There are so many things to do in Asheville: hiking, eating, drinking, camping, shopping…the list seriously could go on and on. But don’t forget about the Asheville music scene which is alive and thriving. It’s especially awesome in the wintertime when the cold forces you in. (Be sure to check out our post about Fun Things to Do in Asheville in the winter.) We get a lot of really great artists and bands to come through our city and have a venue for almost everyone’s tastes. Below are our top picks for the best places to see a show or live music in Asheville.
This venue is one of the more intimate and cozy places to see music in Asheville. There’s a really great collection of photographs of artists who have played there which makes the venue that much cooler. We also really love the food that’s served there…delicious tacos and arepas.
This venue is located downtown and is one of the more well-known places to see music. We recently saw Shovels and Rope here and we were able to get so close we could see beads of sweat on their faces.
Isis Restaurant and Music Hall
There isn’t a bad seat in the house. We’ve sat upstairs before on the stools that look down on the stage and we’ve sat on the ground level floor, too. The sound in each of those places is so good and the visual is, too. Oh and chances are you may even get to meet the musicians since some of them come to the back of the house when it’s over and sell their own mercy.
For a huge stage at an outdoor venue, the sound is powerful and the atmosphere fun. There’s usually a handful of food trucks at shows so you can fill up on good eats while drinking great beer (Pisgah Pale Ale is one of my favorite beers) and dancing to good tunes.
Like everything else on the Biltmore estate, the venue here is just beautiful, as if you needed another reason to visit the Biltmore. Sometimes people who don’t have tickets (or couldn’t get them or didn’t want to buy them) will kayak out on the French Broad River and tie up and listen to the show.
This little bar was one of the first places I ever went to in Asheville. The music is set up in the corner of the bar and is a really tight space for people to play but it’s a fun place to see some tunes. It’s a good place to go any time of year but especially so when the weather gets cold – it feels like an old tavern in there.
The space at the Salvage Station is really cool. It’s on the river and has several different places for you to hang out with friends: at outdoor picnic tables, indoor tables, a couple different bars and clean bathrooms. There’s almost always something going on down there and there’s plenty of parking so you never need to stress about where you’re going to put your car.
Asheville’s pretty far from the beach but for some reason, Ben’s Tune Up makes me feel like I’m at the beach when I go there. There’s a bunch of fun places to sit and it’s larger than it looks from the outside.
Out front of Rhubarb
Asheville is known for it’s buskers. You’re almost always guaranteed to see someone near Pack Square which is across from the Vance Monument. Be on the lookout for local favorite Abby the Spoon Lady.
Music in Beer City?!
Yes. And it’s awesome. And it’s almost all the time. So what are you waiting for?! Need a pick me up before the show? Head on over to one of these awesome coffee shops in Asheville!
