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Interesting towns near asheville nc - interesting towns near asheville ncInteresting towns near asheville nc - interesting towns near asheville nc. 21 Small Towns Near Asheville, NC to Add to Your Bucket List
In addition to gear, the shop offers shipping and shuttle services along with a grocery section packed with trail food. Just a few steps away is Iron Horse Station, a combination inn, restaurant, tavern, and shops. River sports have become a substantial industry for the town, with several rafting companies serving the area.
Hot Springs is also well stocked with cabins, vacation rentals, and bed-and-breakfast accommodations. Initially established in , the site is known especially for its Jacuzzi-style tubs filled with hot mineral water and also offers overnight accommodations and spa services. Photograph by Todd Bush 7. The town is a vibrant mix of tourists and locals, with many of the latter having roots multi-generations deep.
And of course, Blowing Rock and its environs are a veritable wonderland of outdoor activities. A top Blue Ridge Parkway site, Moses Cone Park, has miles of white pine-shaded trails for walking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding. Photograph by Caitlin Ragan 8. Among the many studios and galleries is the recently expanded Tryon Fine Arts Center, which hosts art exhibitions as well as concerts, community theater presentations, TEDx talks, classic films, and the Tryon Little Theater for children.
A luxury hotel and spa is slated to open in In the historic downtown, La Bouteille wine and beer shop provides a wide variety of craft libations and features weekly tastings. Around the corner, the Village Bookstore has been offering a wide range of reads for nearly 20 years. Visit Parker-Binns Vineyard on a day when the delightful retired restaurateurs-turned-vineyarders have their wood-fired pizza oven sparked up to bake some Neapolitan-style pies.
Tucked in the far west corner of the state, Murphy can be summed up in four simple words: mountains, lakes, rivers, and streams. Since the area is rich in these natural resources, the town has much to offer as a home base for wild wanderings.
Appalachian Outfitters is an anchor for outdoorsmen of every ilk, especially fishermen. And anyone can enjoy a stroll along the Murphy Riverwalk and Canoe Trail, a two-mile path that follows the Valley and Hiwassee rivers that surround the town.
Downtown is comprised of just a few blocks, offering ample opportunities to rub shoulders with friendly locals. Locals and visitors arrive early for coffee, stay for lunch, and return later for beer, wine, and live music most nights. Craft brew enthusiasts can earn rewards by joining the Beervangilists, a beer club that encourages exploration. And with John C. Campbell Folk School a quick jaunt down the road, the area is rife with creative types.
Stick around for a class and you might feel so inclined to become one yourself. Photograph by Christopher Shane In addition to what is perhaps its most popular attraction, the Ashe County Cheese factory and store—where you can watch the process and purchase cheeses, jams, and preserves—West Jefferson holds a surprising number of arts offerings.
The Florence Thomas Art School is here, offering workshops in a variety of artistic mediums to all ages. The creative spirit can also be found at Bohemia, a gallery, coffee shop, and community gathering hot spot.
For those who enjoy the outdoors, Mount Jefferson State Natural Area sits to the west and offers hiking trails—including a kid-friendly trail—along with picnic areas and nice views over the town. The Bowie-Seagraves Municipal Park keeps families active with tennis and basketball courts, a playground, baseball field, and walking trail. And with outdoors retailer Mountain Outfitters in town, West Jefferson makes a great base from which to explore the New River.
Photograph by Rob Mangum Its quaint, walkable downtown is bursting with activity and only 10 minutes from Asheville. Its restaurants offer just enough variety to keep the locals happy and attract culinary visitors. The town also offers outdoor amenities.
Lake Louise Park, with its walking trail, playgrounds, and picnic facilities, is great for fair weather days, and Main Street Nature Park is a lovely wooded hideaway in the middle of town. Bryson City feels like a place in a pleasant state of perpetual motion. The town is the hub of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, which offers a range of regular runs on the rails, along with the stellar Smoky Mountain Trains Museum. Photograph Courtesy of the Highlander.
Few towns can claim that their primary access is via an official scenic route, yet for Highlands, the winding drive through the Cullasaja River Gorge along Mountain Waters Scenic Byway is only part of the allure. While maintaining a year-round population of a lucky few, this isolated, high-elevation outpost draws an elite crowd of vacationers and second-homeowners from places like Charleston, Atlanta, and Knoxville.
The mix of great shopping, impeccable restaurants many of which boast Wine Spectator awards of excellence , and cultural and outdoor offerings keeps locals and visitors satiated year round. Or it might include a luxurious day of pampering at the award-winning spa at Old Edwards Inn.
For those already in-the-know, taking a painting class at The Bascom, touring the Highlands Botanical Garden, or catching a performance at Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center might be in order. Do you prefer to be immersed in nature, or close to modern conveniences? Do you want to be high up in the mountains, or have waterfront views at lower elevations?
For those planning on visiting or relocating to the region, here are some of the best small towns in North Carolina to add to your itinerary…. The award is given to communities that pay special mind to urban forestry expansion and preservation.
Beyond that, Weaverville has been a welcoming community for over a century, acting as a resort destination where people can get away from the hustle and bustle of Asheville. Though the fine hotels of the s have long since been shut, bed-and-breakfasts are commonplace, and hospitality continues to thrive in Weaverville.
It has a little bit of something to offer everyone— three breweries , 30 restaurants, a history museum, an art center, dozens of shops selling everything from quilts to locally-made furniture. For those who like the feel of Asheville, but not necessarily living in a city of , people, Black Mountain is an ace option. This renowned college town is retro-hip, with old-time shops and eateries along the main drag, as well as micro-breweries and a state-of-the-art music center on the outskirts.
Located south of Asheville off of I, Hendersonville NC is rapidly moving towards becoming a bona fide suburb. Historic downtown Hendersonville has the old school, rural feel, but also offers up excellent restaurants and worldy shops in addition to a general store and killer instrument depot. Festivals and street dances are regular events in Hendersonville from spring Garden Jubilee through autumn Apple Festival. Burnsville NC is located in the shadow of Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi and one of the best western North Carolina mountains for hiking.
Burnsville has a fun farmers market open from spring to fall, an old-time downtown with a handful of shops and restaurants, and plenty of scenery for scenic drives or hiking. The historic town also has a youthful and green vigor brought on by several local art and community initiatives, such as Celo , Snaggy Mountain , and Mountain Gardens.
Of course, finding a place to soak in the warm mineral waters is a favorite pastime in Hot Springs, but there is a bit more to it than that. Just 40 minutes north of Asheville and a quick skip away from the Tennessee border, Hot Springs NC is a classic resort town with over years of service. The Catawba River Greenway is great for nature walks within the settlement. Catawba Falls and Lake James are also nearby, as are numerous breweries and vineyards. Near the entrance to the park, a small town was gradually formed to take advantage of the incoming tourism business.
This location is totally built on catering to visitors, as opposed to being a traditional historic mountain settlement. Nonetheless, the town is surrounded by stunning scenic beauty, and offers a quirky assortment of shops and restaurants suited for vacationing families.
Located in the High Country 75 miles northeast of Asheville, Banner Elk NC offers a great blend of small-town stats with big city glitz. Grandfather Mountain State Park is only a minute drive away, and once out of the car, there is a Mile High Swinging Bridge to walk across.
Offering craft brews, local vineyards, and cozy cabins, this is the stuff of which the best small towns in North Carolina are made! And, perhaps unsurprisingly, the views are spectacular. Cone Memorial Park which is good for horseback riding. Over the last few decades its main industry has shifted from lumber to an art scene steeped in Blue Ridge culture and a recently revitalized, pedestrian-friendly downtown.
There are lots of events—including farmers markets, corn maze , concerts, and gallery crawls—to keep the atmosphere lively. Not only are the state parks nearby, but the countryside around Elkin is dotted with dozens of vineyards, golf courses, and fishing holes. There is also a fantastic town park and recreation center—Elkin Municipal Park—that has a pool, tennis courts, hiking , biking trails, and several historical sites.
There is even a Main Street coffee house and a killer used book store. The Spartans of North Carolina enjoy outdoor festivals, particularly when it involves a bit of dancing and something nice to eat. Reimagining the classic mountain town as a cool college town, Boone NC pop.
Consequently, it has all the hip youthfulness of a collegiate base, including concert halls, breweries , trendy restaurants , and entertainment venues. When the holiday season comes around, Boone Christmas Tree Farms are some of the best places to get a real tree in the state of North Carolina.
Like many of the quaint towns in North Carolina, Beech Mountain is built around outdoor recreation opportunities. Buckeye Recreation Center offers tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts, as well as a playground for the kids and an official NC Birding Trail.
But the recreational lifeblood of Beech Mountain is snow-skiing, snow tubing , and other winter activities.
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