Free and Fun Things To Do In Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina is a great place to live and to visit. The food scene is on-point, the coffee here is amazing, we’ve got tons of breweries, and there are enough things to do to keep you busy for a very long time. But if you’re looking to have a fun time on a budget or without spending any money at all, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite free and fun things to do in Asheville that won’t cost you any money. How many of them have you done?

Go Instagramming!

There are so many fun spots to photograph in Asheville. One of our favorite places is down at the Foundation where the Wedge Brewing Company and 12 Bones BBQ are located. There’s a ton of really cool street art and murals there and it’s always changing. West Asheville is another sweet spot for taking some cool Instagram photos. Also, though we might be biased because we call Asheville home, we recently put it into our list of the Best Cities for Street Art in the US!  Join us for an Asheville Instameet sometime – a free event that we host for photographers of all skill levels!

Photo Credit: Authentic Asheville

Take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway

This is an awesome thing to do any time of year but if you come in the fall when the leaves are changing colors, you will be in for a special treat. Spring and summer are beautiful too because the mountains are green and lush. Winter has it’s own special charm – the trees are dead and brown but you can often see things you can’t during the rest of the year because the leaves are gone and it gives you an unobstructed view. Be sure to check the website for road closures if you go during the winter.

Our dog, Maybelle at an overlook. (Don’t worry, we let her out right after we snapped the photo.) Photo Credit: Authentic Asheville

Watch sunset from an overlook

Sounds romantic, and it is. It’s also fun to do alone. Take some snacks and hang out for a while. This is easily one of our favorite free and fun things to do in Asheville.

Wanna splurge on a cocktail for a killer view?  See our 10 Bars With a View for ideas in Asheville.

Drink free beer at Sierra Nevada

If this sounds too good to be true, fear not! It IS true! There are several different tours to choose from, the Heritage Tour, Beer Geek Tour and even Guided Barrel Tastings which DO cost money but the Brewery Tour is just that and it’s free. We did it about a year ago and had a blast.

Corn hole at Sierra Nevada anyone?!  Photo Credit: Authentic Asheville

Listen to live music downtown

Abby the Spoon Lady is probably the most well-known busker in Asheville. The best places to find buskers is near the Flat Iron statue on Battery Park Avenue, on Haywood Street by the Woolworth Walk and by Pack Square.

Hike!

Do you love being outside? If so, you’re in luck because Asheville is an outdoors-y kind of place. There are so many trails within a short drive that the hardest part might be deciding on which trail to hike! For some suggestions, head on over to Asheville Trails. They’ve got tons of great info on some of the best spots in Western North Carolina.

Caroline hiking near Asheville, North Carolina .  Photo Credit: Authentic Asheville

Go to an Asheville Instameet!

A couple of times a year Authentic Asheville hosts an Instameet. It’s a free photography event that’s open to all ages and skill levels.

authentic asheville
Asheville’s Instameet group. Photo Credit: Authentic Asheville

Ride bikes at the Velodrome

Sometimes it’s also called the Mellowdrome. The what? Haha, don’t worry if you don’t know what this is. A lot of people don’t. It’s basically an oval track for your bike and a place where you can go and train (or race) without fear of getting hit by cars. It’s recently undergone some renovations (new lighting, new fencing, a new surface!) and looks like it will open back up in the spring of 2018!

Get on a bike! Photo Credit: Authentic Asheville

What do you think about our list of free and fun things to do in Asheville?

What are you favorite things to do that don’t cost any money? Did we miss anything? We’d love to know your thoughts!

 



Erin McGrady and Caroline Whatley of Authentic Asheville
Erin McGrady and Caroline Whatley of Authentic Asheville are Squarespace web design specialists, freelance photographers, travel writers and tiny home designers who are based in West Asheville. We finished building the tiny black home behind Hole Doughnuts in October of 2017! We’re currently accepting projects for 2018. Interested in working with us? Be sure to check out our Media Kit and drop us a line at [email protected] if you think we’d be a good fit! 

One Response to “Free and Fun Things To Do In Asheville”

  1. D'artagnan

    Abby the Spoon is a really fun place, we were there last spring and spent a few really awesome nights there! Can’t wait to get back.

    Reply

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