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This mountain destination is home to America’s Biggest House, an endless amount of outdoor recreational activities, as well as art galleries and breweries galore. The largest city in Western North Carolina, Asheville sits on the junction of the Swannanoa and French Broad rivers, with access to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Named the number-one Weekend Getaway in the South by US News, this location has a lot in store for everyone.
Once inhabited by the Cherokee Nation, a native tribe dating back 11,000 years that covered approximately 140,000 square miles, the city that we know today officially took root in 1785 when American Revolution Colonel Samuel Davidson received his land grant in the Swannanoa Valley. The current name actually ended up replacing the original, Morristown, in 1797, and it was during this time that Asheville became an outpost with frontiersmen such as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett passing through. It wasn’t until the arrival of the railroad in 1880, that Asheville became known as a resort area.
Most people are drawn to Asheville for the first time, because of the majestic Biltmore Estate. The allure to walk through this Gilded Age mansion and spend the day–or even a few–exploring the surrounding grounds and villages is enough to welcome visitors from around the world. The largest privately-owned home in the US built for George Vanderbilt II, the estate is still owned by Vanderbilt’s descendants to this day.
In addition to self-guided or guided tours through the main house, there are many more activities that are available with your admission ticket or are offered in popular packages. Throughout the year, the Biltmore offers special additional exhibits at the event center, with coordinating displays often featured within the rooms of the house itself. Those over 21 years are welcome to go wine tasting at the Biltmore’s winery in the Antler Hill Village. This village offers more exhibits–often complimentary–as well as boutiques, food, and sweet treats to enjoy! From live music, to bike and trail rides through the estate’s grounds, and many more indoor and outdoor activities, your group will have a blast during your visit to the Biltmore.
But Asheville is far more than just the Biltmore. The downtown alone holds plenty in store for visitors. Those with an appreciation for architecture will especially love the self-guided tour, Urban Trail, where the area’s history, well-known visitors and residents, and 30 sculptural stations unfold along the way. Thanks to the Depression, Asheville pretty much put the brakes on any new projects, allowing the art deco style of its glory days to still stand to this day.
If you want to cover more land, hop on LaZoom, a tour group that is known for its big purple bus that takes visitors on various types of history, culinary, and ghost tours. Trolley tours are also available, and allow you to hop off wherever and whenever you’d like!
Food tours are also a great way to explore Asheville. From cheese, wine, or chocolate tastings, to vegetarian dishes, or even to find all of the best rooftop bars in town, there is sure to be a tour that’ll let you explore and enjoy all that Asheville’s culinary scene has to offer.
Asheville is known as Beer City, USA. With seemingly endless breweries to visit, beer lovers will be ecstatic with the number of local ales to try and learn more about. From craft breweries to larger-scale operations that offer tours or just beautiful landscapes to take in while taste testing, there are plenty of options to choose from, and even take your dog to!
When it comes to the arts, Asheville has it all. Visit one of the fine art museums, galleries, or studios, attend a production from one of the chamber orchestras, community theaters, choral or opera societies, or take in the moment with one of the local buskers or a show at one of the many live music venues in the city.
Hiking, biking, and honestly even driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains are a few of the favorite pastimes of both visitors and locals in the Asheville area. The Pisgah and Nantahala forests offer many trails that vary in length and difficulty, allowing even beginners to take in the beautiful mountainsides. Nearby state parks such as DuPont and Chimney Rock are well worth the drive, each just under an hour.
Waterfall hunting is another great outdoor activity that gets families out and about for a few hours. With hundreds of waterfalls that are either easy to spot or tucked away along hiking trails, you’ll be able to capture great pictures or cool off–just don’t enter the waters from the top of the waterfalls for safety reasons!
Asheville is one of those locations where you can visit at any time throughout the year. There’s always something going on, seasonal activities to enjoy, and entertainment to discover. For the best weather–and we mean the most comfortable temperatures–we’d recommend you visit in the spring or fall. Moderate temperatures will allow you to get outside and explore more of the surrounding area. Fall is also considered one of the best times to visit, especially for those taking “America’s Favorite Drive” through the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Don’t be discouraged to visit in the winter. On average, Asheville receives approximately 12 inches of snowfall a year, considerably less than the national average. There are plenty of seasonal events and light displays at historic locations throughout the city, like the Christmas Tree Lighting at the Biltmore Estate, and the National Gingerbread House Competition at the Omni Grove Park Hotel.
Quest Travel Club has deals on accommodations, and depending on the time of year, you can save hundreds of dollars when booking your stay. The beauty of Asheville is that the hotels are all pretty centered, meaning that even if you’re looking for less expensive accommodations farther from downtown, you’ll still be a short car ride away.
You’ll also want to decide if you’d rather be closer to downtown, located inside or on the outskirts of the Biltmore Estate, or, to make your travel plans go smoothly, close to the Asheville Regional Airport. Many visitors drive to Asheville, but it is important to note that the Asheville airport is actually quite reasonable in price, and is sometimes even cheaper than flying in and out of Charlotte or Atlanta.
