With a backdrop of North Carolina’s ancient Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville mixes tradition and modernity to startling effect. Here you’ll find bars filled with bluegrass music next to lively artists’ studios or cutting-edge fusion restaurants housed in Art Deco buildings. With accommodation ranging from intimate B&Bs to extensive resorts, your can get your fill of trendy city explorations, or head to the hills, where it feels as though time has stood still. Our pick of the best places to stay in Asheville enables you do both with ease!
Explore the Downtown Art District for galleries, museums and vintage shops, or venture to the River Arts District to pop into the former warehouses and factories which line the French Broad River. Now housing artists’ studios, these are a brilliant place to admire everything from hand-woven fabrics to glass-blown sculptures — and to pick up some artwork to take home! For art and architecture on a legendary scale, visit the Biltmore Estate, the largest private home in the USA. Built in 1895 for shipping and railroad heir George Washington Vanderbilt ll, the sprawling mansion features 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces and an indoor bowling alley as well as 250 acres of gardens and an impressive art collection.
Outdoorsy types will find plenty to do around Asheville too. Try kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding on the river, or enjoy scenic hikes and horse rides in the Blue Ridge Mountains before returning to the city for evenings sipping locally-produced craft beer, savouring New Southern food and listening to some top-notch live music.
Whether you’re dreaming of a stylish city hotel or a cosy B&B, the best places to stay in Asheville promise the ideal base for experiencing the best of the area. Do book your trip well in advance as this is a popular destination for couples and families!