Approximately 300 miles of this Maine-to-Georgia primitive hiking trail spans North Carolina. Voted most popular outdoor destination by Blue Ridge Outdoors and favorite long distance trail by Backpacker Magazine.

Asheville Drifters is a year-round fly-fishing guide service offering float and wade fishing trips for trophy trout and smallmouth bass. Our trips include: transportation, all equipment, quality instruction, gourmet-hot shore lunch, and a guarantee that you will have one of the finest fly fishing guides in the Southeast.

The Asheville Drum Circle is an 8-year tradition and the coming-together of local citizens to dance and play music. Bring a percussive instrument, and you can play too!

Located in Candler, NC six miles west of Asheville. We fly across the Hominy Valley amidst the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains. Cold Mtn., Mt. Pisgah and Mt. Mitchell loom in the background ...it will take your breath away!

Calm water float trips on the French Broad River through the Biltmore property, in Asheville. Canoes, kayaks, rafts and tubes. Family fun adventure. Minimum child weight requirement is 35 pounds. Beautiful riverside facilities. Asheville's only riverside GEM Mining coming in spring of 2009, along with adventure kids camp, ACA canoe instructions, bicycle rentals, and guided interpretive float trips. Check Our web site for complete details. We also offer beautiful riverside facilities with vollyball court, childrens playplace, basketball and horse shoe pit. All of these ingredients make for a great day at the Asheville Outdoor Center for corporate retreats/meetings, team building, family reuinions, parties, receptions large or small. Our location is just ten minutes from downtown Asheville and Historic Biltmore Village with easy interstate access.

More than 50 parks offering golf, swimming, tennis, skateboarding, roller hockey, climbing wall, nature center, playgrounds, basketball, community centers, ballfields, picnic shelters, trails and much more.

The Asheville Tourists are a single-A minor league baseball team that competes in the 16-team South Atlantic League. The Tourists are currently affiliated with the major league team, Colorado Rockies.

The Asheville Urban Trail has often been called Asheville's "museum without walls." Started by a small group of citizens interested in helping revitalize downtown, the Urban Trail consists of thirty stations of bronze sculpture around downtown. Each station has a plaque illuminating some of the very interesting history of downtown's development and the various notable people who once lived here. Mostly local artists helped to create the whimsical bronze sculptures and other art works that are found at each station. The tour is a 1.7 mile walk that begins and ends at Pack Place and takes about two hours to complete in its entirety. Groups can arrange to schedule a tour guide by contacting Christy Ammerman at the Asheville Area Arts Council 10 days to 2 weeks in advance of their desired tour date. Guide-led group tours are $5/adult and $2/child. Additionally, walking guides and maps are available for self-guided tours free of charge at Pack Place and the Asheville Area Arts Council.

Float on an inner tube, picnic in the shade, or just catch some rays at this beach in the mountains. Enjoy the Water Works with water slides and other soaking-wet fun.

Explore the wonders of Biltmore in Asheville for a day or a week. Discover America's largest home, magnificent gardens, award-winning winery, great shopping and delicious dining and a four-diamond escape at our inn.

BioWheels is your complete bicycle outfitter. Bicycle rentals are available for mountain bikes, road bikes and hybrid bikes, and BioWheels is your resource for self-guided tour routes, maps and guidebooks for bicycle rides on the area forest lands, on the Blue Ridge Parkway and around downtown Asheville. BioWheels offers full-service bicycle repairs for all models and sales for new bikes and accessories. BioWheels is the exclusive dealer in WNC for 14 lines of bikes featuring road bikes, mountain bikes, commuter & touring bikes and kids bikes from Cannondale, Cervelo, Jamis, Scott, Bianchi, GT, Schwinn, Look, Niner, Spot Brand, Ellsworth, Independent Fabrication, Maverick, Breezer. Everyone on staff is a bicycle enthusiast with an incredible wealth of knowledge & experience. BioWheels operates in downtown Asheville in the city's first commercial "green" building - look for the solar panels on the roof. Enjoy your ride!

We offer the most comprehensive selection of bicycle tours in the south. From our 1/2-day trips to multi-day vacations with emphasis on the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding areas.

Closest whitewater rafting outfitter to Asheville, 18 miles northwest, Blue Heron Whitewater offers a variety of trips on the French Broad River. Choose the trip that fits your group and schedule. Half Day Trips enjoy 5 miles, class II-III rapids, min. age is 8. Full Day Trips add 3 more miles, a fresh, deli-style lunch, and a class IV rapid, min. age is 8. Families with younger children can choose the Float Trip, min. age is 4. A guide in your raft is always an option. When water levels permit, the adventurous may opt to paddle inflatable kayaks, or guide their own raft. Blue Heron guides share the best rapid routes they know, and in the pools between, the human and natural history of this ancient river corridor. We provide the river-related gear, including splash jacket and pants, and wetsuits in cool weather, no extra charge. High quality experience, competitively priced. A fun rafting trip engages you with the mountains. When you are on the river you are no longer a spectator!

The 25 western most counties and Qualla Boundary in North Carolina comprise the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. In designating this region as a National Heritage Area in 2003, Congress recognized that the cultural and natural resources of the Blue Ridge Mountains have played a significant role in the history of the United States and the State of North Carolina. Some of the defining landscapes include the deepest gorge in the Eastern US, Linville Gorge; the oldest river in North America, the New River; the most visited National Park lands in the country, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway; the highest mountain east of the Rockies, Mt. Mitchell; the ancestral home of the Cherokee, and America's largest home, Biltmore.

Outstanding scenery and recreational opportunities make the Blue Ridge Parkway one of the most popular units of the National Park System. "America's Favorite Drive" winds its way 469 miles through mountain meadows and past seemingly endless vistas. Split-rail fences, old farmsteads and historic structures complement spectacular views of distant mountains and neighboring valleys. Don't miss the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2010. The Parkway incorporates several recreation areas, some exceeding 6,000 acres. These parks within the Parkway have visitor centers, camp grounds, picnic areas, trails and, in many instances, concessionaire-operated lodges, restaurants, and other facilities. The Parkway intersects Asheville at US 25, US 70 and US 74, and NC 191. The Linn Cove Viaduct (MP 304) is an engineering marvel that wraps around Grandfather Mountain. Check out the Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center, the NC Arboretum, and the Folk Art Center.  

The perfect place to plan your trip to this unique region of America is the Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center, located just outside Asheville, NC, at Parkway Milepost 384. This environmentally designed "green" building features two visitor information desks, museum quality exhibits, a 22-foot "I-Wall" interactive Parkway map, and a dramatic 25-minute movie about the Parkway.

This 10-acre nonprofit nature preserve (next to UNCA) is dedicated to preserving and displaying the native flora of the Southern Appalachians. Garden-themed gift shop. Donations welcome.

Buncombe County Parks, Greenways and Recreation Services (BCPG&R) operates 4 recreation parks, 5 river parks, 1 indoor and 5 outdoor pool's. Parks include: Lake Julian Park - fishing, boat rental and a boat launch, sand volleyball and horseshoes. The Sports Park - 7 soccer fields, 6-hole disc golf course, bocce ball courts, a walking trail and a sand volleyball court. Charles D. Owen Park - baseball fields, basketball courts, two fishing lakes and an official North Carolina Birding Trail. Hominy Valley Park - baseball fields, basketball courts, sand volleyball, a pool and tennis courts. In addition, parks have picnic tables, grills, playgrounds and restrooms. The river parks - picnic tables, grills and boat launches for small watercraft. No restrooms at the river parks. BCPG&R sponsors special community events throughout the year and provides high-quality programming for all ages.

Great skiing only 35 miles west of Asheville! 100% snowmaking, 14 lighted slopes, 5 lifts with 3 moving carpet lifts; six lanes of snowtubing fun. Over 2,000 sets of shaped ski and snowboard rentals. PSIA school instruction.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is operating day excursions leaving from Asheville hotels for a day trip to Cherokee highlighting the cultural attractions. A maximum of 14 excursion guests will be transported by a van driver. Participating hotels include: Crowne Plaza Resort phone 800-733-3211, Holiday Inn Biltmore West phone 800-678-2161, SpringHill Suites by Marriott phone 828-253-4666, and Courtyard by Marriott phone 828-281-0041.

One of NC's newest state parks, Chimney Rock brings the best of the mountains together in one place. An elevator inside the mountain or a network of stairs and boardwalks takes you to 315 ft Chimney Rock and amazing 75-mile views of Hickory Nut Gorge, Lake Lure and the Carolina Piedmont. With five unique hiking trails, the Park has something for everyone from the family-friendly Great Woodland Adventure trail with 12 discovery stations along the way to the more adventurous Four Seasons trail which climbs more than 400 ft. Be sure to hike the Hickory Nut Falls trail - the reward is the 404 ft falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the East. Chimney Rock also offers guided rock climbing lessons for beginner to advanced climbers. The Old Rock Cafe and Sky Lounge Deli offer tasty sandwiches and snacks to get you fueled up for your hike. Souvenirs of your trip can be picked up at Cliff Dwellers or the Sky Lounge Gift Shop. The Park offers discounts for groups, and is pet friendly.

ROCK CLIMBING IS FUN! Looking for an activity for the entire family? Try your hand at rock climbing. ClimbMax Climbing Center, in downtown Asheville, is a full service indoor climbing facility with guided outdoor tours available. ClimbMax has activities for groups of all ages and sizes, from birthday parties to corporate programs and is great fun for kids.

From Asheville, drive south along the Parkway past Mt. Pisgah and Wagon Road Gap to Milepost 412. Visitors strategically placing themselves next to the National Park Service sign to capture the mountain in the distance.

Riding into many acres of countryside in beautiful Madison County, NC.

Home of the first forestry school in America, this historic site offers guided walks, historic buildings, living history interpreters, outdoor fun, antique equipment, an old logging train, and the Forest Discovery Center.

Craggy Gardens is covered with purple rhododendron and other late-blooming wildflowers in June and July, and is blanketed in spectacular fall color in the autumn. Take along a picnic lunch to enjoy the cool, fresh mountain air.

Let our professional guides and staff assist you with planning your next fly fishing trip to the Asheville area. We will help you locate and land your next Western North Carolina trout or smallmouth bass. From our three retail shops, Curtis Wright Outfitters offers outdoor apparel, fly fishing gear and apparel, fly fishing education for all experience levels, and destination fly fishing travel packages. The Asheville area has over 3000 miles of streams and rivers within 90 miles of the downtown area. If you are passionate about fly fishing, interested in learning more about the sport, wanting to book a grouse or quail hunt, or just wanting to look at some cool pictures, visit any of our three locations or visit our Web site. Enjoy your visit to this great area...

Diamond Brand Outdoors is Western North Carolina's oldest outdoor outfitter and offers a wide selection of clothing, equipment and supplies for outdoor activities like hiking, biking and camping.  

Enjoy guided llama trekking through the Great Smoky Mountains and let a llama carry your lunch or gear.

A guide to find everything that is handmade, cool, funky, beautiful, relaxing, breathtaking, outrageous, scenic, historical, spiritual, natural, & downright artistically amazing in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

The Food Lion Skate Park offers a safe, challenging, and attractive skate park facility for skateboarders of all ages. The Skate Park offers daily skating and local, regional and national competitions. The Skate Park also offers summer camps and clinics at reasonable rates.

Offers rock climbing and ice climbing trips tailoring to individuals, families, groups, beginners and climbing skills courses for experienced climbers seeking to expand their skills and knowledge.

Experience the thrill of whitewater rafting on Asheville's own French Broad River. Just 30 miles from Asheville. A guide in every raft guaranteed! Five-mile & nine-mile whitewater trips or calm water rentals available.

Ghost Hunters of Asheville offer paranormal enthusiasts three separate ghost tours to hunt down the spirits in Asheville's paranormal world. Our three separate 90-minute ghost tours cover different aspects of historical, haunted Asheville. The exclusive interactive downtown tour guarantees paranormal photographs. Historical Montford's architectural beauty and stunning landscapes serve as backdrop for hunting ghostly specters. Riverside Cemetery beckons to those who dare enter and commingle with the ghosts of eras past.

Step back into the Wild West at Ghost Town in the Sky. Surrounded with breathtaking views in a beautiful mountain setting, Ghost Town is a timeless, family theme park located in the heart of Western North Carolina.

The Go Blue Ridge Card is an all-access pass that includes admission to 30 of Western North Carolina's most popular attractions. Pay just ONE LOW PRICE for the pass and visit as many attractions as you want, while saving up to 35% or more compared to the cost of buying individual tickets at each location. Enjoy such top attractions as Biltmore; Chimney Rock State Park; Grandfather Mountain; whitewater rafting; Cherokee; Linville Caverns; and Tweetsie Railroad – these and 20 other attractions are all included in the single cost of your Go Blue Ridge Card. With everything you need already loaded onto your Card, you can focus your trip on collecting memories instead of credit card receipts. Available online at or purchase locally in Asheville at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce at 36 Mortford Avenue and at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center at Milepost 384 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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.

This year the nation's most popular park celebrates 75 years as the 'people's park'. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park extends 70 miles along the North Carolina/Tennessee border and contains over 500,000 acres of protected forest. The Mountain Farm Museum is a display of historic farm buildings on US 441 North.

Gryphon Bikes offers motorcycle rentals of new and late model Harley Davidsons by the day or longer. There is no better way to experience the Great Smoky Mountains or the ribbon of highway that is the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Step into the world of the unknown with the Haunted Ghost Tour of Asheville for a hair-raising 90-minute tour into the spirit realm of this mountain town. Join us for a leisurely stroll and search along the shadowy streets. Be sure to bring your digital camera, as we promise that you will get paranormal pictures. This tour covers less than a mile.

Located 9 miles west of Brevard on the pristine headwaters of the French Broad we offer a varity of outdoor adventures. Trips include self-guided canoeing, canoe-camping, kayaking, tubing trips and guided fly fishing trips.

Named for the hot mineral springs located there, the town is just 40 minutes north of Asheville at the junction of the French Broad River and the Appalachian Trail. Surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest, Hot Springs is a haven for those seeking outdoor adventure, healing and relaxation, a romantic getaway or family vacation.

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Raft with a company that does one river very, very well! Discover the nature and beauty that the Pisgah National Forest has to offer by rafting with us down the French Broad River. See sights only accessible by water as you experience the excitement of rushing whitewater or gently float along a calm water section of the river. Huck Finn offers full-day and half-day guided whitewater rafting trips (minimum age 8) as well as calm water float trips (minimum age 4). Package deals available include rafting and horseback riding, rafting and a massage, rafting and biking, and rafting and hiking. Group rates start with 10 people and we offer specially designed boy/girl scout trips. Huck Finn is located in Hot Springs which is a small town nestled in the mountains only 45 minutes from Asheville. Dining, shopping, the Appalachian Trail, and hot springs are located just outside our door. We look forward to taking you down the river and our most important trip is yours!

Established in 1985, Hunter Banks Co is WNC's original fly fishing specialty store and offers gear, guide trips, on-stream instruction and more. It's the institution for anglers who appreciate the region's best trout fishing.

Step aboard and discover one of the most spectacular lakes in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Daily and hourly tours, lunch cruises, and dinner cruises. Or, rent a boat from the marina and explore the lake on your own.

Lake Powhattan, in the Bent Creek area of the Pisgah National Forest, offers the perfect place for a swim after a hike or mountain bike ride along the trails.

These natural limestone caverns feature stalactite and stalagmite formations and an underground stream. Home to blind rainbow trout and eastern pipistrelle bats. Facilities include a gift shop.

Looking Glass Rock, less than an hour from Asheville, is probably the best-known rock climbing area in the state. It offers friction and face climbing of a 500-foot rocky face mountain. No permit required.

McCormick Field is home to the Asheville Tourists professional baseball club. This single A team is an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies organization. ESPN.com has named Asheville's McCormick Field as part of the website's "10 quintessential road tours that capture the best of the majors and minors."

There are a few places in the world that still stand apart from the ordinary. Rising more than a mile high, Mount Mitchell State Park is one of these extraordinary places. In the crest of the Black Mountains lies the summit of Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi. For those who ascend this mighty peak, what looms in the horizon is a feast for the eyes—breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, rolling ridges and fertile valleys. The 1,946-acre Mount Mitchell State Park will provide you with some of the most tranquil moments you'll ever experience.

Enjoy the glide of Asheville's only downtown Segway Tour. Starting at the Asheville Visitor Center, you will receive training followed by a 2 to 2.5 hour tour of downtown including the Grove Arcade, the Asheville Urban Trail and parts of the Montford Historic District.

Home to 15 USA Canoe/Kayak Olympians and rated the "#1 Vacation with a Splash" by Good Morning America and National Geographic Adventure, Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) is both a legend and a leader in the outdoor industry. NOC rafts nine of the East's best whitewater rivers including four rivers near Asheville, the French Broad, the Nantahala, the Nolichucky and the Pigeon. Full of splashy waves and expansive Blue Ridge vistas, these rivers are the best way to experience Western North Carolina's mountain beauty with your family or group! Interested in picking up exciting new skills on your vacation? NOC's Paddling School, named "the nation's premier paddling school" by The New York Times, can gently introduce whitewater paddling to anyone in as little as one day. Also offering fly-fishing, bike rentals, lake tours, hiking on the Appalachian Trail, three restaurants and the famous NOC Outfitter's Store, NOC has been Western North Carolina's adventure headquarters since

Much of Western North Carolina is covered by national forest, making it a hiker's paradise. For maps or information on great places to hike, call the National Forest Service.

434-acre public garden in south Asheville with 65-acres of cultivated gardens including the Bonsai Exhibition Garden, 10 miles of forested trails, Garden tours, Segway® Tours, Art Walk, Nature Activities for kids, rotating science, art and cultural history exhibits, a Cafe and gift shops.

Located in Haywood County, near Canton, the Old Pressley Sapphire Mine is one of the oldest operating mines in western North Carolina. Made famous by the discovery of the 1445-carat "Star of the Carolinas," the mine contains abundant quantities of precious minerals for rock collecting.

Unspoiled family fun! Enjoy free local music Wednesday through Sunday,art and craft demos, butterfly and herb garden tours, storytelling, hayrides, apples in season, fudge, and other goodies.

We've got the fun and the fish! Tour our exhibits! Walk our trails! Feed the fish! Operated by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education offers visitors an opportunity to explore the natural world of a mountain cove forest. Located at the states largest trout hatchery, feed brook, brown, and rainbow trout which are raised from eggs and then released in local streams and rivers. Enjoy our wildlife garden, our award winning film, and the NC WILD store. Wildlife education programs are also available for the public and groups. Located 10 minutes from Brevard in the Pisgah National Forest.

Pura Vida Adventures offers guided rock climbing, canyoneering, biking, hiking, paddling, and waterfall trips in the mountains of North Carolina. Programs for beginner to advanced "Come Experience the Good Life" with us.

Explore the high country on horse back or in a horse-drawn covered wagon, several trails from which to choose. Our Big Belgium Horses make quite a show. The 200 yr.old Long Pine Gem (garnet) Mine cave is our most popular ride. Pack a lunch and bring the camera! No age or weight limits. Everyone rides!

The king of swimming holes in the mountains near Asheville, this 60 foot natural water slide down a well-worn slab of rock was providing summertime entertainment long before water slides became standard fare.

Hold on to the safety rails as your skilled driver cruises and spins the 12-passenger boat 360 degrees, all against the backdrop of Fontana Lake. Suitable for all ages - no age or weight minimum for the jet boat ride. Combination hike and ride trips are also available. Choose from a variety of hike lengths - from a 45-minute hike to the standard 90 minute hike - or conquer the "extreme hike" of 12 miles from Clingman's Dome all the way down to the lake (6-8 hrs. of hiking). The combo trips all all-inclusive - guided hiking, picnicking, swimming and thrilling jet boat ride. Call or check out the Web site for more information.

As North Carolina's original family theme park, Tweetsie Railroad is a unique attraction that allows children and families to explore their imaginations and a whole lot more. Be a cowboy, cowgirl, Indian or an engineer. Shop along Main Street, pan for gold or visit the Deer Park. Tweetsie has amusement rides for all ages and live entertainment throughout the park. And of course, hop aboard our historic steam-powered train for a fun-filled three-mile Wild West journey through the scenic mountains. Located in Blowing Rock, NC.

Up-Close Outfitters is the premier source to fishing Western Norht Carolina lakes and streams. They provide guided lake fishing for smallmouth, largemouth, trophy lake trout, walleye, and striped bass. Our highland reseviors and steep canyons, most often borded by national forest, make for some of the most beautiful scenery to enhance your experience. We run to Lake Fontana, Jocassee, Keowee, and James whicha are all within an hour of Hendersonville and Asheville. For the fly fisherman, we offer 12 years experience in wade fishing the head waters of the pisgah and large rivers like the Davidson. We are also the only permited guide service to hunt in national forest for turkey and deer. Let Up-Close Outfitters help you with your next outdoor adventure.

The Market offers retail & wholesale buildings, deli, restaurant, garden center, and features fresh fruits & vegetables, jams, cheese, bakery items, honey, homemade fudge, hand-made crafts, flowers, plants, & Christmas trees.

Thirty-seven years of rafting experience offering family, group, high adventure trips and team building on five Southeastern rivers - the Chatooga, the Nantahala, the Ocoee, the Pigeon and the Cheoah. Wildwater Rafting offers the best whitewater fun in the Asheville area with unparalleled attention to detail both on and off the water. Quality Service Guarantee!

The WNC Nature Center is 40 acres of animals in their native habitats. It provides an opportunity to learn, to touch and to know our rich natural heritage through educational and interactive exhibits.

Closest to Asheville. Family oriented ski area offering 54 acres of skiable terrain, 15 runs with two double lifts, quad lift, two surface lifts, snowboarding, snow tubing and 100 percent snow making capabilities.