Well Played is, by its very nature, noisy: shouts of victory and groans of despair, a Taboo buzzer, a collapsing Jenga tower, Yahtzee dice clattering onto a table. The board game café, Asheville’s first, is like something out of a childhood daydream: Players young and old peruse shelves stocked with more than 500 games, from classic (Scrabble) to modern (Apples to Apples); at wide wooden tables, they snack on cookies, popcorn, and charcuterie, sip on coffee, hot chocolate, and, when a celebration requires it, champagne. In the iPhone age, the concept may seem like a blast from the past, but co-owner Cortland Mercer disagrees. Technology, he says, creates isolation. “People crave opportunities to come back together.” Though, admittedly, competition can throw a wrench in things: “We’ve had customers suggest that we keep a tally of relationships formed here versus relationships ended here,” Mercer laughs.
Can’t decide what to play? A Game Master can help you find the perfect fit, and will even explain the rules. photograph by Tim Robison
Well Played
58 Wall Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 232-7375
wellplayedasheville.com
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
