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Best attractions near asheville nc- Best attractions near asheville nc
For more boozy things to do in Asheville, the endless local craft beers will quench your thirst. What we personally love to do in Asheville is see a more comedic version of Shakespeare in the Park surrounded by fireflies. Eating is a serious thing to do in Asheville. Think cider donuts in Apple Alley.
We have a new food hall. Uncover just a few Asheville activities and attractions on our WNC bucket list, too. Find both huge Asheville tourist attractions as well as more local Asheville fun. This is our home, after all, and we want you to love it too! Be sure to check out our Asheville Events Calendar. This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. We update our guides frequently, but activities and events may be seasonal or change frequently.
We usually write our lists a little biased: The things we love to do in Asheville involve hiking and drinking. Besides drinking beer by the river, one of the absolute best things to do in Asheville is to hike. As locals, what are our favorite treks? Pink Beds is perfect for nature lovers. Be sure to check out our master guide of the best Asheville hiking trails. When looking for more of the best outdoor things to do in Asheville, NC, you cannot miss visiting the waterfalls.
Hop on this 45 mph, two-lane road and explore all of the waterfalls, hikes, and scenic overlooks. Drive through the mountains via tunnels, and know that this area turns into a mural of vibrant eye candy in the fall. In the spring and summer, the Parkway fills in with gorgeous wildflowers and rhododendrons. The BRP is a dream for bikers and motorcyclists. Find romantic fog, artists and birdwatchers pulled over at designated spots, and happy wildlife.
Keep in mind, though, that many parts of the BRP close in the winter for ice. In the late spring, one of our favorite things to do in Asheville involves walking along the French Broad River and completing a few brisk loops in the local parks. Find a bike lane and a gorgeous walking path.
Climb the highest peak east of the Mississippi River at Mount Mitchell with an elevation clocking in at feet. You can see all of your favorite mountains from afar. Tired of generic Asheville travel itineraries? Experience Asheville like a local with our free Asheville Favorites checklist, including restaurants, breweries, and hiking. Plus, get local updates — including events and hidden gems — straight to your inbox. Sign up here. If you love mountain biking , the Blue Ridge Mountains are your home away from home.
We are not expert mountain bikers, by any means, but we do love hitting the trails. Living in Asheville, we have transformed into professional picnickers. You can either pack a picnic for your hike or enjoy something lighter by a lake. For easy picnics, head to a winery like Stone Ashe Vineyards.
Grab our full list of the best Asheville picnic spots. With acres of streams, nature trails, bridges, and spots perfect for picnicking, this lesser-known gem is also a refuge for endangered wildflowers. Pack a blanket and bring a book! This holiday lights display is truly one of the best winter things to do in Asheville. From November to January 1st, the Arboretum lights up its gardens with innovative creations, wildlife exhibits, and lights that dance to music.
Of course, you can see Bonsais, butterflies, and their famous Quilt Garden. You must pay a small parking fee to enter the grounds. Does Winter Lights sound magical? Read more about all of the best spots to catch Christmas lights in Asheville. Are you looking for things to do in Asheville where you can meet the furry Western North Carolina locals in a safe environment instead of on the trails or our front steps…?
The center also houses snakes, turtles, hawks, goats, frogs, and donkeys. Find plenty of exploration stations and themed playground areas for the littles — spider-web jungle gym included. Wide and paved walking paths are extra stroller-friendly. After hours, stroll the grounds with a beer or cider in hand. Enjoy local eats too. Like The North Carolina Arboretum, there is a small entrance fee.
Or, become a member. One of our top weekly things to do in Asheville, we love walking the 2-mile Perimeter Trail around Beaver Lake and dip into the Bird Sanctuary. Beaver Lake is perfect for a stroll after a North Asheville lunch or dinner.
Bring a book and some binoculars. The Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary houses a. Birdwatchers can spy hawks, osprey, herons, vultures, kites, sparrows, woodpeckers, ducks, wrens, swallows, warblers, and bluebirds.
Although Beaver Lake is privately owned, the area is open to the public and free. Please consider leaving a donation in the parking lot box, though. One of our top recommended things to do in Asheville is enjoying the three or four waterfalls at DuPont. Triple Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are famous. We suggest parking in the Hooker Falls Access Area. If you still have energy, walk under the covered wooden bridge to Bridal Veil Falls, which adds 4 more miles to your hike. If you need lunch afterward, drive minutes to nearby Hendersonville — another one of our favorite towns.
Asheville sees the most visitors in the fall and around the holidays. The leaves! Growing up in CT, we thought New England was the boss of fall foliage. Who knew that the Western North Carolina mountains had an equally breathtaking fall season? Nothing beats an Asheville autumn. Enjoy fall foliage hikes, corn mazes, apple picking, and catching those purple and pink sunsets. Our top things to do in Asheville, NC in autumn include visiting the apple orchards for cider donuts and brewery hopping for spiced and pumpkin beers.
Pick a pumpkin. Trek the most beautiful fall foliage hikes , and wine taste at the vineyards with the best views. Asheville in the fall is also a great time to drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway. In need of cooler summer things to do in Asheville, NC? Drive under one hour to Skinny Dip Falls to kiss the magical Dragon Tree on your way to this serene waterfall.
Spread out along the falls and take a dip in one of its pools. You can also head over to Sliding Rock and literally slide down a foot natural boulder into the chilly waters. Sliding Rock has reopened, and Skinny Dip Falls looks a bit different — the bridge washed away and the falls have a new path. Imagine walking along the Riverwalk in the River Arts District and suddenly spying a gaggle of floating and cackling unicorns….
Where can you get your tubing on? French Broad Outfitters and Zen Tubing are just a few. While the best things to do in Asheville, NC — to us — are all outdoors, our next go-to are those breweries.
Asheville has no shortage of beer. Below, find the best Asheville things to do that involve all of the booze: wineries, distillers, cideries, wine bars, and rooftop bars. You cannot come to Asheville without trying as much of the local craft beer as possible. As locals, what are our favorite breweries in AVL? For something different, Bhramari and Funkatorium sours are sure to impress or weird you out. Directly in Asheville, check out pleb urban winery in the River Arts District.
Of course, Biltmore has a famous winery, and wine tasing is included with your ticket. If you head out of Asheville, our personal favorite wineries are in Hendersonville , including Sawyer Springs, St. If you know Christine from The Uncorked Librarian, you also know that we partner with Cultivated Cocktails for some of our literary-inspired drinks.
They sell the best cocktail schwag, too. Of course, if you are gluten-free or looking for apple-related drinks, Asheville and Hendersonville have the best cideries and meaderies. Many ciders are sold at the local breweries and wineries. Urban Orchard and Noble are the most well-known cideries in Asheville. Botanist and Barrel and Bold Rock just opened downtown Asheville taprooms. Rooftop bar hopping always makes the top of the list for the best things to do in Asheville, NC.
The poshest Asheville rooftop bars promise sunsets, small plates with your Southern favorites, and jaw-dropping views. Their delicious craft cocktails are perfect before a fancy dinner out in downtown Asheville. You may wish to take an Asheville Rooftop Bar Tour to see them all with a designated driver.
However, if you are looking for relaxing things to do in Asheville with a bottle or glass of wine, head to:. Wedge Brewing is right next door. Battery Park Book Exchange — This champagne bar used bookstore is iconic. Read more about the best and most hipster Asheville wine bars.
We just love the Asheville bar scene , and bar hopping is one of the most fun things to do in Asheville. Have we made you hungry yet? You must need something to eat by now to soak up all of that booze. And man, all of those waterfalls and hikes sure do make a gal ravenous.
One of the best things to do in Asheville is eat. The entire estate will probably take the average guest an entire afternoon to get a good look at all there is to offer. Nature lovers can enjoy the most gorgeous species of plants that North Carolina has to offer, whether they are active outdoors or not. This Arboretum has more 65 acres of gardens, plus an additional 10 miles of trails outside, leading to more great views.
The arboretum is famous for its great bonsai trees and exotic flowers. Take your time going through these gardens and join one of the many tour guides. There are thirty stops in total on a 1. This unique granite formation shoots up over two thousand feet high. Chimney Rock really lives up to its name. You can experience all of its glory from atop the mountain via an elevator. Visit Hickory Nut Falls Trail if you want to check out the magnificent foot waterfall.
If you want to check out a different perspective, take a boat out to Lake Lure for a serene destination. Head back downtown if you want some more exciting sights and sounds to fill the senses. From March to December, the Folk Arts includes regular workshops and shows, and has unique occasions that highlight common crafting materials, for example, glass, fiber, and mud utilized as a part of Southern Appalachia culture.
Involving 22 old commercial and vintage structures — including a previous major tannery and a cotton processing plant — close to the French Broad River, the district keeps the craftsmanship scene alive in Asheville.
Why not check out some of the places to visit in Greensboro, NC? The reason Pink Dog Creative is one of the best artistic Asheville attractions is that artists here open their studios for two days every week. It is an interactive location that is one of the most fun things to do in Asheville, North Carolina.
It showcases artifacts and information regarding the life and times of Bob Moog, or Robert Arthur Moog, who had a huge impact on the electronic music scene with his synthesizers.
He would also invent concepts for the synth, like envelope generation, voltage control, pitch wheel, and modularity — all key fundamentals now! Moog began working on his synthesizer back in and it quickly skyrocketed to popularity — especially in , when it was used in a Grammy-winning album. Moog passed away in and, a year later, his family established the Bob Moog Foundation to retain and pass on his legacy.
Exhibits are interactive and involve multiple senses, with visualization showcases, playable exhibits, and educational info about how electricity can make sound. For unique activities and unorthodox stuff to do, check out the Asheville Mystery Museum. It is made from a collection of curiosities set up by Joshua P.
Warren, a paranormal investigator whose name you may recognize from his fictional counterpart in The Conjuring series of horror movies. This museum in North Carolina shows off photographs of alleged paranormal activity, exhibited items and memorabilia that tell the tales of said paranormal activity, and plenty of interesting creepy artifacts. It is said that a woman named Helen once lived either at the mansion or close to it with her daughter, who she loved dearly.
Thomas Wolfe actually included the bridge in his famous novel, Look Homeward, Angel, because he walked under it so often in his youth. It was created thanks to John Andrew Rice, who had been dismissed from his Florida teaching spot in an allegedly unjust manner.
At this time, the Nazi Party antagonism led to intellectuals fleeing Europe as the Great Depression swung harder than ever. Rice and some European artists found themselves with a similar goal, and they holed up in this little wooded area of Asheville. Since then, it has relocated and grown to encompass 6, square feet, with two floors, a library, and a bookstore. Exhibitions showcase all sorts of historical, meaningful works and rotating events are often fun and unique.
The museum is housed in an old hotel that is actually on the National Register of Historic Places. It is home to over 20 classic arcade video games, 30 vintage pinball tables, and it charges only one fee for you to enter and play many of them! Each and every single machine has a plaque that contains product information and stories about its impact on the world of gaming. The goal is to provide Carolina-style barbecue authentically in Asheville in a modern and more fun manner.
It focuses on smoked wood-cooked whole-hog barbecue, including chicken, pork, ribs, and even catfish. All sorts of side dishes from the south accompany the mouth-watering meat that gives you the lovely taste of Asheville and its surroundings.
Biltmore Industries has a storied past, as evidenced by the fact that so many things connected to it are among the best things to do in Asheville. The company produced some of the finest wool not just in North Carolina, but in the world, and it was extremely renowned internationally. The company first began with the goal of teaching children weaving and woodworking before growing from an education center to a production business.
The Biltmore Industries Homespun Museum celebrates this legacy in an educational way full of activities. It showcases wool, original machines and equipment, suits, fabrics, and more that belonged to this prestigious company.
The community had been fighting against development in order to preserve their neighborhood for years, and this garden was meant to be a peaceful response to the troubles they and other neighborhoods near to them faced. Now, though, it has two flower gardens, two vegetable gardens, a fire pit, and pizza oven, a stage, a pavilion, a greenhouse, and lots of sculptures and art have turned it into quite a stunning location.
It also functions as a museum, with found objects, art, and works featuring black historical figures educating guests. Volunteers grow as much as they can in order to dole out seed starts and fresh produce to their neighborhood. The premiere, go-to smokehouse of Asheville, North Carolina, 12 Bones Smokehouse is famous across the city.
Opened first by Sabra Kelley and Tom Montgomery, 12 Bones Smokehouse specializes in slow-smoked meats, all cooked on cherry and oak wood. All its dishes are homemade and the ingredients used throughout the menu are fresh but simple, which adds a homey, fun, and relaxing environment to the Asheville staple. Though it only began operations in , Chai Pani has already been featured in multiple publications in different countries.
The menu primarily offers scrumptious takes on Indian chaat street food, including meals like vegan corn bhel, chicken and kale pakoras, kheema pav, and okra fries. The Silver River Center For Chair Caning is the only place in all of North America that is a museum and learning center for the dying art of chair caning. Chair caning is the process of applying cane — or a rattan peel — to different parts of chairs, usually the seats and backs.
Of course, the current mass production of furniture and products means chair caning is being left in the past. The working museum portion of the center is open to people — and pets — of all ages, allowing you and the whole family to easily observe the techniques used in restoring, caning, and creating these chairs.
Workshops and classroom areas are usually open and those teaching are happy to answer guest questions — and you can join a class yourself! Eight different weaving styles are showcased on that wall, which clues you into intricacies of the art that you may never have thought about. The cathedral art installation attracts people within the industry from all over the world right to this spot in humble Asheville, North Carolina. Head to the downtown portion of Asheville to check out Curate Bar de Tapas.
Now, it provides traditional Spanish fare — something not exceedingly common in North Carolina — and a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere. Asheville, North Carolina is such an exciting and colorful place with no shortage of must-see locations and activities. Hopefully, this guide to the best of what Asheville has to offer has given you some great ideas for what to do in the city and add to your bucket list!
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