The Perfect First-Timer’s Weekend in Asheville, NC

Spending a weekend in Asheville is one of my favorite things to do. This mountain town is proudly weird, and it makes for a fun, laid-back atmosphere.

The food is great, the shops are unique, the outdoor activities are numerous, and the sights don’t disappoint!

I first came to Asheville just to see the Biltmore Estate, a gorgeous Gilded Age mansion on 8,000 acres in the mountains. But the city and its easy access to surrounding sights are why I keep coming back.

If this is your first visit to Asheville, then this weekend itinerary is for you. Let’s see what you’ll get up to!

Asheville Weekend Itinerary

There are 3 main things you don’t want to miss on your first weekend in Asheville. I call it the Asheville trifecta:

1. Exploring downtown Asheville
2. The Biltmore Estate
3. Driving Blue Ridge Parkway

If you’ve been on Blue Ridge Parkway before, you could skip it and add more time downtown or a visit to Chimney Rock State Park and Lake Lure.

But I only recommend that if you’ve been on the North Carolina end of Blue Ridge Parkway before. The views on the southern end of the Parkway (around Asheville) are the best on the parkway, in my opinion.

Here’s the quick glance itinerary I recommend for your first weekend in Asheville.

• Day 0 / Friday afternoon or evening
  • Arrive in Asheville
  • Dinner downtown
  • Explore some shops if you have time
• Day 1 / Saturday
  • Explore downtown Asheville’s shops and sights
  • Take a tour or visit a brewery
  • Go for a float or a hike
• Day 2 / Sunday
  • Treat yourself to a day at the Biltmore Estate, or
  • Take a drive on Blue Ridge Parkway

And, in case you have time for a long weekend in Asheville, here’s what I’d add for your 3^rd day in town.

• Day 3 / Monday
  • The Biltmore (if you didn’t go yesterday), or
  • Drive Blue Ridge Parkway in the opposite direction, or
  • Visit Chimney Rock State Park

There are a lot of fun things to do in and near Asheville. If you have a long weekend available and it’s not your first time here, I’d recommend branching out into nearby areas like Black Mountain, Lake Lure, or Lake Junaluska.

When to Visit Asheville & How It’ll Affect Your Itinerary

The thing about Asheville is it’s in the mountains but it’s still in western North Carolina.

That means winter isn’t too cold, compared to other mountainous areas, and summer isn’t too hot, compared to the rest of the Carolinas. It’s a great option to visit all year round.

Weather

Summer daytime temps top out in the mid-80s, and winter temps drop to the mid-to-upper 40s. The average low in January is 28°F. If you’re lucky, snow may fall and stick around for days at a time. It’s wild.

With that said, if you’ve lived somewhere with real winter, you might not understand why the locals are mobbing the grocery stores and closing early when the weather is predicted to be mildly unpleasant.

Ice is the big fear here, and people just don’t leave their homes until it melts which is usually a few hours in the morning, possibly a day or two if the temperatures really drop.

The South doesn’t handle winter weather well because they usually don’t have it.

Cities and towns don’t have plows or salt for the roads because they can wait a few hours for it to melt instead. It doesn’t make financial sense to pay for resources they might have to use once a decade.

Fun Fact: Charleston, SC has only had 4 snowstorms of note since the turn of the 20^th century, and one of them was in 1899 so that one shouldn’t even count. (2018, 1989, 1973, and 1899 in case you were wondering.)

The 2018 storm dropped a smidge more than 5 inches of snow, and the airport shut down for 5 days. This is typical of snow in the South.

When to Visit

I’ve been to Asheville in all four seasons, and I honestly recommend you visit whenever you can. There’s no bad time to visit Asheville.

If you visit in the winter, all the deciduous trees are bare but most sights are still open. Blue Ridge Parkway is the one exception, closed and gated off when weather could make the roads icy, despite what Google might say.

On the other hand, Biltmore’s Candlelight Christmas Evenings are the most popular time of year to visit the estate.

If you want to see Asheville, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Blue Ridge Parkway in all their glory, come in fall. It’ll be packed, but the views are worth it.

Summer is best for waterfall adventures, and spring is best to see blooming wildflowers. You’ll find crowds in summer, too, but spring is still pretty manageable.

Day 0: Starting Your Weekend Off Right

When I think of a weekend trip, I assume you’re not taking time off of work to do it, or at least no more than a half day on a Friday. I call this Day 0.

It’s not your first full day in a new place, so I don’t call it Day 1. On a weekend trip, Day 1 is Saturday. Anything you can squeeze in on Friday is just a bonus!

To that end, I assume you’ll arrive in Asheville around dinnertime on Friday, which is perfect because Asheville has plenty of good restaurants. See the Where to Eat section at the end for some suggestions.

If you have time, get a head start exploring the shops downtown. Start at the Grove Arcade and you can get a drink at the Battery Park Book Exchange, a used book store with a champagne and wine bar.

Day 1: Exploring Downtown Asheville

Start your first full day in Asheville by exploring the city.

Break up the day by area so you minimize how often you have to move your car. Start in downtown, then move to the River Arts District and/or to the Grove Park Inn.

Good to Know: Parking in downtown Asheville is cheap. Public garages are just $2 per half hour and max out at $20 for the day.

Check the City of Asheville site for real-time space availability and pricing info if you’re visiting during a special event.

Start your day downtown! Take a tour to get your fill of the history and architecture of Asheville. Art Deco fans: bring your cameras!

If you’d rather just wander at your own pace, that’s easily doable, too.

Downtown Asheville is compact and walkable. There are some hills, but you can pop in a cafe for a break if you get tired.

Park once, and you can walk to all of these spots. Here are some of the local shops and sights I love to visit:

• Mast General Store, for browsing
• Pack Square, for statues, food, and shops
• Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site, famous author’s old house
• Pack’s Tavern, for lunch
• Walking down Patton Ave to Pritchard Park, many cool old buildings to see
• Malaprop’s Bookstore, new books
• Wall Street, for food
• Grove Arcade, beautiful building and Battery Park Book Exchange
• Asheville Pinball Museum, all-you-can-play vintage pinball machines

Reserve about an hour for the Thomas Wolfe Museum, but everything else is however long you want to be there. Guided history tours are generally 1-1.5hrs long.

When you’re done in the downtown area, drive over to the River Arts District (still kind of downtown) on the banks of the French Broad River. This is where Asheville’s creative side really shines.

Artists’ studios now fill old industrial buildings and are open to the public, with good food and more than one brewery mixed in the area as well.

If that isn’t your vibe, then head to the Omni Grove Park Inn and Grovewood Village instead.

Grovewood has a free antique car museum that’s worth a stop, and the Gallery is always full of home decor and smaller items for sale.

Day 2: Exploring the Biltmore Estate

Take a full day to explore the Biltmore Estate, one of Asheville’s most famous attractions and still “America’s Largest Home.”

The 250-room mansion was built for a Vanderbilt in 1895, and its Gilded Age splendor is still impressive today. It’s like walking through a European noble’s mansion right here in the United States.

The hand-carved architectural details are beautiful. The tapestries from the Middle Ages are impressive. The library is to die for, and not just for the ceiling imported from Europe.

If you like fancy houses, this is absolutely a must-see!

Admission is a bit pricey but worth it, and another reason why I recommend you stay the entire day and get your money’s worth.

There’s plenty to see here to keep you busy all day.

• Tour the House, 1-2hrs, get the audio guide!
• Explore the Gardens, 1-2hrs, to see everything
• Lunch at the Stable Cafe at the House
• Go shopping at Antler Hill Village (on the estate)
• Bike, hike, or choose another activity from the Outdoor Adventure Center.
• Go to your free wine tasting at the Biltmore Winery (in Antler Hill Village)
• Enjoy dinner or a pre-dinner dessert on the estate

It doesn’t matter what time of year you visit, the gardens are always worth a stroll.

The Walled Garden plantings are changed out each season, and the Conservatory always has something in bloom. Biltmore Blooms gets all the attention in the spring, but I love fall in the Biltmore Gardens just as much.

Fun Fact: Pisgah National Forest used to all be part of the Biltmore Estate. Edith Vanderbilt sold it to the government after her husband died.

Day 3: Exploring Blue Ridge Parkway

The other must-see beauty in the Asheville area is a scenic drive down Blue Ridge Parkway for stunning mountain vistas, hiking trails, and waterfalls.

“America’s Favorite Drive” starts at the southern end of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and winds its way through the hills and into the mountains of North Carolina, ending at the southern entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

From Asheville, you have the option of driving east or west on the Parkway. Both have pros and cons, but you can’t go wrong with either option.

You can’t see everything in one direction in one day unless you start early, end late, and don’t really get out of the car.

But I urge you to get out of the car and take a hike (and plenty of photos)!

Good to Know: The speed limit on Blue Ridge Parkway is never more than 45mph, and you’re more than likely to get behind an RV going much slower.

Choose two or three from the lists below and savor your day on the Parkway.

Drive East towards Boone

Good hikes, good views, and lots of roadside towns and parks await when you take Blue Ridge Parkway east from Asheville.

Here are some of my favorite spots:

• Craggy Gardens
• Mount Mitchell State Park
• Little Switzerland
• Linville Falls Visitor Center
• Grandfather Mountain State Park
• Linn Cove Viaduct
• Blowing Rock
• Boone

Craggy Gardens has beautiful rhododendron blooms in June, and the whole mountain range changes color in the fall for spectacular views. Take an easy hike up the Craggy Pinnacle Trail and be rewarded with stunning panoramic views!

I’m also a fan of the Linn Cove Viaduct, the last piece of the parkway to be built and an elegant engineering solution. You can get great views of it from the Tanawha Trail.

Drive West towards Cherokee

This direction keeps climbing in elevation and includes the highest spot on Blue Ridge Parkway at the Richland Balsam Overlook.

I personally think the sunsets on this end of the parkway are the best, too.

Here are some good spots to investigate:

• Buck Spring Lodge
• Graveyard Fields
• Devils Courthouse
• Cowee Mountain Overlook
• Richland Balsam Overlook
• Waterrock Knob

The Cowee Mountain Overlook is my favorite spot on the parkway for sunset, but it’s also a great spot if you catch it on a moody day and see all the shades of blue that make up the Smoky Mountains.

Graveyard Fields is gorgeous in the fall once the leaves change, but keep in mind they’ll change earlier than the rest of the area because of the higher elevation.

Where to Stay in Asheville

There are hotels and lodging for all budgets in the Asheville area, and so long as you avoid the interstates, you won’t get stuck in traffic.

Good to Know: The I-40/I-26 split is always a disaster. They’ve been working on I-26 south of Asheville for years, including the last 5 years when we’ve been traveling here multiple times per year. They’ve got to be done soon, right?

I almost always book for loyalty points, so it just depends which brand I’m loyal to that year. I tend to stick to IHG or Hilton hotels for a quality but budget combo, but Marriotts are good, too.

Downtown

All the fancy branches of the chain hotels are downtown. The Foundry Hotel, a Hilton property, is cool and close to all the action.

Fancy

Go big with a stay at The Inn on the Biltmore Estate or the Omni Grove Park Inn just north of downtown.

Budget-Conscious

The Holiday Inn Express at the Outlets is my go-to for a low-key trip to Asheville. I don’t spend any time at the hotel, other than to sleep, so I don’t need a lot.

The Holiday Inn-Biltmore Village is super affordable for a stay near the Biltmore Estate entrance. There’s also a Starbucks across the parking lot.

VRBO

When you want a view! Or you’re traveling with a group. Having a space with separate bedrooms, a hot tub, and a kitchen can be just the thing you need to have a relaxed weekend.

Where to Eat in Asheville

In Charleston we get tired of seafood, but Asheville has variety! One of my favorite things to do in Asheville is eat. There’s always something new to try.

Here are a few great restaurants from years of taste-testing!

Breakfast

Biscuit Head, Early Girl Eatery, and Sunny Point Cafe are all Asheville staples. You can’t go wrong with a biscuit the size of your head or with a good Southern comfort food breakfast.

Lunch

There are so many places but for your first visit to Asheville I recommend trying Pack’s Tavern when you’re downtown, and the Stable Cafe if you’re on the Biltmore Estate.

Another good option is White Duck Taco Shop. They have several locations around town so it’s a good option if you’re out and about.

If you’re planning to be on Blue Ridge Parkway for lunch, you need to bring your own picnic lunch!

There are very few places to stop and eat on the parkway, unless you’re in one of the mountain towns like Little Switzerland, Blowing Rock, or Boone, and they get busy with long wait times.

Dinner

There are four or five good spots for finding lots of food options: downtown, West Asheville, the Outlets, Tunnel Road, and possibly Biltmore Park, if you’re that far south already.

• Chai Pani (Indian street food) and Twisted Laurel (standard American fare) are both downtown and popular, but you’re spoiled for choice downtown.
• Nine Mile is delicious Jamaican food in West Asheville.
• I stay near the Outlets a lot and eat at Stone Ridge Tavern when I don’t want a big to-do over dinner.
• Tunnel Road is mostly chain restaurants.
• Biltmore Park is a mix of chains and local options.

I love the restaurants on the Biltmore Estate but I don’t recommend them for dinner if you’re on a budget. If you’re willing to splurge, though, try Village Social, The Bistro, or Cedric’s Tavern. Village Social is my personal favorite.

Drinks or Dessert

The Omni Grove Park Inn’s Sunset Terrace is a great option for sunset drinks. You don’t have to be a guest but reservations are highly recommended.

If you’re on the Biltmore Estate but don’t want to eat dinner there, walk up to The Inn and get an ice cream flight from The Library Lounge. You won’t regret it!

Safe travels, adventurer!

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