If you’re into bluegrass or folk music, or invigorated by spectacular mountain scenery, Asheville, North Carolina, might be worth considering for a city break. The mountains are the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains, beloved by photographers, hikers, trail bikers and riders, and white water fans. After a day in the great outdoors, Asheville centre provides craft beer, Southern food and a fantastic live music scene. Check the festival calendar, there’s plenty going on year round, with even more during the summer months when the parks and riverfront host events too. Asheville is also known for its lively arts scene, which is centred around the River Arts District, where warehouses and factories have been turned into artists’ studios and galleries. Asheville’s centre is an architecturally interesting collection that includes the Art Deco Country Hall; the domed Basilica of St. Lawrence, and several important Arts and Crafts buildings. Its major tourist sight is probably the Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned house in the U.S., and a U.S. National Historic Landmark — it was built in 1895 for shipping and railroad magnate, George Washington Vanderbilt II, and has 43 bathrooms, an indoor bowling alley, a huge art collection and 250 acres of gardens. Because it has such wide appeal, Asheville has a broad range of accommodations to match, from charming old guesthouses and B&Bs, to grand hotels and resorts in the hills.
Map via Asheville Luxury Homes
Downtown Asheville is the heart of town, where you’ll find many of the city’s museums, the shopping district, the City Hall and other business buildings. It’s also packed with music venues; cafes, bars and restaurants; art galleries; and even breweries! Downtown Asheville is walkable and friendly; any stroll around here will turn up an interesting mural or street art; a cool boutique or two; great places to eat, drink and listen to music; and an historic sight or two. If you’re strolling on the right day you could easily find yourself part of a music festival or event — they’re pretty regular happenings here! Downtown is where you’ll find many of the larger hotel chains, and some of the luxury ones, but there’s good variety too.
By Flickr user Selena N. B. H.
The River Arts District runs alongside the French Broad River: an artistic hub created from old warehouses and mills, now adorned with a rainbow of exciting colours. You’ll find your classic painters here, but also sculptors, glassblowers, mural artists, craft brewers and fashion designers, with the cafes, bars and restaurants to support them. This is a central spot, just outside Downtown and the Biltmore Estate. Expect it to be busier on the weekends. It's a former industrial area, so there’s not a huge amount of accommodation, but what there is is cool and clever — warehouse conversions, arty guesthouses and boutique style hotels.
Image by Ernest_Roy from Pixabay
Biltmore Village was created during the construction of the Biltmore Estate, circa 1890, to house the employees of the estate. It’s just across the road from the entrance to the estate, and designed to resemble a quaint, English village. The village today still has plenty of historic charm — many of the original homes have been converted into shops, galleries and cafes and many are of architectural note. There’s just bags of historic charm. Biltmore Village is easy to get to from Downtown Asheville, it’s only about two miles down the road, but if you choose to stay here there is a limited amount of accommodation.
Asheville’s Montford Area Historic District is an historic, residential neighbourhood just north of Downtown. More than 600 of the district’s buildings appear on the National Historic Register, the majority of them built between 1890 and 1920. They feature a range of styles and sizes, from fine examples of Arts and Crafts design, to Victorian and Queen Anne styles, Neoclassical and Colonial Revival. Many of the buildings have been converted to hotels, guesthouses or B&Bs, and staying in one of these old beauties is really the ONLY way to experience the Montford Area Historic District fully.
Grove Park is a bit like the Montford Area Historic District, in that it’s an upmarket neighbourhood known for its varied, and very impressive architecture. And it’s just ten minutes from Downtown Asheville. The most famous building in Grove Park is probably the Grove Park Inn, which was built in 1913, in the Arts and Crafts style on the slope of Sunset Mountain — it still operates as a hotel and 18 hole golf course. Even if you don’t stay here it’s worth visiting — have a drink in one of its ten bars and restaurants and enjoy the view over the mountains, the golf course, and Asheville. Grovewood Village is the local shopping precinct and has galleries and craft boutiques, as well as the usual high end shops.
Kenilworth neighbours Downtown Asheville, and is a convenient and charming place to stay, known for having many parks, and an eclectic collection of building styles, including Spanish villas, Tudor-style houses and Arts and Crafts bungalows. Kenilworth is also known for its many parks, and for its two cemeteries: the South Asheville Cemetery, the oldest public African-American cemetery in North Carolina, and the Newtown Academy Cemetery, which was used for Civil War dead. This is a relatively peaceful spot to stay in — picturesque and graceful — yet close enough to the centre of town (20 minutes from Downtown) and the mountains.
