Mountain backdrops, flowing craft beer, and art and literary bona fides have enthralled generations of Asheville visitors. Add an outsize restaurant scene to that potent brew, and it’s easy to understand the city’s sky-high appeal.
WHY WE LOVE IT
Visitors have long loved this Blue Ridge Mountain town for its unabashed quirkiness (think drum circles and street performers), abundant outdoor offerings (hiking, rafting, and waterfalls galore), serious food and beer culture, and the perpetually popular Biltmore estate and gardens. After Hurricane Helene decimated the area in fall of 2024, visiting Asheville means even more: Your tourism, purchases, and patronage will help revive all the weird and wonderful things that make Asheville so special.
NEIGHBORHOODS TO KNOW
Asheville, like any interesting city, is broken up into distinct areas, each with its own personality.
Downtown
Galleries, boutiques, and watering holes dot Asheville’s walkable downtown. Though the vibe is casual and friendly, this area is peppered with James Beard Award nominees and winners. One such decorated chef is Katie Button, whose Spanish tapas spot, Cúrate, justly tops many visitors’ to-eat lists. Enjoy modern Californian and Mexican food like lobster nachos and churros at Limone’s after catching an indie movie around the corner at the locally owned Fine Arts Theatre.
Jacob Sessoms is the force behind the pioneering New Appalachian restaurant Table, while the celebrated chef Meherwan Irani and Highland Brewing Company’s Leah Wong Ashburn helped curate S&W Market, a lively food hall in an art deco gem with delicious stops like the biscuit shop Flour. Longtime local restaurateurs Hector and Aimee Diaz have remade the historic Grove Arcade into a must-see mash-up of restaurants (try the Italian eatery Modesto), spa offerings (including Asheville’s favorite place to bliss out, Wake Foot Sanctuary), and shops (don’t miss the Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar, where patrons can sip a glass of bubbly while they browse). Yet there’s much to eat, see, and do in buzzy neighborhoods beyond the city center.
South Slope
Asheville boasts one of the highest numbers of microbreweries per capita in the country, and South Slope is where aficionados belly up. Pay a visit to Burial Beer Co., which also operates the enchanting Forestry Camp in a pair of Civilian Conservation Corps buildings on the outskirts of town. Or skip the suds in favor of Asheville-made sake at Ben’s Tune-Up, a live music venue, or craft cocktails at Antidote, the three-story bar at Chemist Distillery. Hungry? Don’t miss the heavenly fried delights and soul food sides at Ashleigh Shanti’s celebrated Good Hot Fish, or visit Irani’s acclaimed restaurant, Chai Pani, which moved to its larger South Slope home in 2024 to accommodate the growing demand for the street food that launched a restaurant group. The mural-rich district also hosts a set of art galleries at the Refinery AVL, the perfect place for a stroll after imbibing.
West Asheville
Just a short drive from downtown, West Asheville is in the middle of a renaissance. Residential streets radiate out from pedestrian-friendly Haywood Road, where you’ll want to stop for shops like Reciprocity and Harvest Records and for casual eats at WALK or Nine Mile. Perennial favorite the Admiral offers fine dining in a dive-bar atmosphere. A perfect West Asheville day might well start with the handcrafted treats at Hole Doughnuts and end with a glass of wine at local haunt Leo’s House of Thirst.
River Arts District
Open studios have long been a staple of this former industrial area, but the web of streets and warehouse lots was rendered walkable in 2020 with the debut of a longer and upgraded greenway along the French Broad River. After browsing artist’s wares, slide into a seat for a slice at All Souls before a nightcap across the street at Anoche, a favorite tequila bar. And if you’re in the mood to shop for art you can eat, stop by French Broad Chocolate Factory, where you can book a tour before indulging in confections at the on-site cafe.
MUST DO
Please Your Ears
A bevy of bars and listening rooms offer live music that includes—but goes well beyond—bluegrass. The Orange Peel downtown welcomes nationally touring acts, as does Asheville Yards, an outdoor concert space with places to stand or lounge while enjoying your favorite act.
The warm months bring free outdoor festivals to green spaces, including LEAF Downtown AVL and Shindig on the Green; the latter is more than half a century into presenting free old-time jam sessions on summer Saturdays “along about sundown.” But for 24-7 access to Western North Carolina music, both traditional and contemporary, tune into 88.7 FM for the beloved station WNCW.
Dig Deeper
An array of sightseeing tours gives an insider’s perspective. The Asheville Urban Trail features a self-guided, two-mile walking tour among art installations. LaZoom Comedy Tours offers comedy rides, seasonal shows, and a Band & Beer bus tour. The engaging Hood Tours explore Asheville’s historically African American neighborhoods and landmarks. To really weekend like a local, grab a basket and some cash and patronize local growers, farmers, and makers at the North Asheville Tailgate Market.
Get Crafty
Western North Carolina has a rich craft history, and Asheville makers carry on traditions and innovate new forms in ceramics, glass, wood, fiber arts, and many more disciplines. The biannual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands spotlights heritage arts, while the Big Crafty, which also happens twice yearly, features indie crafters. Outdoor markets pop up on weekends throughout the warm months.
WHERE TO STAY
The Grove Park Inn was good enough for ten presidents, starting with William Howard Taft, and nobody who’s watched dusk fall over the Blue Ridge Mountains from the legendary resort’s terrace has to wonder why. The Omni-owned hotel, a masterpiece of Arts and Crafts architecture, also boasts a golf course and an unbeatable spa. Another can’t-miss choice is the Inn on Biltmore Estate, located on the grounds of railroad heir George Vanderbilt’s former property and designed to give guests a taste of the luxury his visiting friends experienced.
In the heart of downtown, the Foundry honors the city’s industrial history in a repurposed steel factory and plays up original brick and hardwood details. For a funkier experience, step into the bold and colorful Radical, a River Arts District hotel that’s perfect for a rooftop happy hour. Those keen on historic homes have their pick of several graceful bed-and-breakfasts, including Sweet Biscuit Inn, the Reynolds Mansion Bed & Breakfast Inn, and Chestnut Street Inn. Each of the twenty rooms at Zelda Dearest, a 1920s home turned hotel, is a uniquely stylish ode to onetime Asheville resident Zelda Fitzgerald. The Flat Iron Hotel also channels the jazz era in its decor and basement speakeasy.
WHEN TO GO
Autumn leaf peeping brings large crowds to Asheville, but there’s no wrong time to see the city, which enjoys moderate temperatures year-round. To tie your trip to a specific event, consult the round-up below:
Spring
When the days get longer, you can almost hear people pumping air into their mountain bike tires and prepping their paddleboards. If you’re looking to celebrate spring’s arrival in a slightly less strenuous way, you can stroll the azalea and tulip gardens at Biltmore or mark your calendar for the annual Asheville Spring Herb Festival in early May. The season also brings AVL Beer Week and some of the best views from Max Patch and Craggy Pinnacle.
Summer
Since 1928 Asheville has hosted a Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in August; other local activities restricted to summer include tubing, berry picking, and catching an Asheville Tourists game. Zip through the trees with a bird’s eye view just outside of town with Navitat, or scoop up fresh blooms at the Never Ending Flower Farm. Chase waterfalls and slip down a natural slide thousands of years in the making at Sliding Rock.
Fall
LEAF Global Arts is one of the few major events scheduled for the fall, since it’s hard to compete with Asheville’s stunning autumn colors. The season is also prime time to visit one of the city’s cideries, which pour hard drinks made from Western North Carolina apples, a regional delicacy and mass export you can pick yourself at farms like Granddad’s.
Winter
Leading tourist destinations the Omni Grove Park and Biltmore take the holiday season very seriously. At Grove Park, the National Gingerbread House Competition display always dazzles, as does the decadent hot chocolate bar in the lobby. Biltmore’s candlelight evenings have become a beloved local tradition, and driving through the Arboretum for a spectacular light show will have your party “ooh-ing” and “ahh-ing” all the way home.
