Children can get up close and personal with the inhabitants of WNC Nature Center. Snakes, otters, wolves, bears and mountain lions call this preserve home and at the hands-on Nature Lab kids can pet a snake or hold a turtle.
Visit the Cradle of Forestry's Forest Discovery Center where kids can crawl through an "underground tunnel" and take a simulated helicopter ride to put out a forest fire.
Or simply check out one of these great museum spaces in Asheville!
There are 18 Things To Do in Asheville listed on this page.
Asheville Art Museum
 | Be inspired by world-class special exhibitions and the Asheville Art Museum's outstanding collection, showcasing the very best of 20th and 21st century American art and the cultural heritage and contemporary art of Western North Carolina. This award-winning Museum presents 14 exhibitions and hundreds of public programs annually and welcomes visitors of all ages. |  828-253-3227 2 South Pack Square |
Asheville Historic Trolley Tours
| You'll tour through Montford Historic District, one of the largest historic districts in North Carolina! You'll see Asheville's impressive collection of Queen Ann style historic homes, the exquisite Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa where six U.S. presidents and countless celebrities and historical figures have visited, see the Thomas Wolfe Home and Museum, travel through Battery Park shopping and restaurant district and the Grove Arcade, Visit Pack Square cultural area, Biltmore Village, River Arts District, enjoy fabulous mountain views and so much more. Our professionally trained tour guides will relate the history and lore of Asheville… the Paris of the South. Your guide will combine humorous stories and historical information into a fun-filled tour. Asheville's Longest Running Trolley Line. Unlimited Hop-On & Hop-Off Privileges | 828-681-8585 37 Montford Avenue |
Asheville Urban Trail
| The Asheville Urban Trail has often been called Asheville's "museum without walls." Started by a small group of citizens interested in helping revitalize downtown, the Urban Trail consists of thirty stations of bronze sculpture around downtown. Each station has a plaque illuminating some of the very interesting history of downtown's development and the various notable people who once lived here. Mostly local artists helped to create the whimsical bronze sculptures and other art works that are found at each station. The tour is a 1.7 mile walk that begins and ends at Pack Place and takes about two hours to complete in its entirety. Groups can arrange to schedule a tour guide by contacting Christy Ammerman at the Asheville Area Arts Council 10 days to 2 weeks in advance of their desired tour date. Guide-led group tours are $5/adult and $2/child. Additionally, walking guides and maps are available for self-guided tours free of charge at Pack Place and the Asheville Area Arts Council. | 828-258-0710 Downtown Asheville |
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center
| The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center (BMCM+AC) was founded in 1993 to honor and pay tribute to the spirit and history of Black Mountain College and to acknowledge the College's role as a forerunner in progressive, interdisciplinary education with a focus on the arts. Emphasizing the individual rather than the institution, the College had striking success in producing creative people of great talent and originality. Black Mountain College left both a remarkable legacy in the arts and an important educational model. Through exhibitions, publications, lectures, seminars, films and oral history interviews, BMCM+AC is committed to spreading awareness about Black Mountain College. In 1995 we organized a Black Mountain College reunion for former faculty and students. Other ongoing projects include a website and the development of a permanent collection to provide safe storage for artwork and historical materials related to the College. | 828-350-8484 56 Broadway Street |
Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center
| Located just outside Asheville, NC, at Parkway Milepost 384. This environmentally designed "green" building features two visitor information desks, museum quality exhibits, a 22-foot "I-Wall" interactive Parkway map, and a dramatic 25-minute movie about the Parkway and the unique culture and heritage of the Blue Ridge Parkway. A great spot to help plan your trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway. | 828-298-5330 Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 384 |
Colburn Earth Science Museum
| Volcanoes! Earthquakes! Jewels! Amazing minerals! Mining! Where can you explore all this and more? At the Colburn Earth Science Museum, a downtown fixture since 1960, began as the Colburn Gem and Mineral Museum. Still home to the amazing collection of gems and minerals that have made it world renowned; the Colburn expanded its mission in 2004 to include all the earth sciences. With all ages, interactive, hands-on exhibits on geology, plate tectonics, meteorology and the history of mining in Western North Carolina, the Colburn Earth Science Museum is truly a place where the earth comes alive. Located on the lower level of Pack Place in the heart of Asheville near restaurants and shops, a visit to the Colburn is an adventure of discovery that the whole family will enjoy. | 828-254-7162 2 South Pack Square at Pack Place |
Estes-Winn Antique Car Museum at the Grovewood Gallery
| Established in 1965, the museum is home to 19 rare and vintage automobiles as well as some original horse-drawn carriages and Asheville's 1922 Fire Engine. | 828-253-7651 111 Grovewood Road |
Gallery Minerva
| Gallery Minerva is an eclectic mix for every fine art collector. Showing works by emerging local, international and museum collected artists ranging the gamut from traditional to contemporary. Please visit our beautiful space in the heart of downtown. | 828-255-8850 8 Biltmore Avenue |
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
| This year the nation's most popular park celebrates 75 years as the 'people's park'. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park extends 70 miles along the North Carolina/Tennessee border and contains over 500,000 acres of protected forest. The Mountain Farm Museum is a display of historic farm buildings on US 441 North. | 828-497-1904 Oconaluftee Visitor Center |
Haywood County - Maggie Valley and Waynesville
| Next to the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Picnic with the elk, see the real Cold Mountain and explore charming small towns. Enjoy the Wheels Through Time Museum, mountain golf and outdoor fun. Call for a free guide. | 828-452-0152 1233 North Main Street |
Historic Johnson Farm
| This 1880s brick farmhouse is listed on National Register. Former summer boarding house and farm. Museum, guided tours, miniature horses and antique farm equipment displays. | 828-891-6585 3346 Haywood Road |
Museum of the Cherokee Indian
| The Museum of the Cherokee Indian transports visitors through the world's largest collection of Cherokee artifacts, archives and documents while connecting to the living traditions of the Cherokee today. This educational, interactive experience begins with ancient Cherokee myths from a people who have lived in Southern Appalachia for 11,000 years and takes visitors through a vivid history of survival and sophistication as the Europeans pushed onto Cherokee land. Visitors will meet some of the best-known Cherokees and learn of their heroic efforts to preserve their beloved tribe, land and way of life. | 828-497-3481 589 Tsali Boulevard |
North Carolina Homespun Museum
| The North Carolina Homespun Museum presents a historical overview of Biltmore Industries and its internationally renowned wool cloth. Inside the museum, photographs depict important events from Biltmore Industries history, including its origin in 1901 by Eleanor Vance and Charlotte Yale, through its growth under Fred Seely, and to its revitalization by Harry Blomberg. The museum showcases memorabilia such as letters, photographs, and tailored suits made from Homespun fabric. There's also a 15 minute video on the history of Biltmore Industries, and a 60 year old 4-harness loom on display. | 828-253-7651 111 Grovewood Road |
Pack Place Education, Arts & Science Center
| This vibrant centerpiece of downtown Asheville houses the Asheville Art Museum, Colburn Earth Science Museum, Diana Wortham Theatre and The Health Adventure. A few steps away is the YMI Cultural Center. Pack Place also has five versatile event space for any occasion. | 828-257-4500 2 South Pack Square |
Smith-McDowell House Museum
| Relive the Victorian era at Asheville's oldest house (circa 1840). Explore opulent period rooms, history exhibits and grounds designed by the renowned Olmsted Brothers. | 828-253-9231 283 Victoria Road |
Southern Appalachian Radio Museum
| Presenting a collection of radios from World War I to the 1960s - early amateur and home radios such as Atwater-Kent and Philco, many from the 1920s and 1930s plus an operating amateur radio station. | 828-299-1276 A-B Tech Community College, Elm Building Room 315 |
Swannanoa Valley Museum
| The primary museum of general history in Buncombe County, with exhibits that reflect the pioneer history of Western North Carolina, interpreted in photos and artifacts from the Swannanoa Valley, east of Asheville. | 828-669-9566 223 West State Street |
The Health Adventure
| The Health Adventure is a fun-filled educational museum that sparks curiosity about health and science. Explore two levels of interactive exhibits, including blockbuster traveling exhibits from across the country. Participate in hands-on activities led by our expert educators. At The Health Adventure, we encourage creativity and individual discovery through smart fun. | 828-254-6373 2 South Pack Square |