Things to do in Asheville

Asheville is a beautiful area, but stay away from the downtown - it use to be beautiful and fun (Bele Chere festival) but now is endless homeless people and homeless camps and an underfunded police who due to local statutes and lack of personnel can't keep you safe. It is not a place to bring the family.

My recommendation is to stay at the hotel on the Biltmore estate and take the family on a full tour of the Biltmore house and grounds. There is also some great hiking in the area outside of Asheville.

Unfortunately, what use to be a great city and area has been greatly harmed by some bad management of the city and its resources.

There is hiking off the Blue ridge parkway and in Bent Creek

Asheville has had the same mayor since 2013. Read about her and the collapse makes sense.

Agreed on the Biltmore. Very cool to see and experience.

Ohhh. Okay, crap. I appreciate the honesty but not good to read. Was hoping to get some fun times in downtown. We are staying at Grand Bohemian so not far from Biltmore, but not on the grounds.

The Western North Carolina Nature Center is a great small zoo that rescues and rehabilitates native and historically native animals to the area. Our kids really enjoyed it!

Downtown really isn't that bad. Yes there are homeless people. No you're not going to get murdered. It's very touristy (lots of restaurants and shops), but you're a tourist.

To actually answer your question, the best things Asheville/WNC has to offer are the mountains. Other stuff is fine, but save it for the rainy days. May is a beautiful time of year - still feels like spring, warm but not hot. Hiking, mountain biking, rafting, if you're into any/all of those. Hiking is what I know best, and I'm happy to give hiking recommendations if you can tell me what you're looking for in terms of length/difficulty/terrain. Scenic picnic along the BRP or Davidson River if you're looking for something more low-key. Lots of options!

Pinball museum downtown is awesome. Pay a rate per person and enjoy it that entire day.

Go west young man. Bryson City has a train ride through the Nantahalla Gorge. Lot of water sport opportunities. Mountain biking at Sahalee trails. Chimney Rock State Park would be a fun hike for kids. Haywood Smokehouse in Dillsboro is to die for, Texas style bbq. Asheville arboretum is pretty cool. But yeah, the Biltmore is probably your best bet. I found the beer scene in Asheville trying too hard to be Oregon in some places ie Boneyard? Hipster, tatted, pierced and not very friendly. Beer was good though.

Awesome, thank you. Yeah, we have three kids ages 7-12 and they can handle a decent hike. I would say depending on the terrain, something like 5k would be ideal. Maybe a little more if there is a solid reward (view, etc.). Even just some trailhead names would help and I can do the research myself.

To the other poster, I hope the pinball museum is real. I am definitely going to look into that. Not sure if it is a joke but will Google now. THANK YOU!

Check out the West Village Market

Local and tasty

Some good suggestions already.

Also - funny fear mongering from the Biltmore Estate PR firm (“don’t stray from the grounds!”).

Of course, the Biltmore Estate is a great spot to visit. Tickets can be expensive, but you could/should make a day out of it.

My kids love exploring the NC Arb and hiking the nearby trails. Jumping on the Carolina Mountain Trail then looping back on the main gravel road is a beautiful and manageable 2-3 mile loop for kids.

Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Mt. Pisgah gets you easy access to a log of scenic overlooks and some cool hikes. For a longer trip, take the BRP to 276 and drop through Davidson River Rec Area. That section of Pisgah has many worthwhile stops (waterfalls, hikes, etc). On your way back, stop by the runner-owned Pisgah Bakehouse or check out Sierra Nevada closer to Asheville.

The Nature Center is a fun spot for kids. It’s not a massive place but we often go for 60-90 min.

Pinball Museum is indeed real. Retrocade in West Asheville is another arcade-game destination.

Your hotel location is really good for easily getting all over. New Origin has good beer and a pizza truck nearby for post-hike refreshments.

An hour west of Asheville around Robinsville you can find some hard core local culture

You could try dancing by the radio in some hotel room in your mind. Or just listen to the great John Hiatt sing about it in the eponymous song.

For short-ish hikes, check out the Mountains-to-Sea trail that more or less parallels the BRP - you can get on/off in lots of spots. Craggy Gardens is a classic with nice views and should be pretty in the spring. There are also lots of options of various lengths in the Pisgah Ranger District near Brevard off of US-276. Looking Glass Rock and Johns Rock both have great views from granite balds, or check out some of the waterfall hikes.