North Carolina’s longest running Shakespeare Festival, presents free theatre under the stars all summer long from early May until the end of September. Join them for the summer season and enjoy quality classic drama in a delightful outdoor setting and during the cooler months indoors at various venues in Asheville.
Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C.
George Vanderbilt’s 250-room castle is America’s Largest Home and a top attraction in Asheville. Plan a visit to Biltmore House, explore 8,000 acres of grounds, or book a behind-the-scenes tour.
Elegance and grandeur abound at Biltmore, America’s largest home. This French Renaissance castle in the heart of Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains is an architectural jewel. The home features 250 rooms, including 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces.
In addition to the house, the 8,000-acre estate is home to forested trails and beautiful gardens, which include one of the country’s most complete collections of azaleas. Biltmore is also where you’ll find the nation’s most-visited winery. As you explore the estate, enjoy shopping, dining and luxury accommodations.
Biltmore is as magnificent today as it was when it was built more than a century ago. George W. Vanderbilt created the estate in the 1890’s as a grand retreat in the North Carolina mountains. The estate officially opened to his friends and family on Christmas Eve 1895. Mr. Vanderbilt brought in Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture, to design the gardens and trails. Biltmore was the last great project for Olmsted, whose work also includes New York’s Central Park and the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. The Estate is still privately owned and operated by George Vanderbilt’s descendants
Come Experience Asheville Emporium: Great gift shop featuring a curious and thoughtful collection for everyone on your gift list • 1000’s of well-crafted products by 100+ local and global artists/makers • Asheville T-shirts, stickers, magnets, and other souvenirs/keepsakes • Fun stuff for kids of all ages • DIY photo-booth with fun and quirky props • Gallery with rotating exhibits • ReNew Boutique featuring nearly new on-trend apparel and accessories that give back to area nonprofits with every sale • Asheville Emporium’s mission is to generate inspiration and connection through our Curious and Creative Collection!
Tucked away amid towering pine trees adjacent to The Omni Grove Park Inn is one of Asheville’s hidden gems. Known today as Grovewood Village, this historic site once housed the weaving and woodworking operations of Biltmore Industries, an Arts and Crafts enterprise originally backed by Edith Vanderbilt. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the property is now home to Grovewood Gallery, working artist studios, a sculpture garden, Golden Fleece restaurant, the Biltmore Industries Homespun Museum, and Asheville’s only antique car museum.
Enjoy a leisurely visit here with a delectable meal at Golden Fleece and shopping at Grovewood Gallery, nationally recognized for its dedication to fine American-made art and craft. Free parking is available on-site.
Art Connections Tours are designed to connect art lovers and collectors with the makers in the most authentic way: one on one, in the places where they do their work in scenic western North Carolina. After 25 years of working alongside hundreds of artists as a gallery manager and buyer, Sherry Masters shares her many connections and invites participants to go with her inside the studios of leading and emerging artists in a range of media from paintings, glass, clay, fiber, metals, wood and more.
Join one of the ‘Scheduled Tours’ on select Mondays and Fridays from May – October to see a great variety of local studios; or Sherry will curate and plan the tour based on your interests and input. With her vast network of area artists Sherry strives to match your interests with the studio visits to make the trip memorable and educational.
310 ART is a fine Art Gallery featuring all original work by regional artists and craftspersons. We feature a very diverse selection of excellent artwork in all mediums and all styles. A school for adults in the fine arts is housed within our gallery. Our school is the oldest and most comprehensive in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC. Visit us year round and see our resident artists at work, classes taking place and our revolving exhibits. Hours Mon-Sat 11-5 (winter 12-4) and by appointment call 828-776-2716.
Art and Yoga Studio offering regular classes, open studio hours and workshops for both art and yoga. Yoga and Art share the unique ability to allow you to express yourself through movement of the body, stillness of the mind and liberation of the soul. After The Masters is a small boutique style studio with small classes so individual attention and care can be directed to your needs, goals, abilities and limitations.
Contemporary Southern Folk Art, including painting North Carolina wood-fired pottery, wood carving & jewelry. They also provide innovative custom picture framing solutions for the enhancement of your fine art. Throw in a generous helping of whimsy, exuberance and inspiration and you have American Folk Art & Framing.
AmiciMusic is a chamber music organization founded by pianist Daniel Weiser and dedicated to performing the highest quality chamber music in intimate venues and non-traditional spaces. We are committed to breaking down barriers between performers and audiences by setting up a more relaxed and informal atmosphere at concerts and through informative talks about each composer’s life before each piece is played.
Anam Cara produces experimental theatre that empowers artists, promotes equality, challenges thinking, and transforms community. We provide a safe space for artists and audiences to take risks, grow, and collaborate. In addition to our mainstage season, our experimental ensemble, Accordion Time Machine, produces an original performance every other month. Tickets and more information are available at our website, http://www.anamcaratheatre.org.
We specialize in detailed animal art and pet portraits. Working in a variety of mediums, the artist captures the unique quality that makes each animal an individual. Notecards and prints are also available.
The pottery of the North Carolina folk potters awaits you at Appalachian Crafts. Owens, McNeill, Wyndham, and Potts, as well as many skilled artisans from the surrounding neighborhoods. Carved eastern song birds, wooden toys, hand-woven looper rugs, jams, jellies, wooden kitchen utensils, and even bees’ wax candles! Jewelry by local artisans to enhance you ensemble! Rather read? We have books by local authors (Thomas Wolfe, Wilma Dykeman), books on what to do and where to go: hiking, biking, exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway, and even some down home Southern cookbooks! Y’all come!
Ariel Gallery Asheville’s contemporary craft collective. Featuring a wide range of fine craft created by its preeminent local members. Ariel Gallery: for the Well Crafted Life.
The Asheville Area Arts Council is the collective voice for the arts, advancing Buncombe County by providing access to resources, developing innovative collaborations, and fostering creativity in the community. We are inspired to show work regardless of its commercial value, though we hope that work in our gallery will attract patrons who are interested in something new and exploratory. We see our exhibition space as a showcase for the talent of our area of service, Buncombe County.
The Asheville Art Museum is undergoing major construction to build the new Asheville Art Museum opening in early 2019. The Museum has opened a small pop-up location at 175 Biltmore Ave and will continue to offer programming and events with community partners.
Asheville BookWorks is a community resource for print and book arts located in West Asheville, North Carolina. Through classes, exhibits, lectures, and annual events, Asheville BookWorks has developed a national reputation as a fine book arts and print facility. BookWorks is pleased to provide space, equipment and technical support for individuals with an interest in handmade books, printmaking, and letterpress.
Co-op gallery of ceramic artists and a furniture maker in the Phil Mechanic Building in the River Arts District. We display functional, decorative and sculptural ceramic art, primarily made locally, and are the showroom for Appalachian Joinery custom woodworking. Multiple times a year we feature a ceramic artist from outside the area to make the display ever-changing.
For more than a half century the Asheville Chamber Music Series (ACMS) has taken its place as an important cultural resource in Asheville, bringing world-renowned chamber artists to the city. As one of the nation’s oldest continuous performing chamber music organizations, it has been recognized for its outstanding programs and for its unique education component through a collaboration with the strings program of the Asheville-Buncombe Schools. The ACMS season runs from September through April, and includes five concerts at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, located at 1 Edwin Place, Charlotte Street.
Offering visitors easy access to its towering peaks, Grandfather Mountain is one of the most biologically diverse mountains and in the world designated by the United Nations as an International Biosphere Reserve. Feel the rush when you cross the Swinging Bridge; marvel at 360-degree views from one-mile above sea level; photograph bears, otters, cougars, eagles and deer in natural habitats; hike rugged back-country trails or stroll gentle nature paths; eat in our restaurant or take your order out to one of many scenic picnic areas; chat with our entertaining, knowledgeable staff and let us help you find your own perfect mountain adventure.
A carefully tended wilderness preserve, Grandfather Mountain is home to many rare North American wildflowers and to displays of such naturalized plants as native azaleas, rhododendrons, mosses and lichens, heathers, and other beautiful species. Parts of the mountain are steep and rocky, but much is accessible to anyone: an excellent nature center, dramatic mountain vistas, and wildlife habitat areas.