As autumn arrives in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Asheville area adds a landmark moment, the return of the PGA TOUR for the first time since 1942, to a season full of color, craft and culinary discovery
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Fall color is shaping up to arrive right on schedule in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This year, the season carries more significance as Asheville prepares to host the PGA TOUR for the first time since 1942 with the Biltmore Championship Asheville.
Between a leaf season on track to deliver, a landmark sporting event and a fall calendar full of festivals, craft and new places to eat, drink and play, the Asheville area provides plenty of motivation for travelers to plan a trip this autumn.
A tournament 84 years in the making
The Biltmore Championship Asheville tees off Sept. 17–20, 2026, at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, a Jack Nicklaus–designed course, marking the PGA TOUR’s first stop in Asheville since the Asheville Land of the Sky Open ended its run in 1942 with three straight wins by Ben Hogan. Explore Asheville teamed up with Biltmore in a four-year agreement to bring the event to the Blue Ridge Mountains annually.
The tournament will air on Golf Channel, PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ and SiriusXM, and is expected to draw “more than 100 players, thousands of spectators, millions of dollars in direct spending for area businesses, and hours of live national television coverage shining a light on the beauty of our region,” said Vic Isley, President and CEO of Explore Asheville.
To help golf fans experience the region beyond the course, Explore Asheville launched Play Through the Mountains, a collaborative online hub connecting visitors with deals, experiences, and neighborhood discoveries across the Asheville area.
Highlights include The Inn on Biltmore Estate’s Vanderbilt Fairway Package, with clubhouse tournament tickets, access to a private tent and valet service; a 15% off discount at Wrong Way River Cabins, which was recently awarded a Men’s Health Travel Award; and Pinecrest Bed and Breakfast’s four-night “Tournament Days, Sun-Porch Nights” package, which bundles breakfast, porch wine and charcuterie, an in-house massage, and a $100 dining credit.
Beyond these headline moments, Asheville’s fall season lines up with several of the biggest trends shaping travel in 2026.
FALL COLOR, FESTIVALS
Fall color will move through the Asheville area gradually, working its way down from higher elevations over several weeks, according to Dr. Howard S. Neufeld, a biology professor at Appalachian State University who has tracked Southern Appalachian fall color for decades and is known as “The Fall Color Guy.”
The variation in elevation makes Western North Carolina’s fall color season one of the longest in North America, so there is lots of time to catch the cascade.
Because color changes first at higher elevations, the earliest displays will appear in late September along the highest stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway, including Craggy Gardens, Mt. Mitchell and Graveyard Fields, before moving down into Asheville and surrounding towns mid-to-late October.
By early November, color drops below 2,000 feet, making Chimney Rock State Park and Gorges State Park good bets for late-season views. Neufeld reports the trees currently look healthy, and Western North Carolina should be in line for a strong season. Fans of fall color can follow along through Explore Asheville’s Fall Color Reports.
Unique ways to see the show
Beyond a scenic drive, visitors can take in the season from a few unexpected vantage points this year:
• From the river: Wai Mauna SUP Fall Foliage Float and Cedar Rock Adventures’ Floating Bar Crawl Tour offer stunning views from the French Broad River.
- • From a rooftop: The Asheville area’s growing list of rooftop bars and restaurants has a new addition at My Father’s Pizza & Pasta in Black Mountain, offering 360-degree views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. For those who can’t decide which rooftop offers the best view, Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours offers the opportunity to be awed by fall color from every angle.
- • From above: Zip lines at Navitat and The Adventure Center of Asheville send visitors soaring over the canopy for a thrilling way to catch the display.
- • From a winery or brewery: Addison Farms, a family-owned vineyard in nearby Leicester, and Highland Brewing Company, Asheville’s original craft brewery, offer outdoor spaces to enjoy thoughtfully made beverages in a kaleidoscope of color.
- • From a live show: Asheville’s newest outdoor venue, Hellbender by The Orange Peel, provides the soundtrack to the season. Catch Asheville native Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule performing alongside Ziggy Marley on Sept. 25, just a week after the release of Haynes’s new album, recorded locally with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra.
Fall festivals
Fall opens with the return of two of the region’s most vibrant festivals. Goombay takes over Pack Square Park with a celebration of Affrilachian culture and heritage Sept. 11-13. Later that month, Blue Ridge Pride erupts into a colorful display celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community Sept. 25-26.
TRAVEL TREND 1: SKILLCATIONS
Travelers are increasingly building entire trips around learning something new, trading souvenirs for skills and passive sightseeing for workshops, classes or hands-on experiences. With a creative community of makers and innovators, a legacy of Appalachian craft and a nationally recognized arts district, the Asheville area delivers opportunities for travelers looking to learn, practice and explore.
- • Molten Made, a fine art foundry, is coming soon to the River Arts District, which was named “Best Arts District” by the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The new space will display work from local metal artists and offer workshops and events that spark creativity and make metal sculpture accessible for all experience levels.
- • Oct. 15-18, the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands returns to Harrah’s Cherokee Center for hands-on exploration, live demonstrations and shopping with Southern Highland Craft Guild artisans.
- • For a new hobby outside the traditional craft mold, The Velvet Wind, a luxury mahjong lounge that opened downtown in April, offers lessons to newcomers in a stylish, social setting.
A culture of craft
The Asheville area’s craft legacy is getting new recognition this year. The Black Mountain College Studies Building recently received historic designation on the World Monuments Fund’s Irreplaceable America List, shining a spotlight on the area’s art history and building support for restoring a structure that was influential in the development of some of the world’s most renowned artists.
The town of Black Mountain lies just 20 minutes outside of Asheville, and Black Mountain College campus tours at Lake Eden are available on select Fridays throughout the fall for visitors who want to see it firsthand. Downtown, the Center for Craft’s new partnership with Etsy, a $10 million, five-hub national initiative, is investing in Asheville’s craft economy.
The center also recently acquired the American Craft Council Library & Archives Collections, which will give artists and researchers access to over 20,000 books and materials documenting decades of making.
TRAVEL TREND 2: MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILY TRAVEL
To share costs and reclaim time together, many families are planning travel that spans generations, bringing grandparents, parents and kids together on the same trip. Casual, easygoing activities set against the backdrop of fall in the Blue Ridge Mountains make the Asheville area a natural fit for multi-generational getaways.
- • Blue Ridge Putt-way opens soon in East Asheville featuring indoor, all-ages mini golf with mountain-themed immersive art inspired by local landmarks.
- • The Eliada Fall Festival & Corn Maze returns Sept. 25 with a classic 8-acre corn maze, hayrides and family activities available throughout the season.
- • Ritrovo, an all-new pizzeria from Chef Anthony Cerrato of Strada Italiano and Gemelli, is set to be a family favorite this fall with scratch-made pies, shuffleboard and foosball, and a Thursday special that feeds four for $40.
Sweet treats for all ages
A trio of new dessert spots is giving families a reason to slow down and savor time together this fall.
- • Sugar + Snow Gelato in the River Arts District offers the perfect break in a day of play. Families can grab a sweet scoop made with thoughtfully sourced ingredients before a walk along the French Broad River Greenway or a visit to a nearby gallery.
- • Marble & Steel Craft Chocolates, a small-batch chocolate maker previously found online and at local markets, has opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in South Asheville.
- • Lake Norman Cheesecakery joins Historic Biltmore Village, bringing its scratch-made cheesecakes steps away from one of Asheville’s most iconic family-friendly attractions, Biltmore.
TRAVEL TREND 3: CULINARY EXPERIENCES AS THE CENTERPIECE
Food is no longer just a part of the trip; for a growing number of travelers, it’s the reason for the trip, with itineraries built around farm visits, chef-driven menus and new restaurant openings. Coming off a James Beard win and 15 MICHELIN Guide recommendations, The Asheville area’s culinary community, known as Foodtopia, has plenty of new and returning reasons to visit this fall.
- • ASAP’s Farm Tour opens working farms across the region Sept. 19-20 for a weekend of behind-the-scenes visits that include vegetables, vineyards, livestock, orchards, fiber, flowers and more.
- • Downtown, Andaaz has relocated with a refreshed look, continuing to serve its familiar Indian classics like Chicken Tikka Masala while expanding the menu to showcase the coastal flavors of South India in dishes like Nilgiri-style grilled grouper and Bronzini Moilee.
- • One of Asheville’s most romantic streets adds new flavor as Slava, a brand-new Ukrainian café and bakery, and Flour, a relocated favorite known for made-from-scratch biscuits, settle into their new Wall Street homes.
- • Burger Billy, the new food truck concept from the team behind the iconic Yard Bird, a corn-flake-and-almond-crusted chicken taco at Taco Billy, is the latest example of Foodtopia’s ability to innovate and evolve. Visitors will find the truck outside Wedge Brewing’s Foundy Street location, serving up smashburgers to pair with a local beer.
- • Tucked away on a West Asheville side street, Ontos began pouring natural wines on Aug. 12. The intimate wine bar, inspired by one owner’s Greek heritage, invites guests to linger over a global lineup of wines, cocktails, and small plates.
TRAVEL TREND 4: TOWN SIZING
Travelers are increasingly trading cities for smaller, slower-paced destinations, a pattern that plays out just outside Asheville proper in areas from Black Mountain and Swannanoa to Weaverville and Woodfin.
- • Side B Bar, a vinyl listening bar, is bringing a new late-night option to Black Mountain with regular special events like live DJs and movie nights served with signature cocktails.
- • Nearby in Swannanoa, Chef Brian Crow, former culinary director of Asheville favorites Chestnut and Corner Kitchen, recently opened Daymakers Slider Bar in Beacon Village. The casual joint invites guests to enjoy creative, shareable plates and slider flights alongside local beer, live music and games.
- • In Weaverville, Ballcrank Pickleball Club is opening the Asheville area’s first indoor pickleball facility with a 12-court space inside a former auto warehouse.
Woodfin Tavern is adding another reason to make the short trip beyond Asheville, serving up local beverages and offering weekly trivia nights in a stylish interior and tucked-away back patio, with Smokee’s pizza and Hilltop Ice Cream just steps away.