Western North Carolina History Trails
See where history happened on our free self-guided walking and driving tours. Click on the links below to access the full tours and directions.
WNC: Past, Present, People, Place
Western North Carolina is defined as much by the various chains and valleys within the Appalachian Mountains as it is by the various people here. The region contains large swaths of state and national forest lands and parks, including the Great Smoky Mountains...
Asheville Historic Haunts
What is it that gives Asheville and Buncombe County so many ghost stories? Tales of the haunted, the creepy, the eerie, and the outright macabre mark the landscape here with sites that locals love—or fear. Asheville, situated on high ground near the confluence of two...
Victoria: The Forgotten Town
In the 1880s Asheville transformed dramatically into a bustling hub and tourist town, accessible by train for the first time. During this decade, large residences and neighborhoods developed quickly on the outskirts of the city. During the same period, the wealthy...
Smith-McDowell House: The People
Just a few miles from George Vanderbilt’s grand Biltmore Estate is Buck House, a different kind of mansion – one that was nearly 50 years old when Vanderbilt began construction. Saddled on a ridge between two hills just south of Asheville, ringed by picturesque...