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.

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.

If you take this amazing tour use Peter. Besides an interesting tour with rich history including…read moredevelopment of the area and architecture, he is hilarious. I liked it so much I'd do it again. I'd rate it a 10 plus.

5 Arts Studio is definitely worth the off the beaten path trip to Crosby Tennessee! If you have…read morenever seen their amazing trolls before or if you are a avid collector a visit to their studio is a must do experience. Before you go you will want to give them a call like their website suggests to make sure they are open and available to show you around. When you arrive you are welcomed by a large troll on their front door which makes for a very cute group picture and they even have troll headbands you can use. The studio is made up of four main areas downstairs where the trolls are put together, the workshop where they get their personalities, the display area where you can choose your troll, and the museum. The story of the family who creates these adorable creatures is very interesting and really makes the place come alive. Special Travel Note: Use the address given and it will take you right there but do note once off the main road it will turn to gravel and you might think you have made a wrong turn but then your gps will let you know you are on Troll Mountain Way:)

From the owner: Hand crafted trolls made by the Arensbak family since 1949 from natural materials found in the…read morenearby mountains. This is a very unique, working studio with gift shop and museum that sits on a mountain top overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains.

What a wonderful tour with Mountain Mural Tours! We were lucky enough to score a last minute added…read moretour and just loved it! Thanks for all the information! We felt so familiar with the Asheville art scene when we were done! Plus it was very fun and lively! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

This tour is AMAZING! The guides are delightful and so knowledgeable. I am from Asheville and…read morestill learned so much about my city. There is also a beautiful racial justice component to the tour. I enjoyed every minute, and highly recommend this to anyone interested in history and art.

Looking for a way to see the city and get some good info. This tour checked all the boxes. Our…read moredriver Matt was cool. Fun information. Highly recommend this tour. Very much worth the price.

The drivers are good about explaining each point of interest along the route. Our hotel was near…read morethe visitors center and we were able to walk there. There was no sidewalk as the entrance is in the back of the building. Plenty of parking if you drive there. We had to walk in the road. The stops were communicated but not well marked and no map to show exactly where they were located. We had tried walking to a stop but with no specific street address it was not possible. We returned to the place we were dropped off at a few minutes before the time the trolley was scheduled to leave and the trolley was pulling out. We were able to flag down the driver to finish our tour. The pass is good for 2 days so we may try to return to another area although it might be simpler to just drive. If Gray line posts maps with specific locations and adds a walkway at the visitors center it would vastly improve the experience.