Things to do in Asheville
August 7th, 2024
Asheville, North Carolina is such a fun town with incredible culture and art, shopping and food, all located in the middle of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. What more could you ask for in a travel destination? Below are some ideas of things you must do while visiting this unique city.
1. Enjoy dinner at the Omni Grove Park Inn and watch the sunset. We made reservations and enjoyed a great meal, followed by drinks at their open air bar. The views from the back patio can’t be beat. While you’re there, be sure to walk around the hotel property- you’ll find all types of things including gingerbread houses, massive fireplaces and a spa.
2. Explore art galleries- Asheville is known for being a town with a focus on art and there are plenty of art galleries to choose from. The River Arts District is an entire area of Asheville dedicated to supporting artists and their unique art galleries. Riverview Station and Marquee have some fun artwork that I enjoy- some of your high-end art pieces can be found here. Also be sure to check out glass blowing at the North Carolina Glass Center- you can take glass blowing classes there too. Woolworth Walk and the Kress Emporium are two of my favorite galleries downtown and have a lot of affordable art as well.
3. Grab a drink- Asheville is known for their craft brewery scene and they definitely have a lot of options for you to try. There are countless breweries in Asheville but Wicked Weed is always popular and both their brew pub and Wicked Weed Funkatorium can be found downtown. If beer isn’t your thing, I highly recommend grabbing a cocktail at Cultivated Cocktails. Not only do they have cocktail gifts/supplies but they have a small bar with friendly staff, serving up fun cocktails. Antidote serves a full cocktail/bar menu but also has a tasting room as well.
4. Shopping- Asheville has so many shops and stores, great for all different tastes. I actually really enjoyed exploring thrift stores like Honeypot Vintage. Located at the Grove Arcade, one of my other favorites is the Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar. There are two levels of books, where you can find with something for everyone, as well as an area serving wine and food. The Mast General Store is a local chain but is always a classic fun store with a huge selection of candy- great for kids.
5. Lunchbox Hall of Fame- this might be a random suggestion, but I promise you a visit to the Lunchbox Hall of Fame will be the best dollar you’ve ever spent. This museum has so many vintage lunchboxes for you to see- I loved reminiscing over some of the lunchboxes my friends and I had from my childhood. In the same area, you can also find a fun arcade featuring vintage video games and movie posters. Upstairs is the Asheville Pinball Museum, which oftentimes has a wait because it’s so popular.
6. Enjoy the food scene- Asheville is very well known for being a foodie town and has a variety of restaurants to enjoy. Almost every restaurant we went to had some gluten free or vegan options, which I thought was awesome. Twisted Laurel has wonderful burgers, Crave Dessert Bar is the place you want to go for dessert, Buxton Hall Barbecue and 12 Bones Smokehouse have great BBQ and Rhubarb is a great farm-to-table spot. These are just a few of the places I had a chance to visit but I can’t wait to go back and try event more wonderful restaurants.
7. Explore areas outside of downtown Asheville- if you have a car, take some time to go into some other parts of Asheville outside of downtown. I really enjoy West Asheville, where you can find Biscuit Head (a great breakfast spot), Provisions Mercantile (a cute local store), other restaurants/bars and fun murals.
Other notable Asheville spots/ideas:
-Hiking- there are a lot of great hiking options in the Asheville area. For suggestions, visit the Explore Asheville website.
-Visit the Biltmore Estate- especially popular during the Christmas season.
-Play pickleball with your friends at the Asheville Sports Club and then grab a drink afterwards.
-Bike, run or walk along the French Broad River Greenway.
One thing I know about Asheville is that as soon as you leave, you’ll already be planning a return trip there very soon.
