Nearby Mountains Towns and Villages

 

Asheville is a vibrant, diverse city, one that feels bigger than it is due to the great variety in dining, lodging, entertainment and activities. But within a drive of an hour or two of Asheville are a number of small mountain towns – some of them hardly more than villages – that have low-pressure charms and appeal.

 

Since this is a guidebook mostly about Asheville, we don’t attempt an in-depth review of these nearby towns. We have, however, tried to give you a useful thumbnail sketch of each one, highlighting the most attractive choices for sightseeing, shopping, dining and lodging in the towns.

 

Note that many of these can be done on day trips from Asheville.  We’ve done day trips to all of them many times. The towns most distant from Asheville are only about two hours away by car, and most are an hour or less from Asheville. Still, if you are going to what is called the High Country – Boone, Blowing Rock and environs northeast of Asheville – or to Murphy and Robbinsville in the far west of the state, or even to Franklin, Highlands and Cashiers southwest of Asheville, you may wisely decide you’d rather spend the night rather than face four or five hours of roundtrip driving, leaving not much time for exploring these charming spots.

 

For all these destinations, we’ve provided the following information: distance from Asheville in miles and driving time, population, tourism information contact, thumbnail sketch of the town and some recommendations on what to see, where to eat and where to stay.

 

All content copyright © Lan Sluder except selected photographs used by permission and brief quotations or other fair use text, which are owned by the copyright holder.

We have made every effort to confirm the accuracy of information on this website, and in the Amazing Asheville book and ebooks, but travel information is subject to frequent change, and no warranty is made, express or implied. Please notify us of any errors or omissions, and we will attempt to correct them as soon as possible. All opinions expressed are those of the author, Lan Sluder, unless otherwise noted.