– 16 Top-Rated Attractions & Things to Do in Asheville | PlanetWare
Looking for:
Best places to visit near asheville nc – best places to visit near asheville nc:
Click here to ENTER
1. Explore the Blue Ridge Parkway · 2. Tour Biltmore Estate · 3. Wander through Downtown Asheville · 4. Visit the Western North Carolina (WNC) Nature Center · 5. Keeping your adventure to or within the vicinity of Asheville gets you to the Craggy Gardens, Mount Mitchell, and the Folk Art Center – and two.
The Top Places For Outdoor Adventure Near Asheville, N.C.
Hickory Nut Falls is an easier waterfall hike, and Chimney Rock — as a whole — is a family-friendly hiking spot. There are admission fees to enter Chimney Rock State Park, and winter is the best time to visit to avoid the crowds. On your way out, explore Chimney Rock Village.
Walk the short but picturesque Rocky Broad Riverwalk. Grab lunch — with gluten-free buns — at Old Rock Cafe. For ice cream treats, dip into the Village Scoop. For boozy travelers, Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery offers local brews along the river and Burntshirt has a wine taproom.
Asheville to Chimney Rock is about 45 to 50 minutes, and if you are hoping to explore multiple towns around Asheville, visit Chimney Rock and Lake Lure together. 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. Lincolnton is one of those cities near Asheville that we just happened to wander into and now love.
And, not too many tourists head into Lincolnton. The perfect stop if you want to grab food on your way to or from Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Lincolnton is east of Asheville and slightly north of Charlotte. Asheville to Lincolnton is about a 1 hour and minute drive — also making it one of the furthest cities on this list.
Stop in Lincolnton for the cafes, bookstores, woodfire pizza, and a walkable downtown filled with old school murals. Get lost in North State Books. Asheville to Waynesville is about a minute drive, and if you are starting at Lake Junaluska, Asheville to Lake Junaluska is an easy minutes. Like many of the other mostly Western North Carolina towns on this list, Waynesville promises a unique downtown filled with beer, food, and shops. Along with Lake Junaluska, visit Maggie Valley while here — another one of the most charming small towns near Asheville.
Tyron is known for its equestrian culture, wineries, Christmas festival, Pearson Falls, and shops. Tryon International Equestrian Center hosts numerous horse events and competitions.
Mountain Brook and Russian Chapel Hills are close by too. Parker-Binns even has a delicious Burger Barn and Airbnb property for rent. Catch a movie at the indie theater, Tryon Theatre, and shop downtown for used books and local art. Saluda — another one of the small cities near Asheville worth a trip — is only 15 minutes away. Asheville to Tryon is just under a one-hour drive. Maggie Valley is most well-known for being close to the Smokies, its craft shops, winter skiing, and Soco Falls.
Driving through the town, spot funky vintage motels. Drop into Wheels Through Time, a car and motorcycle museum. Or, enjoy the short hike to Soco Falls.
Many people head out this way in the winter for the Cataloochee Ski Area — home to skiing, snowboarding, and tubing. They left an enduring mark on this town and many of their legacies are still present as you walk through town.
Get a closer look into Asheville’s rich heritage , and tap into the bohemian spirit, which still influences Asheville today. See amazing performances by Asheville’s numerous theater troupes including the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts , which hosts some of the best in local and national productions, NC Stage , the Asheville Community Theatre , Magnetic Theatre , and in the warmer months, take in a free outdoor Shakespeare production performed by the Montford Park Players.
Lawrence , which boasts the largest free-standing dome in North America. Visit the childhood home of literary legend Thomas Wolfe , which he immortalized in his autobiographical novel, Look Homeward Angel. Along the riverbank of the French Broad, spend an afternoon strolling through former industrial warehouses now filled with hundreds of working artist studios. Watch a live exhibit, peruse numerous galleries to find that perfectly handcrafted piece of art for your collection, or get hands on with one of the many immersive programs available.
You’ll also find this neighborhood is home to some of Asheville’s most popular restaurants and a brewery, perfect for a pit stop in between galleries.
Asheville is home to some classic, and in some cases, quirky museums. Check out the fine art exhibits at the Asheville Art Museum , find vintage games at the Pinball Museum yes, you can play! Intimate music halls, unassuming neighborhood bars, and even the streets of downtown play host to some of the best in local and national touring musicians. Immerse yourself in one of Asheville’s many music festivals taking place throughout the year. Get up close and personal with your favorite artist at one of Asheville’s many iconic music venues.
Tour the Moog Music Factory and visit the new Moogseum! Bob Moog was a pioneer of electronic music and a resident of Asheville. He gave the world its first synthesizer, an innovation that is still hand-crafted in downtown Asheville to this day. Watch these incredible instruments being made and take one home for yourself. Each season they perform a blend of timeless compositions along with more contemporary arrangements.
Built for the ages, this iconic Inn has adorned Sunset Mountain for over a century, and offers an amazing view of the western mountains. Built with giant boulders collected from the surrounding mountainside, this glorious lodge has welcomed ten U. Presidents, it boasts the largest collections of arts and crafts furniture, and it’s listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Watch the sunset while dining al fresco, take in a round of golf on the Donald Ross-designed course, or unwind in their subterranean spa experience. Asheville is a special place for craft-brew enthusiasts. The secret ingredient is the mountain-filtered water, making for some of the most sought-after ales, stouts, and sour beers in the southeast. Explore the beer scene by foot or on wheels.
Many breweries are within walking distance from each other around downtown, but the Brews Cruise will deliver you to the more remote breweries. Plus they can get you a behind-the-scenes peek at the operations.
By DZXgarym. The oldest garden at the Arboretum, it showcases regional landscaping plants and exemplifies ways in which stone may be…. By tefpa. Speciality Museums. By bargainquest. This tribute to pinball machines and classic arcade games provides not only a look at their history and evolution, but…. By OtherMountainDude. This series of visitor facilities is your chance to get an unsurpassed view of the Appalachians from several…. By stevev Open for visitors, this working church has archtectural ties to work at the Biltmore.
By leeanne The gallery is part of a larger movement to introduce and invite the public to experience the art of glass blowing in…. By rockyhillgal. Celebrating the historic and contemporary crafts of the Southern Highlands, the Folk Art Center layers its offerings in…. By springseason. By raven Housed in the historic English Arts and Crafts building originally constructed by hotel developer Edwin Grove to….
By uptowngirl By jdavidhillery. The estate and winery set on 8, acres and was built in for George Washington Vanderbilt. Mountain Mural Tour. Asheville Literary Tour. Private Walking Tour of Asheville. Travel Scooter Rentals. Asheville Dash Scavenger Hunt. Asheville Scavenger Hunt Adventure. Asheville Coffee Tours. Asheville Brewery Crawl on the Party Bus. An afternoon with the artist, private art gallery tour. Water Sports. Beautiful Self Guided Kayaking by the Biltmore.
Asheville Tubing Adventure. Kayak Tour of Lake James. Kayak Tour at Lake Lure. Kayak fishing guides and scenic paddle tours. Day Trips. Group Guided Meditation Hike. Guided Group Half Day Hike. Asheville Music History Walking Tour. What travelers are saying. Venture 2 contributions. It was in this historic house that the famous 20th-century author spent much of his childhood, even using it as a setting in his novel Look Homeward, Angel.
Largely autobiographical, the book looks at his life growing up in the boarding house run by his mother. Now a Historic National Monument, his boyhood home acts as a museum and memorial to the writer, with many original artifacts on display. After taking in all the history, there are some enticing arts and crafts studios to visit where you can see jewellery, pottery and sculptures being made — as well as buy some souvenirs.
Once dilapidated and decaying, its waterfront warehouses now house more than artists in an astounding array of studios, galleries, and workshops. A very creative and eclectic place, it has an incredible range of artworks on display, with pottery and photography found next to glassworks, illustrations, and furniture.
In addition to perusing its colourful and chaotic studios, visitors can take classes from the artists in their workshops. Nestled away to the northeast of the city are the charming Craggy Gardens, which lie among the Great Craggy Mountains. Named after the jagged rocky outcrops dotting its scenic confines, it is particularly known for its fabulous floral displays, with June being the most magical time to visit.
Made of up three equally stunning sections, the gorgeous gardens are very mountainous, lying over 1, meters above sea level. Meandering about its marvelous meadows, flower-filled slopes and exposed rock surfaces are tantalizing trails for you to wander along, with fantastic panoramas over the Appalachians on offer. While many visit in June for the plethora of pink and purple rhododendrons, the Craggy Gardens are always coated in color, with plants and flowers bursting into bloom at all times of the year.
One of the first national forests established in the eastern United States in , Pisgah covers a vast part of North Carolina, with large swathes found around Asheville.