Discover 35 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Asheville (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: The Omni Grove Park Inn, Folk Art Center, and Biltmore Estate. Also, be sure to include Basilica of St. Lawrence in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Asheville (North Carolina).
Table of Contents
The Omni Grove Park Inn
Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. The Omni Grove Park Inn is a historic resort hotel on the western-facing slope of Sunset Mountain within the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Asheville, North Carolina. It is a AAA Four-Diamond Hotel and has been since 2001. It has been visited by many Presidents of the United States and many other notable personages. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel is an example of the Arts and Crafts style. It also features a $44 million, 40,000-square-foot, modern subterranean spa, which placed number 13 worldwide in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Hotel Spas in 2008. The Grove Park Inn is a member of the Historic Hotel of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Grove Park Inn also provides guests with an 18-hole golf course routed on the hill below the hotel. Donald Ross designed the original course.[1]
Address: 290 Macon Ave, 28804-3711 Asheville
Folk Art Center
Museum in Asheville, North Carolina. The Folk Art Center is a museum of Appalachian arts and crafts located at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, North Carolina. It also houses offices for three separate Parkway partners: the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the National Park Service, and Eastern National.
The Center, a cooperative effort between the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the National Park Service, and the Appalachian Regional Commission, features many one-of-a-kind handmade crafts and is the most popular attraction on the Parkway, seeing a quarter of a million visitors per year.
Opened to the public at its current location in 1980, the Center contains three galleries, a library, and an auditorium, and also houses the Eastern National bookstore and information center. Admission is free. One of the Center's main attractions is the Guild's century-old Allanstand Craft Shop, changing exhibitions in galleries from its permanent collection of 3,500 pieces of craft objects dating back to the turn of the 20th century. The Center also features an exhibition of traditional and contemporary southern Appalachian crafts.[2]
Address: Mile Post 382 Blue Ridge Parkway, 28805 Asheville
Biltmore Estate
Historic mansion with gardens . Biltmore Estate is a historic house museum and tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore House, the main residence, is a Châteauesque-style mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895 and is the largest privately owned house in the United States, at 178,926 sq ft of floor space. Still owned by George Vanderbilt's descendants, it remains one of the most prominent examples of Gilded Age mansions.[3]
Basilica of St. Lawrence
Minor basilica in Asheville, North Carolina. The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence the Deacon & Martyr is a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The church was designed and built in 1905 by Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino along with his fellow architect R. S. Smith and the Roman Catholic community of Asheville. Pope John Paul II elevated the status of the church to minor basilica in 1993. It is a parish church, located within the Diocese of Charlotte. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only basilica in western North Carolina. Its dome has a span of 58 by 82 feet and is reputed to be the largest, freestanding, elliptical dome in North America. Except for the foundation and brick walls, the architectural style is Catalan, with the main example being the stairs behind the altar. It is located in the Downtown Asheville Historic District.[4]
Address: 97 Haywood St, 28801-2852 Asheville
The Orange Peel
Music venue in Asheville, North Carolina. The Orange Peel is a music venue located in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. It has a capacity of 1,050 people and has hosted many well known acts, including 311, Modest Mouse, Tegan and Sara, Black Label Society, Umphrey's McGee in '03, Bob Dylan in '04, Chevelle in '05, Smashing Pumpkins, the Beastie Boys in '09, The Black Keys, Lauryn Hill in '17, Ice Cube, Skrillex, Deadmau5, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, The Glitch Mob, Wax Tailor, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Queens of the Stone Age in '07, Mastodon in '11, Breaking Benjamin in '17, Megadeth, GWAR, Lamb of God, Decapitated, Silversun Pickups in '16, The Dirty Heads in '18, and The Struts in '18. It was also a host venue for the annual Moogfest electronic music festival, which showcases the latest and greatest in electronic music.
The Orange Peel has also hosted Asheville's Warren Haynes in '13 for the Christmas Pre-Jam, Asheville's Chase Rice in '17, Rainbow Kitten Surprise (from Boone) in '18, Ben Folds (from Winston-Salem/Chapel Hill) in '09, Daughtry (from NC) in '08, Southern Culture on the Skids in '02, Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor) Band in '03, Avett Brothers (from the Charlotte area) in '08, Carolina Chocolate Drops (an old time string band from Durham) in '12, Kellie Pickler in '11, Greenville's Edwin McCain in '03, Knoxville's 10 Years in '08, Nashville's Kings of Leon in '07, Moon Taxi in '16, Judah & the Lion in '18, Columbia's Hootie & the Blowfish in '03, Toro y Moi in '18, Charleston's Jump, Little Children in '03, Band of Horses in '09, Duncan Sheik in '03, Trevor Hall (from SC) in '06, Atlanta's Manchester Orchestra in '14, Gregg Allman Band in '02, Chris Robinson Brotherhood (Black Crowes singer) in '15, Indigo Girls in '17, and Virginia's Jason Mraz in '05.
It was opened in 2002 and, in April 2008, was named one of the top five music venues in America by Rolling Stone magazine. At the end of 2009, the venue opened Pulp, a downstairs members-only liquor bar. Pulp is open every night there is a show, and a live feed is piped in to allow patrons to view and listen to the show occurring upstairs. Pulp is also open various other nights for events featuring local artists and "Slice of Life" open-mic comedy nights.[5]
Address: Asheville, 101 Biltmore Avenue
McCormick Field
Stadium in Asheville, North Carolina. Lewis McCormick Field is a baseball stadium in Asheville, North Carolina. It is the home field of the Asheville Tourists team of Minor League Baseball. As befits the hilly city of Asheville, the ballpark sits on a section of level ground partway up one of the city's hills, providing a picturesque atmosphere. It is the third-oldest ballpark in Minor League Baseball.[6]
Address: 30 Buchanan Pl, 28801-4243 Asheville
North Carolina Arboretum
Arboretum in Buncombe County, North Carolina. The North Carolina Arboretum is an arboretum and botanical garden located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest of the Pisgah National Forest at 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, southwest of Asheville, North Carolina near the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is open daily except for Christmas Day. There is no admission charge, but some parking fees do apply.
Although the idea for the arboretum stretches back to landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in 1898, who wished to create an arboretum at the nearby Biltmore Estate, today's arboretum was established by the General Assembly in 1986, as a facility of the University of North Carolina. In 1989 the site was officially designated the North Carolina Arboretum.
The arboretum is still under active development. It includes many hiking and bicycling trails, a bonsai collection, a holly garden, and a stream garden. Its tree collection includes a fine set of Metasequoias planted in 1950, and now said to be the tallest in the south (over 100 feet (30 m) in height). In 2016, a certification from Bee Campus USA recognized the arboretum's efforts to teach about and support pollinators.[7]
Address: 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, 28806-9315 Asheville
Grove Arcade
Arcade in Asheville, North Carolina. The Grove Arcade, also known as the Arcade Building or the Asheville Federal Building, is a historic commercial and residential building in Asheville, North Carolina, in its downtown historic district. It was built from 1926 to 1929, and is a Tudor Revival and Late Gothic Revival style building consisting of two stacked blocks. The lower block is a rectangular slab with rounded corners; it is capped by the second block, a two-tier set-back story.
The steel frame and reinforced concrete building was designed to serve as a base for an unbuilt skyscraper. It features a roof deck with a bronze semi-elliptical balcony, molded terra cotta pilasters, and a ziggurat-like arrangement of huge ramps to the roof deck. The building occupies a full city block and housed one of America's first indoor shopping malls. It was sold to the federal government in 1943. The building housed the National Climatic Data Center until 1995. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
In 1997, the City of Asheville acquired the title to the building under the National Monument Act. The city then signed a 198-year lease with the Grove Arcade Public Market Foundation, a group founded to preserve the building's structural and historical integrity. Over the next five years, the building would be restored and reopened to the public in 2002. Today, it features shops and restaurants on the first floor, offices on the second, and residential apartments on the third through fifth floors, referred to as The Residences at Grove Arcade.
E.W. Grove, developer of Grove Park Inn, wanted a "classy look to a modern palace of commercialism." The north side has winged lions without claws, a symbol of Venice, Italy.[8]
Address: 1 Page Ave, 28801-2382 Asheville
Botanical Gardens at Asheville
Botanical garden in Asheville, North Carolina. The Botanical Gardens at Asheville, also known as the Asheville Botanical Gardens, is an independent non-profit botanical garden located on 10 acres at 151 W. T. Weaver Boulevard in Asheville, North Carolina. Dedicated to the study and promotion of the native plants and habitats of the Southern Appalachians, the garden is open daily with free admission for all. Support for maintenance of the Gardens comes primarily from memberships, donations, and the work of volunteers.
The BGA was established in 1961 on eroded, abandoned timberland. Cleanup and trail-building took place from 1962-1963, and planting started in 1964 following an overall design by Doan Ogden, a nationally known landscape architect. At that time more than 5,000 plants were transplanted into the garden from private lands and national forests. Although the Gardens is located on land belonging to the adjacent University of North Carolina at Asheville, the Gardens operates independently and is overseen by a Board of Directors elected from and by the general membership of the Botanical Gardens.
Today the BGA includes more than 650 species of plants native to the southern Appalachian Mountains.[9]
Address: 151 Wt Weaver Blvd, 28804-3414 Asheville
Asheville Art Museum
The Asheville Art Museum is a community-based nonprofit visual art organization in Western North Carolina and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is located on the center square of downtown Asheville, 2 South Pack Square at Pack Place.
The Asheville Art Museum presents exhibitions and public programs based on its permanent collection of 20th and 21st century American art. The Museum features regional and national artists through special exhibitions, and showcases works of significance to Western North Carolina’s cultural heritage including Studio Craft, Black Mountain College and Cherokee artists. Educational programs for children and adults are also offered.[10]
Address: 2 S Pack Sq, 28801-3521 Asheville
Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge
Wildlife refuge in Ashe County, North Carolina. The Mountain Bogs National Wildlife Refuge is a federally protected wildlife refuge located within multiple western North Carolina counties, United States. The refuge has a total area of over 7,000 acres consisting of fee title and conservation easements on privately owned property. In order to respect the wishes of the landowner, and protect sensitive habitat, the refuge is currently not open to the public.
The refuge was established in 2015 to conserve Southern Appalachian Bogs in North Carolina and Tennessee, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to add more sites to the refuge, by working with willing landowners.
The reserve protects habitat for multiple threatened and endangered species, migratory birds, and important game species.
Mountain Bogs is managed by the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge.[11]
Jackson Building
Building. The Jackson Building is a 140 ft 15-story building in Asheville, North Carolina And is owned by the Blaney Estate such was completed in 1924 in Pack Square downtown. It was the first skyscraper in western North Carolina.[12]
Cathedral of All Souls
Cathedral in Asheville, North Carolina. The Cathedral of All Souls, also referred to as All Souls Cathedral, is an Episcopal cathedral located in Asheville, North Carolina, United States of America. All Souls was built by George Washington Vanderbilt II, the grandson of the famous railroad baron, Cornelius Vanderbilt, in 1896, to serve as the local parish church for Biltmore Village, which had been developed near his Biltmore Estate. The Right Reverend José Antonio McLoughlin is the current bishop seated at the cathedral.[13]
Address: 9 Swan St, 28803-2674 Asheville
Thomas Wolfe House
Museum in Asheville, North Carolina. The Thomas Wolfe House, also known as the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, is a state historic site, historic house and museum located at 52 North Market Street in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. The American author Thomas Wolfe lived in the home during his boyhood. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971 for its association with Wolfe. It is located in the Downtown Asheville Historic District.[14]
Address: 52 N Market St, 28801-8105 Asheville
First Baptist Church
Baptist church in Asheville, North Carolina. First Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church located at Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. It was designed by architect Douglas Ellington and built in 1925–1927. It is a four-story, domed, polygonal brick building with Art Deco design influences. The front facade features a colossal hectastyle portico.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[15]
Address: 5 Oak St, Asheville
YMI Cultural Center
Building in Asheville, North Carolina. Young Men's Institute Building, also known as the YMI Building, is a historic meeting hall located at Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. It was designed by architect Richard Sharp Smith and built in 1892-1893. It is a 2 1/2-story, pebbledash coated masonry building with brick, stone, and wood accents. From its early days, the YMI building has housed shops, residence rooms, meeting rooms, and a wide variety of functions serving the African American community of Asheville. The building was restored and reestablished as the YMI Cultural Center in 1980, and now hosts a variety of intercultural programs and events. It is located in the Downtown Asheville Historic District.[16]
Address: 39 S Market St, 28801-3725 Asheville
Asheville City Hall
Asheville City Hall, is a historic Art Deco brick and stone governmental office building located on City-County Plaza in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. It serves as the seat of the government of the City of Asheville. It is located in the Downtown Asheville Historic District and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The building's unique shape and colorful exterior have made it an iconic Asheville landmark and a symbol for the city, reflected by the use of its silhouette in the city's seal.[17]
Address: 70 Court Plz, Asheville
The Grey Eagle
Concerts and shows, Bars and clubs, Nightlife, Theater, Music venue
Address: 185 Clingman Ave, 28801-3207 Asheville
St. Matthias Episcopal Church
Episcopal church in Asheville, North Carolina. St. Matthias Episcopal Church is a parish of the Episcopal Church located at Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina, in the Diocese of Western North Carolina. Founded in 1867, St. Matthias believes itself to be the oldest African-American congregation in the city.
Its historic church, a one-story, cruciform plan brick building with Gothic Revival design influences, was built in 1894–1896. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[18]
Address: 1 Dundee St, Asheville
Masonic Temple
Wedding venue in Asheville, North Carolina. The Asheville Masonic Temple is a Masonic Temple located in Asheville, North Carolina. Designed by British American architect and Freemason Richard Sharp Smith, the building was opened in April 1915. It is listed in the United States National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building in the Downtown Asheville Historic District.
It is a four-story pressed brick building with limestone and grey brick trim, upon a granite foundation. It has a red tile hipped roof above its front portion. The Broadway facade has a two-story portico with paired Ionic columns.[19]
Address: 80 Broadway St, 28801 Asheville
Biltmore Village Cottages
Home in Asheville. Biltmore Village Cottages are two historic homes formerly located at Biltmore Village, Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. They were designed by Richard Sharp Smith and built about 1900. The dwellings are pebbledash finished half-timbered cottages. They were moved outside the district in August 1983.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[20]
Address: 10 Brook St Ste 205, 28803 Asheville
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
Episcopal church in Asheville, North Carolina. St. Luke's Episcopal Church is an historic Carpenter Gothic–style Episcopal church building located at 219 Chunn's Cove Road, in the Chunn's Cove neighborhood of Asheville, North Carolina. Built in 1894 at a cost of $728, St. Luke's was designed by E. J. Armstrong, a member of the congregation. The first service was held on September 17, 1894.
On September 30, 1997, St. Luke's was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[21]
New Morning Gallery
Museum, Gift shop, Art gallery, Shopping
Address: 7 Boston Way, 28803-2681 Asheville
Smith-McDowell House
Museum in Asheville, North Carolina. The Smith-McDowell House is located in Asheville, North Carolina and is one of the "finest antebellum buildings in Western North Carolina." Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was the Asheville's first mansion and is the oldest surviving brick structure in Buncombe County.[22]
Address: 283 Victoria Rd, Asheville
Buncombe County Courthouse
Courthouse. Buncombe County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located at Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. It was designed by architect Frank Pierce Milburn and built between 1924 and 1928. It is a 17-story, steel frame skyscraper sheathed in brick and ashlar veneer. It features complex setbacks and an extravagant overlay of Neo-Classical Revival ornament.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It is located in the Downtown Asheville Historic District.[23]
Address: 11 Valley St, Asheville
Tressa's Downtown Jazz & Blues
Music and shows, Nightlife, Bars and clubs, Music venue, Cocktail, Jazz club
Address: 28 Broadway St, 28801-2917 Asheville
Riverside Cemetery
Cemetery
Address: 53 Birch St, 28801-1601 Asheville
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate Office is a historic office building located at Biltmore Village, Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. It was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and built in 1896. It is a 1 1/2-story pebbledash finished building with a hipped roof, half-timbering, brick trim, and chamfered and bracketed porch posts.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[24]
Address: 1 Biltmore Plz, Asheville
S & W Cafeteria
S & W Cafeteria, also known as Dale's Cafeteria, is a historic S & W Cafeteria building located at Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. It was designed by architect Douglas Ellington and built in 1929. It is a three-story, brick building in the Art Deco style. The front facade is sheathed in grey ashlar and features polychrome ornamentation and exotic stylistic motifs. In 1974, the S & W Cafeteria moved to the Asheville Mall.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is located in the Downtown Asheville Historic District.[25]
Address: 52-58 Patton Ave, Asheville
Odyssey Gallery
Museum, Art gallery, Gift shop, Shopping
Address: 238 Clingman Ave, 28801-3294 Asheville
Asheville Pinball Museum
Museum, Specialty museum, Entertainment
Address: 1 Battle Sq Ste 1A, 28801-2731 Asheville
Pack Memorial Library
Public library in Asheville, North Carolina. Pack Memorial Library is a public library located in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. It is the main branch of the Buncombe County Public Library System.[26]
Address: 67 Haywood St, 28801 Asheville
Kolo Bike Park
Relax in park, Park, Gear rental, Outdoor activities
Address: 1 Resort Dr, 28806-3815 Asheville
Central United Methodist Church
Church
Address: 27 Church St, Asheville
Lake Julian Park
Relax in park, Park
Address: 406 Overlook Road Ext, 28704-7700 Arden