Welcome to one of the coolest cities in North Carolina: Asheville!
Wow, we visited Asheville last year and I can’t believe how much we fell in love with this incredible city.
It’s artsy, eclectic and seriously such a fun time! Oh and the food here is also, absolutely DELICIOUS.
There’s seriously something for everyone in this super fun city.
Also, Asheville was devastatingly hit by hurricane Helene a few years ago. And when we went to visit, only a few months later, the rebuild of the city was already hugely underway with such amazing progress.
I’d really recommend visiting and helping support some of the coolest local businesses around.
We had a great time visiting and now I’m here to help YOU plan your trip! Here are all of the magical things to do in Asheville, North Carolina!
25 Magical Things to do in Asheville, North Carolina
First things first, a visit to Biltmore Estate
It’s America’s very own fairytale castle! I don’t think I can tell you to visit Asheville without a trip to Biltmore Estate.
It’s an iconic American landmark after all!
Just 15 minutes from downtown Asheville, Biltmore Estate swept us away from the very first moment.
Expect grand staircases, stately architecture, sprawling gardens, and the Blue Ridge Mountains rolling in the distance.
It’s one of those, once in a lifetime house visits, but please note, tickets are definitely on the expensive side as they start from $90 per person.
Where to eat and drink in Asheville, North Carolina
Regina’s Westside for a classic diner breakfast
Ok, it’s your classic diner but with a bit of a twist. Think classic diner breakfasts (unlimited coffee refills – yay) and breakfast classics but with bit more kitschy and artistic decor wise.
Plus the food absolutely slaps! We really enjoyed driving here for breakfast. It’s probably about 10 minutes outside of the city centre.
🌮 Taco Billy: Get frozen margs + Good Lovin’ tacos
OH MY GOSH.
Well, you know, I’m always on the lookout for the best tacos and margaritas in every city I visit.
And Taco Billy does not disappoint. Located in West Asheville, you really don’t want to miss this spot.
PLUS FROZEN MARGS!!
☕️ Double D’s Coffee and Desserts – it’s a double decker bus in Asheville!
I never thought I’d spot a British Double Decker bus in America, but then again, Asheville is known for it’s cool quirky hotspots.
Double D’s Coffee and Desserts is one of them!
Quite the epic food truck, they have the most incredible range or coffees and desserts. Perhaps a Lavender Honey Latte is in your future? Or a Double Decker White Mocha?
You seriously can’t go wrong with whatever you choose.
And bonus? If it’s nice outside, they have a little seating area where you can enjoy your drinks and think of England.
📍Double D’s Coffee and Desserts 41 Biltmore Avenue Asheville, NC 28801
🍽️ The Bull & Beggar for dinner in the River Arts District, the food here is delicious!!
Woah, OK, you totally need to book dinner at The Bull & Beggar while in Asheville.
Located along the River Arts District, this area was hit pretty hard by the hurricane. But it’s back up and running so please do go and visit these awesome places!
Our food here was phenomenal and the restaurant totally cool.
📍The Bull & Beggar, 37 Paynes Way, Asheville, NC, 28801
🥂 Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar: Drinks + books = my kind of place!
I think you might know by now, but I’m the kind of girl who HAS to discover as many bookshops as possible when visiting a new city.
HUGE bonus points if that bookshop has a bar!
The Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar is too cool. We decided to peruse the bookshop first, there is an incredibly large collection of books here with something for everyone. And it’s a secondhand bookshop, so everything you’re finding is secondhand or perhaps even vintage depending on the age of the books!
Post book shopping, we grabbed a table and ordered two champagnes – it HAD to be done!
☕️ Old Europe for coffee + pastries
I’m not sure what it says about us that we kept finding ourselves at UK and Europe related places when in Asheville, but the city appears to cater directly to us, we coulnd’t help it!
Old Europe is a great spot for coffee and delicious pastries. We grabbed coffees to go as well as a croissant, it would be simply rude not to try out the pastries, you know?
Fun Things to do in Asheville, North Carolina
📚 Downtown Books & News Bookshop: Huge selection of secondhand books, I bought a bunch!
The perfect bookstore to explore when in Asheville.
This was a great spot to stop into and I picked up quite a few books to bring home with me. I also thought the staff were just so great.
The person who cashed us out noticed I had picked up quite a lot of historical romance books and she recommended that I check out Mister K’s Used Bookshop as they have a super huge selection there and I might enjoy that.
And we ended up going to that bookshop later on in the trip and it was amazing! So big shout out to super cool staff who just want their readers to find exactly what they’re after!
🕹️ Grove Arcade: Wander into the shops
In this shopping area you’ll find plenty of food and drink spots along with some niche shopping selections.
This is also where The Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar can be found!
⚽️ Olde London Road football/soccer pub for watching your team
I swear I wasn’t thinking of England when I planned this itinerary! I think Asheville is just VERY anglophile centred!
We decided to spend one morning sipping coffees at the Olde London Road pub and watching the Premier League matches while Joe brought his laptop to work.
The perfect place to spend the morning, and I did appreciate the football fans who decided that no time was too early for a pint!
Shopping in downtown Asheville!
There are so many cute, quirky, local shops to stop into.
I picked up quite a few things to take home with us!
🖼️ Art galleries in the River Arts District SO many cool spots here
Absolutely make sure to spend some time wandering through the cool art shops down in the River Arts District!
There are so many incredible pieces of art available and also, art demonstrations taking place as you walk by too!
Take a walk through the North Carolina Arboretum
OK, so I don’t think we quite timed it well visiting here in very early spring as everything hadn’t come to life yet.
But I would definitely add this to your list to check out the amazing flowers, trees and nature at the Arboretum in late spring, summer and the autumn time.
We’ll just have to plan another visit back!
More book shopping at Mister K’s
This is one the BEST secondhand bookshops I’ve ever been in! And they had an incredible, well stocked romance section, which is perfect for yours truly!
I bought 16 books for less than $50 and packed them all in my suitcase to take home!
It’s a little bit out of the way from the centre of downtown Asheville, but I couldn’t not mention it for my fellow book lovers out there.
Blue Ridge Mountains
It seems a bit silly to come all the way to Asheville, North Carolina and not explore the Blue Ridge Mountains!
Asheville Pinball Museum
When we walked by this, I genuinely could not believe it existed or that there is a market for this…
But yes, you will find the Asheville Pinball Museum in the city centre!
They have a bunch of vintage machines to check out and you can even play when there too, so it’s not all just about looking around.
See how skilled you really are at pinball!
New Belgium Brewing Company
You’ve got to make a stop at the New Belgium Brewing Company, check out the tasting rooms and grab a bite to eat while you’re there.
They also have live music on as well, so check their schedule before you go to ensure you’re there for some tunes.
Hotels in Asheville, North Carolina
Hotels in Downtown Asheville: We stayed at both the Embassy Suites and the Cambria Hotel (Cambria photos above) during our stay. Both were pretty standard hotels, nothing super fancy!
But they really do have amazing rooftop bars!
So when deciding where you want to stay during your visit, I’d definitely recommend picking a hotel with a rooftop bar to spend an evening watching the sunset.
Bonus Hotel: The Inn on Biltmore Estate
Adding this as a bit of a bonus stay during your time in Asheville. We spent two nights out enjoying The Inn on Biltmore Estate.
It’s not just a hotel, it’s an experience.
The Inn on Biltmore Estate is the more high end luxury overnight option on Biltmore Estate. As another option though, you can also stay at their other property, Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate.
It’s great for if you’re planning a visit to Biltmore Estate and want to stay right on the property. There’s also loads of restaurants and even a winery to go enjoy!
Looking for a specific itinerary? Here’s exactly how to spend 48 Hours in Asheville, North Carolina
Day One ⬇️
🍳 Regina’s Westside for breakfast
📚 Downtown Books & News Bookshop: Huge selection of secondhand books, I bought a bunch!
🌮 Taco Billy: Get frozen margs + Good Lovin’ tacos
☕️ Double D’s Coffee and Desserts – it’s a double decker bus in Asheville!
🕹️ Grove Arcade: Wander into the shops
🥂 Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar: Drinks + books = my kind of place!
🍽️ Bull & Beggar for dinner in the River Arts District, the food here is delicious!!
Day Two ⬇️
☕️ Old Europe for coffee + pastries
⚽️ Olde London Road football/soccer pub for watching your team
🖼️ Art galleries in the River Arts District SO many cool spots here
🏰 Biltmore Estate: magical, you’ve got to go!
🌅 Rooftop Bars: Embassy Suites + Cambria Hotel. There are amazing rooftop bars all over the city, so choose your favourite and spend an evening watching the sunset
This was truly one of my favourite city breaks we’ve ever done and would 10/10 recommend! 🥰
Kelly xoxo
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