Mariah & Daniel
Things To Do
The Biltmore Estate
America's Larget Home ~ We visited the Biltmore and fell in love! We recommend buying a ticket to enter the estate, and then buying a ticket to tour inside the Biltmore. We also recommend visiting the gardens, the winery, and the stores! The views are unbelievable as it overlooks the breathtaking Blue Ridge Mountains! You could spend more than an entire day just inside the Biltmore itself!
Downtown Asheville
I don't even know where to start! Just stroll. We recommend hopping on LaZoom, the bright purple buses to learn some unique facts about the city's founding. There is also a self-guided walking tour along the Urban Trail that tells you about the history of Asheville which is super neat! There are a ton of small and locally owned boutiques, vintage shops, and craft breweries. OH- on Friday nights there is a drum circle in Pritchard Park downtown; It is so upbeat, impressive, and just good fun! To relax, take a stroll along the French Broad River!
New Belgium Brewing Company
Asheville is known as a brewing district because there are close to a dozen breweries! The New Belgium Brewing Company is amazing! Every Friday is Fat Tire Friday where they have a delicious cast of rotating food trucks and also offer an award-winning brewery tour! (You may have to book tickets for the tour). Additional breweries include Funkatorium (boasts an old-world Belgian-style tasting room), Green Man Brewery (traditional English style), The Chemist (craft distillery- a throwback to the Prohibition era). While you're here, you definitely need to take a brewery tour! There are also wineries with a view like Stone Ashe Vineyards!
Sliding Rock
OKAY. If you don't do anything else while you are in Asheville- you HAVE to visit sliding rock in the Pisgah National Forest! It is a 60-foot flat, sloping boulder that slides into an eight-foot deep pool. Plus, even if you don't go down the slide, Pisgah National Forest is absolutely beautiful. Here you can easily access beautiful waterfalls like Moore Cove Falls and Looking Glass Falls.
The North Carolina Arboretum
In the Southern Appalachian Mountains just south of Asheville, The North Carolina Arboretum has acres of cultivated gardens and groomed trails with the most beautiful, botanically-diverse plants in the region
Blue Ridge Parkway
If you rent a car, this drive is a MUST! It is known as "America's Favorite Ride". It's 469 miles connecting Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The parkway is itself offers plenty of stopping points for hiking, picnicking, or photographing the spectacular vistas. You can also stop at the visitor center at mile marker 382, just south of Asheville, to pick up maps and view the exhibits. You can also stop at the Folk Art Center, which is home to the Southern Highland Craft Guild. You'll find artwork in three different galleries, as well as craft demonstrations.
Museums in Asheville
There is a museum for everyone! The Asheville Art Museum has artists from NC and southern Appalachia, including Cherokee Nation artists. The Asheville Museum of Science allows visitors to explore and become geologists, topographers, and paleontologists. More unique options include the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the Asheville Pinball Museum (yes, you can play pinball there), the Asheville Radio Museum, the Antique Car Museum at Grovewood Village, the Aluminum Christmas Tree Museum, and Wheels Through Time, a collection of rare vintage American motorcycles.
Lake Lure
If you're a fan of Dirty Dancing, this is where many scenes were filmed, including the iconic "lake lift" moment. It's a body of water surrounded by mountains that can pass for the Catskills. If you are into hiking, I definitely recommend hiking to the top of Chimney Rock, a chimney-like granite outcropping that overlooks the lake from above.
Craggy Gardens
Just a short hike (0.7 mile) and it takes you to the peak with 360 degree views of the beautiful mountains! A GREAT place to watch the sunset! Not a hiker? Pull up to a picnic area like those at Pink Beds, Craggy Gardens, or Mount Pisgah!
Additional Things To Do!
Visit Omni Grove Hotel- a well-known, beautiful, and historic hotel where many famous individuals including presidents have stayed. See where Katniss found Peeta in The Hunger Games Kiss a dragon tree on its snout Champagne Bookstore Funky wineries Sweet cideries Rooftop bars
Visit a National Park
Go to Grandfather Mountain and cross the Mile High Swinging Bridge Great Smoky National Park (you can spot Elk here!) Chimney Rock State Park Mount Mitchell (here you can climb the highest peak east of the Mississippi River with an elevation of 6684ft) Pisgah National Forest