Sights and landmarks in Asheville

39 sights worth seeing in Asheville: landmarks, galleries, monuments and viewpoints.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Asheville Art Museum
A collection of the very best of 20th and 21st century American art.
Wed-Sun 11AM-6PMAdults $20, students/seniors $7, children under 5 are free
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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.
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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.
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Battery Park Hotel
A 14-story building faced with brick, limestone and terra cotta trim with a Mission Revival style roof, erected in 1924.
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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
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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.
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Drhumor Building
The Drhumor (pronounced "drummer") is a boldly detailed, Romanesque Revival style building constructed in 1895.
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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.
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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
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Grove Park Inn
Completed in 1913, this historic resort hotel is an important example of the Arts and Crafts style.
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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.
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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.
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S & W building
Another Art Deco masterpiece designed by architect Douglas Ellington.
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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.
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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
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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
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WNC Nature Center
A living museum exhibiting plants and animals that are native to the Southern Appalachians.
Daily 10AM-5PMAdults $10.95, seniors $9.95, youth $6.95
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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
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American Folk Art & Framing
Contemporary Southern folk art, NC wood-fired pottery, and custom picture frames.
Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM, Sun noon-5PM
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Appalachian Craft Center
Authentic mountain handicrafts including pottery, face jugs, quilts, mountain-made toys and handmade rugs.
Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM
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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
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Asheville Gallery of Art
A partnership of 29 professional, regional artists offering original two-dimensional works from representational to abstract.
Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM
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Asheville Glass Center and Gallery
A glassblowing school and gallery with daily demonstrations and workshops.
Mon-Sat 10AM-5PM
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First Presbyterian Church
Commissioned in 1884, the Gothic Revival style brick nave and tower feature deep-corbelled cornices, hood-molded windows and blind arcading at the eaves.
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Flood Gallery Fine Art Center
Seeks out art that is provocative, challenging, daring, relevant, and important.
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Kress Emporium
Featuring more than 100 distinguished artists and craftspeople, all showcased in the historic Kress Building.
Mon-Thu 11AM-6PM, Fri Sat 11AM-7PM, and Sun in season noon-5PM
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Mountain Made
Featuring the work of over 80 Western North Carolina artisans.
Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM, Sun noon-5PM
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Mt. Zion Baptist Church
A redbrick late Victorian Gothic church featuring a tin-shingled roof where three towers are topped by ornamental sheet-metal finials. A large number of Art Glass windows ornament the towers and walls. Built in 1919.
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The Bender Gallery
Premier studio glass gallery featuring a variety of glass disciplines by regional and national artists.
Mon-Sat 10:30AM-6PM, Sun noon-5PM
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Trinity Episcopal Church
Designed in 1912, the Tudor Gothic Revival style brick building with granite trim features a simple, gable-roofed sanctuary with transepts and a short corner tower.
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Woolworth Walk
More than 150 exhibiting artists and artisans selling and making jewelry, fine art, decorative art and crafts in nearly 20,000 square feet of air-conditioned, quality display and studio space.
Mon-Thu 11AM–6PM, Fri Sat 11AM-8PM, Sun 11AM–5PM
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YMI Cultural Center
Houses numerous exhibits, many dealing with the history of African Americans in Western North Carolina.
Tue-Fri 10AM-5PM
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Black Mountain College Museum & Art Center
Explores the history and legacy of Black Mountain College.
Wed-Sat noon-4PM
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The Smith-McDowell House Museum
Asheville’s first mansion and oldest surviving structure.
Thu-Sat 10AM-4PM, Sun noon-4PMAdult $7, child $3, children under 5 are free
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Blue Spiral 1
Presents contemporary Southeastern fine art and crafts.
Mon-Sat 10AM-6PM, Sun (Apr–Oct) noon-5PM
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K2 Studio
The Kress Emporium's sister gallery.
Mon-Sat 11AM-6PM, Sun noon-5PM
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Odyssey Gallery
Functional and sculptural work by national ceramic artists.
Fri 10AM-4PM
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Studio Chavarria
An exclusive members-only salon and fine art gallery.
Tue-Sat 9AM-6PM
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The Haen Gallery
52 Biltmore Ave
Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM, Sat 11AM-6PM, Sun noon-5PM

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Asheville (CC BY-SA 4.0).