A Look at the Most Unusual (and Fun) Activities in Asheville, North Carolina

When you want to enjoy interesting sights and mind-blowing experiences, you just have to get over to Asheville, North Carolina. All around that cityscape, you can find tons of awesome things to see and do, leaving you with a lifetime of unbelievable tales. And if you need help building your perfect itinerary, you’ve come to the right place. With help from this guide, you can learn about all the most unusual Asheville activities and put them on your schedule as you plan your next trip into the city.

See What You Can Find on a Wild Foraging Tour

If you want to waltz off the beaten path, forage for food, and even learn how to cook up your finds, you’ll love to go on a wild foraging tour. Hosted each weekend by No Taste Like Home, this tour will take you into the wild where you can learn where to find all the best edibles growing untamed within 45 minutes of Asheville.

While exploring the land, you may find nuts, fruit, and greens that are sure to leave your mouth watering. If you take the tour during the mushroom season, you may even get a chance to spot the top areas to find those delicacies.

As you find delicious foods, you’ll get to have a taste while traveling down the trails. Once you get back into town, you can go over to one of their partner restaurants for a meal on the house that features your finds.

Kick Back and Create at the Lexington Glassworks Bar

To experience the height of artistry while sipping on your favorite brews, get on over to the Lexington Glassworks Bar. At this venue, they spend their days making hand-blown glass creations of all kinds, including vases, bowls, and lamps. They even have one-of-a-kind creations that celebrate everything you love about each season.

While they work, you can sidle up to the bar, order a drink or two, and watch in awe as they take lumps of glass and turn them into works of art. Before you leave, you can even go over to the display cases to buy a hand-blown souvenir. Since their offerings change each season, it’s worth visiting this bar whenever you arrive in town.

Take a Wild and Wonderful Trip to the Land of OZ

For a private theme park experience that will leave you reeling in delight, schedule a visit to the Land of Oz. You can book a private tour any time of the year to take a wondrous trip down the yellow brick road.

You’ll start off your adventure in the heart of the Beech Mountains where you can see the Gale Kansas Farm, Fountain of Youth, and all the other sights from the movie. Then, as you explore the yellow brick road, you’ll enjoy tons of picture-taking opportunities and hear the inside scoop from your guide.

At the end of your tour, you can stop by the backstage area for a quick peek into where the magic happens. To finish off your trip in style, you can buy a few souvenirs that are not found anywhere else.

Explore the Secret Passageways at the Biltmore

With its cozy rooms, upscale eateries, and shopping opportunities galore, the Biltmore Estates are the perfect place to spend your entire trip to Asheville. But if you want to go beyond the norm during your stay, you’ll want to check out all the secret passageways through the estate.

Originally designed as corridors for the servants, the passageways wind between each area and even lead to hidden rooms. There are more than 250 secret doorways, corridors, and rooms to find and explore across this gigantic mansion.

And you can explore them all by taking the many tours offered by the staff. The backstairs tour, in particular, highlights these hidden gems by putting you in the servants’ shoes and showing you how they did all their work at the Biltmore.

Play a Few Games at the Asheville Pinball Museum

For another blast from the past, you’ll want to get over to the Asheville Pinball Museum where you can play vintage games for hours. At this venue, you’ll find over 30 distinct pinball machines from yesteryear, all of which you can try for yourself. Beyond that, they have 20 video arcade cabinets filled with classic games, including bar-top Pac-Man games.

You don’t even have to bring along your quarters to participate in the fun. You just have to pay admission to get through the doors and the gaming is on the house. Before you leave, make sure to check out the arcade cabinets and pinball machines they have for sale. Their offerings change up on the regular, so don’t skip that step or you could miss out on owning the gaming machine of your dreams.

Unwind in Style with a Long Soak in a Shoji Spa

 

High in the mountains around Asheville, you can find a Japanese spa built to promote true relaxation and rejuvenate your senses. With a long soak in the salt mineral hot tub, you’ll undoubtedly feel the stress melt away in no time flat. As you soak, you can get tub side tea service that works on rejuvenating your mind, body, and spirit from the inside out.

If you want a bit more out of the experience, hop out of the spa to chill in the sauna or take a cold shower before hopping back into the warm saltwater pools. Then, finish your experience with a deep tissue massage featuring CBD salves, aromatherapy, and so much more.

Now that you know where to find all the most unusual activities in Asheville, North Carolina, you’re sure to build an itinerary to remember. After that, you just have to grab your ideal accommodations and arrange transport for the trip of a lifetime.