Asheville and the Blue Ridge

Former warehouses and mills on the French Broad turned into open studios for potters, glassblowers and painters, badly hit by Helene in 2024 and now partly reopened.

💡 Come on a weekday, when the artists are in their studios, and buy directly: it is the best way to support the rebuilding. The map of open studios is kept up to date by the district's artists' association. Price: free.

A hilltop centre spared by the floods, with one of the finest Art Deco collections in the South, including the 1928 city hall, the Grove Arcade and the Basilica of St. Lawrence.

💡 On Friday evenings, from late spring to autumn, a drum circle gathers in Pritchard Park. Park in a municipal car park, which is simpler than street parking. Price: free to stroll.

A 755 km scenic road with no traffic lights or trucks following the Appalachian ridges from Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains, reopened around Asheville but still closed north of Mount Mitchell.

💡 Check the closures map on the National Park Service website the same morning, as the road also closes in sections in winter as soon as it freezes. There are no petrol stations on the road, so fill up in town. Price: free.

Bald summits at 1,700 metres covered in rhododendrons that bloom bright pink in mid-June, with a short trail up to a 360-degree view over the Black Mountains.

💡 Set off early in the morning or in the late afternoon: the car park is small and clouds often cover the summit in the middle of the day. Bring a fleece even in July, as it is 10°C cooler than in town. Price: free.

At 2,037 metres the highest peak east of the Mississippi, in North Carolina's first state park, where a short paved path leads through Fraser firs to an observation platform.

💡 Since Helene, access is only via the Parkway from the Asheville side, as the road is closed further north: allow 1 hr 15 for the drive. The park restaurant may be closed, so bring something to eat; the summit snack bar opens during the day. Price: free.

An 18-metre waterfall plunging in a single drop right beside US 276 in Pisgah National Forest, on a road that continues to the natural rock slide of Sliding Rock.

💡 Make it the first stop on a loop: Brevard, US 276 up to the Parkway, then back towards Asheville along the ridges and Graveyard Fields. Sliding Rock charges a fee in summer, $6, about €5, and sliding is allowed only when lifeguards are present. Price: Looking Glass Falls free.