Really nice way to learn more about Asheville history, and when you buy a one-day ticket, you can…read moreride the trolley the second day as well. I ended up riding parts of the same route three times with different drivers, and it was worth it because each driver added different details and stories.
I particularly enjoyed one driver who was a former teacher from Maryland. He had done extra research and brought the history alive with details about what life had been like at the psychiatric hospital and what Zelda Fitzgerald thought about the women's dormitory. I learned more about Asheville each time I rode.
The easiest place to board is Stop 1 at the Asheville Visitor Center, where you can get the sticker showing you have a trolley ticket, since the drivers don't carry the stickers. It is helpful to stick it on something you can hold up so the driver can easily see it and know you want to be picked up. The Visitor Center also has bathrooms, a gift shop, and a whole lot of great tourist brochures. There is free parking.
If you buy your ticket online, I found the boarding instructions confusing and somewhat contradictory. They say you can board at any stop but also tell you to go to Stop 1 at the Visitor Center. You can show the driver your online confirmation if you board at another stop, but the bigger challenge can be figuring out exactly where some of the stops are based on the website directions and where Google Maps takes you.
I never figured out exactly where Stop 4 at 2 S. Pack Square was, even though it was the closest stop to the AC Asheville hotel. During Boomtown FestAVL, that stop was also moved because the area was shut down, but the changed location wasn't listed on the website. After that experience, going to the Visitor Center and getting my sticker was much easier.
The entire trolley loop takes about 90 minutes. From the Visitor Center, the first three stops take about 30 minutes. Here are some notes that may help if you want to use the trolley for sightseeing:
Stop 1 - Asheville Visitor Center: The Visitor Center is behind the Chamber of Commerce building and has a free parking lot, bathrooms, tourist information and a gift shop.
Stop 2 - Omni Grove Park Inn: In addition to visiting the inn, you can walk down the steep hill to Grovewood Gallery, which has lots of art and pottery, the Antique Car Museum, and the Biltmore Industries Homespun Museum. Remember that if you walk down the hill, you eventually have to come back up.
Pro tip: You don't have to walk back up that steep hill! Go to the parking garage behind the Grove Park Inn and take the elevator upstairs to the hotel. You will wind your way through the hotel, past the stores, and eventually find your way outside to the Sammons Wing entrance where the trolley dropped you off, downhill from the main entrance. Much easier than climbing the hill.
Stop 6 - Grove Arcade: A historic building with pretty architecture and several stores and restaurants on the ground floor, including Spicewalla for spices. We also had a really good meal at Huli Sue's, which serves BBQ and Hawaiian-inspired food.
Stop 7 - River Arts District North: The trolley leaves you near a traffic circle, and from there you can walk to different buildings and explore the art galleries. I particularly liked the North Carolina Glass Center, where you can buy reasonably priced glass or take classes. There was also a large building with many individual artist studios farther down the street near the coffee shop.
Stop 8 - River Arts District South: I wasn't sure how to walk there from the North stop, so I just got back on the trolley and rode there. There are more large buildings with art galleries to explore.
Stop 9 - Biltmore Village: Shops and restaurants in the community George Vanderbilt created for workers on his estate.
Stop 10 - South Slope Brewery District: Like the name implies, there are lots of microbreweries in this area.
I thought the trolley was worthwhile both as transportation and as a way to learn about Asheville then spend more time at some of the stops the 2nd day.
