Discover Asheville: Nature, Art and History

Asheville brings together nature, American art, literary history and architecture. These themes can guide your plans and make it easier to tailor your trip to your interests.

Nature and trails: slow travel on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is designed for slow travel, with a speed limit of 45 miles per hour (mph). It provides access to short, easy hikes as well as more challenging routes leading to overlooks and waterfalls. This range of options helps with planning your day: you can make either a short, easy hike or a more challenging route the focus.

The Biltmore Estate offers a different landscape-focused experience. It covers 8,000 acres and includes six formal and informal gardens, a conservatory and more than 20 miles of nature trails. The gardens and conservatory offer designed spaces, while the nature trails provide outdoor routes. You can consider garden visits and hikes as distinct aspects of planning your trip.

Art, literature and architecture

The Asheville Art Museum welcomes visitors interested in exploring 20th- and 21st-century American art. This offers a clear art-focused experience, distinct from the city’s literary and architectural themes.

The former boardinghouse in Asheville, North Carolina, where Thomas Wolfe’s mother lived is now the Thomas Wolfe Memorial. It draws visitors to the setting of Look Homeward, Angel. Here, literary history is connected with a specific building and the place where the novel is set.

The Basilica of St. Lawrence is another notable architectural landmark: it has the largest freestanding elliptical dome in the United States. By treating art, literature and architecture as separate parts of your travel plans, you can choose very different cultural highlights.

Creative work and public programs

Asheville’s River Arts District is home to working studios, galleries, murals, restaurants, breweries and creative spaces in former industrial buildings. Artists open their studios to visitors, who can watch works take shape in real time. This offers a glimpse of the creative process as well as finished works.

The North Carolina Glass Center offers live glassblowing demonstrations and workshops. It focuses on a specific craft, while the open studios in the River Arts District offer insights into a range of artistic practices.

The Asheville Museum of History offers public lectures, tours and walks every month. Since dates may change, it’s best to check the current schedule before your visit.

For a food and drink experience, Biltmore Winery offers a complimentary wine tasting. Together with the museums, studios and hiking options, it provides a wide range of themes to help you plan your stay.

Discover more destinations: Black Mountain, Arden, Leicester, Weaverville, Swannanoa, Candler

For the broader travel overview: Buncombe.