Highlights of Asheville Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour
Description
Uncover a blend of history, art, and stories as you walk Asheville’s streets. Observe the mastery of structures like the Basilica of St. Lawrence. Learn about the city’s post-Revolutionary War origins and how the raging Civil War impacted Asheville and its slaves. Then see an array of unique sculptures as you continue, such as the Marketplace Sculpture. You’ll also get to meet figures such as famed author Thomas Wolfe and see the eclectic River Arts District. After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want. This isn't an entrance ticket. Check opening hours before your visit.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Pause here. To our left is the impressive Basilica of St. Lawrence. This basilica owes its existence to Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino. In the early 1890s, Guastavino was commissioned to work on a vaulted ceiling for the Biltmore house in Asheville. But while here, he decided he loved the place too much to leave! He bought property and set down roots. Note:- The tour is over 2 miles long, with more than 46 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
See that statue depicting three well-dressed women with a dog in tow? That’s Shopping Daze! This sculpture commemorated Haywood Street’s history as a desirable and unique shopping destination. I think it can also represent Asheville’s ability to bounce back after its lively shopping district was hindered by debt and mall culture.
The ‘Legacy of Design’ sculpture stands up here, depicting a young boy on stilts. This piece was made to honor the inventive architect Richard Sharp Smith. I’ll dive deeper into Smith’s life in a moment, but first, you should know a thing or two about the sculptor of this piece, Dennis Smith.
The bell up here is a replica of the one that used to stand at the east end of Pack square, which rang out during important moments in Asheville’s early history. What kinds of events? Well, how about when the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain!
In 1924 architect Ronald Greene was commissioned to create the Jackson Building. It’s the one directly to our right! This was the tallest skyscraper in North Carolina at the time of its construction, and boasts some very unique features.
Do you see that bronze lock of hair, combs, and pocket watch set into the concrete around this plaque? If you’re a classic literature buff, you might recall what these all have in common. They’re from the famous O. Henry short story “Gift of the Magi”!
To our left stands the amazingly intricate Drhumor Building! Humorously given the nickname of the ‘Dr. Humor building,’ this structure owes its beauty to sculptor Frederick Miles. What many people don’t know is that these carvings might actually be based on real Asheville residents!
Coming up on our left is the Grove Arcade. Built by Edwin Grove, this bustling center of commerce stretches over a block and offers just about anything your heart desires.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
- How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
- Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
- Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
- Savings tips: Walking tours: couples can share one tour by splitting headphones
- New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
- For the best experience, bring headphones/earbuds for your walking tour.
- The tour requires a supported mobile device for navigation. Please use an iPhone with iOS 15 or later, an Android device with Android 9 or later, or an iPad/tablet with GPS and cellular service.
- Your password can be used on the same number of devices as travelers booked. Enter the same password on each device.
Reviews(6)
All the information in the $15 tour package is available for FREE at the Visitors Center! The app was very difficult to use. It cut out, skipped ahead and shifted from location #7 to #50 - the end.
Hester, it makes sense that you didn’t hear much if you went from 7 to 50. Obviously, the tour covers significantly more than the free brochures. Also, the pins for 7 and 50 are close to each other, but not THAT close — can you confirm if you stuck to the tour route or were you following your own path?
I think that should be your first tour in Asheville to see Downtown. It's so convenient, so easy to follow and give you a lot of freedom that I like it even more than the guided tour which I had next day. Actually, both worked together very well, and I got whole picture and history about Asheville.
Nina, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed my Asheville Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour. I love that the flexibility and freedom worked so well for you and even complemented your guided tour the next day. That’s precisely how a self-guided experience should feel—easy to follow, convenient, and helping you see the complete picture of Asheville’s history and downtown charm at your own pace.
This is part of an app that has multiple walking tours. It is impossible to do as a group, but alone it is a nice way to hear about the city while walking. The directions are easy to follow and the pace is relaxing. You see much of the downtown and get some history about the place. If you are alone, I would recommend it.
Andrea, thank you for sharing your thoughts on my Highlights of Asheville Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour. I’m glad you enjoyed exploring downtown at your own pace and found the directions easy to follow. You mentioned it’s challenging to do as a group — could you tell me more about what made it difficult? Was it an issue with syncing audio across multiple phones or something else? Your feedback can help me and my team improve the group experience for future travelers. If you’d like, please don't hesitate to contact me directly. I'm available daily from 9 to 6 EST.
This was very informative and a concise history that I enjoyed. The weather was very cold and windy which may have have been a factor in that the app could not keep up with me. I had to manually tap almost each site.
Melissa, I'm thrilled you enjoyed the informative content of the Highlights of the Asheville Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour! Regarding the app issue, bad weather doesn't affect its functionality since the tour works offline. If you experienced delays, it might help to restart the app next time. This can quickly resolve any glitches and ensure a smoother transition between sites. Remember, your purchase remains valid for a year, so feel free to revisit the tour under hopefully sunnier skies!
The app didn’t locate me very well amidst the tall let buildings, so we needed to manually intervene more than we would have liked.
Gerry, thank you for sharing your experience with my Asheville Audio Tour. It's great to hear that you liked the concept, though It's sad to hear that the inconvenience caused by the GPS location issues among the tall buildings. If you want to explore more, don’t forget to check out my Action+ Tour Bundle for over 100 more self-guided tours.
This tour offers a fascinating and fun way to explore Asheville at your own pace while getting a sense of the city. 👍👍👍
Thank you, Joann, for taking the time to review my Asheville Audio Tour. I'm thrilled you found it fascinating and enjoyable, allowing you to delve deep into the city's essence in your comfort. Exploring at one's own pace often leads to delightful discoveries, and I'm glad the tour contributed to your Asheville experience. As your travel adventures continue, remember that the Action+ Tour Bundle offers a diverse collection of self-guided tours to complement your journeys. Safe and happy travels!
