Asheville's reputation as a craft-beer city is concentrated in South Slope, the walkable downtown district packed with breweries, taprooms and food spots within a few minutes of one another. This is LocalBrief Asheville's evergreen guide to the area. We keep it current and we verify that a business is open before listing it.

What South Slope is

South Slope sits on the southern edge of downtown Asheville, around Coxe, Buxton, Banks and Hilliard Avenues, and is home to a high concentration of independent breweries within an easy walk. It is one of the simplest ways for a visitor to sample the local beer scene without a car.

After the storm

Like much of Asheville, South Slope navigated the disruption of Hurricane Helene and the long stretch when the city's water was unsafe, no small thing for breweries, which depend on clean water. The district has largely reopened. As of 2026, taprooms back in business include Hi-Wire on Hilliard Avenue, Burial on Collier Avenue, Terra Nova on South Lexington and Twin Leaf on Coxe Avenue, according to Edible Asheville's running brewery-status list, while some spaces remain closed or partly reopened. Hours change often, so check before you go. Supporting these businesses is part of supporting the local recovery.

How to do it

Most South Slope taprooms are within a few minutes' walk of each other, so a self-guided wander is the simplest approach. We keep an updated view of which breweries are open and note any that are temporarily closed. For the wider food-and-drink recovery picture, see our River Arts District update and our Helene recovery tracker.

Please drink responsibly and arrange a safe way home.

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