# @cnntravel on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DL-vZVWSDN6
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/32267705-cnntravel-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/d96a12fd38.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-07-11T20:07:06.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** CNN Travel (@CNNTravel) — https://gondola.cc/CNNTravel

## Caption

Artists carrying rods laden with glowing molten glass work in a hot shop on Roberts Street. Around the corner on Clingman Avenue, ceramics classes buzz with activity. Up the block, bartenders shake mezcal and tequila cocktails in a cozy neighborhood hangout.

Asheville’s River Arts District (RAD) is humming with creativity on a cool Thursday evening, powerful evidence that this mountain town — ravaged by Hurricane Helene in late September — is returning to what it does best.

The recovery is still a work in progress, given the deadly storm’s massive impact on people across Western North Carolina and its devastation of two popular Asheville neighborhoods.

But everything that’s helped make Asheville a popular tourist destination for well over a century is still very much here to enjoy. You’ll find Blue Ridge Mountain scenery, a vibrant downtown, eclectic neighborhoods, the grand Biltmore Estate, an impressive food and beverage scene, great hiking and an all-around creative culture that’s long drawn artists and craftspeople. 

The city and its many small businesses are ready for your visit, and Asheville has landed at No 3. on CNN’s list of America’s Best Towns to Visit for 2025. Swipe to explore some of its best spots, and read more at the link in our bio. 

#asheville #ashevillenc #ashevilleartist #northcarolina #visitnc #northcarolinalife #visitncmountains #visitnorthcarolina

📸Will Lanzoni/CNN

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 450
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- **Comments:** 8

## Tags

visitnorthcarolina, visitnc, ashevillenc, ashevilleartist, northcarolinalife, visitncmountains, northcarolina, asheville

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