Follow one of the itineraries below or create your own fall adventure from all of three to experience the area, while keeping your wallet in mind. Itinerary cost is based on two adults.
History Buffs
Under $100
With free entry to the winery with a purchase of a ticket, along with magnificent gardens and winding trails, you will want to spend an entire day exploring the Biltmore Estate. And in the fall, the estate is spectacular. To save money, visit the estate Monday-Friday and purchase your tickets online at biltmore.com.
Tour novelist Thomas Wolfe’s boyhood home and setting for his 1929 novel "Look Homeward, Angel.” Along with the tour, the historic site’s visitor center offers an audio-visual presentation, exhibits and gift shop.
Downtown Asheville is rich in historic architecture. Pick up a self-guided Architecture Walking Tour guide at the Asheville Visitor Center. Free!
Under $50
Tour the 1830s reconstructed mountain farmstead where North Carolina's Civil War Governor Zebulon B. Vance, was born. The mountains surrounding the site are draped in fall color providing a colorful setting to learn more about this area's history. Free!
Learn about Asheville’s past and present through a narrated trolley tour leaving from the Asheville Visitor Center. Hop on and off the tour at scheduled stops and save gas money as you explore the city.
Enjoy a scenic fall drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at the Folk Art Center, home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and representing more than 900 mountain artisans. Stop by the new Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center and check out the “I-wall,” an interactive map showing points of interest in the region. The building itself is LEED certified and features a "green" roof.
Under $25
Through artifacts and interactive experiences the Museum of the Cherokee Indian takes visitors through 11,000 years of history here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Asheville’s Urban Trail displays 30 sculptures depicting the history of downtown Asheville . Self-guided maps can be found at the Asheville Visitor Center and Pack Place. Free!
Conceived by George Washington Vanderbilt as he built Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Village was built to an English country village. Today Biltmore Village is a unique community consisting of a historic museum, shops, galleries, and restaurants housed in original buildings. Free!
Cultural & Art Lovers
Under $100
Explore the studios and galleries of the River Arts District, an up-and-coming warehouse-turned-art-district adjacent to downtown Asheville. Chances are you may even get to see an artist working. The studios are free, but it’s hard to resist taking home a sculpture, piece of jewelry or a painting.
For those who appreciate culinary perfection as an art, dine at one of more than 150 independent restaurants in the Asheville area. During the fall, many feature fall harvest ingredients in their daily specials. If you’re on a tight budget consider a lunchtime menu. Or bring home a small foodie souvenir of trout caviar, goat cheese, bamboo pickles or organic chocolate.
During the season, provoking theatre performances can be found almost every night. Enjoy an after dinner nightcap or dessert at one of Asheville’s outdoor cafés.
Under $50
Along with a museum and galleries, the Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual has demonstrations of Cherokee arts and crafts. Visit one of the shops afterward to take home a wood carving, piece of pottery or woven basket.
Where else but in Asheville could you experience a theatrical comedy performance while getting a historical tour on a bio-diesel purple bus? LaZoom’s 90-minute tour is family-friendly fun.
Spend the morning downtown perusing the 30-plus galleries of the Asheville Downtown Gallery Association. From contemporary fine art to crafts reflecting the Appalachian heritage all art aficionados will find something to admire. Free!
Under $25
The Asheville Art Museum showcases a permanent collection of 20th and 21st century American art along with special collections of renowned national and regional artists. Check out their calendar of informative artist talks and evening entertainment.
With changing exhibitions and video archives celebrating innovative and influential artists, designers, architects, poets, dancers and craftspeople of the 20th century, the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center explores the history and legacy of the world's most acclaimed experimental educational community.
Head downtown to Prichard Park on Friday evenings for the Asheville Drum Circle. Sit back and enjoy the beats, bring your own drum and play along or let the rhythm move you and dance to the beat of Asheville's drummers. Free!
Outdoor Enthusiasts
Under $100
Whitewater rafting is a must-do activity when you visit Asheville. In the fall, the rivers are lined with colorful trees and the temperatures are very mild making for an enjoyable day on the river. Area raft companies offer half-day to full-day trips with for varying skill levels. With names like Floating Logs and Diabolical See-Saw, Nantahala Outdoor Center’s high ropes course entices those adventurists also seeking extreme heights.
If you’re not into golf, but want to spend a couple of hours outdoors on a manicured course, visit Black Mountain and play on one of the few public croquet courses in the nation. Afterward, head into historic downtown and grab coffee at the original Dripolator.
Satisfy your need for speed at Asheville’s Melowdrome (Asheville’s own version of a velodrome), a resurfaced motor speedway in Carrier Park. No bike? Several area shops offer bike rentals.
Under $50
For those of you not ready to scale one of Asheville’s nearby mountain-sides, Climbmax Climbing Center in downtown offers indoor and outdoor climbing walls. Purchase a day pass and spend the day perfecting your climbing and bouldering skills.
One fee allows you to spend the entire day exploring nearby Chimney Rock Park. Take the elevator or the stairs for a spectacular 75–mile view, hike along breathtaking trails lined with fall color, bird watch and hunt for wildflowers at this family and dog-friendly park. Take what you learned at Climbmax and put it to use on a Chimney Rock cliff.
Under $25
Take a drive along Hwy. 276 and not only will you enjoy a beautiful fall drive, but you'll also see Looking Glass Falls. Stop by the Cradle of Forestry to learn more about America's first forestry school. Along Hwy. 276, you'll also find DuPont State Forest home to great hikes and waterfalls.
A $6 parking fee gets a carload into the NC Arboretum. Once inside enjoy the 434-acre public gardens, miles of groomed trails, bonsai collection, and public sculptures.
Rent a mountain bike and hit one of several area trails for a heart-pounding active afternoon. With Asheville’s cool summer temperatures there’s no chance of overheating during your thrill ride.
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