Curator’s statement
Asheville is known as “Beer City, USA,” one of the first places to pass its own Prohibition laws in 1907. So, how does this location work for families? Outdoor life and interactive museums to keep the kids entertained without the alcohol. Blue Ridge Mountain has trails and waterfalls with amazing views, while in the city, the museums, music, and art life keep families moving.
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Things to do in Asheville
Grove Arcade, completed in 1922
Grove Arcade
In the city, Grove Arcade is a beautiful building finished in 1922 with shops and restaurants. The winged lions guarding the main entrance are Roger and Ben.
Pinball Museum
Right across the way is the Pinball Museum that has arcade games and pinball that you can play all day. My son wanted to keep going back, and so many adults get taken back to childhood, making it hard for adults to leave as well.
North Carolina Arboretum
Outside the city in the Blue Ridge Mountains is one of our favorite stops, the North Carolina Arboretum. Depending on the season depends on what they have out and available, but always the trails and gardens to see. We were able to see the Dumbo Trolls during our visit.
Make sure to visit inside and get a free backpack with supplies you can use during your hikes for both kids and adults. Our bags had binoculars, colored pencils, notebooks for journaling, and many other fun things you could use while hiking the trails.
Hiking
The Chimney Rock is a nice hike if you are not afraid of heights, making parents a little nervous with little ones at the peak.
Always hikes to find waterfalls are nice. Our favorite waterfall is Crabtree Falls, but that is in the Pisgah National Forest further from Asheville.
Places to eat & drink in Asheville
Mizu: Local restaurant attached to Asian market
So many different restaurants to choose and all close locations from each other and our favorite things to do in the city.
Maguro has Japanese-style food. We ordered ramen, Takoyaki (only four balls served), and they only had one choice for udon noodles.
The French Broad Chocolate Lounge has ice cream, sweets, and coffee beverages. We ordered liquid truffle. It was in a small shot glass, and it was very rich and thick but so very good. Three choices for hot chocolate. The kids loved the cinnamon, but they also had dark chocolate and milk chocolate.
Daddy Mac's Downhome Dive has big salad bowls that we had to share and was so good.
Outside the heart of the city, on the drive to the NC Arboretum, we liked Ava’s Donuts. That sugar was so nice to have after a long hike along the trails.
We also love Mizu, a local restaurant that has the best ramen bowls and poke burritos and bowls to choose from. Mizu is attached to an Asian market that had fun new foods the kids were excited to buy and try.
Need to know
The weather is constantly changing in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so make sure you check the weather the day before you travel. It didn’t show snow when we looked a week before the trip and it snowed while we were hiking.
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For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Asheville page.