The Blue Ridge Parkway starts at Shenandoah National Park and it winds through all kinds of beautiful to the Great Smokies. When you are getting to the end, there is a city with charm, art, brews, nature and nourishment known as Asheville. Start with the Urban Trail and soak up the sites along with Asheville's history. The walk has 30 stations set out over 1.7 miles in the heart of Asheville and takes you through 4 periods in their history while your senses are enticed to explore more of downtown. The sounds of buskers, or street performers, fill your ears while you savor the smells of mountain air mixed with home cooked deliciousness.
Part of the charm of this area is the same thing that drew George Vanderbilt here over 100 years ago-mountain views, autumn colors, and mild weather. The home he had built here sits on 8,000 acres with gardens designed by Olmstead and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Just across the way is Biltmore Village, a community that was planned to accommodate estate workers and be a community of its own, and houses a great mix of shopping and dining with beautiful architecture and gardens.An interesting story of the biltmore is that during Ww11 the estate served as a hiding place for America's most prized pieces of art.
The Biltmore still displays beautiful pieces of art and the city of asheville also boasts a vibrant arts community. Artists have always occupied downtown and the Folk Art Center on the blue ridge parkway opened its doors in 1980, showcasing Appalachian art. There are also countless art events and festivals, as well as, classes and demonstrations. The spot for art that i find most fascinating is the river arts district, where starving artists looking for cheap rents have moved in to abandoned factories and built a new must see neighborhood for anyone with an eye for art!
The other Asheville allure for tourists is the beer culture! Beer is big here and has been for years. This city has more breweries per capita than any other u.s. city and has been a top runner for beer city usa, or winner, since 2009. There are many different beer tours or you can just check out the places that interest you the most.breweries are part of another industrial neighborhood's rebirth-south slope. South slope is, or will be, home to 8 different breweries with all sorts of innovative ways to tempt you. Burial beer co. is adding an urban garden with fruit trees and herbs and a beer garden that will accommodate up to 500 at there south slope location and another interesting craft brewery, wicked weed, creates 130 different brews a year and offers an innovative pub menu.
photo from mountain.com
The menu at Wicked Weed includes many farm-to-table items in a city that is known for being one of the pioneers of this movement. The locals call the food scene in asheville, foodtopia. The chefs of the city think every meal should be a celebration and they work together to make fresh new favorites all the time. One of the first innovative new restaurants to attract foodies and take traditional southern cooking to new heights is the tupelo honey cafe. the owner and chef really believes in the farm-to-table idea. he says “I like to keep my fingers in the dirt. To watch something grow and to know that you planted the seed, you nurtured it, then prepared it and cooked it — it comes full circle.” There are too many great restaurants to list here and they come in every variety from vegan to buffalo burgers and everything in between. When in asheville be sure to come with an appetite and a thirst or just work them both up while you enjoy mother nature all around you.
The nature that surrounds you in asheville seems to be personally sent for humans pleasure. the mountains beckon you to hike and camp and the waters call you to swim, kayak and fish. there are mountain tops and waterfalls and a national park is just down the pike. asheville can lay claim to the best tree-based adventure with their moody cave tree tour and there are climbing guides to instruct that were once army rangers and special forces. there is a bicycle food tour of the blue ridge, survival courses, river rafting trips, paddle boarding, wildflower walks and waterfall hunting. There are also amazing views for leaf peepers in the fall.
asheville really aims to please and after just one day there i have said it is the place i want to retire to. this isn't the place for waterparks and disney like attractions, instead you find grown up pleasures with plenty to still please the kids and keep them off their phones. if you are interested in a customized trip that fits your dreams of vacation, please let us know at stowaway! we would be thrilled to help you plan the perfect trip to such a spectacular place!!