Asheville NC in the fall

Asheville, NC is all set for a vibrant and long-lasting fall color season.

With more than 100 tree species spanning 5,000 feet of elevation, the Blue Ridge Mountains are home to one of the longest fall color seasons in the world — now paired with a U.S. art premier, major reopenings and community-wide celebrations.

Hurricane Helene struck during last year’s peak travel season, disrupting one of the region’s most critical economic drivers. This fall, the Asheville area returns with resilience: festivals, artistic debuts, culinary openings and neighborhood gatherings.

A long and colorful fall in the Blue Ridge

Dr. Howard S. Neufeld, biology professor at Appalachian State and fall color expert, says the upcoming fall color season in Western North Carolina will be long and vibrant. Thanks to a warm summer, healthy trees and above-average temperatures in the forecast, leaf peepers can look forward to weeks of brilliant reds, golds and oranges.

While the season always begins on schedule, certain trees will hold onto their leaves a little longer, stretching out the show. Neufeld says September is a critical month for determining fall foliage. The perfect recipe is warm, sunny days and crisp, cool nights with little wind or rain. So far, the outlook is bright.

From trails to trolls

The Asheville area offers no shortage of fresh vantage points for savoring Autumnal hues — from freshly reopened stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway to a retro Airstream glamping site. Even arrivals at the expanded Asheville Regional Airport are greeted with sweeping aerial views and a newly opened air terminal.

Blue Ridge Parkway expands access – The Blue Ridge Parkway in August completed a major repair that opened 38 miles of continuous access from milepost 382 in Asheville and Buncombe County. Nearly 60% of the Parkway in North Carolina is now open, including the Folk Art Center, Graveyard Fields and the Cold Mountain Overlook. An updated guide to reopened sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway can be found here.

Thomas Dambo’s Trolls descend upon the NC Arboretum – The brand-new traveling exhibition, “Trolls: A Field Study” by wildly popular and renowned Danish artist Thomas Dambo, will make its US debut at the North Carolina Arboretum, Nov. 15, 2025 – Feb. 17, 2026. Crafted from reclaimed materials, his twelve larger-than-life trolls inspire wonder and promote a deeper connection to nature. This fall and throughout the winter season, visitors can follow a map to discover each troll’s unique personality across the Arboretum’s 65 acres of gardens and 10 miles of trails.

Chimney Rock State Park reopens – The iconic Chimney Rock State Park reopened in June after an extensive rebuilding effort following the Hurricane. Guests must reserve tickets to the attraction in advance here. The family-friendly park features beginner-level trails, as well as the option to ride an elevator 26 stories to Sky Lounge, the upper-level café and gift shop, which offers spectacular views of Lake Lure and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Farm tours – The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) hosts its annual Farm Tours on Sept. 20-21, which offer a chance to experience how food is grown and raised through guided tours, demonstrations and tastings. This year’s tour highlights 24 farms in the region that specialize in a variety of produce and products, including Addison Farms Vineyard, Looking Glass Creamery and Wilderkin Beekeeping. One pass is good for all passengers in a single vehicle at all farms, both days.

A family favorite returns – Eliada Homes, just five minutes from downtown, puts on the Fall Festival & Corn Maze – the foster care non-profit’s largest annual fundraiser. The festival, featuring an 8-acre corn maze, tractor rides, food trucks and family activities, kicks off Sept. 26 and continues through October.

INSIDER TIP: Asheville’s fall color hunters are back on the trails. This season, six local photographers will chart the region’s most brilliant views, with weekly updates and travel inspiration. Catch reports, events and an interactive maps of peak fall color hot spots at @VisitAsheville and ExploreAsheville.com.

The River Arts District (RAD) along the French Broad River was among the hardest hit creative commercial districts by Hurricane Helene, with hundreds of artist studios and galleries initially impacted. Since then, more than half of the artists and makers have returned. Visitors will once again find open studios, engaging workshops, galleries, boutiques, breweries and music venues.

Art market makes a bold comeback | The Marquee, home to 350 vendors, was completely submerged during Helene, but it’s making a bold return almost exactly a year later. The Marquee is slated to reopen Sept. 25, with nearly all of its previous artists and antique vendors proudly displaying their wares once again.

New gallery provides space to artists | The team behind The Radical Hotel has opened the new RAD Rendezvous, a mix of artist studios, retail and pop-up experiences, with a grand opening party on Sept. 16. The space will house up to 40 artists in individual and shared studios, plus opportunities for visitors to shop, connect and immerse themselves in arts.

Fiber collective weaves a new thread | The non-profit Local Cloth, which supports more than 500 fiber artists and farmers across the region, will open its restored workshop and boutique on Sept. 13 with a grand reopening celebration. Local Cloth offers a wide range of classes year-round, including weaving, embroidery, spinning and natural dyes.

Turning fallen trees into fine art | Foundation Woodworks, a collective of 11 master woodworkers and furniture makers, will return to its restored workshop in September. The wood artisans also launched a non-profit, Echoes of the Forest, aimed at transforming downed trees from the hurricane into a healing arts experience with installations, like benches and sculptures.

Neighborhood event honors creative spirit | On Sept. 13, the River Arts District Association will host RAD Resilience — a neighborhood-wide celebration of healing, creativity, and collective strength in the year since Hurricane Helene. Visitors can explore works by more than 350 artists, shop an outdoor market featuring 100 displaced makers, and enjoy food trucks, live talks led by local artists, and a large-scale art installation. Timed alongside “A Tale of Two Cities,” a parallel exhibition in New Orleans marking 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, RAD Resilience highlight the vital role artists play in rebuilding.

Fall events

Goombay Festival | Sep 4-7 This annual event celebrating Affrilachian heritage and culture has been part of Asheville’s cultural landscape for more than four decades. Last year’s event was canceled due to the hurricane, and this year’s Goombay promises to be a historic event. The weekend lineup includes live jazz, soul, gospel and hip hop performances as well as a fashion show, wellness classes, and family-friendly activities.

Blue Ridge Pride Festival | Sep 26 – Asheville celebrates Pride in September, and this year’s festival coincides with the one-year milestone since Helene. In addition to the Saturday festival in Pack Square Park, the weekend will pay tribute to the resilience of the LGBTQ+ community and celebrate the heroic efforts made to provide relief in the storm’s wake.

Special guest helps kick off Pride weekend: Pattie Gonia, the mustachioed, environmentalist drag queen, will perform at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville Fri, Sept. 26, a stop on Pattie’s “SAVE HER!” tour. The drag show, which centers on climate change and solutions, features a lineup of local and national drag performers.

Black Mountain Blues Festival | Sept. 26-28 – Blues musicians from across the nation will descend upon the town of Black Mountain for this second-annual festival, which takes place across multiple venues. In addition to live music, Black Mountain Blues will feature panel discussions, open blues jams and educational opportunities.

Burnpile | Oct. 4 – This annual festival at Burial Beer Co.’s Forestry Camp pairs genre-defying national acts and beers from more than 60 craft breweries around the world. This year’s event aims to be an offering of joy, recognizing the community’s perseverance and revival. A portion of ticket sales will go toward the brewery’s Manifest Eternity Program, which supports local breweries’ rebuilding efforts.

LEAF Global Arts Festival | Oct 16-19 – This family-friendly global festival celebrates 30 years connecting cultures through music, art and workshops on the campus of Lake Eden, in Black Mountain. This year’s lineup features folk artist Valerie June, “immigrant rock” band Making Movies and local cumbia group Las Montañitas, among a dozens of artists from around the world.

Asheville Symphony Orchestra Presents “Convergence” | Oct. 25 – Celebrating more than 90 years of the Black Mountain College, this unique performance traces a journey from European romanticism to American avant-garde, including groundbreaking works by John Cage that emerged from the renowned transformative haven for creatives in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

RADfest | Nov. 8-9 — The second annual RADfest, will celebrate a year of resilience and reopening with a two-day-long street fare featuring artist demonstrations, open studios, live music, food trucks and creative happenings. Last year’s inaugural event drew thousands to the neighborhood, creating a critical source of revenue for artists and bringing community together when it was needed most.

The Asheville Sessions | Nov. 6-9 — A century ago, Asheville helped change how American music was heard. In 1925, the city hosted the first commercial recordings made in Appalachia — capturing fiddlers, banjo pickers and singers who helped lay the foundation for what would become known as Americana. This fall, Explore Asheville is the presenting sponsor of The Asheville Sessions: Celebrating 100 Years of Americana & Appalachia, a weekend of concerts, discussions and events honoring that legacy while spotlighting the city’s thriving modern scene. The celebration includes two marquee concerts:

Nov. 7 – Ketch Secor, of Old Crow Medicine Show, will perform with Nest of Singing Birds and Jesse Smathers at The Grey Eagle.

Nov. 8 – The spotlight turns to the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium for a hometown showcase with Asheville-based River Whyless, Tyler Ramsey, Toubab Krewe and Floating Action.

For more on Asheville fall travel, visit ExploreAsheville.com