Asheville, NC – Not Your Typical Small Southern City

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Last Updated on December 15, 2023

people eating in a restaurant, one of the things to do in Asheville — Lunch at the Tupelo Honey Cafe, Asheville

Asheville, NC, on the edge of the Smoky Mountains, is definitively not a typical southern city…

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Updated for 2023

By Jim Ferri

When you visit Asheville, the small North Carolina city tucked away in the hills of the Great Smoky Mountains, you quickly discover it isn’t your typical small southern city.

You’ll also discover there are a lot of things to do in Asheville, NC.

For starters, it’s a foodie’s paradise where you can find just about every type of cuisine imaginable. It also has a burgeoning crafts beer scene as well as a burgeoning crafts art scene.

people in the Folkart Center, one of the things to do in Asheville — The Folk Art Center

Others know it as the location of one of the most famous homes in America. It’s a huge and hugely beautiful French Renaissance château, surrounded by thousands of acres with gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted of Central Park fame.

And lest we forget, Asheville also anchors the eastern entrance of the most popular National Park in the USA. It’s also the final resting place of Thomas Wolfe and O. Henry, two major American writers.

There’s little wonder why it’s the destination of choice for many retirees leaving the cold North. Or for those up north who retire to Florida and then decide to come halfway back up north.

“Halfbacks,” the locals call them.

A City of Surprises

There are two things you quickly notice when driving about Asheville, NC.

The first is the surprising number of streets with New York names. Broadway, Lexington, Battery Park, Wall Street…they all say something about the number of former New Yorkers who live here.

two women in a restaurant — Looking at he menu in the Early Girl Eatery

The second is the surprising number of restaurants you find, more per block than in most other American cities.

There are more than 250 of them. Much of what graces their plates comes from the 14 farmers markets and 1,000 family farms in the region.

Downtown at noon one day I visited the funky-looking Early Girl Eatery. I was drawn in by its promise in the window of a mix of vegan, vegetarian and “everything” cooking. I went in for the “everything” and found an empty table in the almost-full back room.

Following the waitress’s recommendation, I ordered a Reuben sandwich, which unexpectedly was as good as any I’d ever had anywhere. All meals during my visit hit the same mark, seemingly appropriate where culture seems to revolve about eating and drinking.

Asheville’s Nostalgic Downtown

But Asheville, NC offers nostalgia, as well, in addition to all of the things to do in the city.

Since the city escaped the urban renewal craze that enveloped many other American urban areas, you still find remnants of Americana about Asheville. Some are small, some large, the latter including the re-purposing of some well-know merchants from the past.

people on a city street at night — Downtown Asheville at night

After leaving the Early Girl I had another unexpected surprise when I came across an old Woolworth store at the corner of Battery Park and Haywood Street.

The building had retained its original facade but now housed a consortium of artists. And it’s been renamed Woolworth Walk.

What caught my eye though, was the soda fountain. Although it was a recreation of the original, it looked as it was many years ago, right down to the hats the soda jerks were wearing.

The next day on the other side of town I stumbled on an old SH Kress and Company 5-10-$.25 store that also had been similarly resurrected, and now houses the works of local artists.

People in Asheville seem to relish their past, probably the reason you find places such as Woolworths and Wall Street. And the city itself seems bent on promoting itself as a great place for retired hippies.

Based on the throwbacks to the sixties you see about town, ranging from a few tie-dyes to a couple of old VW buses, they appear to be meeting with success.

Art Abounds in Asheville

With more than 30 galleries in town, you find art all over Asheville, NC. In addition, there’s an amazing amount of street art, both wall murals and sculptures, across the city.

woman walking past sculpture on a sidewalk, one of the things to do in Asheville — Street sculpture, downtown Asheville

At the Asheville Art Museum in the center of the city is an interesting collection of the cultural heritage and contemporary art of Western North Carolina.

Its Artworks Project Space, is an area devoted to space-specific art works by local artists.

Another place to find interesting art is at the Folk Art Center, which has devoted itself to preserving the best folk art of the region.

Amazingly, it is the most visited place on the entire 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway. That’s the popular scenic parkway that meanders through western North Carolina and Virginia.

I had expected the Center to be another one of those places selling locally produced woodcarvings, quilts and household knickknacks. But I found instead a showcase of many types of art including painting, embroidery, pottery and stained glass, some very good, some outstanding. It’s worth a visit.

The Grandest Attraction in Asheville

Asheville’s greatest attraction is the astonishing Biltmore Estate. An 8,000-acre property, it anchors the city to both the Smoky Mountains and the region’s cultural heritage.

a Frech chateau style building in Asheville — The Biltmore Estate

The original estate was 125,000 acres, although much of the land was sold to the National Forest Service.

The former home of George Vanderbilt, the estate includes a 250-room French Renaissance chateau. It’s now a National Historic Landmark, but remains the largest private residence in North America. It is so massive it took 1,000 workmen six years to complete.

The place is way over-the-top by anyone’s standards. There’s a dining room capable of seating 67 guests with three huge fireplaces at one end and a pipe organ at the other. Its master bedroom resembles a museum more than a place to retire for the night. There’s another nine guest bedrooms; a bowling alley, walk-in refrigerators (a marvel at the time), stables, etc.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Not far from Asheville, NC is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Surprisingly, it’s the most visited national park in all of America. Yes, #1. It encompasses 815 square miles of unspoiled Appalachia in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee and, like most national parks, is exceptionally beautiful.

people standing by an old mill in Asheville — Mingus Mill in the Great Smoky’s National Park

It’s bisected by only one paved road, a 30+-mile stretch of US 441 between the towns of Cherokee, NC and Gatlinburg, TN. But the drive takes a few hours due to the numerous twists and turns, as well as the frequent stops most people make to admire the scenery, flora and fauna.

And there’s plenty of flora and fauna. The Great Smoky Mountains has 100 species of native trees, more than in all of northern Europe, in addition to extensive varieties of other flora and fauna.

Astonishingly, scientists currently know only about 17 percent of the plants and animals that live in the park. That’s about 17,000 species of probably 100,000 different organisms.

It’s a wonderful drive you should take. And if you time it right – driving back to Asheville in the late afternoon – you might come across some elk grazing alongside the road near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the eastern entrance.

Stop to admire the majesty of it all and then head back into Asheville for a wonderful dinner and, perhaps, one or two of the city’s famous craft beers.

You may also enjoy: North Carolina’s High Country / Charleston Plantations / Experiencing the Heritage of Winston-Salem, NC

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