Fall Activities & Excursions

With nearly 250 independent restaurants, Asheville’s culinary scene comes alive in fall as creative chefs and locally-grown produce make for the ultimate autumn harvest.

With the days growing cooler and fall foliage brightening every peak, autumn allows locals and visitors to soak in the area’s vibrant arts and crafts scene, from scenic craft heritage drives to arts or crafts classes to gallery hopping.

This 60-minute guided tour delves into the design of Biltmore House and promises picture-perfect panoramic views from the house’s rooftop and balconies.

Hiking trails in the Asheville area are great for all experience levels, and all boast amazing views of mountain scenery.

Whether you’re looking for a peaceful float or a heart-pounding freefall, view fall foliage from the air on one of Asheville’s many high altitude adventures. Sky dive, rock climb or ride a hot air balloon for fall color to the extreme.

From the middle of September and continuing for several weeks, the monarchs make their way through the Western North Carolina mountains, one of the few altitudes where the migration can be witnessed by humans.

Sure you can do the typical fall tour by putting on some comfortable shoes, grabbing your binoculars and camera, and heading out. Consider a fall tour twist—experience unique leaf looking via whitewater kayak, Segway, Jeep, train or llama.

This is a guide to the best scenic fall drives whether you're visiting in early fall (late September to early October), mid-fall (early late October) or late fall (late October to early November).

With more than 2,000 miles of hiking and biking trails in the surrounding mountain terrain, Asheville has plenty of off-road paths. For a smooth ride, grab a road bike and venture onto America’s favorite scenic highway, the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Explore nature from a new perspective. Glide across tree tops and traverse sky bridges on a unique canopy adventure tour.

If you want to take your drive up a notch, we have a few ideas of how to be an extreme color hunter on two wheels. Experience fall drives with the wind in your hair.