Blue Ridge Mountains

The Bue Ridge Parkway through the Blue Ridge Mountains intersects through the heart of Asheville, and is considered one of America's most scenic drives.

Nearby Attractions

See all attractions in Asheville
Asheville's artists
From mountain crafts to fine art and pottery, Asheville's artists experiment and perfect their crafts, with the final products making an excellent purchase as a reminder of your time in the city.
Asheville's eclectic architecture
When many cities razed their historic buildings in the 1960's, Asheville preserved itself. Today, the electic architecture is part of the city's charm.
Pack Square Park
Green space in Downtown Ashville.
Mount Mitchell
The highest point east of the Rockies, Mt Mitchell stands over 6,600 feet and is in a North Carolina state park.
Pisgah National Forest
Completely contained in the state of North Carolina, the national forest is one of the first of its kind in the eastern United States.
Blue Ridge Parkway
With nearly 500 miles of road, the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most scenic routes in the United States, and the Asheville portion is unmissable.

Related Tours

The Best of Asheville: Private 2.5-hour Walking Tour
Asheville has been on the tip of everyone's tongues for years. It's a funky and eclectic mountain city with a vibrant culinary scene, an exciting live music scene, 30-plus art galleries downtown alone and, of course, the awe-inspiring scenery of the Appalachian Mountains. With our 2.5-hour private Highlights Tour of Asheville, we'll show you all the best parts of this special city—and then some, giving you an insider's look at what makes this place so unique (and why people keep coming back).

On your private walking tour of Asheville, you will:

  • Explore Downtown Asheville, where you'll get a taste of what makes Asheville so unique, from its well-preserved architecture to its energetic vibe to its natural beauty;
  • Walk past the Asheville Art Museum, with a collection of 20th and 21st centuries American art;
  • Discover Asheville's Urban Trail, where every stop marks a historic moment;
  • Take a stroll down Pack Square park, Asheville's front yard, surrounded by the art deco City Hall and other historic buildings;
  • See The Jackson Building, located in Pack Square downtown, is a 13-story Neo-Gothic and one of the most loved skyscrapers in the city completed in 1924;
  • Walk past the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, an old Victorian-style house and one of the most important historical landmarks in Asheville where Wolfe lived as a child and that he immortalised in one of his novels;
  • Admire the Basilica of Lawrence the Deacon & Martyr, designed and built in 1905 and completed in 1909 which remains today as one of Asheville's architectural treasures;
  • See Guastavino’s Monument, a tribute to Rafael Guastavino, a Spanish architect & builder who work on over a thousand buildings in the US since emigrating from Barcelona;
  • Discover The Grove Arcade, built in 1912 featuring more than 70 shops, restaurants and art galleries;
  • Find out why Asheville is considered the brewery capital of America by visiting the South Slope Brewing District, where your guide will make sure you have all the tips you need to enjoy the best food and drinks for the rest of your stay.

Experience all that Asheville has to offer with a private 2.5-hour highlights tour led by an experienced local guide who will share their favourite spots in this charming mountain town.

Asheville is a place where you can truly live your best life. The architecture is beautiful and historic, the food is amazing and the people are warm and welcoming. It's no wonder that Asheville has been voted one of America's most livable cities.

It has a way of bringing out the inner artist in everyone, including you. Whether you fancy trying glassblowing or prefer simply to get lost in the blue hues of mountain-scapes, you will leave the city more in touch with your creative side than when you arrived. 

As you wander, enjoy the atmosphere which captures the nature of the city, its creativity and its sense of history. 

Your tour finishes in the South Slope Brewing District, where you may enjoy a large, local beer and get tips for the best way to spend the rest of your time in this mountain city.
Explore The Blue Ridge Mountains: Private Day Trip from Asheville
The Blue Ridge Mountains are one of the oldest ranges in the world, arising from tectonic plates colliding hundreds of millions of years ago. With misty mountains, winding roads, and sprawling green vistas, the blue mountain parkway is one of America's most beautiful drives. 

On your private day trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains, you will:

  • Enjoy hotel pick-up from your hotel in Asheville or meet your guide at Trade and Lore, where you can enjoy a coffee before being whisked away to the historic mountains;
  • Drive along a part of the most scenic and beautiful strip of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which stretches across 470 miles and 8 states; 
  • Learn how it has been home to people dating back nearly 12,000 years ago and includes the Iroquois, Shawnee, and Cherokee tribes;
  • Discuss the range's recent history (the last 400 years) and how European trappers - later American revolutionaries and colonizers - made their homes in the mountains; 
  • See Mount Mitchell - the highest point east of the Mississippi River;
  • Stop for a short hike at Linville Falls, possibly the most famous waterfall in the Blue Ridge;
  • Enjoy stops at quaint towns along the way where you can picture what idyllic mountain life may be like for you. 

The Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina are stunning no matter the season - with fresh blossoms in the spring, rushing waterfalls in the summer, rusty autumnal colours in the fall, and peaceful snow cover in winter.

On your private excursion, your guide will take you through the mountains on the Blue Ridge Parkway, where you will enjoy several scenic highlights and have the opportunity to do two hikes. You will stop for lunch (price not included) in a quaint town, where your guide will recommend a place for the best Southern food and hospitality. 

After a day spent exploring the towns dotting the highway and the striking geological features of the ridge, your guide will drive you back to your hotel in Asheville. 
Downtown Asheville & Biltmore Village: Private Full-Day Tour
Explore Asheville, a beautiful, artsy, relaxed and Bohemian city with a small-town vibe in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountain. 

On your private full-day tour, you will:

  • Discover the Bohemian charm of downtown Asheville with its many cafes, galleries and boutiques;
  • Explore the eclectic architecture and many historic buildings that were saved from demolition;
  • Admire the dome-topped Basilica of Saint Lawrence; 
  • Take a stroll down the South Slope Brewing District, which made Asheville the brewery capital of America;
  • Tour the surrounding communities of Montford, America's First Suburb developed from 1895-to 1910;
  • Explore Biltmore Village, a quaint and leafy artsy village just outside the entrance to the 19th century Biltmore Estate designed and developed by Richard Morris Hunt and George Vanderbilt;
  • Discover the renowned River Arts District, a grand re-purposed manufacturing district of 300+ artist's studios, galleries & workshops along a one-mile stretch of the beautiful French Broad River; which bisects the City;
  • Visit a small portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Folk Arts Center for some retail shopping, if time allows.

Asheville is a beautiful place, situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and renowned for its vibrant arts scene, outdoor activities and stunning mountain vistas. On your private full-day tour, you’ll mix it up with driving between destinations, and strolling around Asheville’s various neighbourhoods to soak up the atmosphere and admire the historic architecture.

The Downtown Art District is a lively hub of cafes, galleries and museums, you’ll walk past more than 200 locally-owned shops and galleries where you will find everything from pottery and paintings to essential oils, arts and crafts, clothes and shoes. 

You’ll be able to admire the contrast between Asheville’s historic architecture like the basilica of Saint Lawrence and the many artists’ studios housed in former factories along with the River Arts District. 

Asheville is perhaps most famous as the home of novelist Thomas Wolfe, and for the vast 19th century Biltmore Estate – owned by the Vanderbilt family. Opposite the entrance to this 8000-acre estate is the charming, leafy Biltmore Village. Originally the village of stucco cottages was built to house the estate’s employees; today it is filled with upscale boutiques, craft breweries and farm-to-table restaurants.
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