Asheville

Asheville Art Museum

A collection of the very best of 20th and 21st century American art.

Wed-Sun 11AM-6PM·Adults $20, students/seniors $7, children under 5 are free

Asheville City Hall

Designed by Art Deco architect Douglas Ellington and completed in 1927, the City Building is constructed out of Georgia Pink marble, brick, and terra cotta. The steeped, octagonal shaped roof is the logo of the City of Asheville.

Basilica of St. Lawrence

Designed and built in 1905, the Basilica is on the National Register of Historic Places and was elevated in status to a Minor Basilica in 1993 by Pope John Paul II. Features the largest freestanding elliptical dome in North America. This place is gorgeous and a must-see.

Battery Park Hotel

A 14-story building faced with brick, limestone and terra cotta trim with a Mission Revival style roof, erected in 1924.

Buncombe County Courthouse

Completed in 1928, the outside features complex setbacks, window groupings and overlay of Neo-Classical Revival ornamentation. The Neo-Classical interior lobby contains a sweeping marble staircase, bronze and glass screens, a coffered ceiling with ornate plasterwork and a mosaic tile floor.

Mon-Fri 8AM-6PM

Central United Methodist Church

Erected in 1902, the imposing limestone church presents Romanesque Revival style massing and forms, but the detailing more closely reflects the Gothic Revival style. A five-bay loggia, set between two pinnacled towers, fronts the large, gable-roofed auditorium.

Drhumor Building

The Drhumor (pronounced "drummer") is a boldly detailed, Romanesque Revival style building constructed in 1895.

First Baptist Church

In Art Deco/Romantic style, Douglas Ellington's first big commission in Asheville. A beautiful distinctive dome with a copper cupola cap.

Grove Arcade

Commissioned by Dr. E. W. Grove, the Grove Arcade is an elaborate Tudoresque building occupying an entire city block. It is particularly worth noting, as it was, when it was built in 1927 by architect Charles N. Parker, one of the nation's most unique and interesting buildings. On each side of this city landmark, four giant arches allow entrance into the building. On the main side facing the equally impressive Victorian Battery Park Hotel, are two monumental gryphons, guarding the entrance into the expansive interior, which features oak shopfronts, spiral staircases, and opulence around every corner. Today, it serves as an influential public market with several restaurants, vendors, and mountain craft shops.

Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM, Sun noon-5PM

Grove Park Inn

Completed in 1913, this historic resort hotel is an important example of the Arts and Crafts style.

Jackson Building

Bordered by South Market Street and South Pack Square, completed in 1925. A Neo-Gothic style skyscraper complete with gargoyles and a bell tower.

Masonic Temple

Features robust brickwork and a tall portico of paired Ionic columns. A three-story, blind arched window is on its Woodfin Street side.

Old Farmers Ball contra dance

Asheville is well-known for its scene in contra dance, an easy-to-learn social folk dance with mixed European origins. The main dance takes place at Warren Wilson College, a little outside the city proper.

Lesson at 7:30PM, dance 8PM-11PM·$12

S & W building

Another Art Deco masterpiece designed by architect Douglas Ellington.

St. Matthias Episcopal Church

A Gothic-style building with a gable roof nave. The brick walls are laid with a darker shade of headers presenting a horizontal texture to the building's surface on every face. The interior contains a rich display of well maintained dark woodwork fashioned in various Gothic motifs. The pulpit, lectern, altar and other furnishings are all original to the church and are decorated with trefoil arch panels, quatrefoil incisions and other Gothic elements.

The Biltmore Estate

A French Renaissance-inspired chateau; with over 250 rooms, it is the largest single family home in the U.S. and the largest privately-owned house in the world, just a few minutes outside the city and should be on any visitor's itinerary. Basic admission includes access to the fabulous gardens, stables, expansive hiking trails, winery and self-guided house tour.

Adults $76-96, youth price half-admission, children 9 and under are free

Thomas Wolfe House

A sprawling frame Queen Anne-influenced house immortalized in the epic autobiographical novel Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe.

Tue-Sat 9AM-noon, Sun 1-5PM

WNC Nature Center

A living museum exhibiting plants and animals that are native to the Southern Appalachians.

Daily 10AM-5PM·Adults $10.95, seniors $9.95, youth $6.95

YMI Building

A simplified English Tudor Cottage style with pebble-dashed walls, red brick quoin trim, multi-pane windows and hipped roofs.

Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM

240 Clingman

This used to be warehouse. Right after the Katrina Hurricane it was turned into a gallery by the owners of Bella Vista Art Gallery. After they left, Jonas Gerard, from Miami, took over the space. He was featured on 20/20 and has some eye-popping art on display, and for sale.

American Folk Art & Framing

Contemporary Southern folk art, NC wood-fired pottery, and custom picture frames.

Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM, Sun noon-5PM

Appalachian Craft Center

Authentic mountain handicrafts including pottery, face jugs, quilts, mountain-made toys and handmade rugs.

Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM

Ariel Gallery

A contemporary craft cooperative featuring handmade work of local artists. Original works in clay, fiber, furniture, glass, metal, jewelry and book arts.

Daily 11AM-6PM

Asheville Brewing Company

A brewpub with their own locally-brewed beers on tap and a full liquor bar, piles of board games, and a large outdoor covered patio with giant movie screen.

Asheville Brews Cruise

A personalized tour and VIP treatment at three of Asheville's finest local microbreweries -- Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company, French Broad Brewing Company, and Highland Brewing Company.

$40 per person

Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre

Western North Carolina's first modern dance company. A diverse repertory reflects both traditional and experimental forms of modern dance.

Asheville Gallery of Art

A partnership of 29 professional, regional artists offering original two-dimensional works from representational to abstract.

Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM

Asheville Glass Center

A glassblowing school, working glass studio, and glass gallery with demos and workshops daily.

Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM and by appointment

Asheville Glass Center and Gallery

A glassblowing school and gallery with daily demonstrations and workshops.

Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM

Asheville Glass Center and Gallery

Glassblowing instruction and studio rentals and a glass gallery representing some of the regions finest glass artists.