WNC’s Best Tours: 7 Totally Unique Ways to Experience Asheville

You can explore Asheville neighborhoods on your own, wandering downtown streets and stumbling upon breweries. But here’s what you’ll miss: the stories behind the buildings and the local knowledge that transforms a good tour into one you’ll actually remember.

Asheville’s best tours aren’t about herding people through generic attractions. They’re led by guides who live here, who know which brewery pours the best IPA and which mountain overlook catches the sunrise perfectly. These tours get you behind the scenes, into the forest, and deep into the culture that makes this mountain city worth visiting.

Here are seven tours that show you Asheville the way it should be experienced—with expertise, humor, and access you can’t get on your own.

LaZoom Comedy Tour: History and Hilarity on the Purple Bus

Spot the big purple bus rolling through downtown Asheville, and you’ve found LaZoom Tours. This isn’t your standard hop-on, hop-off situation where a tired guide recites dates over a microphone. LaZoom turned the city tour concept inside out, creating a rolling comedy show that also educates you about Asheville.

What Makes It Special: The 90-minute Hey Asheville City Comedy Tour blends legitimate local history with improvised comedy, character appearances, and unexpected moments. Guides provide real information about Asheville’s architecture, neighborhoods, and history only to be hijacked by characters like a Russian bumblebee or a nun on a giant bicycle. It sounds ridiculous because it is, and that’s exactly why it works.

The Options: The main City Comedy Tour runs year-round and is for ages 13+. The Ghosted: Haunted Comedy Tour (ages 17+) explores Asheville’s darker history with the same comedic approach. The Fender Bender: Band & Beer Bus combines live music with brewery stops for ages 21+. And the Lil’ Boogers Kids’ Comedy Tour makes the experience work for families with children ages 5-12.

Practical Details: Tours depart from The LaZoom Room at 76 Biltmore Avenue in downtown. Tickets run $35-49, depending on which tour you choose. The bus is climate-controlled, and you can bring beer or wine purchased from The LaZoom Room onboard. Book ahead—popular time slots sell out, especially on weekends and holidays.

Best For: Anyone who wants to learn about Asheville with a side of humor, groups looking for all ages entertainment, and locals who want to see their city through fresh eyes.

photo credit: Asheville Trails and Taps

Asheville Trails & Taps: Mountain Biking Meets Beer Culture

Asheville Trails & Taps operates on a simple premise: Asheville’s two best features are mountain trails and craft breweries, so why experience them separately? This locally-owned company has guided biking tours since 2019, specializing in private, customized outdoor experiences across mountain, gravel, and urban terrain.

What Makes It Special: These aren’t cookie-cutter group rides. Every tour is private and tailored to your skill level and interests—whether you’re a beginner looking for a greenway tour or an experienced mountain biker seeking technical singletrack. The guides know Bent Creek’s trail system intimately, understand which breweries pour the best post-ride pints, and adjust routes based on conditions and your group’s energy.

The Options: Mountain bike tours range from beginner to advanced on Bent Creek and Pisgah trails. Urban e-bike tours explore Asheville’s neighborhoods and brewery scene without the workout. Gravel grinder tours venture onto back roads for distance riders. Don’t have a bike? Rentals are available. The company’s location near the North Carolina Arboretum and Bent Creek puts you at the trailhead immediately.

The Post-Ride Reward: Every tour ends at one of Asheville’s breweries—because celebrating a good ride with local beer isn’t just tradition, it’s basically required. Guides know which taprooms offer the best recovery food and which breweries feature outdoor seating perfect for groups still buzzing from the ride.

Best For: Mountain bikers visiting without bikes, visitors wanting to experience Asheville’s outdoor culture with expert guidance, and anyone who believes the best beers taste even better after earning them on the trails.

Asheville Jeep Tours: Mountain Access Without the Hike

Sometimes you want mountain views without the two-hour uphill grind to get them.  Asheville Jeep Tours solves this problem with custom Jeeps built for accessing Pisgah National Forest’s most scenic spots via forest roads most people never see.

What Makes It Special: The guides—locals who know these mountains intimately—drive custom Jeeps to waterfalls, overlooks, and Blue Ridge Parkway vistas while sharing stories about the region’s history, ecology, and hidden spots. You’re riding in comfort with excellent visibility, stopping for photos and short walks to waterfalls, all while someone else handles the driving and navigation.

The Options: The Blue Ridge Parkway tour focuses on scenic overlooks and mountain views (3-4 hours). The waterfall tour ventures into Pisgah National Forest to visit multiple cascades, with options for short hikes to the falls (half-day or full-day). A sunrise and coffee tour catches dawn from mountain overlooks. Custom private tours accommodate specific interests and mobility needs.

Practical Details: Tours accommodate various fitness levels—you’re riding in the Jeep for most of the experience, with optional short walks to waterfalls or overlooks. Vehicles seat 6-8 passengers and can be enclosed if the weather requires. Dress in layers (mountain temperatures vary significantly), bring water, and wear sturdy shoes if planning any walks. Tours depart from meeting points in the Asheville area.

Best For: Families with varying ages and abilities, photographers seeking mountain vistas and waterfall shots, visitors with limited time wanting maximum scenery, and anyone who wants wilderness access without extensive hiking.

Asheville Food Tours: A Local’s Take on Downtown Dining

Asheville Food Tours takes the guesswork out of navigating Asheville’s renowned restaurant scene. Led by Stu Helm, “The Food Fan”—a local food writer and personality who knows every chef, every dish, and every story behind Asheville’s culinary evolution. These tours provide insider access to the city’s best bites.

What Makes It Special: This isn’t just restaurant hopping. Stu’s passion for Asheville’s food scene is genuine and infectious. And his relationships with local chefs mean you’re getting special treatment and behind-the-scenes stories at each stop. The 3-3.5 hour walking tour visits 6-7 handpicked downtown restaurants, offering plenty of food while covering Asheville’s diverse culinary landscape—from Southern traditions to international influences.

The Experience: Each stop provides tastings of signature dishes, often prepared specifically for the tour. Between restaurants, Stu shares stories about Asheville’s food culture, points out historic architecture, and answers questions. The tour moves at a comfortable pace, with time to digest both food and information. Drinks are included at most stops—beer, wine, cocktails, or coffee, depending on the restaurant.

Important Notes: The tour cannot accommodate dietary restrictions, allergies, or preferences, including vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free needs. It’s a genuine tasting experience of what Asheville’s restaurants serve, not a customized meal. Comfortable walking shoes are essential—you’ll cover downtown’s hills and cobblestones. The Saturday brunch tour offers a morning alternative to the regular tour schedule.

Pricing: Tours run $85 per person and sell out quickly. Book well in advance, especially for weekend dates. Children are welcome if they’ll be eating—strollers are difficult on the hills and stairs.

Best For: Food enthusiasts wanting to experience Asheville’s restaurant scene efficiently, visitors overwhelmed by dining options, and anyone who appreciates hearing the stories behind their meals from someone who genuinely knows the chefs.

photo credit: Beer City Brewery Tours

Beer City Brewery Tours: Deep Dive into Asheville’s Brewing Scene

Asheville earned its “Beer City USA” reputation through decades of craft brewing excellence. Beer City Brewery Tours provides the insider access to understand why. Led by Evan, a certified Cicerone (beer sommelier) who’s been guiding brewery tours since 2016, these small-group walking tours focus on education and carefully curated beer experiences.

What Makes It Special: This isn’t a party bus hitting random breweries. Evan selects three breweries in South Slope—America’s most concentrated brewery district—and curates specific beer samples at each stop. You’ll learn about the style, quality, and the story behind each brew. The tour includes exclusive behind-the-scenes access to an award-winning brewhouse, giving you a sneak peek at the production process most visitors never see.

The Experience: Over three hours, you’ll walk through South Slope visiting carefully selected breweries, sampling multiple beers at each location while learning about brewing techniques, beer styles, and Asheville’s brewing history. The small group size allows for questions and genuine interaction with brewers when available. This is education-focused—you’ll leave understanding what makes good beer good, not just drunk.

Practical Details: Tours run primarily in the afternoon and early evening. The three-hour duration includes walking between breweries, time at each location for tastings and brewery tours, and expert commentary throughout. Several beer samples are included, with opportunities to purchase additional pints or flights. Tours depart from downtown Asheville locations.

Best For: Beer enthusiasts wanting to deepen their knowledge, visitors interested in the technical side of brewing, groups celebrating bachelor/bachelorette events who want substance alongside the drinking, and anyone who appreciates craft beer enough to want the full educational experience.

Asheville Wellness Tours: Mindfulness Meets Mountain Beauty

Asheville Wellness Tours operates on the premise that wellness doesn’t require expensive retreats or extreme dedication—it just requires slowing down, connecting with nature, and being present. From yoga hikes to sound bathing, these experiences are all designed to help you reconnect with yourself, others, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

What Makes It Special: These aren’t one-size-fits-all wellness experiences. Every offering can be customized as a private experience for your group, or you can join regularly scheduled public sessions. The guides are certified professionals and thoughtful practitioners. The focus stays on accessibility and fun rather than perfection or performance.

The Experiences:

Forest Bathing (2.5-3 hours): Guided nature immersion on gentle trails, incorporating mindfulness practices, breathwork, and sensory invitations. Culminates in a tea ceremony. Led by certified nature therapy guides.

Yoga Hikes (3 hours): A 2-mile round-trip hike to a mountain summit followed by an hour of yoga with panoramic Blue Ridge views. Suitable for all levels with modifications offered. Mats provided.

Goat Yoga (1 hour): Exactly what it sounds like—yoga with playful goats wandering through the practice. Held at a local farm, this combines movement with joy and laughter. Ridiculous and wonderful.

Private Yoga: Customized sessions at your accommodations or local studios, tailored to your group’s experience level and preferences.

Additional Options: Sound bath meditation, tarot readings, mobile massage, and custom mini-retreat packages combining multiple experiences.

Practical Details: Most experiences take place within 50 minutes of downtown Asheville in carefully selected natural settings. Private experiences can be scheduled daily and customized to your group’s needs, interests, and mobility levels. Public experiences run on select dates—check their calendar. Transportation to trailheads is not included; you’ll meet guides at designated locations.

Best For: Bachelorette groups seeking meaningful experiences alongside celebration, couples wanting rejuvenating getaway activities, families introducing children to mindfulness practices, and anyone feeling overwhelmed by normal life who needs permission to slow down.

French Broad Chocolate Factory Tour: Bean-to-Bar Magic

French Broad Chocolate transforms cacao beans into finished chocolate bars right here in Asheville, and they want to show you exactly how. Their 45-minute factory tour demystifies the bean-to-bar process while satisfying your chocolate cravings with generous tastings.

What Makes It Special: This is real manufacturing, not a staged demonstration. French Broad sources cacao directly from farmers, then roasts, winnows, refines, grinds, conches, and tempers it in their Asheville facility. The knowledgeable tour guides explain each step while you watch machines process cacao and smell chocolate being made.

The Experience: Tours begin in a classroom with cacao pod education—where it grows, how it’s harvested, and the work involved before chocolate even begins. Then you move into the factory floor, watching the bean-to-bar process. Guides explain what each machine does and why. You’ll taste cacao beans, compare chocolates made from different origins, and understand how terroir affects chocolate. The tour ends with fresh truffle sampling and a 10% discount coupon for the cafe and downtown chocolate lounge.

After the Tour: The attached cafe serves chocolate in every conceivable form—ice cream (try the coffee nib flavor!), brownies, liquid truffles (decadent drinking chocolate), and a full cafe menu. This is where you’ll use that discount coupon and probably buy chocolate bars to bring home.

Practical Details: Tours run daily at the Chocolate Factory & Cafe (821 Riverside Drive, not the downtown Chocolate Lounge). Monday-Friday tours at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm; Saturday tours at 11am. Cost is $12 for adults, $8 for kids 8-12, and free for ages 7 and under. Reservations required—book online. Arrive 10 minutes early, or you will not be admitted. The tour involves standing and walking; accommodations are available if you contact them in advance.

Best For: Chocolate lovers wanting to understand what they’re eating, families seeking indoor rainy-day activities, anyone interested in artisan food production, and visitors looking for unique Asheville experiences that aren’t hiking or breweries.

Choosing Your Asheville Adventure

The best tour depends on what draws you to Asheville in the first place. Want to understand the city’s personality quickly? LaZoom provides laughs alongside legitimate local knowledge. Seeking outdoor adventure without extensive planning? Asheville Trails & Taps or Asheville Jeep Tours deliver mountain experiences with expert guidance. Need to navigate the dining or brewing scenes efficiently? Food tours and brewery tours solve the “where should we eat/drink” problem while teaching you what makes Asheville’s food and beer culture special.

What makes these tours worth booking? Access, expertise, and efficiency. You’re getting behind-the-scenes brewery tours, forest bathing with certified guides, Jeep access to overlooks most visitors never see, and insider food knowledge from someone who knows every chef in town. That’s not something you can replicate with Google Maps and good intentions.

These tours also solve the practical problems of visiting somewhere new: Where should we go? How do we get there? What’s actually worth our time? Guides who live here and do this daily have those answers, plus the stories and context that transform locations into experiences.

Your Asheville Home Base

When you’re ready to explore Asheville through these exceptional tours, book your stay at River Row Suites in the River Arts District. Our spacious suites put you minutes from downtown tour departure points, walking distance from the French Broad River, and perfectly positioned for year-round mountain adventures.

With full kitchens for storing all the chocolate you’ll inevitably buy, comfortable king beds, free parking, and room for the whole family (pets included), River Row gives you a proper base camp for your Asheville adventures. Visit riverrowasheville.com to reserve your suite and start planning which tours will fill your Asheville itinerary.