Want to pick some bluegrass, or just hear it up close? Around Asheville there's a free jam most nights of the week, usually in a brewery taproom or a pub, with fiddles, banjos, guitars and mandolins in a circle. Most are open jams: bring an instrument, pull up a chair and play along. A few start with a host band or a showcase set and open the circle later. We've noted which is which, and listeners are welcome at all of them.
This guide is organized by night of the week, with a quick schedule near the end and a few tips for your first jam. Jam nights change often, so check the venue's calendar before you load up the car. For other live music, see our guide to Asheville live music venues.
Pisgah Brewing Company: Tuesday
Black Mountain, 2948 US 70
Pisgah's Bluegrass Open Jam is acoustic and starts at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays on the taproom stage. It's billed as a free show, and the brewery welcomes all ages and skill levels. Bring a fiddle, banjo, guitar or mandolin and join the circle, or grab a pint and listen.
Tip: Since it's open to all ages, this is a good one to bring a young picker to.
Eda's Hide-a-Way: Tuesday
Weaverville, 1098 New Stock Rd.
Eda's Hide-a-Way is a bar in the hills of Weaverville with live music, pool, ping-pong and shuffleboard. Its open bluegrass jam runs every Tuesday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. It's free and open to players and listeners, but it's a bar, so it's 21 and up.
Tip: Pisgah's jam and this one fall on the same night. If you live north of town, Eda's is the shorter drive.
Cork & Keg: First and Third Tuesdays
Downtown Asheville, 86 Patton Ave.
Cork & Keg is the wine bar and taproom attached to the Weinhaus, which has been selling wine downtown since 1977. On the first and third Tuesdays of the month it hosts an Old Time Moderate Jam from 5 to 6:30 p.m. A rotating leader presents tunes for people to play along with and learn, which makes it a good fit if you're still building your repertoire. It's free.
Tip: Since the leader teaches tunes as you go, this is a good first jam if a fast circle feels like too much.
Turgua Brewing Company: Tuesday
Fairview, 3131 Cane Creek Rd.
Turgua's taproom on Cane Creek Road holds Tuesday Jams starting at 5:30 p.m., with a different style each week of the month. The first Tuesday is an old-time jam led by Marc Rudow, the second is an Irish jam led by Tim Griffin, the third is an Americana song circle with Jim Hayes and the fourth is a Django jazz jam with a guitar workshop.
Tip: Old-time players should plan on the first Tuesday of the month.
Riverside Rhapsody Beer Company: Wednesday
Woodfin, 995 Riverside Dr.
Riverside Rhapsody calls Wednesday its bluegrass night. The open acoustic jam runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the brewery off Riverside Drive, just north of Asheville in Woodfin.
Tip: Riverside Rhapsody is closed Monday and Tuesday, so the Wednesday jam is the first night of its week.
Mills River Brewing Co.: First Wednesday
Mills River, 336 Banner Farm Rd.
Mills River Brewing hosts a bluegrass jam on the first Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. Mills River is south of Asheville, between the airport and Brevard, which makes this an easy stop for players in Henderson County.
Tip: Since it only happens once a month, confirm the date on the brewery's events page before you go.
Ginger's Revenge: Friday
River Arts District, 829 Riverside Dr., Suite 100
Sit a Spell is a weekly traditional music jam at the Ginger's Revenge tasting room, hosted by Warren Wilson College music faculty on Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m. The style rotates: a bluegrass session with Korey Brodsky on first Fridays, old-time and songs with Emolyn Liden on second Fridays, an old-time session with Clarke Williams on third Fridays and a Celtic session with Maura Scanlin on fourth Fridays. Ginger's Revenge donates $100 from each session to the Warren Wilson Music Scholarship Fund.
Tip: The series is on the calendar through December 11, 2026. Check the Ginger's Revenge calendar for dates after that.
Zillicoah Beer Company: Every Other Sunday
Woodfin, 870 Riverside Dr.
Zillicoah sits on the French Broad River, and every other Sunday it hosts Sunday Bluegrass & Jam On The River. A local host band, which rotates, plays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Then the jam opens to all pickers until 7:30.
Tip: Come at 4:30 to hear the band and get a feel for the tunes before the circle opens up.
Weekly schedule at a glance
- Monday: Mal's in Marshall (Strictly Bluegrass), 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday: Cork & Keg (first and third Tuesdays), 5 p.m. Turgua Brewing (old-time on first Tuesdays), 5:30 p.m. Pisgah Brewing, 6 p.m. Eda's Hide-a-Way, 6:30 p.m.
- Wednesday: Jack of the Wood old-time jam, 5 p.m. Riverside Rhapsody, 6 p.m. Trailside Brewing (old-time), 6 p.m. Mills River Brewing (first Wednesday), 6 p.m. French Broad River Brewery (show), 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday: Jack of the Wood bluegrass jam, 7 p.m., open jam at 9:30.
- Friday: Sit a Spell at Ginger's Revenge, 6 p.m.
- Sunday: Zillicoah (every other week), band at 4:30 p.m., jam at 5:30.
Frequently asked questions
Are bluegrass jams in Asheville free?
Most are. Pisgah, Eda's, Cork & Keg and French Broad River Brewery list theirs as free. Check the venue's calendar for the others, and buy a pint or a meal either way.
Can beginners join a jam?
Yes. Pisgah's and Eda's jams are billed as open to all levels, and the Cork & Keg jam is set up for learning tunes as you go. Start by listening and playing quiet rhythm.
What's the difference between a bluegrass jam and an old-time jam?
At a bluegrass jam, players usually take turns playing solos, or breaks, between verses. Old-time jams are built around fiddle tunes that everyone plays together, often without solos. Jack of the Wood, Cork & Keg and Turgua's first Tuesday are old-time jams.
Where can I hear bluegrass in Asheville without playing?
Every jam here welcomes listeners. For a band rather than a jam, try the Saylor Brothers at French Broad River Brewery on Wednesdays, the 7 p.m. Thursday set at Jack of the Wood, the host band's set at Zillicoah or the Sunday brunch band at Jack of the Wood.
