through Katoomba and Leura to/from the train stations—so overall it was 4.5 hours. I walk quickly in general, but I also stopped to take a lot of pictures, so I would say overall it was an average pace.

If you follow the route I described it is ~8.5 miles overall.

You don’t need to pack hiking boots for this—I love my Merrills, but my Nike tennis shoes were just fine for this hike.

Be sure to bring snacks and water! There are no options along the way if you get hungry/thirsty.

Keep your eyes peeled for animals on your hike, you are in a National Park in Australia where everything can kill you (just kidding but really). I saw lots of gorgeous birds, lizards, and a snake—that I straight up sprinted away from.

What questions do you have?! Let me know in the comments!