Location: Asheville
Top Things to do in Asheville
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Things to do in Asheville, North Carolina (NC): The Best Gardens
If you’re into eating locally and supporting sustainable agriculture, go to Asheville—and eat, eat, eat. This town of less than 100,000 people has 17 farmers’ markets, and the local restaurant scene is all about taking advantage of the seasonal produce sold there. And don’t miss the area’s microbreweries.
Restaurants in Asheville
1. CURVE Studios & Garden
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
COVID-19 UPDATE: Currently our hours are as shown: #7 is open Fridays and Saturdays from 11-4pm, and by appointment #5 is by appointment only #3 is closed, but a few appointments are available with Pattiy, so contact if needed. Thank you for your continued support! Located in the heart of Asheville's River Arts District, you will find 11 artists working in their studios making ceramic sculpture, functional pottery, jewelry, clothing and fine art photography as well as teaching the art of chair caning. CURVE studios' mission, since 1989, has been to bring people to art and art to life in Asheville's River Arts District.
Reviewed By artstops
What a sweet find! Pattiy has beautifully created clothes with fabulous material! Her blanket throws are so soft and any color or design you can choose from. I loved the jeweler next to her shop....gorgeous hand wrought designs. The Chair Museum and caning shop was so interesting. They teach classes in caning chairs....one may be in my future. Just a wonderful shopping experience. The pottery artists are very talented as well.
2. The North Carolina Arboretum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,603 reviews
Nestled in the Southern Appalachian Mountains just south of Asheville, The North Carolina Arboretum offers acres of cultivated gardens and groomed trails featuring some of the most beautiful, botanically-diverse plants in the region.
Reviewed By SeniorTravelTales - Oldsmar, United States
We have visited the Arboretum previously initially just ourselves, seniors, touring this magnificent arboretum and gardens and another time with our grandchildren to thrill at Winter Lights. Having our grandchildren visit again and since they love “LEGO’s” we were excited to visit the Lego Exhibit at the Arboretum. Specifically this is a very popular traveling exhibit that has 500,000 Legos. The exhibit is called Nature Connects: Art with LEGO bricks by Sean Kenney. Our grandchildren were so excited to stroll the gardens locating the 16 larger-than-life-size sculptures. Amazing how each sculpture is carefully placed in an appropriate location. This created excitement to find each sculpture and get a picture with each one. These Lego sculptures are just magnificent with design, color, depth and imagination. Additionally, the scale train was exciting for them to watch. They loved the “eyes” on each engine searching the tracks. A fun afternoon. There is much more to do at the Arboretum with hikes, creeks, and more. We plan to check into on our next visit
3. Botanical Gardens at Asheville
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 352 reviews
Located on the edge of the University of North Carolina – Asheville the Botanical Gardens at Asheville were a real treat to visit. First, the Garden is located about 10 minutes from downtown Asheville which made it an easy site to visit. Second, the trail is well tended, beautiful and relaxing. If you ran it the trail is maybe 15 minutes long. If you stroll then it’s as long as you’d like. Lastly, and most important, you get to see some truly spectacular native plants in their natural habitat including a very rare Pink Lady’s-slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule). As a matter of fact I saw FOUR with two still in bloom as well as several yellow and white lady’s slipper orchids that had finished blooming. To see them in their native habitat is rare enough. That some knucklehead had not come by and picked them is even more amazing. Some added treats include a large stone near the main stream that clearly shows the markings of its molten past and appears to be shaped like a dragon.
Reviewed By Irisheyes_777 - Charleston, United States
We were visiting Asheville for the weekend and wanted to find something to do or see our last morning there before we headed home. I looked up to see if there were any botanical gardens and this came up, saw it was free (but we did leave a donation in the donation box) and decided to check it out. We were very pleased with our visit here, there and several different trails and many species of native plants. I could have spent a few hours here, but we only had a short amount of time, so I will come back the next time I am in Asheville.
4. Craggy Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 663 reviews
Reviewed By DavidSimchock - Asheville, United States
If you are passing through the Craggy Gardens section of the Blue Ridge Parkway, it's worth taking a short hike up to Craggy Pinnacle (when heading north on the Blue Ridge Parkway, once you pass the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center on your left, you'll come up to a parking lot on the left -- park here to access the trailhead). What I really like about Craggy Pinnacle is that you get 360-degree views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, so it's a great spot for both sunrise and sunset. And, the hike is only about 3/4 of a mile, and on a very wide path (you can't get lost!). It can be busy during peak tourist season, so best times to go there are in the off-season, and on weekdays instead of weekends. Craggy Pinnacle is one of my favorite spots on the BRP for easy-access photography. If you aren't into the short hike or don't have time, you can catch a nice sunrise across the road from the visitor center (walk a couple of hundred yards south of the visitor center for best views).
5. Haw Creek Forge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Haw Creek Forge is a small business with a big reputation for quality, originality and service. In our riverside studio in the mountains a small group of talented artisans carefully craft each piece of our unique and whimsical copper garden art. We welcome visitors to see us at work and shop. M-F 10-4. We recommend you call before visiting to make sure we are keeping regular hours. 828-285-9785
6. Guns & Roses Statue - located in Burton St. Peace Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
7. Bent Creek Experimental Forest
8. Core Gardens
Located at the North Carolina Arboretum, this area is comprised of three formal gardens (the Stream, Quilt and Spring gardens) as well as the Promise Garden.
9. Stream Garden
This area is part of the formal Core gardens at the North Carolina Arboretum.
10. Spring Garden
This area is part of the formal Core gardens at the North Carolina Arboretum.
