Weekend Layover: Asheville, North Carolina
The year-round resort town is home to all kinds—creative types mingle easily with the fleece-clad mountaineering set who cross paths regularly with the area’s longtime farmers. One of the prized jewels of the South, Asheville is a living, breathing city that grows and changes daily. Here we offer you a snapshot of the city’s best experiences to have over a few days in this eclectic town.
Why Asheville is a Place You Will Want to Visit More Than Once
Asheville is the kind of place you have to visit more than once. Each time, there is a host of new experiences to be had, which is probably why I love this little city with big city culture in the heart of western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains so much. An eclectic city, Asheville is the kind of hip place that has an unofficial “brewery district” in the South Slope neighborhood – although there is much more here than just beer. Asheville is also a culturally rich city, known for its historic architecture, like the expansive 19th-century Biltmore estate and the domed Basilica of Saint Lawrence. And for its buzzing arts scene with two distinct gallery districts, the Downtown Arts District, where you’ll find a host of galleries and museums, and the nearby by River Arts District, where factory buildings have been converted into funky artist studios and boutiques and great shopping abound. Best of all, Asheville is also a foodie town, and I love the big flavors on offer when it comes to its vibrant dining scene.
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Top Four Finds for the Fourth of July in Western North Carolina
With its longstanding, rich arts-and-crafts heritage, it is no wonder that Western North Carolina’s creative culture is one of the finest in the country. Come see it for yourself at Lexington Glassworks’ July Glasswork Concert Series: Hot Glass, Cold Beer, Live Music on Friday, July 1, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Learn about the beautiful, meticulous art of glassblowing and enjoy the fine tunes of bluegrass from WNC’s own Maggie Valley Band.
14 Awesome Things To Do in North Carolina When It's Raining
Don’t let rainy weather get you down. There are plenty of things to do in North Carolina when it’s raining. Whether you’re looking for something to entertain the kids for the afternoon, or hoping for a fun couple’s day, you’ll definitely find something on this list. Here are the 14 most awesome things to do in North Carolina while the rain comes down.
Lexington Glassworks
This 5,000-square-foot studio showcases the beautiful art of glassblowing. Visit to watch the artists at work - they blow glass six days per week (there’s no glassblowing on Tuesdays). Enjoy local beer on tap, too.
If western North Carolina is the hub of American craft, Asheville is its heart. Perched in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the city has a population of just 88,000 – a ridiculous percentage of which seem to be artists. Today, craft lovers may be drawn, in particular, to downtown and the River Arts District. But there is history to be appreciated, too, much of it embodied in three storied places: the Grove Park Inn (since 2013, the Omni Grove Park Inn); the Biltmore, a French Renaissance-style château built by art collector George Vanderbilt in 1895; and the defunct Black Mountain College.
Each piece of hand-blown glass begins in the furnace located just past the entrance. On any given day, inside Lexington Glassworks, you will find the owners, Billy Guilford and Geoff Koslow, diligently and delicately crafting one-of-a-kind pieces in the gallery’s 2,100-degree furnace that they assembled themselves.
CMT filming Allison DeMarcus travel show in Asheville
This week, cable channel CMT is filming a travel series called "Southbound" in Asheville and the surrounding area.
The production crew filmed at Lexington Glassworks earlier today. Ashleigh Hardes of the downtown glass studio said show host Allison DeMarcus interviewed owners Billy Guilford and Geoff Koslow about their work and the recent renovation of the former auto shop where they work.
Demarcus is a frequent CMT host, former beauty queen and wife of Rascal Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus.
ExploreAsheville.com, Asheville: Return Again
Thank you to the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau for including us in this beautiful new video!
North Carolina Weekend | UNC-TV
Meet the two artist/owners of Lexington Glassworks, a popular Asheville hotspot that lets visitors watch glass being blown.
Asheville is one of the top 20 fastest growing cities in the U.S. The growth easily translates into more dining, shopping and entertainment in this eclectic city full of hippies, artists, retirees and young families.
While you’ll find a concentration of shopping and dining on and around Biltmore Avenue, there are many more nooks and crannies that may take an effort to locate, but they're truly worth the find.
As for the burgeoning art scene, check out Lexington Glassworks, a new spacious downtown studio where you can watch artists create stunning pieces of hand-blown glass.
If the garage doors are open, then the fires are going.
Hip Green Scene | Asheville Travel Guide
Maybe it is reflective of our own dual nature, but we find the dichotomy in Asheville interesting. Made famous as much for the castle built by a Vanderbilt heir as by long-standing drum circles downtown, Asheville is a marriage of opposites. The happy result is architectural grandeur alongside an earthiness that just might tempt you to sit behind a pottery wheel. This lush mountain town provides many opportunities to commune with nature whether it is strolling the manicured gardens or paddling down a meandering river. Either way, you’ll be well fed. While the farm-to-table movement didn’t originate here, you’d think it did. Vegan or carnivore, you’ll find some of the best meals to be had are waiting for you. You’ll need all that sustenance to take in the thriving art scene with hundreds of artists in residence. Be sure to check out Asheville’s up-and-coming South Slope neighborhood, filled with so much hipness in so little a radius, your visit isn’t complete without an evening there brewery hopping. So settle in a while, Asheville’s union of opposites couldn’t have turned out better.
Lexington Glassworks Billy Guilford and Geoffrey Koslow are firing up some gorgeous glass for you. Drop in their spacious studio on South Lexington and watch them do their thing. While they’ve got plenty of unique glass vessels for you to take home, our favorite is the heart organ necklace below. 81 S. Lexington Ave. (S)
See artists at work during Asheville Downtown Art Walk
When glass blowing artists Billy Guilford and Geoff Koslow discovered a rundown garage for rent on South Lexington Avenue, they looked past the mess and focused on the large roll-up garage door.
