Downtown Asheville and the Surrounding Countryside Itinerary
Fall foliage is beautiful throughout Asheville
Downtown Asheville and the Surrounding Countryside
3 nights / 4 days
Highlights: downtown Asheville; Asheville Art Museum; Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center; Great Smoky Mountains Railroad; Raft and Rail; Rapid Transit; The Jarrett House; Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian Reservation; Oconaluftee Indian Village; Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual; Museum of the Cherokee Indian; Harrah’s Cherokee Casino; Haunted Ghost Tours of Asheville
Day 1
Spend time discovering downtown Asheville, the most architecturally diverse city in North Carolina. Visitors will find more Art Deco architecture here than in any other southeastern city outside of Miami Beach. Consistently ranked on AmericanStyle’s list of the nation’s top 25 arts destinations, Asheville is known as a collector’s and shopper’s paradise.
One way to get acquainted with the history and flavor of downtown is to hire a step-on guide. Tours can range from one hour to all day, and can be designed with a particular focus in mind – arts; architecture; history, etc.
Spend the afternoon surrounded by the very best of the 20th and 21st century American art with a visit to the Asheville Art Museum. Or, if the group’s interest lays in the experiential art movement, plan a visit to the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Albert Einstein and poet William Carlos Williams were on the board of directors. Geodesic dome designer Buckminster Fuller was an outspoken professor. And when Black Mountain College finally closed its doors in 1956, this wonderfully experiential school left in its wake a bold new order for academia as well as art, architecture and design (limited hours of operation).
Dine at one of the group friendly independent restaurants sprinkled throughout the area – from Mediterranean to vegetarian, four-star restaurant to down-home diner, Asheville boasts a variety of eateries that go well beyond its Southern cooking and barbecue roots. The servicing department of the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau can help you choose.
Day 2
Hear the conductor cry “All aboard,” just before the wheels start rolling on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. Ride over miles of track, through scenic tunnels and across bridges dazzled by the beauty of the surrounding mountains. Choose from a variety of half to full-day excursions, all departing from the Bryson City Depot. Enjoy exciting special events that draw you into the action, like the “who done it” Murder Mystery Dinner Train.
Want to spice up the tour a bit? Add a Raft and Rail or Rapid Transit component to the train ride. Perfect for first-timers or seasoned paddlers, teens or boomers, travel 22 miles by rail along the foothills of the Great Smokies and up the Nantahala River Gorge. At the top-of-the-line join the professional teams of Wildwater Ltd. Rafting or Nantahala Outdoor Center for a two-hour whitewater trip down the eight miles of the Nantahala River. A picnic lunch and transportation back to the depot are all included. This full day of excitement blends two of the most popular activities in the Smokies and promises a trip your client’s will talk about for years. (Seasonal).
For a traditional southern dining experience stop at The Jarrett House in Dillsboro (seasonal hours). Regional favorites like biscuits, fried chicken, ham and all of the fixings are served daily.
Day 3
Head west to the land of the Cherokee Indian. First stop on the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian Reservation is Oconaluftee Indian Village, a recreated Cherokee village of the 1750s. Guided tours allow visitors to witness how Native Americans actually lived over 250 years ago. Throughout the village, Cherokee artisans string beads into jewelry, mold ropes of clay into pottery, weave beautiful baskets, practice the ancient art of finger weaving, chip arrowheads and make blow guns and darts. Groups can also observe the art of making a dugout canoe using fires and axes like they did years ago. (Seasonally mid-May through mid-October)
"Welcome. I want to tell you a story, a very old story..."
Follow with a stop at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. The museum tells the story of the Cherokee people using high-tech wizardry along with an extensive artifact collection.
Next stop, Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. Featuring the handiwork that embodies the rich and timeless traditions of the Cherokee people, Qualla has long been recognized as the most outstanding Indian owned and operated arts and crafts cooperative in America. For over 50 years, Qualla has provided a place for Cherokee artists and craftspeople to market their creations--featuring one-of-a-kind originals of beadwork, basketry, carving, weaving, pottery, jewelry, masks, dolls and more.
For parties interested in releasing their risky side with a little gaming, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino is the place to go. The Casino offers over 60,000 square feet of excitement, including on-site dining.
Return to Asheville and take a walk on the spooky side before going to bed. Step into the world of the unknown with Haunted Ghost Tours of Asheville for 90-minutes of hair raising adventure. Enjoy a leisurely stroll and search along the shadowy streets of downtown Asheville, listening to stories of the unexplained and the strange. Hear about haunted buildings and spooky people and spirits that some say still haunt the area. Included in the tour are pictures, taken by the owner of the tour, of ghost spirits and poltergeist orbs. Group rates available. Requires walking.
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