It's been years since my first visit here and it was something I needed during my reset vacay to…read moreenjoy the outdoors and relive the beautiful memories here. The gardens are absolutely stunning, well maintained, and well marked. The buildings are beautiful and host wonderful events and classes. The gift shop is well stocked and perfect for buying something for your home, yourself, or for those you love. The trails are wonderful and can give you lots of options for the length and level of exercise you want for you and your pups. The Bent Creek one is our favorite (which runs along Bent Creek)! Of course, the Dambo Trolls were a lovely addition these past few months and have drawn so many people that they had to close the gate at least once because they were so packed! I'm glad I decided to make the drive to enjoy a solo date outdoors with my book.

The Thomas Dambo Troll Exhibit brought me back to NC for the first time in decades. And the team at…read morethe Arboretum, and the grounds as well as the exhibit did not disappoint. Made it there on New Year's Day. Bright and early. Did get lost trying to follow GPS so map it as it reads on the website. Siri thinks she knows better and I ended up in the boonies without service. Backtracked and when I had cell service again, followed instructions and got there without a hitch. The staff, mainly in the Welcome Center was great. So friendly. Knowledgeable. Genuinely pleasant. Not only providing instructions on the exhibit but shared a few stories about the process. It was cold but the walk and sun, when it came out, helped me to not freeze. In fact, by the halfway point, I had removed my outer layer. I mentioned this because it wasn't all paved paths - eventually after you pass through the garden directly outside the Welcome Center - you wander onto the packed trail. Glad I got there early as by the time I left, the parking lot was filled up fast and cars were lining up at the entrance to the park. I didn't check out anything else at the Arboretum but judging from what I did see, it's a beautiful area and exhibit. If I happen to make a return visit, it'll definitely be when it's warmer weather.

This is awesome park here in Asheville North Carolina. My wife and kids had a great time here we…read moreweren't expecting much when we pulled up I was like man there's 1000 people here they had walking paths everywhere they have basketball courts playgrounds and ice hockey rink type place it's not ice hockey but a roller rink thing where people are playing hockey they had basketball goals everywhere they had all kinds of things the head of memorial for a speedway that people were just riding their bikes and rollerskating and everything around this was an awesome awesome place that I wish we had here in Louisville

Excellent park for many toddler-friendly activities. The playground is huge and has varying levels…read morefor all ages. My 18-month old loved the swings, wooden plane and slides. I really appreciated the extra long stroller-friendly trails. Many of the paths were paved but even the dirt paths worked well with our stroller. The views of the river and nature were lovely. Lot's of parking with easy in-and-out spots. You do have to take the ramp by the parking lot across the path to get to the interior playground. It's a bit of a longer trip but overall not cumbersome.

We're visiting from out of town and needed somewhere for the kids to burn off energy after our car…read moreride. This is a nice little park in a quiet neighborhood. The equipment looks a little outdated but the kids had fun. My oldest liked playing on the basketball court while the youngest mostly played in the sand. There's a field with soccer nets next to it and tennis courts too. FYI, I don't think the big slide seen in some of the pics is here anymore.

I didn't see the cool slide today but I did get to see the tennis courts and the huge playground…read more All of this park is handicapped accessible with paved walkways and reserved parking. The swings look cool and the playground has benches so the grownups can sit while the kids get tuckered out. There is a good sized parking lot. [Review 12672 overall, 2464 of 2019.]

Lovey trail alongside a relaxing stream. Several benches scattered throughout the trail, random…read morepicnic tables, a few fire rings, a sandy beach halfway down the trail, port-o-potty even further down the trail towards the end, and only 12 minutes from home within Asheville. Dog friendly with doggy bag dispensary at both ends of trail, every dog I personally passed by was on a leash and the consistent foot traffic was friendly. Found on yelp. Charming

This is a nice short little trail. It is busy almost year-round. I like to bike on it as part of my…read moreusual route. Dogs are supposed to be on leash, but rarely are so be warned of that.

Cute little park to while away a part of your day. On the river. Awesome bamboo area.read more

We took the perfect afternoon splash in the icy cold river water at Oconaluftee Islands Park. With…read moreeasy access from downtown Cherokee, the park offers shady picnic spots, swimming, tubing, trout fishing, or the pleasant option of simply basking and splashing around with friends and family. It was so easy to get to the river. I even found a scrap of a blue crawdad. Easy parking in the lot or along the park.

This is an extremely clean park that serves as an end/start for the Glenn's Creek Greenway. We…read moreweren't here with our toddler, but I noted that she would LOVE the playground surrounded by soft mulch and sand pit for playing. Pack the hats and sunscreen for the littles, though. There is no shade over their play space! The restrooms were clean and stocked. A very nice spot to spend some time in the fresh air!

this was a cute little park! there's a greenway attached to it as well as a big baseball field…read more there are clean public bathrooms as well!

Beautiful! Stopped here on our drive to Asheville…read more It's a nice walk to the waterfall, and next time I'd love to plan to spend a little more time at the falls.

Wow! What a great falls and impressive set of stairs and tower that were rebuilt since the…read morehurricane. We hiked up the stairs and then back the long trail down. I think that is the best way to see it. There was a TikTok couple hogging the best picture spot of the falls and a large group making a lot of noise at the upper falls. Would have been a bit nicer but we were at the time of day when the afternoon folks are out hiking, so a bit of our fault. But this is a don't miss falls hike near Asheville!

West AVL park & field is a nice little spot to either walk or drive to hang out for a bite under…read morethe pavilion, play on playscape, play some ball on the field, or walk your pup around the park. There is a little tributary of the French Broad running on the outskirts of the park. It is hidden in the middle of a neighborhood.

Visitors to the area will discover that Asheville possesses a majestic vista of the surrounding…read moremountains, but a pretty unimpressive river. There are other stretches of the French Broad that are more aesthetically pleasing, but around here, it's a brown snake that doesn't seem impressive. If you pass through the city without stopping here, you're not missing anything given the profligate majestic clear waterfalls in the mountains nearby. However, there is a decent pedestrian infrastructure built up around this bridge, and several restrooms, launch facilities for watercraft, and other useful features. For the more casual or local user, it's at least a waterfront that has been well developed for public use.

What a lovely and well maintained park. We specifically stopped by to use the dog park and we're so…read moreglad we did. Quick hint- if you GPS the actual dog park, you will be taken down a side road and directed to climb down through some overgrowth. Take the normal park entrance and follow the paved path to the dog park entrance. This park is beautiful with huge shade giving maple trees and a wide, well paved path. The dog park was pretty empty on Thursday afternoon due to the rainy weather. However our other visitors who were very welcoming and had very friendly dogs. Stopped by again today, before road-tripping home, and it was just as fun. Lots more visitors and other dogs to play with or just chase. Our dog was even greeted by one of the Thursday people. Just a nice place to spend some time. The area is well kept and they have a good amount of supplies to keep it picked up.