The Coolest Neighborhoods In Asheville North Carolina

Asheville’s downtown corridor luckily avoided trappings like a proposed mall and other construction that would have destroyed the city’s Art Deco buildings and other architectural gems. This preservation of history has extended to its culture as well, which really took shape in the late 1800s with the construction of the Biltmore Estate, America’s largest private home. This project lured hundreds of craftspeople to this mountain town, establishing a culture of a strong creative economy. Here are the coolest neighborhoods in Asheville to visit or relocate to.

Downtown

Downtown is the beating heart of the city, with its most popular restaurants, breweries, boutiques, and museums concentrated in just a few square miles. Some apartments and condos can be found here along with a few historic homes, but mainly this section of the city houses businesses and the bulk of hotel accommodations. High walkability, lots of music venues, and a self-guided urban walking trail also help make downtown cool along with the city’s brewery district, South Slope.

West Asheville

Locals love living in West Asheville, and tourists have started to frequent this quirky neighborhood more, too. Basically, this neighborhood exists on one main road, Haywood, and winds over a mile past excellent restaurants like The Admiral and dive bars such as The Odditorium and Double Crown. Behind this main street sits historic homes in a maze of skinny side streets that spill into the residential Malvern Hills community.

RAD District

The River Arts District sits between downtown and West Asheville and is home to the East Coast headquarters of one of the largest craft breweries in the world, New Belgium Brewing Company. This arts and entertainment district serves as the home base for over 200 working artists, many with galleries or studios open to the public in a collection of 20+ industrial buildings. Major developments are underfoot in RAD to highlight its French Broad riverbank location, and the popular 12 Bones Smokehouse lives here, too. Historic homes make up most of the current housing inventory, but several housing complexes are in the works.

Montford

Home to some of Asheville ’s most beautiful historic homes, Montford is a National Register Historic District. Several bed and breakfasts operate out of some of these majestic homes, and literary fans make a point to visit the Riverside Cemetery, where local heroes Thomas Wolfe and O. Henry are buried. Since this neighborhood was mostly built before 1920, Victorian architecture is the prominent style found here.

Grove Park

This neighborhood emerged as the famous Grove Park Inn was being constructed back in the early 1900s, right after the Biltmore Estate was completed. The beauty of the Grove Park Inn greatly influenced the aesthetic of this neighborhood, which led to its curving streets and oversized Tudor and Colonial homes.

Biltmore Village

Like Grove Park, the Biltmore Village grew up and around the Biltmore Estate to serve as a community for George Vanderbilt’s estate workers. Today, this tourist-friendly neighborhood houses several major hotel properties and a central shopping district, plus several of Asheville’s downtown breweries have opened second locations in this part of town.

Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and sparkling, expansive Sailing Trips.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.