Asheville - A Mountain Gem

Any journey to the Blue Ridge Mountains would be greatly enhanced by a visit to the town of Asheville. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, Asheville offers a vibrant downtown, a thriving art and music scene and a carefree attitude that makes all visitors feel welcome.

As a center of outdoor activities, you could not ask for a better location. The section of the Blue Ridge Parkway containing the Folk Art Center, Destination Center and miles of hiking trails are 5 miles from downtown. World-class trout fishing and whitewater rafting are within 30 miles of town. Many high mountain attractions such as Craggy Gardens and Mt. Pisgah are a half hour away. The entire scope of outdoor activities that are easily accessible from town is truly staggering. Hiking, mountain biking, fishing and boating can easily be done using Asheville as base camp.

After a hard day’s exertions, Asheville offers a fabulous place to unwind and relax. With a population of 74,000, Asheville is large enough to offer many big city amenities while remaining a warm, friendly town. Downtown is home to a multitude of “hippie shops”, cafes, international restaurants and specialty stores. Art galleries and music venues are a common sight throughout the city. Quirkiness and the offbeat are common threads that run thru Asheville and the town is often called “San Francisco East”. Summer Friday nights usually finds large crowds participating in The Drum Circle on Pack Square. Asheville is also home to numerous art and music festivals and the Bele Chere festival attracts crowds in excess of 300,000.

Anyone planning a visit to the North Carolina Mountains should definitely include Asheville in the itinerary. A witch’s brew of antebellum charm, bohemian outlook and a friendly attitude makes Asheville a “must visit” in anyone’s destination planner.

For more information on Asheville activities and events visit the Asheville Newspaper's
Web Ste.