While visiting Asheville for a long weekend from Washington, D.C., booking a Hood Huggers tour was…read moreone of the best things we did. Led by Mr. Dwayne, the tour is an hour and a half learning about the Burton Street Community, a historically Black neighborhood in West Asheville and the victim of gentrification and highway expansions. Hood Huggers was created to serve as a champion for the 1912 neighborhood and its long-time residents. My wife, eight-year-old daughter, and I booked a Sunday morning tour. Since it was just us, he gave us the option to walk it or take his little shuttle. Mr. Dwayne gave us the background on the area before Mr. Cotton, the grandson of the man who founded the neighborhood, joined us with a book of photos. After a drive, we ended at the Peace Gardens and Market, a sacred space for the community.

What a cool tour. Our tour guide was very friendly and even offered to do a shuttle right for us…read moreversus a walk ride due to the weather being cold and it was just us on the tour for that morning. He showed us a lot of different areas that were Historical for the African-American community. He also shared a lot of historical information of the schools and colleges in the area that were very prominent years ago. I will definitely recommend this tour hands down to give you more of a historical African-American background of the city based on the money that we spent I feel that it was a great value for the tour that we received the service was outstanding by our tour guide and hands-down. I definitely would recommend this tour.

On a recent anniversary trip to Asheville, my husband and I enjoyed Eating Asheville's historical…read moredowntown food tour. We decided to splurge for The High Roller option as it was only around $10 more a person and included beverage parings with the food. Included is up to 6 stops at restaurants, bars, or desserteries with at-least 3 alcoholic beverages pairings and then other non-alcoholic options. The tour lasts about 2.5- 3 hours. This is a walking in food tour, so you have to be able and willing to travel on foot some. It wasn't a ton of walking, but did work up a little sweat as it was a warmer Friday afternoon (this tour is offered Thursday- Sunday). We had a small group of 6 people plus our tour guide. She was very sweet and personable. I think she may have been semi new at this as her story flow was a little jumbled, but it didn't bother me too much as honestly she was trying and I was interested in food way more than history. She did point out some important sites along the way and give us some fun Asheville facts. Great thing about these tours is they do vary. While the company has a number of places they work with which ones are selected for you, depends on the day, time, season etc. So you could honestly do these tours more than once and experience new things still. Our tour began at Asheville Charcuterie where we each enjoyed a personalized board of meat, cheese, cracker, fruit, and a local spicy honey. It was also served with a Bold Rock cider. This was a cute shop where you can get a drink or snack there or take items with you to go. Next was to the Grove Arcade where we hit Bebettes, a New Orleans coffeehouse with fresh out the oven beignets with a warm chocolate dipping sauce, served with a shot of coffee. So yummy. I felt bad about all the power sugar I got everywhere. Gotta love a dessert on stop 2! For the third s location was Strada Italiano. The food here was excellent. We sampled one of their arancini balls and a grilled Florentine ravioli. Both were delicious bites and executed flawlessly. Great Italian fare with some red wine. My husband and I agreed we want to come back here for a full Italian dinner experience on our next trip. Starting to feel a little full at this point, not gonna lie but things continued to get more hearty at The Rhu. We got to enjoy their house breakfast sausage and pimento cheese on a buttermilk biscuit. Thank goodness they only gave us half each as these bad boys were thick. All three components were so tasty, with the pimento cheese winning for me. It came with some iced tea, which was definitely southern and sweet. I knew we had one more food stop left before dessert. Imagine my surprise when it was an Indiana buffet at Mehfil. On the fifth stop? Lord, a bad day to wear jeans! They place was so generous giving us a like private mini buffet of items like tandoori chicken, saag paneer, naan, butter chicken, rice and more. I truly wish I had room to eat more as everything was so tasty, especially their tandoori chicken. Also they had the best beverage pairing with a pear mule cocktail - perfectly light and smooth for a warm day. Our tour guide joked that we would need to cancel our dinner reservations, turns out they weren't kidding. The last stop was Asheville Chocolate. So many amazing sweet treats you could enjoy at this place. We wrapped up our tour with a chocolate truffle and cookies and cream gelato. I had to ask my husband to help finish these as I was stuffed. Before departing, we tipped our guide. This is not required, but we were happy to do so as she worked hard and took great care of us. After the tour, not gonna lie went back to our hotel and had an amazing nap! Sign of a good food tour! I thought this food tour was a great deal for the $90 per person price. I know at first it sounds like a lot. But we more than got $15 worth at each place from the food and drink itself, plus to convenience of being able to just walk in to a reserved table at a popular restaurant with a planned bite ready in a few minutes. Not to mention, having a personal tour guide to take you around and teach you about where you are, what you are eating , and Asheville in general. If you like to eat, and can eat a lot (you will be very full but it's worth it), take this tour. It was a great way to get a taste of places you've never been and decide where you wanna go back to and try a full meal next time!

Did we have a good time overall? Yes. However, do I think…read moreit's worth the $92/person price tag all in with taxes and fees... to sample 5 places with varying portions of food and drink? Not quite. The classic before fees is $79/person. It offers "minimum of 5 stops and at least 2 drink pairings" from their website. Don't get me started on the 15.5% extra they tack on for "taxes and fees". If the unavoidable city tax for Asheville is 7%, the remainder is 8.5% for what? Their website/payment services? To be fair, the pricing is similar to one we took part in NOLA $78/person with Destination Kitchen but the food and portions were more balanced (albeit without drink pairings). For $10 more base price, you can book the high roller tour $89/person. After all is said and done I'm wondering if we should have spent the extra amount and upgraded to the high roller since the descriptor highlights "most elegant, trendy, and acclaimed" options. I understand the business also needs to make a profit along with giving a cut to the tour guides. At the beginning and throughout the tour, the guide continued to emphasize that if we were still hungry by the end that they have not done their jobs. However, there's more to consider. I'll go through the 5 places we tried and how one of the newest additions isn't even listed still on their website so if you were to look ahead of time for the offerings you would not expect it! We met our group inside the Grove Street Arcade on a Monday in September which is a great spot with some shops and public restrooms before we started. STOP 1 - The Rhu https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-rhu-asheville This is the cafe/breakfast bakery sister to Rhubarb, which is more upscale. They prepared a small cup of iced sweet tea with half of their breakfast sandwich. The refreshing tea with sugar cubes paired nicely with the buttery biscuit sandwich. Value: $8.50 for full sandwich and drink was not listed so going to estimate total is worth one sandwich. STOP 3 - Bold Rock https://www.yelp.com/biz/bold-rock-asheville-asheville The Cidery story actually started in VA but I'm glad they expanded to NC. We sampled a 6~7 oz cider paired with a Bruschetta and Bacon Apple Grilled Cheese. (American, cheddar, goat cheese, local apples, bacon, Dijon aioli, sourdough) It was super tasty and really enjoyed everything!! Value: ~$5 half pour, ~$10 for the food so one of the better values STOP 3 - Mëhfil https://www.yelp.com/biz/mehfil-asheville-2 Full buffet spread of ~6 Indian dishes with Mango Lassi and a tasty alcoholic beverage too! Now this place is the spot I mentioned isn't even listed with their logo on the restaurant page... I checked their Instagram which isn't updated frequently either and they announced just the day before our tour so this is brand NEW. Unfortunately this is one of the cuisines my SO does not eat. We would not have known that reserving in advance... which is a shame. Value: ~$25-30 honestly since they were offering generous full size portions of their dishes that you could serve yourself, this was hands down the best cost wise. If you were to fill up it would be at this stop. The staff were also super nice and hospitable! STOP 4 - Manicomio Pizza https://www.yelp.com/biz/manicomio-pizza-asheville Plain and simple pizzeria with some funky designs. We sampled a single slice which may have been their special of the day with cherry tomato and artichoke and a lemon wedge to spritz. It tasted good, but forgettable. They just gave us water. Value: $5.50 by the slice for daily special STOP 5 FINAL - Sunshine Sammies https://www.yelp.com/biz/sunshine-sammies-asheville Makes sense we'd end on dessert and we sampled 1/2 a sandwich of I believe their seasonal pumpkin! It was a sweet way to conclude the tour. Value: $4, a full size seasonal flavor is $8 I was full from the generous spread offered at Mëhfil which carried the food and drink side of the tour. Unfortunately my SO didn't get to fully enjoy the experience, and there was no way we could have expected they'd take us to the new restaurant that was just announced. Even being generous with some of my estimates, I landed at value of ~$60, which is still short of the cost you're paying especially when more than half of these locations are more fast casual spots. The most disappointing was the pizzeria, since aside from the artwork I didn't feel anything unique about the taste and seems like a wasted opportunity given the list of other more interesting restaurants. I enjoyed the historical information the guide sprinkled throughout along with background about each of the locations. Next time I'll keep in mind for Mondays where many restaurants aren't open.

The Thomas Wolfe Memorial Angel is located near the Asheville Art Museum and not too far from Pack…read moreSquare. It is for Thomas Wolfe who once lived in Asheville. The memorial is located here as Wolfe's dad, W. O. Wolfe had a monument shop there and had an angel statue in front. The angel is fitting as a tribute to Wolfe as in his book, "Look Homeward Angel" he described the angel. If you are a fan of Thomas Wolfe make sure to check out the monument if in Downtown Asheville.

"Whereon the pillars of this Earth are founded, toward…read morewhich the conscience of the world is tending. A wind is rising, and the rivers flow." -Thomas Wolfe in "You Can't Go Home Again" This bronze angel stands in front of the Asheville Art Museum and was placed in memory of Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938). Wolfe is an Asheville native who wrote "Look Howard, Angel" in 1929. The novel is one of the highest marks in American fiction and was later a successful play. It tells of the experiences of a rather sensitive lad in a mountain town Pulpit Hill (Chapel Hill, NC), a coming-of-age story. Other notable works include "Of Time and the River", "You Can't Go Home Again" and "The Web and the Rock." Wolfe never married. The monument faces to the northwest. The plaque has the above quote and indicates that it was presented by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. [Review 12701 overall, 13 of 2020.]

Great place to shop for handmade local ceramics, jewelry, clothing and sculpture. The chair arch in…read morethe garden is a must see. Friendly people with beautiful working studios. Highly recommend.

This was a nice repurposed space with a few galleries and shops. We weren't necessarily looking for…read moreanything but my wife liked a necklace from artist Alice Scott and purchased it. She asked for some time to polish it, so we wandered around the area and came back to collect it. The garden area was kind of small but hey, you're really there for the art. Looks like the pandemic has changed their operating hours but you're pretty safe coming on a Friday or Saturday.

I took a two-hour walking tour this morning in Asheville with Peter, and it was absolutely…read morefantastic. From the moment he introduced himself, Peter proved to be a wealth of knowledge. He gave us a rich historical background of Asheville before guiding us through the streets, where we stopped at various points of interest. Along the way, he highlighted restaurants, landmarks, and historical sites dating from the 1700s to today. His storytelling made the city come alive, and I learned so much more than I expected. I honestly can't say enough about Peter--he was truly phenomenal. If you're visiting Asheville, this tour is a must! This is a tipped based program. While the walking tour is free, the guides depend on their tips. Please be generous.

David was a great guide through the River Arts District. We learned so much about the area and got…read moreto see some great studios and artists. Highly recommended!

My husband and I spent all day at the Biltmore Estate and had a wonderful visit. All the staff were…read morewelcoming, friendly, and helpful when we had questions. The self-guided audio tour of the Biltmore House was fantastic. We loved being able to explore at our own pace and take breaks to really look at things. The house is MASSIVE, and there is so much to see and learn about. The conservatory and gardens were also beautiful. Wear sneakers, because you will walk a lot! Their website says you can pack a picnic and lists recommendations for where to enjoy one. We packed snacks but not a full lunch, and I wish we had, because the food at the Stable Cafe was horrible. The Stable Cafe will get its own review, so no stars deducted here. I wish I'd had more energy so we could have stayed longer, walked further into the gardens, and visited the bass pond, but my legs were revolting after all the walking. I can see myself visiting the Biltmore Estate again in 5-10 years.

The Biltmore Estate is a large property owned by Vanderbilt family. The hotel however is run by…read moreinexperienced people. Restaurant staff were Rude and always pushed people around, talking to people in condescending manner. Drinks were poorly made. We did dinner at one restaurant in the park, it was mediocre. They need to have hotel experienced people run this place. Rooms were good but always sooooo cold. They charge 1200$/night but was not worth the experience. We were a group of 12 for 4 nights. All felt that we were not welcome. They probably live in plantation days. We brought some things for picnic so we can enjoy company. Every employee told us " there is no place to sit down in 200 acre property to have picnic together " because they wanted to push their restaurants but they were mediocre. We ended up going out in town for dinners most days after first night experience They were pushing the 14 min Luminare show for 75 $. Even the tram guy was so rude, would not let us sit in it without wrist band although we were just going for dinner at restaurant Sorry the review is not much positive but they need to improve service, attitude. Never again Biltmore. Big name poor service

This was a great way to see part of Asheville and learn the history and the present. The drinks…read morewere great the views were awesome and the guide was very knowledgeable.

What a terrific addition to the roster of Must-Do Activities in Asheville. This isn't just for…read moretourists, either! We are locals, and this experience made us feel the magic of being tourists in our own town. Looking down several stories and gazing out several miles, both, gave us such unique perspectives of the City. And yes, you can go to these rooftop bars on your own, but the Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours provides endless historical and architectural anecdotes of the area. Sam even shared numerous photos dating back to the 1800's, giving unique snapshots to the past while you gaze upon the present. You also gain access to the reserved premier seating on the decks, dedicated wait staff, and oftentimes off-menu craft cocktails and mocktails. Ask for the witty and charming Sam, but if he is busy, you will have fun with the rest of the staff! Ten outta Ten!!!

What an incredibly cool experience! Kristin is a great guide in so many ways; knowledgeable about…read moreAsheville, super flexible and responsive to client needs or wants, she has a great eye for capturing people and the stunning surroundings of a great city, shes just an all around great gal to spend a few hours with! We did the pub tour, which started at 4pm. I chose this tour to start our trip to see some things and get a feel for the city, and moreover, my other half and I are absolutely horrific about capturing images of ourselves, period. Plus, we are Floridians- this setting provided foliage, art, and cold weather clothing we so seldom see or use!Kristin's tour allowed us the opportunity to take care of that & start our immersion Into the unique city we really loved. Kristin was a great communicator throughout- my inquiries prior to booking, we had some interesting weather that could have hindered our tour (rain and a 30 degree temp drop within 2.5 hours) & she was kind enough to call and provide options, our follow up email & image sharing has been amazing! Our photos have come back and we can't say enough about them. She's got a great eye for capturing subjects and the essence of Asheville. I highly recommend, when we go back to Asheville, I plan to book another tour with her.

Mike was a great tour guide. Our group was small so he let us personalize our fall foliage tour. It…read morewas a wonderful trip, filled with Asheville history and beautiful viewing. I recommend this company.