Asheville North Carolina - WNC Historic Landmarks

Here is a list of historic landmarks in the Asheville area and NC mountains. If you are looking for a hotel/motel room see Asheville NC hotels

• Thomas Wolfe Memorial
  • downtown Asheville is the Boyhood home of the author of Look Homeward, Angel
• Historic Johnson Farm
  • Tobacco farm built in the late 19th century - listed in the historic register - became a popular tourist retreat in the early 1900's.
• Carl Sandburg Home
  • Located in Flat Rock, Home of the famous poet, biographer, folksinger, and lecturer - Gardens, walking/hiking trails, a national historic site.
• Vance Birthplace
  • Weaverville Restored 1830's farmstead, home of N.C. Senator and Civil War Governor
• Blake House Inn
  • BnB, Restaurant, legend says that confederate soldiers were hidden in the basement when union troops came through Asheville
• Riverside Cemetery
  • Burial site of Thomas Wolfe, and many members of Asheville's founding families
• Smith-McDowell House
  • Oldest brick residence (1840) exhibits information on pre-civil war plantation life in Western North Carolina as well as the Civil War; listed on the Register of Historic Places
• downtown Asheville Historic District
  • Early 20th century homes; Guided walking tours available.
• Montford Historic District
  • Types of architecture: Victorian, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Neo-Classical
• Mountain Farm Museum
  • Reconstruction of early pioneer buildings
•  North Carolina Homespun Museum
  • Covers history of Biltmore industries and the people involved with them
• Swannanoa Valley Museum
  • Black Mountain - Covers history from the Stone Age period to present man
• Shades of the Past Auto Museum
  • Antique, classic, muscle, celebrity, and race cars, jukeboxes, Coke machines, advertising memorabilia, and collection of vintage motorcycles.  Pigeon Forge, TN
• Urban Trail
  •  A living, historic walking tour of Asheville, turn-of-the-century architecture, Thirty "stations" are marked on the trail The 1.7 mile trail is divided into five eras of Asheville history, the Guilded Age, the Pioneer Period, Times of Thomas Wolfe,the era of civic pride, and the Age of Diversity. Each representative of an era is marked by a tile.
• Estes Winn Auto Museum
  • Classic and antique cars; 1926 Cadillac and 1927 La Salle
• Flat Rock
  • Historic landmarks dating back to early 1800's; Civil War Reenactments
• Calvary Episcopal Church
  • Fletcher - Temporary Hospital During the Civil War, Old Cemetery, Grounds Haunted (see legends)
• Mountain Heritage Museum
  • Art of quilt making, and other crafts, demonstrations
• Western North Carolina Folk Art Center
  • Appalachian crafts, quilts, and heritage on display
• Cherokee Native American
  • Reservation- Roughly an hour away - Eastern Cherokee Band, museum covering history , emphasis on "Trail of Tears", Famous Outdoor Drama (Under These Hills) May need reservations, arts and crafts

Books about North Carolina

Suggested Reading:

1. A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Western North Carolina
2. North Carolina Architecture
3. The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg by Carl Sandburg
4. Abraham Lincoln : The Prairie Years and the War Years by Carl Sandburg