North Carolina events › Itineraries › Asheville Weekend
Asheville Weekend: a 2-day plan with 5 stops, 2 of them state parks and 3 attractions, each with admission, dog rules and hours or notes copied from the official page. 1 list free entry. Distances are straight-line miles; drive times from five cities are in the table.
- Days2plan, then adjust
- Stops5each with a source
- State Parks2official park pages
- Free Entry1as the page states
Trip Kit
Plan It With Your People
Pick a start date, then send the plan to your group chat, put every day in your calendar, or open each day as a route in Google Maps.
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Two Asheville stops with prices from each operator's own page.
Biltmore Estate
Asheville, Buncombe County · Attraction
- Adult admission
- Biltmore House & Grounds starting at $110 (fall); Grounds only starting at $85
- Child admission
- Discount ages 16 & under (amount not stated on page); ages 9 & under free
- Dogs
- Not confirmed
- Parking
- Complimentary parking
- Operator notes
- Tickets include Antler Hill Village & Winery, complimentary wine tasting; Annual Pass $299
Checked October 18, 2026.
WNC Nature Center
Asheville, Buncombe County · Attraction
- Adult admission
- $16.95 + tax (City of Asheville residents $11.95)
- Child admission
- $12.95 + tax (ages 3-12); youth 13-15 $16.95
- Dogs
- Pets prohibited
- Parking
- Free parking
- Operator notes
- Alcohol, tobacco/vaping, balls, scooters, bikes and drones not permitted
Checked October 18, 2026.
Same town as Biltmore Estate
Both are a drive from town; check the straight-line miles between stops.
Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park
Chimney Rock, Rutherford County · Attraction
- Adult admission
- $17 per adult (1-day ticket)
- Child admission
- $8 youth (ages 5-15); 4 and under free
- Dogs
- Pets allowed in the park, not inside buildings or the attraction elevator; 6 ft leash (ncparks.gov)
- Operator notes
- Reservations recommended on busy weekends; gates close 7 PM
Checked October 18, 2026.
Chimney Rock State Park
Chimney Rock, Rutherford County · State park
A 315-foot rock spire overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure gives this Rutherford County park its name. The Chimney Rock attraction charges admission, while the Rumbling Bald access is free and more rugged.
- Admission
- Rumbling Bald day use free; Chimney Rock attraction charges per person (amount not on park page)
- Hours
- Closes 6 to 9 p.m.; opens 8 a.m., by month
- Dogs
- Pets are allowed at the park, except they are not permitted inside buildings or in the elevator at the Chimney Rock attraction. Pets must be on an attended leash of no longer than 6 feet at all times.
- Closed
- Both Rumbling Bald and Eagle Rock accesses are closed on Christmas Day.
Checked October 27, 2026. Official page
Gorges State Park
Sapphire, Transylvania County · State parkFree Entry
Waterfalls, river gorges and sheer rock faces fill more than 8,000 acres of temperate rainforest near where North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia meet. Backpacking and horseback riding are signature ways to see its 26 waterfalls.
- Admission
- Free day use
- Hours
- Closes 7 to 10 p.m.; opens 7 a.m., by month
- Dogs
- Pets are allowed at the park and at campsites. They are not permitted inside buildings. Pets must be on an attended leash of no longer than 6 feet at all times.
- Closed
- The park is closed on Christmas Day.
Checked October 27, 2026. Official page
About 46 mi straight line from Chimney Rock State Park
More Stops If You Have Time
South Mountains State Park
Connelly Springs, Burke County · State parkFree Entry
Where the Appalachians meet the Foothills, this park reaches 3,000 feet, with an 80-foot waterfall and nearly 50 miles of trail for hikers, riders and mountain bikers. The Jacob Fork River has designated trout waters, and a separate Clear Creek access lies to the west.
- Admission
- Free day use
- Hours
- Closes 7 to 10 p.m.; opens 7 a.m., by month
- Dogs
- Pets are allowed at the park and at campsites. They are not permitted inside buildings. Pets must be on an attended leash of no longer than 6 feet at all times.
- Closed
- The park is closed on Christmas Day.
Checked October 27, 2026. Official page
Linville Caverns
Marion, McDowell County · Attraction
- Adult admission
- $15 (adult)
- Child admission
- $13 (ages 4-12); under 4 free
- Dogs
- Not confirmed
- Operator notes
- Open Thursday-Monday 9-5 (Sundays 1-5); closed Tuesday and Wednesday and Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas
Checked October 18, 2026.
Drive Times From Five Cities
| Stop | Charlotte | Raleigh | Greensboro | Asheville | Wilmington |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biltmore Estate | 124 min | 225 min | 155 min | 7 min | 317 min |
| Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park | 114 min | 242 min | 173 min | 55 min | 304 min |
| Chimney Rock State Park | 114 min | 242 min | 173 min | 55 min | 304 min |
First route Google Maps listed, read October 18, 2026, so live traffic may be reflected. Stops without a row are not in our drive-times file. Full table: drive times to North Carolina attractions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do I need?
This plan is built for 2 days. Stops are listed in a workable order, not a promise that every one fits in your time.
Are the prices and hours current?
Each stop was read on its own official page on the date shown under it. Prices and hours change by season; use the official page link before you go.
Where are the events?
Dated events change every week, so they are not on this page. Pick your dates in the trip kit above, then open the event finder for what is on.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Biltmore Estate: dogs not confirmed on the operator page we read; check the official page before you go.
- Linville Caverns: dogs not confirmed on the operator page we read; check the official page before you go.
- Drive times between stops are not shown, because we hold no sourced stop-to-stop times; the route buttons in the trip kit open current directions.
Sources
- Biltmore Estate (operator page)
- WNC Nature Center (operator page)
- Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park (operator page)
- Chimney Rock State Park (state park page)
- Gorges State Park (state park page)
- South Mountains State Park (state park page)
- Linville Caverns (operator page)
- Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, place points used for straight-line miles
Read on October 27, 2026. Straight-line miles are computed from park GPS or Census town points, not driving distances. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.
Map of Itinerary Stops
Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “Asheville Weekend”, itsnorthcarolina.com/itineraries/asheville-weekend/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.