Autumn in Asheville NC is a magical time, with Fall colors glowing like gems in the Blue Ridge Mountains that surround the burgeoning metropolis.
Naturally, there are endless things to do in (and near) Asheville to help get you into the spirit of the season.
Whether it’s driving the Blue Ridge Parkway for top-notch leaf peeping, visiting the many Fall fairs and festivals, getting lost in a corn maze, or getting spooked silly at a haunted house, there’s really something for everyone!
Check out our guide to our favorite 10 Fun Things to Do During Fall in Asheville NC, including all the best Autumn activities and attractions in the metropolitan area.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Hotels in Asheville NC to Visit
Top Places to Stay in Asheville NC
The Omni Grove Park Inn (Romantic historic inn w/mountain views & subterranean spa)
Cambria Hotel (Downtown Asheville hotel with fridge & restaurant, highly recommended)
Kimpton – Hotel Arras, IHG (Downtown Asheville 4-star hotel w/great breakfast & bikes)
The Inn On Biltmore Estate (Biltmore hotel with on-site spa w/casual & fine dining restaurants)
Hampton Inn & Suites Biltmore Village (Pet-friendly, budget-friendly hotel w/free breakfast)
Black Walnut B&B Inn (Romantic B&B in the Montford Historic District)
Fall in Asheville NC Guide
- Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Pick Apples in Hendersonville
- Visit a Local Pumpkin Patch
- Stop By Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze
- Have Fun at a Fall Fair
- Attend a Fall Festival
- Watch the Sunset at Craggy Gardens
- Explore the Fall Flower Display at Biltmore
- Experience Fall at the NC Arboretum
- Celebrate Halloween
READ MORE: The 15 Best VRBO Cabins in Asheville NC
1. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway
Asheville is the perfect base for heading off into the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to do some leaf-peeping.
People travel from all across the country to this area of the Blue Ridge Parkway for its stellar Autumnal backdrop.
Within an hour’s drive of Downtown Asheville, Crabtree Falls (339.5), Green Knob Overlook (350.4), Fryingpan Lookout Tower (409.6), Looking Glass Rock Overlook (MP 417), and Graveyard Fields (418.8) are some of the best Blue Ridge Parkway Overlooks in Fall if you want to capture that perfect photo of Fall colors.
If you’re open to a bit of hiking in Asheville, check out the Craggy Pinnacle Trail at Craggy Gardens (MP 364.1) for a 1.2-mile round trip hike, or take a 4.9-mile hike along the Lunch Rocks Trail (MP 382).
There’s also the ever-popular 2.6-mile round trip Mount Pisgah trail (MP407.6), one of our personal favorites.
READ MORE: Visiting the Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center in Asheville
2. Pick Apples in Hendersonville
Hendersonville is located just 30 minutes south of Asheville, and there are lots of Hendersonville Apple Orchards that offer an array of family-friendly fun.
Home to the annual NC Apple Festival, the town offers some of the best apple-picking in North Carolina, and has the highest concentration of apple orchards in Western North Carolina.
If you’re looking for a “U-Pick” experience, we personally recommend Justus Orchard, Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard, Grandad’s Apples N’ Such, and Sky Top Orchard.
In addition to the traditional apple-picking experience, these farms all have other family-fun activities, from corn mazes and apple cannons to jump pads and hayrides.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Small Towns Near Asheville NC
3. Visit a Local Pumpkin Patch
With Fall comes pumpkins, and for us that means carving jack o’lanterns and baking pumpkin pies.
Why not skip the supermarket pumpkins this year and enjoy an authentic Autumnal experience by heading out to one of the many local NC pumpkin patches?
There are several farms close to Asheville that offer u-pick pumpkins, including Darnell Farms, Jeter Mountain Farm, New River Corn Maze, and the Ashe County Corn Maze and Pumpkin Festival.
Pack up the kids and head down to one of these farms for a fantastic family day!
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4. Stop By Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze
Founded in Asheville in 1903, Eliada is a non-profit organization that provides services for children and youth.
Their programs include mental health services, foster care, workforce-ready housing assistance, and more.
The Eliada Fall Festival and Corn Maze is a fantastic event that gives 100% of its profits back to the organization. The event is open on Fridays (3-7 PM), Saturdays (10 AM- 7 PM), and Sundays (10 AM-6 PM).
There are endless fun activities here, from corn cannons and a custom-made corn maze to lawn games, hayrides, slides, bouncy pillows, pumpkins, and food trucks.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Corn Mazes in North Carolina to Visit
5. Have Fun at a Fall Fair
County fairs are a NC small town staple, typically heaving with food, vendors, games, and live shows.
Held at the Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville NC, the Haywood County Fair (Sept 26-29, 2024) is no exception, offering carnival-style rides, food trucks, live music, and much more.
Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children between the ages of 6 and 12, and the fair is open on Thursday and Friday 5-10 PM, Saturday 9 AM-10 PM, and Sunday from 11 AM-6 PM.
Marshall NC’s 2024 Madison County Fair will be held on September 27-28, and offers fun for the whole family.
Visitors can enjoy agricultural products and various craft exhibits, inflatables, a mechanical bull, and games including a cast iron skillet throwing competition!
READ MORE: The 15 Best Fairs in North Carolina to Visit
6. Attend a Fall Festival
Asheville is full of great festivals at this time of year, celebrating everything from the arts to craft beer and more.
Asheville Art in the Park will allow visitors to connect with (and buy from) local and national artists on October 5, 12, and 19 in Asheville‘s Pack Square Park.
Whether you’re a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore, foodies of all stripes will find something delicious to devour at the Asheville VeganFest in Pack Square Park on October 6.
Held at the Cherokee Center Oct 17-20, the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands features Appalachian artisans exhibiting contemporary and traditional crafts, including clay, wood, metal, fiber, and jewelry.
And don’t miss the 3rd Annual Lovely Asheville Annual Fall Festival in Carrier Park on October 12-13, with live music, vendors, food trucks, and more set against the Autumnal backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
READ MORE: The Top 20 Fall Festivals in the North Carolina Mountains
7. Watch the Sunset at Craggy Gardens
Located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Craggy Gardens is home to the moderately challenging Craggy Pinnacle Trail, which is particularly special in the Fall.
The view from the summit is a patchwork of red, orange, gold, and green. But even those who don’t want to hike will be in for a treat is they can stay until sundown.
On a clear evening, the wheelchair-accessible Craggy Gardens Visitor Center parking lot is a FANTASTIC place to watch the sunset, and requires no walking at all.
Grab a blanket (it gets windy up there at night), bring a picnic, and settle in for a romantic evening watching a dramatic show of pinks, purples, and oranges swirling in the sky before you.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Asheville for Couples
8. Explore the Fall Flower Display at Biltmore
The Biltmore Estate is another one of our favorite places in Asheville to see Fall colors.
While many botanical gardens go into dormancy at this time of year, the Biltmore gardens have been planted to come alive with all the vivid colors of the season.
In late September through October, the Walled Garden is bursting with mums in red, purple, orange, and yellow, while the Rose Garden shows off more than 90 varieties of sweet-scented blooms.
Look towards the treetops during a stroll or drive around the grounds and you’ll be met with the full spectrum of colors of Fall in North Carolina. The Lagoon is especially pretty, with the colors reflected in the still water.
READ MORE: 18 Festive Ways to Celebrate an Asheville NC Christmas
9. Experience Fall at the NC Arboretum
Although it’s a beautiful place to spend an afternoon at any time of the year, the NC Arboretum is simply stunning to behold in Autumn.
With a huge diversity of trees spread across this 434-acre garden, you’ll be sure to see every shade of Fall color you could imagine.
The end of October tends to be when the colors are at their peak, but they often last into early November.
You can see miniature Fall colors in the Bonsai Garden, a sea of mums in the Quilt Garden, and check out the Forest Meadow for a concentration of trees planted deliberately for their showy Autumnal displays.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Asheville for Couples
10. Celebrate Halloween
If you want to do something special for Halloween this year, visit some of the most haunted places in North Carolina and hear about Downtown Asheville history on a spooky ghost tour.
Learn about the Pink Lady of the Grove Park Inn, apparitions on Helen’s Bridge, murder in the Battery Park Hotel, and the entombed body said to be hidden in the walls of the Basilica of Saint Lawrence.
For a less traumatizing (and more family-friendly) Halloween experience, check out Asheville’s Haunted Trail. This haunted trail is dotted with 50+ actors ready to bring the spooky spirit of All Hallows Eve alive.
There’s also an escape room, a glow zone, monster-sized games, and a Lil’ Ghouls area, too! –by Emma Gallagher; featured photo of Fall in Asheville NC via Canva Pro
