Fall doesn't look the same twice in the Asheville area.
One morning, you're catching color from a rooftop downtown. By afternoon, you're elbow deep in cheese samples on a mountain farm, or browsing a pottery shop in Weaverville fifteen minutes north. This guide walks through the neighborhoods and nearby towns that make up the wider Asheville area, with ideas for where to start the morning, spend the afternoon, settle in for dinner and catch the season's color along the way.
Where should you spend a fall day in the Asheville area?
Downtown Asheville
Downtown is the perfect place to start your color adventure in Asheville. Find yourself surrounded by the season's warm smells, sounds, and sights, all wrapped up in a walkable backdrop.
Start the morning with coffee. The Times, inside the S&W Market, makes seasonal lattes in a nice Art Deco space if you want to sit for a while. Summit Coffee, in the Grove Arcade, changes its menu with the season, so it's worth asking what's new. Or grab something at Malaprop's, the longtime downtown bookstore, before it fills up.
Take in some fall color on an afternoon shopping down Lexington Avenue or head to the South Slope for some brewery hopping and seasonal offerings at Hi-Wire Brewing, Burial Brewing or Green Man.
You can't go wrong with dinner downtown, but it's hard to beat a fall rooftop view at either Wildwood Still or Soprana.
West Asheville
Most of West Asheville happens along Haywood Road, so a good fall day here just means working your way down it. Start with breakfast at Sunny Point Café or Biscuit Head, then spend the rest of the day poking around the local shops, bookstores and coffee spots along the way.
For dinner, you've got options either way. Jargon, Neng Jr's, Leo's House of Thirst and The Admiral are all worth a reservation if you want something a little more inventive. If you'd rather keep it casual, there's Asian-fusion at Gan Shan, Mexican at Taco Billy and Jamaican at Nine Mile, plus plenty of pizza and pub food. After dinner, Fleetwood's is part bar, part vintage shop and yes, part wedding chapel. The Odd hosts drag shows and live music, and Asheville Retrocade will keep you busy with 5,000 classic arcade games if you want to end the night leveling up.
The River Arts District
The River Arts District used to be full of manufacturing buildings, and a lot of that history is still visible even though it's now home to hundreds of working artists, right along the French Broad River. Start the morning at Ultra Coffee, the River Arts District's first coffee shop. Next to Ultra is the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts, featuring local art and offering in-person pottery classes for visitors. Wedge Studios houses three stories of painters, illustrators, sculptors, folk artists and cartoonists and is on top of Wedge Brewing Company.
Stop for lunch at Piccolina or grab a snack and coffee at Summit Coffee before heading to The Roof at The Radical Hotel for a crafted cocktail before enjoying dinner at Golden Hour.
Biltmore Village
Biltmore Village started out as housing for George Vanderbilt's employees. These days it's mostly boutiques, fine art and European-inspired architecture, sitting right between downtown and Biltmore, America's Largest Home. Start at New Morning Gallery, one of the largest craft galleries in the country, with room after room of pottery, glass, furniture and jewelry from hundreds of American makers.
For lunch, Corner Kitchen serves up Southern-inspired brunch and dinner in a historic 1890s cottage. Or keep it lighter at Finch Gourmet Market and Wine with sandwiches, coffee and a patio that's easy to sit on for a while. Grab a drink at Hillman Beer too, then spend the rest of the afternoon browsing the shops nearby.
Fairview
Outside of the hustle and bustle of the vibrant city atmosphere lies Fairview, a picturesque farming community. The pastoral hills of area are buoyed by the strength and ingenuity of the creators and farmers who live there. From breweries like Whistle Hop—tapped as the best brewery in North Carolina by Yelp—to experiences at local farms, a fall tour of this community is an enjoyable, family-friendly adventure. Start your day off with a tour at Hickory Nut Gap Farm. This 100-year-old family-founded farm provides many local restaurants with resources and is also a great place to learn about sustainability, farm animals and an understanding of local foods.
Families can then check out the WNC Cheese Trail, where learning about cheese-making turns into cheese tasting pretty quickly.
Black Mountain
Black Mountain used to be home to Black Mountain College, one of the country's most influential art schools, and you can still feel that creative history around town. Start with coffee at the Dripolator, then head over to the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History for some background on the town before walking next door to the Black Mountain Center for the Arts.
Save some energy for Graybeard Trail or Lookout Traill. Both climb through good fall color and are a little more work than a casual walk, so you'll have earned dinner by the time you're back in town. Grab pizza at My Father's Pizza, try the coastal-meets-mountain menu at Que Sera, or head to Oak and Grist for a nightcap, an Appalachian distillery with a nice outdoor space.
Weaverville
Weaverville is about fifteen minutes north of downtown, easy enough for a day trip but far enough that it feels like its own town. Start with coffee at the LGBTQ-owned Yellow Mug Coffee Shop on Main Street, then spend the afternoon browsing Mangum Pottery, a family shop now in its second generation, or stopping by Crucible Glassworks to watch a glassblowing demonstration and maybe pick out a piece.
If you want to get outside, Lake Louise Park has some of the best fall color in town, and Curtis Wright Outfitters can set you up with an afternoon of fishing. For dinner, Blue Mountain Pizza and Stoney Knob are both good options, and Vintage Kava is a fun way to end the night.
