Places to stay near attractions in Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina sits at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers in a bowl of mountains 2,200 feet above sea level, and it is the largest city in Western North Carolina. The Vanderbilt family put it on the map in 1895 with the Biltmore Estate — at 175,000 square feet still the largest privately owned home in the United States — and its winery, gardens, and Antler Hill Village remain the region's single most-visited attraction.

Downtown Asheville is a walkable Art Deco time capsule with the S&W Cafeteria, the Grove Arcade, and the 1929 First Baptist Church, layered with a nationally recognized restaurant and craft-beer scene. The city is often called Beer City USA — home to Wicked Weed, Highland, Green Man, Burial, and outposts of Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and Oskar Blues — and the River Arts District along the French Broad packs more than 200 working studios into a former warehouse zone.

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs directly through town, connecting quickly to Mount Pisgah, Craggy Gardens, and Mount Mitchell — the highest peak east of the Mississippi at 6,684 feet. Asheville is the natural launch point for day trips to Chimney Rock, Hendersonville and DuPont Forest, the Sandy Mush wineries, and the drive up US 25/70 to Hot Springs on the Appalachian Trail.