We stopped here after dinner on a warm evening. There are plenty of places to sit. My son had a…read moreblast in the water. It is also a great place to hang out near Pack Square.

This is a great little free activity in downtown Asheville. My preschooler had an absolute blast…read moreand asked to go back the next day! We ate lunch at the nearby Twisted Laurel, which was excellent. Things to know: Parking is not free. There are a couple of metered spaces nearby and there's a pay to park lot across the street. There are no bathrooms or changing rooms close by (that I could see). On their website it says there is a public bathroom, but I couldn't find it. There isn't a lot of shade except under the trees and on the amphitheater stage. These are really too far away to keep a good eye on a small child. Bring your sunscreen! There are no benches nearby to sit on, but there are concrete blocks so bring a towel for parents to sit on. It's a public fountain, so we were glad to have our water shoes. The fountain is advertised to have a lot of features and lights, but we didn't see any of that while we were there. The water shoots up out of the ground and doesn't change. That's enough for my preK kid, but might get boring for older ones. We brought some water toys and those were a big hit. While we were there a summer camp or daycare came through with 50 kids who were well-behaved, but they took over the amphitheater area and most of the fountain. We ended up leaving because it was just too crowded.

Elk River Falls is an open recreation area. As such it is not developed and the path is not…read moremaintained. Nevertheless the road into the parking lot is safe and easily passable by typical cars SUVs cans or trucks with either two or four wheel drive. There are no rest rooms or food so you must bring your own food and water. The path is firm and slopes upward gently becoming rocky with prominent tree roots. The 65 foot high big falls is spectacular. It is not a straight fall down. Many deaths have occurred as visitors attempt to dive from the top of the falls. Elk falls ranks in the top 3 waterfall related deaths. The rocks surrounding the first pool are beautiful but have a slippery surface. This park recently reopened after extensive restoration following Hurricane Helene. On the first day it opened there was a fatality of a falls jumper. Despite these challenges this park is a great example of the outdoors in nearly natural and breathtaking state.

The falls are closed as of late April 2026. Road is blocked about 2 miles out from town.read more

As far as lake beaches go, it is nice. But let's remember, this is NOT A REAL beach! $52 for a…read morefamily of five which includes a splash pad, shelter house, and...um... a lake. If your 8 year old sees the "water park" (of which the big slide from the pictures no longer exists), extra $10/person. Nice kayaks! Sorry not included. Lifeguards on their phones. I could go on. Want the beach, go to a real one. Should be $3-5 a person

Yes, the scenery is beautiful, but you can get that in Chimney Rock, Black Mountain, etc…read more The water and beach are just gross. There are ducks (and maybe geese) that live at the beach. They crap all over the place. The first 10 feet of sand is basically raked kitty litter, with duck poo instead of cat poo. The water and beach smell like poo. The beach (above the poo line) would be fine without the smell, as the sand is pretty clean and fine. Maybe the rest of the lake is clean, but it's hard to tell from the beach. Eww. The staff is friendly but not assertive enough. We went during COVID restrictions and half the people refused masks inside and none of the staff enforced anything.

We do pools...a lot. I am not opposed to a public pool though so after some research, I thought we…read morewould try this one. We couldn't have been more pleased. It's true, there aren't a ton of chairs but if you are willing to be patient, you'll get one. One thing to note is that they close the pool with lightning on the radar within a 10 mile radius. You just have to get out of the water for a minimum of 30 minutes. Lots of lifeguards and great decorations for July 4th. You can tell that they take pride in the pool. It was clean and the chairs were comfy, although the armrests do get hot in the sun so you can't always rest your arms on them. It certainly wasn't a dealbreaker. Great pool with the backdrop of the mountains and lake!

This park is urban in the relative sense, being surrounded by the residences of the town of Black…read moreMountain. It was a quality park. While views of the mountains are likely majestic, even on a cloudy day the misty sights were intriguing. A clean path runs around the lake, connecting bathroom facilities, tennis courts, and several other amenities. There were some dedicated parking spaces, but it was an easy walk from the town's business stretch as well. And why not, if you have the time?

This woman feeds her prized horses moldy hay. They don't get a lot of human attention, except when…read moreriding. I was thrown twice in one day. I still suffer from back problems because of it. I used to believe in Kathy Kimble. Then I lived with her and saw reality. I will always be grateful to her for the help she did provide. She'll mess you up. Good luck.

We had a fantastic time at Mustang Alley! Kathy is so knowledgeable about horses, and has devoted…read moreher life to rescuing horses that have been found to be abused, neglected, and/or starved. She takes them in, and gives them lots of love, food, shelter, and encouragement. Once they're well, she adopts many of them out to good homes. She keeps some of them for trail riding, and she offers that at the super reasonable rate of $25/hour per rider. She welcomes large groups as well. You can feel good knowing all the money you spend there goes directly to the care of horses at this nonprofit. Our guide was so sweet and patient, and the whole atmosphere is just healthy and positive. Kathy also welcomes volunteers, and is always in need of donations of time and resources. We rode today for 2 hours along some of the prettiest trails in the Cherokee National Forest. Our horses were very gentle, and seemed to know instinctively what we needed. I was amazed at the serenity of the forest- it was an emerald haven next to the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee. This is the PERFECT PLACE to spend an afternoon with the family. Next time we go, we'll spend the whole day and help out on the farm, feeding, grooming, shoveling, or whatever needs to be done, and then we'll ride. Mustang Alley is truly an inspirational place where good and important work is happening daily, and you're sure to leave with a peaceful smile. NOTE: This nonprofit is CASH ONLY, and you need to TIP your trail guide, as they are volunteers!!