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Asheville, North Carolina

Everything Asheville is known for

RoadyGoat plays music like this when you drive through Asheville. It's free on iPhone, and full songs play through Apple Music.

Asheville, North Carolina, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, has a vibrant music scene. The city is home to 77 artists across various genres, including indie artists MJ Lenderman and Wednesday, folk groups like Songs From The Road Band and Steep Canyon Rangers, and metal bands such as Daylight Dies and Feminazgûl.

Fifteen songs in our collection mention Asheville, reflecting its presence in popular music. These include "Asheville Nashville Austin" by The Band of Heathens and "Hard Times" by Gillian Welch. The city's musical identity is deeply rooted in old-time mountain music, but it also embraces innovative sounds.

Music in Asheville

Songs About Asheville

When You Get To Asheville
Steve Martin & Edie Brickell
83%
"When you get to Asheville"
Livin In Asheville
Sons of Ralph
83%
"Livin In Asheville"
I’m in Asheville
John Hiatt
81%
"I'm in Asheville"
Asheville Nashville Austin
The Band of Heathens
79%
"down on Patton Avenue"
"(title) — song titled "Asheville"; opening track of "Heavy on the Vine" (Jan 5, 2024). Editorially confirmed as about gentrification/affordability in Kaminer's home city; sole quoted lyric found names no place: "We shouldn't have to choose / Between the place that we call home / And paying our bills.""
Asheville City Skyline
The Lonesome Trio
65%
"(title) "Asheville City Skyline" + chorus "The Asheville city skyline""
I'm in Asheville
John Hiatt
65%
"I'm in Asheville, I'm sorry"
When You Get to Asheville
Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
64%
"When you get to Asheville / Send me an e-mail"
Asheville Turnaround
Verlon Thompson
64%
"I make that Asheville turnaround"
Asheville
Richard McGraw
62%
"You left your will in Asheville, now you're coming back home to the place where God's grace goes gleefully unknown"
Gonna Start a Bluegrass Band in Asheville
Songs from the Road Band
62%
"(title) "Gonna Start a Bluegrass Band in Asheville""
Asheville Skies
The Milk Carton Kids
60%
"(title) "Asheville Skies" — and sung in the opening verse: "The Asheville skies and timber / Are holding onto it" (letras.com). Inspiration documented by songwriter Joey Ryan: written on a day off in Asheville, NC, evoking the region's fiery Southern twilight sky."
Asheville/Crashville
Austin Lounge Lizards
60%
"(title) "Asheville/Crashville" — the title is the place signal; the song is a satirical jingle ABOUT the city"
Asheville
Pinhead Gunpowder
58%
"(title) — confirmed by Asheville-only landmarks in the lyrics (Thomas Wolfe museum, Statue of Vance, 'the lights of downtown')"
Taking in the View
Uncle Lucius
58%
"headed down to Asheville Carolina via Ohio"
Buncombe to Badalabougou
Toubab Krewe
56%
"(title) "Buncombe to Badalabougou" — instrumental, no lyrics; "Buncombe" = Buncombe County, NC"
Just Because I Don’t Say Anything (Doesn’t Mean I’ve Got Nothing to Say)
Wingnut Dishwashers Union
55%
"If I wasn't sitting alone at a punk show in Asheville"
Asheville Blues
Adeem the Artist
55%
"(title) "Asheville Blues""
Asheville, Nashville, Austin
The Band of Heathens
50%
"Asheville in the rain / Too early for the traffic down on Patton Avenue"
Turn Up the Bottle
Steep Canyon Rangers
50%
"Boys, we're going back to Asheville town"

Showing top 20 of 49 songs · Hear more in the free iPhone app

Rivers & Roads in Song near Asheville

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Asheville.

History of Asheville

A Castle and a Beer Town in the Blue Ridge RoadyGoat

Asheville tucks the largest house in America into the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Biltmore — George Vanderbilt's 250-room French Renaissance chateau, built 1889 to 1895 and designed by Richard Morris Hunt — holds roughly 178,000 square feet, with grounds laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture. The town also raised a literary giant: novelist Thomas Wolfe grew up in his mother's downtown boarding house, the 'Old Kentucky Home,' the model for the setting of 'Look Homeward, Angel' (1929). The book's unflattering portrait of the town got it banned by the local library for years. Today Asheville is a craft-beer capital, repeatedly ranked with the most breweries per capita in the U.S. Wedged in the mountains with an arts-and-makers streak running through downtown, it pairs old grandeur with a free-spirited present.

Asheville, NC RoadyGoat

Asheville, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains at over 2,000 feet, has always drawn interesting people. The Cherokee called this land home long before it became a town named for Governor Samuel Ashe. Even before the Gilded Age mansion, the Biltmore Estate, began to rise above the landscape, this area was already attracting attention. That estate, started by George Vanderbilt in 1889, still dominates the region. It's no surprise that a place with such a dramatic natural setting and a history of innovation would nurture creative talent.

Asheville, NC RoadyGoat

Asheville sits cradled in a valley carved by ancient forces, a geological story etched into the very landscape. The Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the vast Appalachian chain, rise sharply around the city, their slopes a tapestry of hardwood forests. These mountains, worn down over eons, lend a sense of enclosure and protection, shaping the climate and the flow of water. The French Broad River, one of the oldest rivers in the world, snakes through the valley, a crucial waterway that has sustained life here for millennia, now home to the elusive hellbender salamander. For thousands of years, the Cherokee people understood this land intimately, their lives interwoven with the rhythms of the mountains and the river. Later, European settlers arrived, drawn by the promise of fertile land and abundant resources. The mountains isolated the region, fostering a spirit of self-reliance and independence. Even the grand ambition of George Vanderbilt, who built his Biltmore Estate here in the late 19th century, couldn't fully subdue the spirit of the place.

Biltmore Estate

1889

America's largest privately owned house, built by George Vanderbilt with 250 rooms.

3.8 mi away

Blue Ridge Parkway - Craggy Gardens

1935

America's most-visited unit of the National Park System, stretching 469 miles along the Appalachian spine.

12.1 mi away

Things to Do in Asheville

Everything Near Asheville

32 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • A Castle and a Beer Town in the Blue Ridge

    Asheville tucks the largest house in America into the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Biltmore — George Vanderbilt's 250-room French Renaissance chateau, built 1889 to 1895 and designed by Richard Morris Hunt — holds roughly…

  • S & W Cafeteria (Asheville, North Carolina) · 0.1 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Step back in time at this historic cafeteria, a beautifully designed building that once served up classic Southern fare. The S & W Cafeteria building, located in downtown Asheville, was built in 1929. Designed by…

  • Thomas Wolfe House · 0.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine a young boy, full of dreams, running through the halls of this very house. This is the childhood home of Thomas Wolfe, one of America's most celebrated authors. Wolfe spent his boyhood here, in what was then…

  • Asheville Masonic Temple · 0.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Look to your left and check out the Asheville Masonic Temple – it’s more than just a beautiful building; it's a testament to Asheville's thriving early 1900s architecture. Designed by Richard Sharp Smith, a…

  • Grove Arcade · 0.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This grand arcade, built in the 1920s, was once a bustling center of commerce and community. Designed as a base for a skyscraper that was never built, the Grove Arcade opened in 1929. It was intended to house hundreds…

  • Basilica of St. Lawrence, Asheville · 0.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Prepare to be amazed by the Basilica of St. Lawrence, a testament to architectural ingenuity built without a single steel beam! Designed by Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino and R.S. Smith, construction finished in…

  • Asheville, NC · 0.4 mi

    Asheville, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains at over 2,000 feet, has always drawn interesting people. The Cherokee called this land home long before it became a town named for Governor Samuel Ashe. Even before the…

  • Smith-McDowell House · 1.5 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Before the bustling city of Asheville took hold, there was this: the Smith-McDowell House, a silent witness to the region's transformation. Built around 1840, it was the first mansion in Asheville and the oldest brick…

  • Kenilworth Inn · 1.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This grand building has seen more than just tourists checking in. Originally intended as a hotel, the Kenilworth Inn was quickly converted into a military hospital, revealing a hidden chapter of its history.Built in the…

  • The Omni Grove Park Inn · 1.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine relaxing where presidents and celebrities have vacationed for over a century! The Omni Grove Park Inn opened in 1913, the brainchild of Edwin Wiley Grove. Built with massive granite boulders hauled from the…

  • Biltmore Industries, Inc. · 2.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Ever wonder how the wealthy spent their leisure time in the early 20th century? This spot holds a clue. Biltmore Industries, later known as Grovewood Village, was founded in 1901 by Eleanor Vance and Charlotte Yale, two…

  • Asheville station · 2.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Step back in time at this beautifully preserved train station, a testament to the golden age of rail travel. This is the Southern Railway Passenger Depot in Asheville's Biltmore Village. Built in 1896 for the Southern…

Show all 32 nearby places
  • Richmond Hill House · 2.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine a grand Queen Anne mansion once stood right here, a testament to Asheville's booming late 19th century. Built in 1889, the Richmond Hill House was designed by architect James G. Hill. It was a beautiful example…

  • Richard Sharp Smith House · 2.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This unassuming house represents a key figure in shaping Asheville's architectural landscape. Richard Sharp Smith, the supervising architect for Biltmore Estate after the death of Richard Morris Hunt, designed and built…

  • Biltmore Estate · 3.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Prepare to be amazed, because you're approaching Biltmore Estate, America's largest private home! Built by George Washington Vanderbilt II, construction on this stunning Châteauesque mansion began in 1889 and wasn't…

  • Biltmore Estate · 3.8 mi · Historical Marker

    America's largest privately owned house, built by George Vanderbilt with 250 rooms.

  • Biltmore Estate · 3.8 mi · Things to Do

    America's largest privately owned house. 250 rooms of Vanderbilt excess in the Blue Ridge.

  • Oteen Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District · 3.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    These buildings standing near you weren't always a modern medical center. They began as a crucial haven for veterans returning from World War I. In 1924, the Veterans Administration began constructing this hospital…

  • Blue Ridge Parkway · 4.3 mi · Things to Do

    469 miles of America's most scenic drive through the Appalachian Highlands.

  • Foster's Log Cabin Court · 4.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Pull over here for a minute; this place is a time capsule! Foster's Log Cabin Court is one of the earliest motor courts in the Asheville area, dating back to the dawn of the automobile age. Built in the 1930s, Foster's…

  • Thomas Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church · 12.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This unassuming church stands as a powerful symbol of resilience, built by a community determined to thrive after emancipation. Descendants of freed slaves erected Thomas Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in 1922. While the…

  • Blue Ridge Parkway - Craggy Gardens · 12.1 mi · Historical Marker

    America's most-visited unit of the National Park System, stretching 469 miles along the Appalachian spine.

  • Sherrill's Inn · 12.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This saddle-bag log house has been standing near Fairview since the early days of the area. Sherrill's Inn was built around 1845. It wasn't just a home; it was an inn, a place where travelers could rest their heads and…

  • Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School · 14.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Pull over here a sec, because this unassuming building has a powerful story to tell about education and opportunity. This is the Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School. In the early 1920s, communities across the South…

  • Capitola Manufacturing Company Cotton Yarn Mill · 15.7 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    These weathered brick walls whisper tales of a time when cotton was king, and this mill was a key player in North Carolina's textile industry. The Capitola Manufacturing Company Cotton Yarn Mill, later known as the…

  • Bank of French Broad · 15.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This historic bank building stands as a testament to the early commerce of Marshall, North Carolina. Designed by Asheville architect James J. Baldwin, the Bank of French Broad and the adjacent Robert Building were…

  • Marshall Main Street Historic District · 15.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Take a walk down Marshall's Main Street and you're walking through time! This isn't just a collection of old buildings; it's a snapshot of a thriving mountain town that has seen generations come and go. From the…

  • Colonial Theater (Canton, North Carolina) · 16.8 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Catch a glimpse of the golden age of cinema at this beautifully preserved Colonial Revival movie theater from 1932! Designed by Benton & Benton, the Colonial Theatre opened its doors in Canton, North Carolina, offering…

  • Hendersonville, NC · 19.8 mi · Local history

    The story of Hendersonville begins with the Buncombe Turnpike, a vital artery snaking through the mountains. Completed in the 1820s, it wasn’t just a road; it was a catalyst. Before that, the area was largely rural,…

  • Grey Hosiery Mill · 19.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This unassuming brick building tells a big story about Hendersonville's past. Grey Hosiery Mill, built in 1915, was a cornerstone of the town's early 20th-century industrial boom. The mill produced hosiery, a type of…

  • West Side Historic District (Hendersonville, North Carolina) · 19.9 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine Hendersonville without this charming neighborhood! The West Side Historic District shows how the town blossomed in the early to mid-1900s. This area grew as Hendersonville became a popular destination. From the…

  • Aloah Hotel · 20.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This unassuming building has seen Hendersonville history unfold for over a century! Built in 1919, the Aloah Hotel, also known as The Hendersonville Inn, Carson Hotel, and the Inn on Church, was designed with Classical…

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