River Arts District

Filament Microblading & Lashes

Hi-Wire Brewing RAD Beer Garden and Distribution Center

Hi-Wire Brewing RAD Beer Garden and Distribution Center is one of Hi-Wire Brewing's Asheville locations, on Lyman Street in the River Arts District. It combines a taproom and a large outdoor beer garden with the company's distribution center. Hi-Wire says it has brewed in Asheville since 2013, and its taprooms pour 20 or more beers. The RAD location is described as an open-air space with local food trucks on site daily. Games and activities listed there include pickleball courts, golf simulators and pool tables from Ace & Eagle Urban Sports Club, and e-bike tours with The Flying Bike start from the space. Hi-Wire also has a South Slope taproom and a Biltmore Village production facility with a taproom, so check that you are heading to the right location.

474 Gallery Studio Tattoo

The Hop Ice Creamery

Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours

Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours runs guided walking tours of rooftop bars in downtown Asheville. Its website says each tour visits several venues with mountain and skyline views while guides share local history and architecture. The site lists reserved seating at each stop and a cocktail or mocktail, with one featured drink per venue. Guides also help with photos. Departures are scheduled at different times of day, including sunset, and the lineup changes by season, with a South Slope option listed for 2026. Tours are for ages 21 and up, and private group tours are available for up to 20 guests. Booking is online, and the meeting point is on South French Broad Avenue.

PennyCup Coffee Co.

PennyCup Coffee Co. is a small-batch coffee roaster based in Asheville's River Arts District, and this Depot Street café is one of five PennyCup shops listed on its website, with others downtown, in East and North Asheville, and in Woodfin. The company says it was founded in 2013 and takes its name from the old penny universities, coffeehouses where people from all walks of life gathered to drink coffee and debate. The roaster's lineup includes single-origin coffees from Ethiopia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea and Haiti, along with its Abbington Green blend, and it releases limited coffees under a line it calls Curioso. Beans are sold online and through a coffee subscription, and PennyCup also supplies coffee to businesses through its wholesale program.

Bear Moon Waxing & Skincare

Sugar And Snow Gelato

Sugar and Snow Gelato is a gelato shop and bakery in Suite 102 on Roberts Street, in Asheville's Upper River Arts District. According to its website, it re-opened at this location and sells handcrafted gelato, freshly baked brownies and cookies, coffee and specialty drinks, and local goods. The shop says it makes its own gelato base using organic sugar and dairy from small North Carolina farms, and it also makes non-dairy, vegan-friendly gelato and sorbet. Its website also offers gelato pints for pickup or shipping, brownie baking mixes, catering and wholesale.

Piano Lab Studios 1 (serving West Asheville, Weaverville, & Beyond)

Taco Billy

The Middy

J.L. Roberts Photography

Amplified Media Inc.

Amplified Media is a video production and photography company in Asheville. Its website describes a strategy-first approach, starting with a discovery conversation before filming. Services listed include brand story and commercial films, campaign content, industrial and manufacturing media, tourism storytelling, commercial photography, aerial and drone work, motion graphics and post-production. It lists work for the tourism, manufacturing, healthcare and employer recruitment fields, among others. According to its website, it works throughout Western North Carolina and in nearby cities such as Charlotte, Greenville and Knoxville.

Inner Peace Wellness Co.

Affordable Mufflers & Brakes

NeO Nail Spa

NeO Nail Spa is a nail salon in the Westgate shopping area on the west side of Asheville. Its services include acrylic full sets and fill-ins, hard gel (builder gel, gel X and similar), SNS dip powder and solar nail treatments. The menu also lists express and spa manicures, several pedicure styles, eyebrow and chin waxing, and add-ons like French tips and ombre designs. The salon takes bookings online. According to its website, you can also call to request a specific technician or to set up a group visit.

Shay & Company

Zen Ink

Zen Ink is a tattoo, piercing and metaphysical studio in Asheville. Its website lists tattoo artists and piercers, and says the studio uses implant grade titanium and 14K gold jewelry for piercings and non-toxic, vegan inks for tattoos. The site also lists energy work from practitioners with spiritual training, and a metaphysical store with crystals, candles, pendulums and jewelry. According to its website, the studio opened in 2016, and tattoo consultations are by appointment.

River Arts District

A working studio district along the French Broad River, rebuilding after Helene and full of artists, galleries, and events.

Hi-Wire Brewing RAD Beer Garden

A big dog- and kid-friendly beer garden in the River Arts District built from mural-covered shipping containers.

French Broad Chocolate Factory

A bean-to-bar chocolate maker on Riverside Drive with daily 45-minute factory tours, tastings, and a cafe.

A First-Timer's Weekend in Asheville: 3 Days of Mountains, Art, and Beer

A three-day plan for a first visit to Asheville that covers downtown, Biltmore, the River Arts District, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, with 2026 notes on what has reopened after Helene.

Asheville Neighborhoods Guide: Where to Stay, Eat, and Explore

A quick tour of Asheville's neighborhoods, from downtown and the South Slope to West Asheville, the River Arts District, and nearby mountain towns.

Spring in Asheville: Blooms, Trails, and Festivals

Biltmore's tulips, native azaleas, waterfall hikes, tailgate markets and the first free concerts of the year. Spring climbs the mountains slowly here, and this is how to follow it from March through May.

Summer in Asheville: Cool Mountains, River Days, and Free Music

Mile-high overlooks, tubing the French Broad, Sliding Rock, and free mountain music at Pack Square Park. Here is how to do summer in Asheville, rain showers and all.

Fall in Asheville: Foliage, Festivals, and Mountain Drives

Leaf season here lasts more than a month, moving from 6,000-foot peaks down to the valleys. Here is when and where to see the color, the fall festivals worth planning around, and how to spend a weekend.