Not downtown, but in the River Arts District, the Wedge is a great outdoor spot, also two totally one-of-a-kind spots that aren't well-known, The Crow and Quill and The Sly Grog, the former being a dimly lit Poe-esque fancy cocktail bar with an extravagant bourbon menu, and the latter being a dreamlike somehow-cozy dive bar with more unique kitsch and games than one could imagine. Highly recommended, and I know you'd get some great photographs at any of those places too :)
RE: Bar Hoping in Asheville