I am on a quest to visit every American city, major and minor. I will admit Asheville has never been high on my list. No reason in particular, I just haven’t paid attention to it. Outside of the Biltmore, I really didn’t know much about Asheville. I only knew it was near the Biltmore because I Googled it once when we were in Gatlinburg to see if we could drive over and visit. Let’s just say, I am SO glad we ended up not driving over because my husband and I recently got back from visiting the Biltmore and it gave me a chance to explore Asheville. It was worth the 5 hour drive and now a city I will definitely recommend!
I travel to experience different cultures and Asheville is full of just that! Art and artists line so many of the streets, there are so many small businesses to shop in the downtown area and they have so many attractions close by. If it wasn’t on your travel list before, take it from me, add it now!
Below is my exact itinerary. As always, if you travel at different times than I do, there are options at the bottom to help fill in any open spaces! Of course, we made the most of our trip and only took one vacation day from work so we left out on a Friday afternoon.
Let's go to Asheville, North Carolina y'all!
Day 1: Arrival, Dinner, Check In
We got to Asheville around 8pm. Asheville is on Eastern time so while we left a little earlier, once we made a couple of stops and traveled passed the time change, it ended up later than we expected.
Grab some dinner
Check in and rest up for tomorrow
Day 2: Brunch & Explore
Brunch
GO LIKE LO: Eat at Sunny Point Café.
If you go to Sunny Point, expect a wait BUT, they had live music and a neat little bakery that you could grab a coffee & an appetizer while you wait.
I loved this area of Asheville. We actually parked in the Ingles parking lot (a grocery store, like what a Kroger would be regionally) so it was free, but there were several restaurants that we walked by, as well as the Asheville, North Carolina mural and stores.
PICTURE PIT STOP: Asheville, North Carolina mural
Haywood Road: Traveler Tattoo building, down from Sunny Point Café, towards Ingles grocery store
River Arts District
I would bake in plenty of time to explore this district, easily around 4 to 5 hours. I was truly amazed. There are actual artists painting in real time in a lot of the studios. You can buy the art on site too! In addition to paintings, they also have glass blowing, which you can participate in, as well as pottery, antique shops, & locally made clothing stores.
We started at the Wedge Studios & explored every single floor. We walked in many of the artists’ studios and took our time browsing all of the art hanging on the walls. We walked the streets in front of the warehouse as well.
Parking wasn’t a challenge in this area, surprisingly. We found a parking lot near the Wedge.
Head over to the Wedge Brewing Company for a quick break.
Check out the Marquee. This was an antique store and while I am not really a fan of antiquing, I loved this visit. We were here for a long time. There is parking right in front of the Marquee and surrounding areas.
After The Marquee, we went over to the other shops along Foundy Street. This area is full of other artists and merchants!
TIPS ON THE LO: Be sure to check the River Arts District website here to see activities & classes available when you visit. I also found this site helpful when planning which locations we wanted to visit. The area is usually open daily, with most artists being in the studio from 11am to 5pm. We went on a Saturday afternoon & actually found that most activity had died down by 4:00pm.
Art Murals
If you have extra time, I would definitely suggest exploring all of the murals. They are incredible. There are so many, but a few notable call outs. You can also do a guided tour here!
South Slope Mural Trail
Chicken Alley Mural
Triangle Park in The Block
Visit the Broad River
This is the river the arts district runs along. It is a beautiful river, one you can get in, paddle board or float on! Broad River has walking trails, too. My husband and I spent about 30 minutes exploring the rivers’ edge and walking the trail.
Dinner
After Dinner Fun!
We went bowling! It was our anniversary trip so bowling has become sort of a tradition! Instead of hitting the lanes, I would recommend driving in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They are gorgeous!
You can drive in the mountains for as many miles as you want! Find a path in your Google Maps and set out exploring!
Grab a Treat
GO LIKE LO: Visit 10th Muse Comfort Food! It is a drive thru only option.
Head in to rest because tomorrow is a big day!
Day 3: Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and The Biltmore
Rise and Shine: Let's Go to Chimney Rock
I love to explore different areas. Going to multiple locations on one trip is a great way to see more spots for less bucks. We grabbed breakfast from our hotel so we could hit the road early.
Explore Chimney Rock
Lake Lure Tours opens at 9:00am but the boat tour doesn’t start until 10:00am. We got our ticket for 10am and then explored the downtown area. It is a small town, mountain getaway dream. Lake Lure had the cutest stores and restaurants, you could easily explore the river.
Chimney Rock State Park
If you like to hike, I would definitely recommend hiking through the trails to get to the top of the Chimney Rock. It looks like an incredible view.
Lake Lure Boat Tour
The tour lasted 1 hour and covered 80% of the lake. We learned so much about the area, but the real reason I wanted to go was because several scenes of Dirty Dancing were shot in the area! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and he pointed out every shot location. Our guide even threw in several other movie locations! Get your tickets here.
The tour is $20 per adult.
Explore Lake Lure Flower Bridge
This bridge was created by the locals and is still maintained by them for over 10 years! It was truly beautiful and was full of surprises along the way. They even have scavenger hunts!
PICTURE PIT STOP: Dead center of the bridge
Head to Biltmore Village
GO LIKE LO: Have brunch at Biltmore Village at Corner Kitchen.
We explored the shops around the area. It is built to fit the theme of the mountains and the Biltmore. I love creativity and I love to shop so this was perfect! Biltmore Village has mainstream stores like Lululemon and locally owned businesses.
I would plan for 6 hours on the grounds.
You can technically go to the Biltmore at any time on the day you buy your ticket as long as they are open, but your ticketed time will be the time you can enter the house.
You also do not have to do the house tour, you can just tour the grounds, but I highly recommend the house tour. It was fantastic!! There is a lot of walking and climbing stairs, so wear comfy clothes and shoes!
Visit the Gardens on the grounds before & after leaving the house. It is truly something to see.
Drive over to Antler Village for a quick snack, a bite to eat, a winery visit or to listen to live music! All access is included in your ticket purchase. Learn more about the Biltmore experience here.
PICTURE PIT STOP: In front of the Biltmore House, with the fountain in view—walk up the double walkway to get the full house and you in front of it! You will see it once you enter in the gate.
Depending on the time of year you visit, the exhibits will vary. These are additional to the price of a regular grounds and house admission. We opted out as we felt we saw a lot of similar displays in the arts district. We visited in the summer. Give yourself two additional hours if you add on to your experience.
Drive through downtown to prepare your shopping trail for tomorrow!
Dinner
Eat dinner on the grounds or see a full list of Asheville dining options here.
Call it a night!
Day 4: Brunch, Shop and Head Home
Downtown Asheville Shopping
There are streets lined with shops along the downtown loop. I wish I had time to stop down every street. My husband Justin and I want to go back just so we can squeeze in more shopping in the downtown area. If you can stay longer than we could, you could easily do half a day downtown.
The main street is Lexington Avenue. I would start here & then explore from there.
Grab Some Brunch
GO LIKE LO: The Moose Café
Inexpensive, southern home cooking, it is delightful!
Head Home
GO LIKE LO: Stop at Buc-ees
Dining Recommendations:
Breakfast or Brunch Options:
Lunch:
Many can be used as a more casual dinner too
Dinner:
I would recommend making reservations in advance.
Lodging Recommendations:
I always stay with a Marriott or Hilton, as I am a rewards member. I definitely recommend staying with the same hotel company to earn points quickly, especially if you travel often or travel for work. However, I like to stay in unique places. It truly depends on the location and what type of trip it is. For this one, we originally planned to stay at the Biltmore but ultimately landed on a Marriott about 10 minutes away, across from the Asheville outlets.
Stay on Biltmore—there are three options on the property, varying in price point. I would love to stay here, but the access wasn’t completely included. We stayed in a Marriott across from the Asheville outlets and saved a decent amount of money. But it is definitely on my bucket list to come back and stay!
More to Explore:
Drive to Brevard to view the waterfalls
Google maps will be your friend
Asheville Jeep Tours: Land of Waterfalls
Hop on and off as you explore
Mural tours
Google will be your friend here too
Asheville is known for great breweries. We didn’t visit any so I don’t want to rank them, but I googled popular breweries in Asheville. Based on the reviews, you can't go wrong with any that come up.
I can't wait to come back to Asheville. The Asheville Art Museum will be added to my return visit itinerary.
Stay connected
Be sure to follow Hey Lo, Let’s Go on Instagram at @heyloletsgo and TikTok at @heyloletsgolauren.
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