This NC vacation spot made Michelin’s list of where food lovers should go in ‘26
This year, America’s 250th birthday, World Cup matches, Route 66 celebrations and high-altitude locations are high on the list of attractions for avid travelers — and a North Carolina tourism hotspot ranks right up there with them.
Michelin-designated hotels and restaurants across the country were noted in the global travel guidebooks’ guide of ”Where to Go in North America for Food Lovers in 2026.”
The piece in Michelin’s Jan. 16 newsletter honed in on North American destinations, saying: “From classic roadside diners to mountainside lodges with ambitious kitchens, eating well in North America is defined as much by the journey as the destination. The result is a dining landscape as varied as the continent itself, with plenty of highlights to plan a trip around.”
An NC tourism town to visit
Mountain destinations were among the travel locations listed as increasingly popular year-round, Michelin said, citing a report by the Skyscanner travel app that showed alpine visits are on the rise for global travelers in the off-seasons of summer and fall.
Asheville was called out among the retreats highlighted for its “evolving food scene.” The River Arts District — now rebuilding after suffering devastating floods in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene — was singled out for praise.
“At the heart of the neighborhood is The Radical, an art-filled boutique hotel housed in a 1920s warehouse that’s also home to the MICHELIN-recommended wood-fired restaurant, Golden Hour,” the report said.
Golden Hour’s Michelin page notes its large windows with views of the French Broad river, along with its “North Carolina crab beignets with Old Bay-seasoned powdered sugar for dusting.”
“The team behind the hotel actively supported hurricane recovery efforts and, in summer 2025, opened RAD Rendezvouz next door, a new community hub offering studio space for more than 30 artists. City-wide infrastructure upgrades — including a major airport expansion — are set to further boost tourism,” the newsletter article added.
Other highlights included Michelin Bib Gourmand Luminosa, an Italian restaurant inside the Flat Iron Hotel. The restaurant sources most of its ingredients from Western North Carolina farms and butchers whole cows in-house, its Michelin Guide page notes.
“For a stay that captures the city’s community spirit, Blind Tiger Asheville, set in a restored 19th-century house, offers 14 rooms that are each accompanied by a handwritten letter from a different local resident with recommendations for things to see and do in the area,” the Michelin team wrote.
Other mountain destinations noted were Deer Valley, Utah, and Aspen, Colorado.
The full list of 2026 trip recommendations for food lovers can be found here.
