The 14 best architecture in Asheville

Once called "the most elegant building in America", this is a visually stunning shopping arcade. It's worth wandering around just to enjoy the architecture, and you can take the elevator up a floor to where it's really quiet to enjoy the view from above as well. It's an incredibly impressive and well preserved building, and there was a nice range of shops and boutiques, including some great cake and coffee shops that were worth a stop.

It’s a beautiful building, but you can’t access any of the upper floors. And the bottom floor doesn’t have much of anything at all. A few boutiques but that’s it. Don’t let your kids be fooled, the building may be called “arcade” but there is nothing similar to an arcade for kids to play games. The only part interesting about this building is the architecture, not worth stopping off of the Trolley Tour either so don’t waste your time unless you just want to look at the architecture for 2 minutes and walk up and down the street at all of the shops.

If you love architecture and historic buildings, Arcade Grove is a must-see. It is one of the most beautiful structures, complete with spiral staircases, sculptures, and intricate embellishments throughout. Walking through felt like being taken back in time, surrounded by the charm of a true masterpiece. Beyond its beauty, the building also hosts many local small businesses and restaurants, making it both breathtaking and full of life.

Beautiful shopping mall with beautiful architecture. The shopping mall is very small with few shops, but the place looks beautiful. Not much to do in the mall, there are no major flagship stores, but the mall looks wonderful. There are cafes and some specialty stores around the mall, but that’s it. The area around the mall is enjoyable for walking. Parking around the mall isn’t free, and the space is quite difficult to find, even in weekdays.

Beautiful historic and with apartments above it. What a fantasy to shop and live here. Bring lots of money. Arts, furniture, food, clothes, chakra fixing, and anything else. Mostly for shopping but get your food across the street. It may be the oldest mall in America.

This shopping center remains me of some shopping centers I have visited in Europe: historical buildings, high ceilings with glass roof, high end shops with attractive window displays, crafted and elegant architecture details. Though much smaller than its European counterparts, Grove Arcade maintains very well and its original charm. Did not get a chance to visit stores inside. But will definitely come back.

They just don’t make them like they used to! This beautiful shopping mall shows how men can do beautiful things when he works with God‘s creation. We don’t have to have gargantuan sprawling structures with seas and seas of park in spaces. Grove arcade is a great example of what we should do. They have bathrooms that are for the public and clean. It is a gorgeous place to get away from the sun or the rain. You can browse and walk around and stop in at the stores if you have some money :-)

I ate at Flour, it was fantastic. It is clean, and well laid out. There are several other eateries in the space. This is a must do for a light bite to eat. Do yourself a favor and stop in and grab something to eat.

This place has a lot of different restaurants to choose from. There are a few points. You wanna know walking into this building, though. First, the amount of people in here is heavy, so if crowds aren’t your thing come out at off time not a major breakfast lunch or dinner time. Choose your food wisely. There’s a new place in there that makes the best biscuits in the world called “flour.” it’s probably the best biscuit sandwich that you’ll ever eat in your life, but be prepared to wait 40 minutes to get it. I highly recommend the sushi and there’s a fried chicken sandwich place in there that doesn’t mean fried chicken sandwich. Choose your time wisely, but be sure and stop by here for a great meal.

Neat little food hall. A great repurpose of the building. Limited number of vendors but they all seemed like great options. I had a bratwurst from Farm Dogs and it was best bratwurst I’ve ever had. I also had the Buffalo chicken sandwich from Buxton’s and it was quite good. Really crispy which I enjoyed. Definitely worth checking out.

From what I'm told, the restaurants change out often. Right now I highly recommend Bun Intended, they are so good. But also everything is good. They have such great decor, there's seating downstairs and upstairs, and the bathrooms are clean. The marble stairs are really cool and you can tell they're original. I also really liked the hot dogs from Farm Dog, and the empanadas are great.

I love food halls, so when I found out one opened in Asheville, I stopped by on my most recent trip. The inside of the renovated building is really nice. It's a very small food hall. There are only 6 food stalls (though one is a brewery that doesn't serve food). Small selection aside, we enjoyed our food. We tried Farm Dogs, Bun Intended, and The Hop. There's some seating inside as well as a few tables on the sidewalk outside. If you're in the area, I think it's worth stopping at to try one or two of the places.

So much fun! People were dancing and singing, it was filled with people just enjoying the lively vibe. (And we went there on a Monday late afternoon.) We tried Peace Love & Tacos … Little Red Rooster & The Blaze. The tacos were good, but not WOW. The flavor profile is lacking (definitely needs seasoned with salt). The other issue is that the ingredients aren’t drained before adding to the tacos, so you have a very drippy wet mess. We got the seasoned waffle fries from Buxton, they were very good! I am not a seasoned fry fan usually, but the seasoning mix was super good on these! The fries were cooked to perfection. We grabbed the pretzel knots with stone ground mustard dip and beer cheese. The beer cheese was YumO, the mustard had a lot of hot horseradish which we enjoyed. The pretzels were okay, they obviously weren’t fresh. So I would guess that fresh they would be bomb. We ended our meal with dessert from the Hop. I got a scoop of Aztec Chocolate, very creamy, rich with a nice kick from the spice. The hubs got a scoop of butter pecan. He said it was very good, but not on the same level as the butter pecan at Blue Mountain Pizza (which is epic.) All in all this was just a great experience and we are looking forward to coming back. Hopefully next time we will find a pizza place there ;)

A couple options here at the market which varied between fried chicken, tai food, empanadas and a couple dessert foods. Buxton Chicken Palace is where I chose to ate the chicken tenders were very good. I didn’t enjoy the honey sugars but they had a very good white bbq sauce. It was a little busy so that might be why the wait was so long but I will say if I were in a rush I would’ve had to leave without my food bc it took about 30 minutes to get chicken tenders. The tai place was very good not many menu options but was fast and delicious. Upstairs there is plenty of seating and the highland brewery where you can buy beer.

Breathtaking architecture! And interesting rumors/history/wisetale 🧐

Just one of many beautiful and historic buildings in Asheville, NC.

I actually have always wanted to do a Fashion photoshoot here! The Jackson Building in Asheville was built in 1924. The Neo-Gothic design was the first skyscraper in WNC (I actually just had to submit this as a Historic Landmark to Google so they could put it on the map lol you're welcome).

Great architecture and key backdrop for a few Asheville ghost stories.

Very cool building with neogothic architecture.

Nice to admire from street level on any day.

Historic architecture was breathtaking.

Beautiful church! The woman inside was very informative and told us some information about the Church

Remember to check the visitor schedule. Since it is open, just for someday if the week and in a specific time. But I truly recommend visiting the Basílica, the place brings calm and gives you peace. It's full of history and art wherever you look. Love my time at the Basílica

A small basilica worth the trip for several reasons. The priest that celebrates mass is very reverent and one can see him shortly before mass, praying on the side altar. Always a sign of devotion, at least I like to see priests praying. Check the schedule directly with the church as the times do not coincide with the ones posted online.

You can definitely feel God y la Virjencita when you walk in. Love it. Priest was great, and the lady's up front made me feel welcomed. Thank you

Beautiful church and the guy at the door was very welcoming. You do need to pay attention to the visiting hours. Self guided tour and the informational sheet was full of helpful history and pointed out awesome details.

Beautiful building, closed on the day we went to visit. Perhaps another time.

Beautiful. Undergoing renovations so check their website for changes to Mass times and tours. Great Jubilee 2025 stop if you are interested.

The official website to do the urban trail maybe a little off but this is the best way to explore Asheville downtown. We enjoyed exploring the shops in between stops.

A great urban walk that connects nature and city life. This trail is perfect for an easy, relaxing walk. It’s clean, safe, and well-maintained, with plenty of interesting stops along the way — murals, small parks, and bits of Asheville’s creative spirit everywhere you look. It’s an excellent option for walking, running, or simply clearing your mind while enjoying a blend of art and nature. You don’t need hiking experience to enjoy it just comfortable shoes and a bit of curiosity. A beautiful reminder of how a city can celebrate its culture through simple, accessible outdoor spaces.

The scavenger hunt was pretty cool. I got turned around a lot because I wasn't familiar with the area at all. But was really cool to see all these little stops and learn about the history here. Favorite stop would have to be #11 with all the signatures in the guest book.

Fun walking tour! I just wish they had an app so it would’ve been easier to listen and walk using the interactive map. It’s great if you just want to get acquainted with downtown Asheville.

I’m still on the hunt for a few of the stations! Where is O. Henry’s “After Twenty Years” pocket watch sculpture?

Great walk around Asheville. We found some pretty cool hidden gems (restaurants and shops and artwork) as we walked the trail and even learned a bit about the history of Asheville.

Its awesome just walking up on some art and reading about the history...love the random

Very nice selection of fine arts.and crafts, and jewelry.

Such a cute shop both top and bottom. So many unique finds

I love this place! I've been coming here for years and always find something good! There were a few different stalls here than the last time I came. I actually like this place more than Woolworths! There were new vendors this time. I absolutely love Art of abandonment. It's so cool! There was all this butterfly art this time that was beautiful! There were butterflies I've never seen before! Makes me want to create something like that too! I found a gorgeous bowl to add to my collection. My first was from here too actually and they still have similar ones. Leaves joined to make a bowl. Definitely check this place out, you'll love it!

The furniture artisans gathered at this Emporium make one of a kind pieces from reclaimed metals and live edge wood. The live edge wood tables cannot be found at your run of the mill furniture store. The clocks are fun pieces of art made from reclaimed metal and found objects. The upstairs is filled with unique pieces of pottery and original art. There is something within everyone’s budget to enhance your home while supporting local artists.

Really unique shop with multiple booths containing various types of gifts from photographs to bath bombs to Christmas decorations to scarves. Recommend stopping by. Would make for some neat gifts

Kress Emporium is an eclectic and sprawling shop in downtown Asheville that features a variety of art pieces and creative produces from local and global artists alike. With a bazaar-style first floor, basement level, and even a curious "Kress Emporium II" next door, this shop has plenty of browsing potential. The staff are very friendly and helpful, and the prices fair. I have stopped here at almost every visit to Asheville to find unique gifts for friends and family back home, never leaving disappointed. You should definitely make this a stop on your list if you happen to be walking around downtown Asheville.

I love all the crafts they have here! They have such cool stuff!

Fantastic tour! Michael taught us SO MUCH about beer! He's been in the industry for a long time and has all the knowledge. And he's an amazing speaker - passionate about his subject. Really made it all interesting. Well worth the time and cost. Our whole group loved it!

This was a great walking tour of just some of the many breweries Asheville has to offer. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and made sure that we were too. My only suggestion would be is to have small food samples to pair with the beers. This would allow for more engagement with the various beer flavors. Highly recommend this tour.

My husband and I booked a brewery tour by Brew-Ed and we absolutely loved it! Our tour guide, Michael/“Mountain Mike” was so enthusiastic about beer and you could tell he was very knowledgeable about every beer we tried and the city of Asheville altogether. He made our tours so fun, interesting, and took the time to get to know his group. He was also hilarious and kept our group laughing the entire time! Can’t recommend him and this tour enough!

Hard to describe the best part of this tour-- the personal touch, great; the knowledgeable guide (CLIFF!!) awesome; the combo of local beer history and city history, informative. Would do this tour again to check out some other options-- we did the Friday afternoon 3 brew tour, worth every penny, plenty of samples to go around and a nice bit of everything, if you like walking and talking this is for you. Loved it!!

Nice informative tour. Will definitely recommend. We visited 3 breweries and had mini classes at all locations with beer testing.

Mark was a great guide. He knows an amazing amount about beer and Asheville. An excellent way to spend 3 hours!!

This tour was very fun and informative. Makes you see the effort and work it takes to make good beer!!! Mark was a great tour!!

This is an incredible experience! John and Susan are phenomenal hosts who pay attention to every detail. We just can’t say enough good things about how much we enjoyed our visit to the Sweet Biscuit. The room was very comfortable and the breakfast was scrumptious. We will definitely recommend to friends and hope to come back soon! Thank you to Susan and John!

A perfect stay in Asheville! The hosts are so kind and welcoming, the Inn is absolutely beautiful and charming, and the apple puff pancake is delicious. My room was spacious and very comfortable. I would definitely stay at the Sweet Biscuit again.

This is a great bed & breakfast. A girlfriend recommended it, and I'm sure glad she did. It's nestled back in a little neighborhood and even the drive getting to it is beautiful! Fancy, three-course breakfast served at 8:30 every morning. The owners are so nice. On guest didn't eat sugar and they made her special items when necessary. We loved the front porch with its swing and rocking chairs. Old fashioned keys to lock and unlock our room was so fun! Definitely recommend!!

Absolutely amazing stay! The accommodations were very nice. We enjoyed breakfast so much! All of the details were thought through and it just left such an impression. Susan and John are total professionals and they should be proud of the business they run. Thank you for showing us how bed and breakfasts should be!

We loved our stay here! After a long drive we loved the quiet neighborhood. Our hosts had wine available and we had a glass of wine and relaxed on the front porch swing with a steady rain. Our hosts were so accommodating and made things seem like home. Breakfast was delicious! I wish that we had another night to stay!

My fiancé so enjoyed our getaway weekend and stay at the Sweet Biscuit Inn! The neighborhood is cute and about a 5 minute trip into town making all the restaurants and breweries super accesible. We loved (and now very much miss) the three course breakfast and afternoon cookies. Hope to return some day!

Started the Blue Ridge Parkway in Cherokee and needed a place to stay in Ashville for the night. Found the Sweet Biscuit Inn, and we're so glad we found this hidden gem. The hosts Susan and John were great! They made you feel right at home. The rooms are spacious and have a nice large bathroom. They have wine in the evening that you can enjoy on the porch seats or swings and homemade cookies on arrival. The 3 course breakfast the next morning was amazing! Highly recommend if you're in the area. Can't wait to come back for a longer visit.

So much of American history has failed to include both the contributions of the Black community as well as the harms that have come to Black people through unfair government and social policies. This tour underscores and celebrates the ongoing resilience of our Black communities in Asheville as well as providing missing historical information about the influences of Black artisans and educators in East Asheville. I highly recommend this experience for groups as well as individuals. It was excellent.

I am very glad I found the Hood Huggers Tour on Visit Asheville's site, when I travel I like to see & do the things the locals do and I definitely learned about the African American History of Asheville which I gained a strong appreciation for. Having traveled to other well cultured destinations, I've learned "everything that glitters isn't gold", and while Asheville has many good things going for it there are many communities that still need & deserve a lot of support. I strongly recommend doing this tour when in Asheville!

Informative and insightful. Dewayne is very knowledgeable both about Asheville history and with current developments plus we learned about Pierce's grandfather's role in early days and had a delightful song/dance too. The Burton Street tour is fascinating for anyone who wants to understand Asheville history particularly as it regards racial inequality/discrimination and how the neighborhood is working together to improve this community.

Great tour! Would recommend if you want to learn about the AA history of Asheville, VA. It was a true honoring of the ancestors. Thank you -

This tour was enlightening, humbling, and very special. To learn about African American history in Asheville’s context was eye-opening as a local, and I hope to take what I learned on this tour and educate myself and others on the importance of truly seeing everyone and treating them with compassion, value, and love. Our tour guide, Daniel, was so kind and welcoming. His smile radiated passion for what he does and it was obvious the heart he has for his community. I highly recommend these tours and Daniel as a tour guide!

Hood Huggers tours should not be missed! (And should be a requirement for anyone living in Asheville) I went on both the Eagle Street and Burton Street tours with a group from my church this week. Both tours were incredible. DeWayne is an excellent tour guide who engages people of all ages in the experience. Beyond the history that is shared on the tour, he also has a wealth of information to share about current policies and projects happening. I cannot recommend these tours enough!

A great tour for both visitors and residents to experience. It was the most engaging tour I've ever been on, educating me not only on Black history in Asheville but encouraging me to think about how I can leave the tour and support the Black community. And it opened with a performance from an amazing local artist, Virtuous - a concert and tour all in one!

April 2024: TERRIBLE service for the public. Virginia Ortiz can't even seem to get my address right or fix it. I have emailed multiple times, called multiple times and even addressed Judge Dotson about my address to confirm it. My important paperwork is going to an address I don't live at and never lived at and I'm not getting my paperwork till after it's too late, thankfully I know the person who is receiving my mail. Their excuse is "We are updating our systems and undergoing changes and I apologize for the inconvenience." EDIT September 2024: This place is a joke, over a year later into custody. Literally putting my kid’s life in the hands of a gang member, alcoholic, narcissistic liar who has never been around my kid and isn’t on the birth certificate but decides to show up 3.5 years later after being charged with BATTERY ON AN UNBORN CHILD (that charge was part of the plea deal so you can imagine what he was brought in for!) this place has no care for the best interest of anyone except for themselves and the money the lawyers bring in. PATHETIC WORK DONE BY JUDGE DOTSON

I am consistently impressed by the helpfulness of staff at buncombe county courthouse. Sometimes the DA office is understaffed, but that isn't the staff's fault! Also, shout out to the JRC staff. I am reminded of a line from a Talking Heads song, "Some civil servants are just like my loved ones. They work so hard, and they try to be strong."

We are local wedding photographers and do lots of elopements at the Buncombe County Courthouse. We've always had a great experience and all of our clients walk away feeling more than happy with their marriage licenses!

Terrible people and criminals themselves. They stole my money and won’t refund after they didn’t even hear my case. I filed for a case, they never gave me a case number, called 5 days later still no case number, they said they would call back. A month goes by and I call and they said I missed the court date. They blamed Tyler Tech for the system glitches from notifying us properly. The manager is rude as well. They took our money and never notified us of a court date or anything. Watch out they are in the business of collecting fees only.

First off yall the only state that arrest parents over these hard headed kids that don't want to go to school no one can discipline. Very unlawful! Locking the parent up isn't solving the issue while the kid still out still doing the same thing. Kids must be discipline for their actions. These parents do all they can for they kids. But these days aren't the days that we was raised in learning to be respectful. Yall laws put the parent in a bad situation that's no fault of their own. Then they have to lose their jobs and home because of their kids that won't listen to them. It's not fair and it unlawful! North Carolina wake up!

Never attempt entering ground floor entrance with sharp metal objects, firearms, illegal drugs or fluids of any kind considered combustible. These items will be taken and depending on severity may not be returned. Staff making these posts take their responsibility seriously. You can and will be arrested if needed. Once this phase is completed any questions of where desired location is located is it answered in a very thorough and concise manner by same staff. Overall I was impressed with the precision of staff workers and well maintained facilities of an over 100 year old historic building.

When you are a landlord you absolutely are treated badly. When you tell them to leave you wind up in jail!! imagine that, the cops believe the renters over you!! When you get out you have a no contact order placed on you where you can't tell them to leave if that's not bad enough you try to take your warent out on the renters...you are denied. Then you go through the process of going to court...you then are treated as though you are the criminal, denied money although they the renters owe you 6000.00 and have destroyed your property. You are then not allowed to ask questions the JUDGES ARE TO BUSY, THEY TELL YOU TO ASK THE CLERK ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CASE!! The clerk then has nothing to say that you want to hear!! This is when you get to take out your billfold and START to spend money 130.00 per person to START the process!! You then are told if the renters can stay another 10 days. if you don't agree with what the judge had to say on the 11th day you can appeal it...go back to the courthouse get out your billfold again spend 55.00 more dollars to get to the next step. This gives your renters another 7 days!! 55.00 dollars for a weeks rent I would love that!! Me being the landlord I just get to spend the 55.00 and watch them drive by my house for another week!! just imagine that would you? This is where I am at in the Courts PROCESS!! They love to take your money! This is only my opinion I suggest that everyone sell their home and start renting pay 1 or 2 months then just stop paying and go to your local courthouse to get the best screw job you've ever had!! because you my friend are the criminal not the renters who are not paying you!! Again sell your house and start your own PROCESS of renting I think you will come out ahead in the long run!! Again just my personal opinion!! Good luck to all the landlords out there!! I can promise you I will NEVER RENT AGAIN!!

Worked with this great firm to deliver an award winning home for our clients. Excellent design, thoughtful use of space and great aesthetics. We are looking forward to working with them again in the near future. Would highly recommend them to anyone looking to design their new home.

Great Architects. We are so glad we found this company.