Downtown Asheville is made for wandering with kids. It’s pedestrian and stroller friendly, and often bustling with activity. There are also quite a few kid-friendly places around downtown. Here is a tour made just for kids of downtown Asheville. You probably won’t hit them all in one day (for example, you might not want to hit the Chocolate Lounge and Kamm’s Custard in the same day), but you can definitely hit several. See the map below for all the stops.

• The Health Adventure is a great place for kids of varying ages, as a children’s museum with a science and health focus.
• Colburn Earth Science Museum is also in Pack Place, and it’s devoted to rocks, minerals and gems.
• Thomas Wolfe Memorial was the home of the writer for 10 years and was featured in the book, “Look Homeward, Angel.”
• Malaprop’s is a great independent bookstore which features a children’s book section in the back (and a coffee shop in the front for parents).
• French Broad Chocolate Lounge is, yes, a lounge devoted to chocolate. It’s fun for kids and grown-ups.
• Spellbound Children’s Bookshop has a great selection of kids’ books, and I love how the sections are broken down by age.
• Grove Arcade is pleasant to stroll with the kids, and if they get bored shopping you can stop by Kamm’s Custard for a treat.
• Kids also love tour buses. You can hardly beat a big purple bus with funny people on board via LaZoom, and there’s also a fun red trolley ride with Grey Line Tours.
• If you’re downtown on a Friday evening in the warm months, hit Pritchard Park (it isn’t in Google maps, but see 67 Patton below) for the Drum Circle. Kids love dancing to the beat.

Map of Downtown Asheville Tour with Kids

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Biltmore Gardens are beautiful year-round (when the outside is cold, the greenhouses are still warm and lush), and it’s a fun place to visit with the kids. While there are gardens and plant life all over Biltmore’s grounds, the best spot is the garden area adjacent to Biltmore House.

Biltmore has some great information on the gardens, including a slideshow. They also have a month-by-month garden guide. The best times to visit are during the spring Festival of Flowers and the late summer Flower Carpet. Incidentally, Biltmore Gardens makes a great backdrop for photos of the kids or the family.

If you’re going with a stroller, just be aware that there are a few outdoor stairways to get to it from Biltmore House. You can also get there by parking next to the garden shop and walking up, but again you’ll have to deal with stairs. The route via the garden shop is probably better with small children who can walk, and you might want to put babies in a carrier instead of using a stroller.

Photos of Biltmore Gardens

Here are some photos I took in the greenhouses.

How to Get to Biltmore Gardens

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Cats and Dawgs is a fun and casual restaurant for families. The menu is pretty much what you’d imagine, primarily hot dogs with fresh-cut fries. While that might sound pretty basic, Cats and Dawgs has come up with almost any way you can dream up to serve a hot dog. The list of optional toppings has dozens of options.

There are a couple tables outside, and it’s very casual inside which makes it nice if you have kids in a particularly noisy mood. They also have some children’s toys available so kids can play while they wait for food. The service is pretty fast, however, unless there is a long line to order.

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Looking Glass Falls is great if you’re looking for a Western North Carolina waterfall that is easy to see with the kids. While some waterfalls have hikes that could be tiring for children (or parents carrying children), Looking Glass Falls can be seen right from the pull-off.

You can also go down to see the 60-foot falls, which is also very easy with kids. There is a short walk down, and it’s stairs the whole way. It is wet and misty at the bottom. Just be aware, because it is so accessible it is also a busy waterfall.

How to Get to Looking Glass Falls

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