View of Looking Glass Rock in the summer months.
Besides holidays and the month of October, summertime in Asheville is one of the most popular time frames to visit Asheville. In addition to the year-round availability of popular downtown restaurants and breweries, summer is prime time for downtown nightlife, outdoor activities, including zipline trips through the trees, hiking through Pisgah National Forest or other area wilderness areas like Linville Gorge or Montreat, and a refreshing waterfall hike can create a great way to cool off during the warmer summer months. Asheville and Black Mountain's higher elevations also keep you cool.
Things to do in Asheville in summer
- Take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway! The Parkway is not only a stunning drive, it's also the access point to a variety of wonderful hiking trails and picnic spots.
- Prioritize adventure with a zipline or whitewater rafting trip.
- Visit the Biltmore Estate with its variety of special exhibits, which often run through the summer months, and have included fashion from the Titanic film, wedding gowns in films, fashion from classic literary works and movies, and Chihuly glass sculptures around the Biltmore's grounds.
- Make dinner reservations at one of Asheville or Black Mountain's highly acclaimed restaurants (summer weather can mean great outdoorseating), enjoy dessert at The Hop, Ultimate Ice Cream or French Broad Chocolate Lounge. If you are around downtown Asheville during the weekend, make sure to check out the Drum Circle which takes place at Pritchard Park.
Lake Tomahawk in Black Mountain
- Pack a picnic and enjoy a summer sunset on a mountain bald, Asheville's city skyline in view, or on the Biltmore's grounds.
View all summer events, or check out our extensive summer activity planning guide.