Asheville has been drawing artists and writers, statesmen and performers, industrialists and socialites since the railroads crested the Blue Ridge in the 1880's.
The city's guestbook reads like a Who's Who of 20th Century American history: Henry Ford, George Vanderbilt, Thomas Edison, F. Scott Fitzgerald, George Gerswhin, O. Henry and Harvey Firestone, just to name a few.
They all responded to Asheville's rare combination of urban sophistication and surrounding natural splendor. Over the decades that allure has only grown, as natives and newcomers, touched by the inspiration that seems to come so naturally here, have made their own mark.
Downtown
Asheville's downtown is classic, compact, walkable and dense with life. Ringed by distant peaks and graced with the country's greatest Art Deco architecture outside of Miami, Asheville is vibrant with commerce, cuisine and culture. Stroll down one of the city's friendly sidewalks and plunge into a world of bookstores, cafés, coffeehouses, boutiques, bakeries, wine and gourmet shops, florists, nightclubs, theaters and over 85 restaurants, museums, and galleries. Best of all, it's all just a stone's throw from The Thoms Estate. |
