Fall is one of the best times to explore Asheville with a local guide.
As color moves through the Blue Ridge Mountains, guided tours can help visitors find scenic overlooks, waterfall trails, downtown stories, food-and-drink stops, public art, haunted history and high-flying adventures without having to plan every detail themselves. Check current schedules, road conditions and seasonal availability before booking, especially for tours that rely on the Blue Ridge Parkway, river access or mountain weather.
What are the best fall tours in Asheville?
Where can I take a guided fall hike near Asheville?
Connect with your mind, body, and spirit while embracing the nurturing energy of the Blue Ridge Mountains with Asheville Wellness Tours. Take a 2-mile round-trip hike along an easy to moderate trail to a mountain summit with stunning views, then breathe in relaxation during an hour yoga session suitable for all levels.
Get to know the local trails with the guidance of hiking experts and naturalists on a guided hike from Blue Ridge Hiking Company. They offer private half and full-day hikes, sunrise and sunset outing, as well as overnight trips. Groups can join a half-day waterfall hiking tour or a nighttime forest and fireflies hike.
What waterfall tours are best for fall color?
When graced with autumn color, waterfalls become even more enchanting. Tumblestone Waterfall Tours will transport you to at least three impressive cascades, making stops along the way to take in the remarkable beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Most tours involve only three miles of total hiking on easy-to-moderate trails. Public tours are limited to seven people max and private tours are available upon request.
Relax and reconnect with your body, mind and with nature on a waterfall micro retreat with Namaste in Nature. This three-hour guided experience includes an easy hike to an epic waterfall and guided meditation and yoga amongst the colorful fall foliage.
Can I paddle the French Broad River in fall?
For a different perspective of Asheville's fall foliage, standup paddle down the French Broad River with Wai Mauna Asheville SUP Tours, with options ranging from peaceful sunrise “Dawn Patrol” tours to scenic 4- and 7-mile guided paddles past the River Arts District and Biltmore Estate. Fall paddles can be quieter than peak summer, but river conditions, weather and outfitter schedules vary, so check availability before booking.
If you're trying to decide between a river tour and a brewery tour, Cedar Rock Adventures offers a floating bar crawl that combines both. The guided raft tour of the French Broad River takes in three stops where you can sip local brews in between a relaxing float down river.
What food and beverage tours are available in Asheville?
Asheville offers a number of tours to tickle your tastebuds. Companies including Eating Asheville and Asheville Food Tours offer a good introduction to the city's thriving restaurant scene. No Taste Like Home and Foraging Home both take you into the woods for a foraging adventure.
On the beverage front, multiple companies offer brewery tours. Blue Ridge Wine Tours offers downtown walking and driving winery tours, as well as a downtown craft beverage stroll. The Eats and Drinks tour with Asheville Detours combines a scavenger hunt experience with tastings at six downtown restaurants and bars.
Where can I take a fall photography tour?
Fall color can be tricky to capture, especially with changing light, elevation and weather. Asheville Photo Tours and WNC Photo Tours offer guided photography experiences that pair scenic locations with hands-on instruction for beginner to advanced photographers.
What scenic driving, e-bike and Segway tours are available?
Asheville Jeep Tours offers guided Blue Ridge Mountain drives in custom-built Jeeps, with local guides sharing area history, scenic routes and mountain views. Confirm routes before booking, since Parkway access and weather can affect where tours go.
A Flying Bike Tour makes Asheville’s hills easier to explore with electric bike tours and rentals from the Asheville Visitor Center. Guided routes can include architecture, historic sites, scenic viewpoints and neighborhood stories; check current tour options before booking.
Take to the sidewalks and streets of downtown Asheville with See Asheville Segway Tours. The two-hour tours are an unforgettable way to tour a large area while learning fun tidbits and historical facts about the city. Tours are limited to six people.
Adventure Center of Asheville’s Adventure Mountain Off-Road Tours in Barnardsville is Western North Carolina’s newest off-road driving experience. Drive or ride in four-person Off-Road Vehicles (ORV) on 220 acres of scenic mountain trails, climbing up 1,400 feet on Adventure Mountain. Start in a training area to develop your off-road skills, then follow their guides for hours of fun on narrow trails, rock and log obstacles, hill climbs, and spectacular views of three mountain ranges.
What haunted tours are available in Asheville?
LaZoom's Ghosted Comedy Bus Tour gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "scared silly". The 60-minute ride led by ghoulish guides is packed with tongue-in-cheek comedy while sharing tales of Asheville's strange and sometimes sordid past. Another roving tour focused on Asheville's dark history is Gray Line Trolley's Haunted History & Murder Mystery Tour, which includes ghostly lore, unsolved murders, and more.
For chilling tours on foot, two companies offer guided walking ghost tours downtown. Haunted Asheville Tours has been developed by a renowned paranormal expert and TV personality, Joshua Warren, who also shares about ghost hunting and how paranormal activity is tested. Asheville Terrors offers several walking ghost tours, including a haunted pub crawl.
Where can I take an Asheville art or mural tour?
Experience the creative art culture of the Asheville area with Asheville Art Experience, a locally rooted guided tour company led by working artists and longtime community members. Tours are thoughtfully curated around guests’ interests, offering an inside look at the River Arts District and beyond. Ideal for collectors, curious creatives, and visitors seeking meaningful connection, these experiences often include studio visits, conversations with makers, and behind-the-scenes access to the creative process.
Asheville is full of vibrant murals, and you can see 17 of them packed into Asheville's South Slope. Take them all in during a journey along the self-guided South Slope Mural Trail. It's a walking distance of about two miles total, but there are plenty of opportunities to rest and enjoy a beer at one of the area's many breweries. If you want a curated experience that takes in more of the city's murals, check out Mountain Mural Tours, which offers both private and public excursions.
Where can I take in fall views from Asheville rooftops?
Take in views over the city and fall-painted mountains beyond with an Asheville Rooftop Bar Tour, which takes in three Asheville rooftop bars/restaurants. The tours also incorporate history with photos from the 1800s and early 1900s for an Asheville then-and-now perspective.
What Biltmore tours are best in fall?
For an expansive view of the nearly 8,000-acre Biltmore Estate, add on the Rooftop Tour to your visit. On this guided excursion, you’ll get a closer look at the design and construction of Biltmore, in addition to enjoying the amazing views.
Other Biltmore excursions include an exclusive 90-minute tour of Biltmore House that takes you into rarely accessed areas, a Backstairs Tour offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse of rarely seen domestic staff areas, and a Farm to Table Tour and tasting that looks at the estate's agricultural operations.
Where can I zipline through fall color near Asheville?
Soar through a fall-studded canopy on a zipline tour. The Asheville area offers some of the best zip line canopy tours in the nation, including Navitat Canopy Adventures, Adventure Center of Asheville, French Broad Adventures and The Gorge Zipline.
Want more tours?
Click here to see a full list of Asheville tours for any season or reason!
