Things to do · Asheville · United States
14 best things to do in Asheville
14 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: Folk Art Center, Asheville · Photo: Doug Coldwell, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Asheville are Biltmore Estate, Blue Ridge Parkway and Folk Art Center. Of the 14 picks below, 8 are free, 5 work on a rainy day and 4 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Biltmore Estate
- Free sights
- 8
- Good on a rainy day
- Folk Art Center
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
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At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biltmore Estate | Biltmore Village | Full day | Expensive |
| Blue Ridge Parkway | Around Asheville | Half a day | Free |
| Folk Art Center | Blue Ridge Parkway | 1 hour | Free |
| River Arts District | River Arts District | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Grove Arcade | Downtown Asheville | 45 minutes | Free |
| Downtown Art Deco walk | Downtown Asheville | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Basilica of St. Lawrence | Downtown Asheville | 30 minutes | Free |
| Asheville Art Museum | Downtown Asheville | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Thomas Wolfe Memorial | Downtown Asheville | 1 hour | Low cost |
| North Carolina Arboretum | Bent Creek | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Omni Grove Park Inn | North Asheville and Grove Park | 1 hour | Free |
| South Slope breweries | South Slope | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Pritchard Park drum circle | Downtown Asheville | 1 hour | Free |
| Asheville Museum of Science | Downtown Asheville | 1 hour | Low cost |
The 14 best things to do
Palace · Biltmore Village
1.Biltmore Estate
Completed in 1895 for George Vanderbilt and designed by Richard Morris Hunt, Biltmore House is a 250-room French Renaissance-style château and the largest privately owned home in the United States. The visit covers the banquet hall, library and servants' quarters, followed by Frederick Law Olmsted's gardens, conservatory, the winery and Antler Hill Village.
Book the earliest house entry, then spend the afternoon in the gardens and at the winery; the estate is large, so allow a full day.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- House entry is by timed ticket; buy online in advance, especially in October and during the Christmas season.
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Couples
- Kids
Nature · Around Asheville
2.Blue Ridge Parkway
The 755-km scenic road from Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains curves around Asheville, with stone tunnels, overlooks across layered blue ridges and trailheads near the city. The Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center at milepost 384 explains the route, and sections south of the city climb towards Mount Pisgah.
Sections of the parkway close for winter weather and storm repairs, and some were damaged by Hurricane Helene; check the National Park Service road status before you set off.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Iconic
- Photo spot
Gallery · Blue Ridge Parkway
3.Folk Art Center
At milepost 382 of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Southern Highland Craft Guild's centre has galleries of Appalachian crafts, from quilts and baskets to pottery and woodwork. Its Allanstand Craft Shop, founded in 1895, sells work by guild members, and craft demonstrations are held regularly.
Ask about the day's craft demonstrations, and combine your visit with a short drive along the parkway.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Neighbourhood · River Arts District
4.River Arts District
Former mills and warehouses along the French Broad River became home to working studios for potters, painters, glassblowers and jewellers. The district was badly flooded during Hurricane Helene in 2024, and recovery is ongoing; many artists have reopened studios here or nearby.
Check which studios are open before you go, and buy directly from artists to support the district's recovery.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Shopping
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Architecture · Downtown Asheville
5.Grove Arcade
Opened in 1929 as one of the first indoor shopping centres in the country, the Grove Arcade fills a downtown block with a Tudor-Gothic facade, carved griffins and a skylit interior arcade. It now houses shops, restaurants and apartments.
Look at the winged lions guarding the north entrance, then walk to Battery Park Book Exchange for a drink among the books.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Architecture · Downtown Asheville
6.Downtown Art Deco walk
A 1920s building boom left Asheville with one of the best collections of Art Deco architecture in the South, much of it designed by Douglas Ellington. Highlights are the pink-and-green tiled roof of City Hall, the S&W Cafeteria building on Patton Avenue and the Jackson Building, the region's first skyscraper.
Start at City Hall and the Buncombe County Courthouse on Pack Square, and follow the downtown Urban Trail markers set into the pavement.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
Religious site · Downtown Asheville
7.Basilica of St. Lawrence
Built in 1909, this Spanish Renaissance basilica was designed by Rafael Guastavino, the Spanish architect famous for his tile vaulting. Its self-supporting elliptical dome is one of the largest of its kind in North America, and Guastavino himself is buried in the crypt.
Visit outside service times and look straight up at the dome's interlocking tiles.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
Museum · Downtown Asheville
8.Asheville Art Museum
On Pack Square, the expanded Asheville Art Museum shows American art of the 20th and 21st centuries, with strong holdings of Black Mountain College artists, regional craft and studio glass. The rooftop terrace has views over downtown to the mountains.
Go up to the rooftop sculpture terrace for the view, and look for works by Black Mountain College artists in the permanent galleries.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Views
Historic site · Downtown Asheville
1.Thomas Wolfe Memorial
Novelist Thomas Wolfe grew up in this rambling boarding house, run by his mother and immortalised as 'Dixieland' in his 1929 novel Look Homeward, Angel. The state historic site has the restored house, much of the family's furniture and a visitor centre about his life.
Join a guided house tour, then visit Wolfe's grave in Riverside Cemetery in Montford.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Garden · Bent Creek
2.North Carolina Arboretum
On the edge of Pisgah National Forest near the Blue Ridge Parkway, the arboretum has cultivated gardens, a bonsai exhibition garden, a quilt garden planted in patterns and trails through the forest. Exhibitions are held in its education centre.
The bonsai garden is the highlight; check trail status before you go, as some trails were damaged in 2024 and repairs continue.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Architecture · North Asheville and Grove Park
3.Omni Grove Park Inn
Built in 1913 from massive granite boulders, this historic resort has hosted presidents and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and its Arts and Crafts lobby has huge stone fireplaces. The Sunset Terrace looks over the city to the Blue Ridge, and every winter it displays the entries of the National Gingerbread House Competition.
Non-guests can visit the lobby and terrace; go for a drink at sunset, and in November and December see the gingerbread houses.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- History
- Couples
- Architecture
Experience · South Slope
4.South Slope breweries
Asheville has a large number of breweries for a city its size, and the South Slope has the densest cluster, within a few blocks of each other in converted warehouses and garages. Taprooms range from sour-beer specialists to German-style lagers, many with patios and food trucks.
Walk between taprooms rather than driving, and ask about tasting flights to try several beers at each stop.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- After dark
Experience · Downtown Asheville
5.Pritchard Park drum circle
For more than two decades, drummers, dancers and onlookers have gathered in this small downtown park on Friday evenings in the warmer months. Anyone can join with a drum or just watch, and it is one of the easiest ways to see Asheville's free-spirited side.
Arrive around early evening on a Friday from spring to autumn, and bring a hand drum or shaker if you want to join.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Kids
Museum · Downtown Asheville
6.Asheville Museum of Science
This small, hands-on downtown museum focuses on the science of the Southern Appalachians, with a gem and mineral collection that reflects the region's mining history, dinosaur exhibits and interactive displays on weather and geology.
It is compact, so pair it with lunch downtown; it works best for children aged about 4 to 12.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Folk Art Center, River Arts District, Asheville Art Museum and Asheville Museum of Science |
| History | Biltmore Estate, Downtown Art Deco walk, Basilica of St. Lawrence and Thomas Wolfe Memorial |
| Views | Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville Art Museum and Omni Grove Park Inn |
| Outdoors and nature | Blue Ridge Parkway and North Carolina Arboretum |
| Food and markets | South Slope breweries |
| After dark | South Slope breweries and Pritchard Park drum circle |
| With children | Biltmore Estate, North Carolina Arboretum, Pritchard Park drum circle and Asheville Museum of Science |
| On a rainy day | Folk Art Center, Grove Arcade, Asheville Art Museum and Thomas Wolfe Memorial |
What to book ahead
- Biltmore Estate: House entry is by timed ticket; buy online in advance, especially in October and during the Christmas season.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Asheville?
Biltmore Estate. Completed in 1895 for George Vanderbilt and designed by Richard Morris Hunt, Biltmore House is a 250-room French Renaissance-style château and the largest privately owned home in the United States.
+What can you do for free in Asheville?
Blue Ridge Parkway, Folk Art Center, River Arts District, Grove Arcade and Downtown Art Deco walk. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Asheville when it rains?
Head indoors to Folk Art Center, Grove Arcade, Asheville Art Museum and Thomas Wolfe Memorial.
+What is there to do in Asheville at night?
South Slope breweries and Pritchard Park drum circle are best after dark.