A 2026 Guide to Fall in Asheville, NC
This Fall in Asheville means a cascade of color, a first-time PGA TOUR stop, and a season of new ways to explore.
Autumn leaves are right on schedule, the Biltmore Championship Asheville brings the PGA TOUR back for the first time since 1942, and the fall calendar is stacked with festivals, new restaurants, and fresh reasons to plan your Asheville adventure.
What are the best ways to see fall color around Asheville?
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Fall color moves through the region gradually, starting high and working its way down. According to Dr. Howard Neufeld, a biology professor at Appalachian State University known as "The Fall Color Guy," this year's trees are healthy and headed for a strong season.
Late September brings the first color to high points along the Blue Ridge Parkway, like Craggy Gardens, Mt. Mitchell, and Graveyard Fields. By mid to late October, it's made its way down into Asheville. And by early November, color drops below 2,000 feet, making Chimney Rock State Park and Gorges State Park good bets for a late trip. Thanks to all that elevation change, and more than 100 tree species in the surrounding forests, the season here runs longer, and more colorfully, than almost anywhere else in North America.
Weekly Fall Color Reports keep you up to date on the most stunning spots to catch the show all season long.
Find a unique vantage point
See the display from the French Broad River with Wai Mauna's SUP Fall Foliage Float or Cedar Rock Adventures' Floating Bar Crawl, or soar above the canopy on a zip line at Navitat or The Adventure Center of Asheville. Catch a rooftop view at My Father's Pizza & Pasta in Black Mountain, or let Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours take you to a few.
At Biltmore, color spreads across 8,000 acres of gardens and forest, and The Omni Grove Park Inn's Sunset Terrace is one of the best seats in town to watch the mountains change. Addison Farms and Highland Brewing Company both have outdoor spaces made for leaf peeping while sipping something local, and Asheville's newest outdoor venue, Hellbender by the Orange Peel, has a lineup of live music to provide the soundtrack to the season.
Looking for even more ways to catch the show? Check out our full guide to unique fall color experiences in the Asheville area.
Experience a special event or festival
As the mountainsides transform, Asheville hosts some of its most vibrant celebrations. Goombay takes over Pack Square Park Sept. 11-13 honoring Affrilachian culture and heritage, and Blue Ridge Pride brings a colorful, city-wide tribute to the LGBTQIA+ community Sept. 25-26.
What is the Biltmore Championship Asheville?
The PGA TOUR returns to Asheville for the first time in 84 years when the Biltmore Championship Asheville tees off Sept. 17-20 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course. Golf fans can make a trip out of it with Play Through the Mountains, a new hub connecting visitors to exclusive deals and curated itineraries across the area.
Pick up a scorecard at the tournament venue or a neighborhood hub, print one at home, or participate through the digital version of the experience. Explore at least three Asheville-area neighborhoods, collect your stops, and submit for a chance to win a prize.
What are some new ways to experience the Asheville area this fall?
Learn something new or hone your craft
More travelers are building trips around picking up a new skill, and the Asheville area's community of makers gives you plenty of ways to do it. Try metalworking at Molten Made, a new fine art foundry opening soon in the River Arts District with workshops for every skill level.
Shop and learn at the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, where Southern Highland Craft Guild artisans return to Harrah's Cherokee Center Oct. 15-18 with live demonstrations and hands-on exploration. Or slow down for something social at The Velvet Wind, a mahjong lounge downtown offering lessons to newcomers in a stylish setting.
If you'd rather go deeper into the area's art history, the Black Mountain College Studies Building recently landed on the World Monuments Fund's Irreplaceable America List, and you can tour the Black Mountain College campus at Lake Eden select Fridays this fall.
Bring the whole family
Casual, easygoing activities make the Asheville area an easy fit for multi-generational trips. Blue Ridge Putt-way is opening soon in East Asheville with indoor, all-ages mini golf and mountain-themed art inspired by local landmarks. The Eliada Fall Festival & Corn Maze returns Sept. 25 with an 8-acre corn maze, hayrides, and family activities all season. And Ritrovo, a new pizzeria from the team behind Strada Italiano and Gemelli, is shaping up to be a family favorite with scratch-made pies, shuffleboard, foosball, and a Thursday deal that feeds four for $40.
Don't forget to save room for dessert. Sugar & Snow Gelato in the River Arts District makes a good stop after a walk along the French Broad River Greenway, Marble & Steel Craft Chocolates just opened its first storefront in South Asheville, and Lake Norman Cheesecakery has moved into Historic Biltmore Village.
Tour and taste your way through Foodtopia
The Asheville area's food scene, known as Foodtopia, is coming off a James Beard win and 15 MICHELIN Guide recommendations, with plenty of new spots to try this fall. For a look at where it all starts, ASAP's Farm Tour opens working farms across the region Sept. 19-20 for a self-guided weekend of behind-the-scenes visits.
Downtown, Andaaz has relocated with a refreshed look and an expanded menu of South Indian coastal dishes, while Wall Street welcomes two new arrivals: Slava, a Ukrainian café and bakery, and Flour, a relocated favorite known for its biscuits.
For something more casual, Burger Billy, a new food truck from the team behind Taco Billy, serves smashburgers outside Wedge Brewing's Foundy Street location. And in West Asheville, Ontos recently opened with a lineup of natural wines, cocktails, and small plates.
Discover a small town
For a slower pace, the small towns just beyond Asheville have their own fall lineup worth the short drive. Side B Bar brings a new vinyl listening lounge to Black Mountain, with live DJs and movie nights. Swannanoa welcomes Daymakers Slider Bar to Beacon Village, a casual spot serving up slider flights and sharable plates.
Weaverville is home to Ballcrank Pickleball Club, the area's first indoor pickleball facility, with 12 courts inside a former warehouse. And Woodfin Tavern rounds things out with local beer and weekly trivia, with Smokee's Pizza and Hilltop Ice Cream just steps away.