Asheville is a city in western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s known for its vibrant arts scene and historic architecture. A busy commercial hub, downtown Asheville is filled with indie boutiques, cutting-edge galleries, and specialty food stores, plus artisan shops in the elegant Grove Arcade.
Farm-to-table and Southern restaurants dot the area, alongside breweries, chic cocktail bars, and storied music venues. The Downtown Art District is filled with galleries and museums, and in the nearby River Arts District, former factory buildings house artists' studios.
If you live in or near Asheville, NC, then you are most likely familiar with and have visited such fantastic local attractions as the Biltmore Estate or the North Carolina Arboretum.
You may have enjoyed the many restaurants and shops within the downtown streets and visited the many active art galleries in the Arts District, where you can see and even try your hand at painting, glass blowing, or pottery.
However, these attractions in the busy districts of Asheville, NC, are only a few of the many summer family activities available in the Asheville, NC, area. If you are interested in outdoor family fun, expand your horizons to a few miles outside the city.
Family Summer Activities, Asheville, NC
Asheville, NC, is situated in a broad valley in the Black Mountain range of the Southern Appalachian and surrounded by national forests, state parks, and national parks, all of which offer thousands of acres of public land ready for your family’s exploration.
Five Family-Friendly Summer Activities Near Asheville, NC
1. Blue Ridge Parkway's Folk Art Center:
The Blue Ridge Parkway offers unique and easy access to memorable outdoor adventures with your family. The Folk Art Center is at milepost 382.
2. Blue Ridge Parkway's Visitor Center:
The center (milepost 384) features a kid-friendly TRACK trail.
3. Bent Creek Gap Road Trail:
If you’re looking for an easy way to either stroll (or roll!) through the woods with the family, this “secret” dirt road is accessed via a set of unmarked pull-offs found around milepost 400 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
4. North Mills River National Recreation Area:
This area offers camping, tubing, fishing, and hiking opportunities and is located out on HWY 191 from west Asheville to North Mills River Road.
5. Western North Carolina Nature Center:
This will be a huge hit with the family! Unlike a traditional zoo, the WNC Nature Center has a conservation mission and education focus with more than 60 species native to the region.
Easy trails meander along the hillsides above the Swannanoa River with playground structures and biodiverse habitats for the residents, such as black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, red wolves, and everyone’s favorite, the river otters.
Emmanuel Lutheran School Summer Activities in Asheville, NC
Emmanuel Lutheran School is located at 51 Wilburn Place, Asheville, NC 28806. The school offers a variety of summer camp opportunities in Asheville for children. If you live in Asheville and are looking for summer camp opportunities, Emmanuel Lutheran School may be the answer.
Through our Summer Rocks program, we offer nine summer day camps for children through the summer months.
- Parks and Plunges: June 5-9
- LEGO Camp: June 12-16
- Tae Kwon Do: June 19-23
- Cooking Camp: June 26-30
- Sports of all Sports: July 3-7 (closed July 4)
- High Touch-High Tech: July 10-14
- Vacation Bible School: July 24-28
- Sculpture Camp: July 31-Aug 4
If you wish for more information on these day camps through the summer in Asheville, NC, call the school office at (828) 281-8182 or visit our website.
Asheville, NC, offers a wide range of activities within the city as well as within the beautiful mountains surrounding the city itself. The summer is a wonderful time to experience the cool mountain breezes and spectacular scenery away from the heat of the lowlands. Wonderful adventures are waiting behind every mountain cove and wild river or just down the street in the downtown section of the city.
And for those of you that are lucky enough to live in Asheville, not only can you partake of all the family fun adventures around the city, but you can also take advantage of the fun summer activities offered by Emmanuel Lutheran School.