Things to do in Asheville
One of the best ways to see the Asheville area is to drive along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, which snakes its way along the spine of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains from Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The national park is the most visited in the state, offering a variety of walking trails, including part of the Appalachian Trail that traverses the park on its way from Georgia to Maine. The Blue Ridge Parkway leads to the centre of Asheville and the Biltmore Estate and Winery, an enormous chateau-styled mansion built for the incredibly rich Vanderbilt family.
Natural attractions in the area include the highest mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountain Range, the Grandfather Mountain, with its Mile High Swinging Bridge, and the natural granite tower of Chimney Rock.
The mighty waterfall, sheer cliffs, and unusual rock formations are famous as the filming locations of the final scenes of 'The Last of the Mohicans', while the Nantahala River Gorge is home to one of the most popular whitewater rafting and kayaking destinations in the country, with rapids to suit beginners and experts alike.
It's best to see Asheville's historic attractions from aboard a vintage trolley. This narrated tour features the town's most memorable sites, including the Montford Historic District, the Grove Park Inn, and Biltmore Village.
The Thomas Wolfe memorial and Grove Arcade Building are also included in the tour, as are ghost tours, which add darker twists, while the Urban Trail allows sightseers to explore the highlights of the urban landscape on foot.
Blue Ridge Parkway
Designed as a scenic drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile (755km) road connecting the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the…
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts many natural assets that have made it one of the most visited national pa…
Linville Caverns
The Linville Caverns are an underground labyrinth of rooms and passageways moulded out of the bedrock beneath Humpback Mountain by years of flowing water. The caverns were first di…
