🏆 Things to Do · Asheville, NC
Things to Do in Asheville
68 real, currently-operating attractions across every category — the Biltmore Estate, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Beer City USA’s breweries, and day trips to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock.
⛰️ Biltmore to the Blue Ridge Parkway
✅ Verified Open
Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you book through these links, at no additional cost to you.
⛰️ Parkway & Waterfalls
🌿 Parks & Gardens
🛶 Adventure & River
🍺 Breweries & Distilleries
🎨 Arts & Culture
🏛️ Downtown & Historic
🎸 Music & Nightlife
⛳ Golf
🧖 Wellness
🚗 Day Trips
The Biltmore Estate — America’s largest privately-owned home — is Asheville’s single biggest draw, but the city built its reputation on more than one attraction: the Blue Ridge Parkway’s overlooks and waterfalls, a beer scene good enough to earn the nickname “Beer City USA,” and a walkable downtown full of galleries and historic buildings. The Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, and Black Mountain area makes for an easy day trip east of the city. We checked each attraction directly against its own official site rather than a generic aggregator list.
5 Things to Do
Biltmore House & Gardens
America’s largest privately-owned home, with a self-guided house tour and 8,000 acres of gardens and grounds.
Antler Hill Village & Winery
The estate’s casual village hub with shops, restaurants, farm exhibits, and America’s most-visited winery.
The Biltmore Legacy
Museum-style exhibit on the Vanderbilt family history inside Antler Hill Village.
Biltmore Luminère
Seasonal outdoor evening light-and-sound experience on the estate grounds.
Candlelight Christmas Evenings
Seasonal (Nov-Jan) evening House tours during the estate’s holiday decorations.
8 Things to Do
Blue Ridge Parkway
469-mile National Park Service scenic drive and the main hub for regional overlooks and trailheads.
Folk Art Center
Traditional Appalachian craft galleries and demonstrations at Milepost 382, run by the Southern Highland Craft Guild.
Craggy Gardens
High-elevation rhododendron gardens, hiking, and a visitor center at Milepost 364.
Mount Pisgah & Pisgah Inn
Iconic peak with a hiking trail and the historic Pisgah Inn along the Parkway.
Linville Falls
One of the most photographed waterfalls on the Blue Ridge Parkway, at Milepost 316.
Looking Glass Falls
Roadside waterfall in Pisgah National Forest that requires no hike to view.
Sliding Rock
Staffed, seasonal natural 60-foot waterslide swimming hole in Pisgah National Forest.
Looking Glass Rock Trailhead
Popular trailhead for the hike up Looking Glass Rock’s granite dome.
5 Things to Do
DuPont State Recreational Forest
Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, and High Falls hiking loop — a Hunger Games filming location.
Mount Mitchell State Park
Home to the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.
The North Carolina Arboretum
434-acre public garden and forest near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Botanical Gardens at Asheville
Free 10-acre native-plant garden next to UNC Asheville.
Western North Carolina Nature Center
Accredited zoo and nature center focused on native Western North Carolina species, including black bears and red wolves.
5 Things to Do
Navitat Canopy Adventures
Zipline and canopy tour company in nearby Barnardsville.
Adventure Center of Asheville
Zipline canopy adventure park minutes from downtown Asheville.
French Broad Outfitters
Tubing, kayaking, and biking outfitter on the French Broad River.
Zen Tubing
French Broad River tubing outfitter, an Asheville summer staple.
Nantahala Outdoor Center – French Broad River
Guided whitewater and scenic rafting trips on the French Broad River.
12 Things to Do
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Mills River Taproom
West Coast brand’s East Coast production brewery about 25 minutes from Asheville, with tours, a restaurant, and an amphitheater.
New Belgium Brewing – Asheville
Major national brand’s East Coast brewery on the French Broad River, fully reopened after Hurricane Helene flood damage.
Highland Brewing Company
Asheville’s original craft brewery (est. 1994), with a large campus and outdoor concerts.
Wicked Weed Brewing
Nationally known sour and barrel-aging program with a downtown brewpub.
Green Man Brewery
Asheville’s oldest brewery still operating under its original name (est. 1997).
Hi-Wire Brewing
South Slope flagship brewery with an additional Biltmore Village taproom.
One World Brewing
Small brewery with downtown and West Asheville taprooms.
Asheville Brewing Company
One of the city’s original breweries, with a combined brewery-and-movie-theater location.
Eda Rhyne Distilling Co.
Appalachian herbal-spirits distillery known for its fernet-style amaro, with a South Slope tasting room.
8 Things to Do
River Arts District
More than 200 artist studios and galleries along the French Broad River, reopened and still rebuilding after Hurricane Helene flooding.
Asheville Art Museum
Renovated downtown museum with a strong collection of 20th- and 21st-century American and regional art.
Grovewood Village
Historic Biltmore Industries arts-and-crafts campus with multiple galleries.
Estes-Winn Antique Car Museum
Vintage automobile collection inside Grovewood Village.
Southern Highland Craft Guild
Organization behind the Folk Art Center, showcasing Appalachian craftspeople.
YMI Cultural Center
Historic African American cultural center and museum, established in 1893, in the historic Block district.
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center
Downtown Asheville museum devoted to the influential experimental Black Mountain College.
Center for Craft
Craft and design gallery and creative-economy hub near downtown.
9 Things to Do
Grove Arcade
Historic 1929 marketplace building with shops and restaurants, a downtown landmark.
Basilica of St. Lawrence
Gaudí-influenced Catholic basilica with the largest freestanding elliptical dome in North America.
Thomas Wolfe Memorial
State historic site preserving the boyhood home of novelist Thomas Wolfe.
Smith-McDowell House / Asheville Museum of History
Asheville’s oldest surviving structure, now a history museum.
Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace
Reconstructed pioneer farmstead of North Carolina’s Civil War-era governor, reopened after Hurricane Helene repairs.
LaZoom Comedy Tours
Irreverent purple-bus comedy tours covering the city’s history, breweries, and haunted spots.
Asheville Urban Trail
Free self-guided 1.7-mile, 30-stop downtown history walking trail with an audio guide.
Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS)
Hands-on downtown science museum for kids and families.
Asheville Pinball Museum
More than 35 years of playable pinball and arcade machines with flat admission for unlimited play.
3 Things to Do
The Orange Peel
Nationally ranked live music venue in downtown Asheville.
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts
Downtown performing arts venue, home to the Diana Wortham Theatre.
Asheville Community Theatre
Long-running community theater company downtown.
3 Things to Do
Asheville Municipal Golf Course
Historic public city course associated with golf architect Donald Ross.
The Golf Course at The Omni Grove Park Inn
Donald Ross-designed mountain-view course at the historic Grove Park Inn resort.
Broadmoor Golf Links
Public golf course in nearby Fletcher, fully reconstructed and reopened after Hurricane Helene.
1 Things to Do
The Spa at The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa
Landmark 1913 mountain resort’s renowned subterranean spa.
9 Things to Do
Chimney Rock State Park
Iconic 315-foot monolith with an elevator, trails, and waterfall; timed-entry tickets required.
Lake Lure
Scenic reservoir and Dirty Dancing filming location, reopened for recreation in 2026 after an extended Hurricane Helene debris-removal closure.
Lake Lure Flowering Bridge
Free botanical garden built on a converted pedestrian bridge over Lake Lure.
Lake Lure Tours
Official Lake Lure boat cruises, marina, and beach concession.
Visit Black Mountain
Walkable downtown with shops and restaurants about 15 minutes from Asheville.
Pisgah Brewing Company
Black Mountain’s flagship brewery with a large outdoor music venue.
The Old Depot Association & Gallery
Historic train depot arts and crafts gallery in Black Mountain.
Montreat Conference Center
Historic Presbyterian conference and retreat community with public hiking trails, including Lookout and Rainbow Falls.
Town of Montreat
Municipal site for the small mountain village of Montreat, gateway to its hiking trails.
Planning Tips for This Area
- Buy Biltmore tickets in advance. Pricing varies by date and ticket tier, and popular dates sell out, especially during Candlelight Christmas Evenings.
- Check the Blue Ridge Parkway’s road-status page before you go. Some sections remain under active Hurricane Helene repair work.
- Asheville’s brewery scene is spread across several districts. South Slope has the highest concentration downtown; the River Arts District and West Asheville each have their own distinct taprooms.
- Chimney Rock and Lake Lure make a full day trip. Both reopened after extended Hurricane Helene closures — check current hours before you go, since the surrounding village is still rebuilding in places.
What’s the single must-do thing in Asheville?
A day at the Biltmore Estate — America’s largest privately-owned home, with 8,000 acres of gardens and grounds and its own winery in Antler Hill Village.
Why is Asheville called “Beer City USA”?
Asheville has one of the highest breweries-per-capita counts in the country, and is home to the East Coast production facilities of two major national brands, Sierra Nevada and New Belgium, alongside dozens of acclaimed local breweries.
Is the Blue Ridge Parkway fully open?
Most of it, but a section between Mount Mitchell and Little Switzerland remains under active repair from Hurricane Helene damage, with full reopening targeted for late 2026 — always check the National Park Service’s current road-closures page before a drive.
How does NME choose which attractions to feature?
We verify each attraction directly against its own official site and current operating status rather than relying on aggregator lists, and we exclude anything we can’t confirm is still open. Read more on our methodology page.
Know Something We Missed?
If you know a great Asheville activity or attraction we’re missing, email us and we’ll take a look.
Heading to Asheville?
See the full trip guide — where to stay and where to eat, organized the same way, by category.
