Blue Ridge / Asheville

  • Blue Ridge Parkway: MP 312 to MP 423


Asheville, the cultural center of Western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge, overflows with traditional crafts, modern theater and diverse music.

The Blue Ridge/Asheville region offers endless options for fun-filled days. Tour America’s largest private home, Biltmore, the many-roomed mansion of George Vanderbilt. Enjoy modern art created and displayed in Asheville or traditional mountain crafts preserved and treasured at the Folk Art Center. Scale lofty Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the eastern U.S., soaring more than a mile high.  Visit the dense green woods of Pisgah National Forest to see the place where forestry was born.  Remember the area’s literary history at Thomas Wolfe’s birthplace and Carl Sandburg’s farm, Connemara. From whitewater on the French Broad River to waterskiing on Lake James, exploring village shops and galleries in Black Mountain to a relaxing spa session at the Grove Park Inn, days are full and choices are many here.

Events

SPRING

  • Festival of Flowers at Biltmore. April 3-May 16. Asheville. Special events. (800) 411-3812.
  • Fire on the Mountain Blacksmith Festival. April 24. Spruce Pine. Blacksmiths line the street and demonstrate their metalworking craft. (828) 765-3008.

SUMMER

  • Brevard Music Festival. June 25-August 8. Brevard Music Center. Chamber, opera, orchestra. (888) 384-8682, (828) 862-2100.
  • Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair. August 6-7. Burnsville. Handmade quilts, pottery, woven baskets, or other handmade crafts. (828) 682-7413.

FALL

  • Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands. October 21-24. Folk Art Center, Asheville. Demonstrations, music.
    (828) 298-7928.
  • 43rd Annual Lunsford Festival. October 2. Mars Hill College. Music of the Blue Ridge. (828) 689-1571.

Area Links