Things to Do in Asheville
Asheville Things To Do Guide
Situated in the beautiful mountains, Asheville is home to a huge range of activities and sights to see. Whether a person is into the great outdoors or prefers appreciating the arts, there is a plethora of things to do in Asheville for everyone.
Many of the Asheville attractions are centered around the arts. People who express themselves in the performing and visual arts and call Asheville their home, share their visions with those around them in the Rivers Arts District. People can enjoy a leisurely walk between different art studios and also watch artists as they work and perhaps even be a part of it. Additionally, people can visit one of the several galleries downtown that are a part of the Asheville Downtown Gallery Association. These galleries are open several days per week and participate in events that offer free food and free wine for those that wander downtown to appreciate works completed by local Asheville artists.
Those who are looking for stuff to do in Asheville after the sun goes down will be happy to know that the city doesn’t go to sleep at night. The Orange Peel is located downtown and is considered to be one of the hottest music venues in the country. It has a spacious open floor design with a large dance floor. The giant fan overhead keeps patrons cool as they dance to their favorite local and national bands on stage. The full bar serves a wide range of drinks whether someone is looking for a local brew or a fruity mixed drink. For the largest selection of microbrews and homebrews, people can head over to the Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company. Here, one can also enjoy a discounted movie on the big screen while sitting on vintage furniture and enjoying a slice of pizza. Whether during the day or at night, there are several Asheville activities available to keep anyone entertained.
Things to Do Deals
Asheville Sun Soo Tae Kwon Do
- Asheville
One-hour martial-arts classes are separated by age and skill level to help students build technique at their own pace; uniform included
RiverGirl Fishing Company
- Historic Todd
Groups of aqueous adventurers float along the peaceful waters of New River atop new tubes with built-in headrests
Asheville Community Yoga
- Woodfin
Donation-based yoga studio's experienced instructors share yoga workouts with students from all walks of life
Cooter's Place
- Gatlinburg
Dukes of Hazzard museum houses an indoor go-kart track and 18-hole mini-golf course alongside props and costumes from the show
Smoky Mountain Llama Treks
- Cosby
Let friendly llamas bear backpack weight during hikes through the Smoky Mtn. foothills; feed and pet them during farm visits
Recommended Things to Do by Groupon Customers
Asheville changed drastically in the half-century following 1880. Railroad workers broke through the Appalachian Mountains' natural barrier and connected the city to the world, forever changing its culture and social zeitgeist. Though decades have passed, Brenda Seright Williams still feels the impact of this period, and the tour guide isn't content to let it fade into history. As it says on her website, she believes "the study of those who came before can inspire us to stretch our own limits."
Her Urban Trail walking tours not only explore the 19th century’s Gilded Age but also tiptoe through four other time periods, including the Frontier Period and the Age of String Cheese. Alternatively, Brenda shifts the spotlight to Asheville's pivotal female figures during the aptly named Herstory tours. However, neither of these excursions are cookie-cutter adventures. To weave her stories, Brenda has conducted more than 100 interviews and spent countless hours researching minute details and the correct pronunciation of the word "pioneer."
The guides who founded Better Tours of Asheville draw on experience leading excursions in far-flung locations in Puerto Rico, France, and Italy. Now, they accompany groups past the basilica and other historical buildings in the town, delivering stories developed through constant research and an ability to smell fossils. The guides divulge colorful tidbits of local history during pub crawls through storied taverns with group drink specials and allude to haunting tragedies along ghost tours that occasionally yield eerie photos of orbs, wisps, and buildings an inch from where they normally are.
