This was a really fun place and somewhere really great where you can go with someone under 21 years…read moreold. If you're out late in downtown, your options are limited to ice cream places and only a few other options so it really checks a lot of boxes. I will say they let too many people in When I read about this place, it was something like they let 60 people in but they're 70 machines so logically it sounds like it's gonna be a good deal. However, people are people and some people never ever get off of a good game and we'll just sit on it all night. Plus, some of the pinball games are just terrible and nobody seemed to play them all night long. Still, I have gone to a number of arcade bars over the years and I would come back to this one. Also, good luck beating my high score on 1941 that's my game Just saying

Does a museum have have a velvet rope and a bouncer at the door? I'd call this an arcade, instead,…read moreand a fun one at that. $17 a person gets you an all-day wristband and unlimited playing. There's a large room with newer machines and retro ones, all set up to play, no quarters needed. Another room has video games. Your admission includes all the games, though they mentioned Deadpool and another game were extra. The machines worked well, the plungers and flippers were smooth, and the lights and sounds were in working order. They said we could leave and come back later to play, with the wristband.

Very underwhelming, for a city known for tourism this is probably the lamest science center I've…read morebeen to. It's like 3 rooms total, all of them in basically the same space, there's probably a whole like 4 or 5 things for the kids to do that they can probably do within 30 minutes. The admission price should be like $5 for what it's worth. The lady at the front told me there was a bunch of hands on activities for babies and I'd say there was like three. The first room was a tiny room with a virtual earth, that if you touch the screen it says it will move but it doesn't work, everything else in that room is just reading/writing (made for tweens and up) and not very fun or engaging. Then there's a room full of rocks behind glass displays, not very exciting or hands on for kids (even as an adult, I felt like it was boring). There's one little section in the room where the kids can brush sand off rocks, but it was nothing special. The room with the bikes is the coolest room, but it's very small and like I said there's barely anything to do. You can look at different bikes on display, they have like 2 or 3 interactive things you can do to learn about how bikes work which take a minute to do. The there's a tiny jungle gym kind of thing that's sub-par, a water play area that's also sub-par and a sand pit where you can look for fossils which I guess would have been fun if my child was a bit older, but for little ones like mine, there wasn't much. He had a very tiny section in the corner he could play with and then he got bored. I guess I'm a bit spoiled because we live in the Triad and we have 3 of the best children's museums. It's guess it's a good thing to do to kill time if you literally have nothing else to do with your kids in Asheville but if I knew what it would be like I probably wouldn't do it again.

Tiny but mighty! There are a few rooms here with interactive exhibits for kids. My 4 and 5 year…read moreolds could have spent a lot of time here even though at times it felt a little tight. There's a small climbing structure that my kids kept coming back to, which was a favorite. A lot of the exhibits focused on the earth. I think it was sort of lost on my kids, but the exhibits were fun to interact with. You can't really avoid the shop.

If you like old cars, you should definitely check out this museum. They have a bunch of historic…read morecars with little write-ups. There's an antique firetruck in the back, which kids can climb on and take pics. We also took a nice walk. The area where this museum is also has some nice trees and sculptures, which you can tack onto your visit.

The Estes-Winn Antique Car Museum is located in Grovewood Village. There is a free parking lot…read morenearby, and admission to the museum is also free, although they do accept donations. The museum is inside what was once the Biltmore Industries weaving shop. The building was constructed in 1923 and had about 40 weaving looms inside. The building is mostly ADA accessible; the back section does have some stairs. But you can still see those vehicles from up above if you don't use the stairs. The museum has vehicles from Harry D. Bloomburg's collection. He founded the museum in 1966 to share the antique cars with the public. His vehicles are in great condition. The 1957 Classic Eldorado is one of the rarer vehicles, as it is one of 400 made. There is a restored 1922 fire truck that had been in service in Asheville. Besides the different cars, there is a horse-drawn carriage, a motorcycle, and a moonshine still. It is a nice museum to explore.

Every time we are in town, that's legit our first stop. I love the retro vibe, the machines…read more(pinball is my fave). Occasionally a machine I love would be out of service, but many are really vintage so it's understandable. Love the selection of drinks, food is limited but ok for a snack while playing.

Had so much fun at this pinball bar. Went in on Wednesday evening and stayed to play in a…read moretournament. The people were so nice! Really had a great time. The machines are pretty well maintained. It's a pay one price, play all day place. If you are going to play for a couple hours, totally worth it.

The Asheville art museum was hosting "Community Days" so there was not an entrance fee. Normally it…read moreis $20, so reasonable and well worth the price. It isn't a huge museum but there was a wide variety of art to be inspired by. Contemporary, impressionism, sculpture and so much more. There is also a wonderful area just for young people to make their own art, relax, read and play!! More museums need spaces like this! I was especially impressed with the gallery showing art made by the local high schools and middle schools.

I visited the art museum after lunch this afternoon. As an art lover, this is one of my fave solo…read moreactivities to do when I travel anywhere.

Biltmore Industries Homespun Museum is located in Grovewood Village near the Grove Park Inn. The…read moremuseum shares a (free) parking lot with the Antique Car Museum and Grovewood Gallery. Admission to the museum is free but donations are welcome. The museum is not air conditioned. The museum is just one room but it is full of history from an antique loom to letters; photographs; fabric samples; clothing samples; a cash register; and so much to read. I learned so much and did not know about this part of Asheville's history. This is a must visit on a trip to Asheville. Edith Vanderbilt was one of the founders of Biltmore Estate Industries. She wanted to give people the opportunity to learn a craft. Biltmore Estate Industries started as a space to teach woodworking and also hand woven textiles. It became one of the largest producers of hand woven wool. Biltmore Estate Industries moved from Biltmore Village after Mrs. Vanderbilt's husband died, to what is now Grovewood Village (in 1917) with the buildings for the woodcarvers and weavers. She sold Biltmore Industries to E.W. Grove's son-in-law and Estate was removed from the name. The business grew to have 40 looms and produced 950 yards of fabric a day. Each loom was operated by one individual because each loom had its own quirks. Thomas Edison; Henry Ford; Helen Keller; President Franklin D. Roosevelt; First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt; President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Grave Coolidge were some of the folks that bought the fine fabric. Production continued until 1981 but on a smaller scale as demand for tailored clothing diminished in the 1940s as synthetic fabrics started being used. Then in 1992, Grovewood Village was opened with Grovewood Gallery and working artist studios. I will return to the museum when tours are offered again as I have more to learn about Biltmore Industries.

AMAZING. Don't go to the Grove Park Inn just for the view, go for this place. A ton of artistians…read moreshowcased, this was the best gallery/store we visited on our 2 day trip here. From beautiful glass to pottery, tons of jewelry and metal works, I was wowed by the crafts on display. I didn't walk out with anything this trip, but the prices seemed very fair for the quality and craftsmanship. The help could have been more cheerful, but they opened cases when we asked and that was OK by me. The sculpture garden in front of this place is also worth the little walk around - beautiful, one of a kind pieces!

Was surprised at the quality of the art, quilts and woodworking in the folk art center. But that…read morequality comes at a price. Everything was a bit expensive as well. But we enjoyed the wide variety of items!

The Folk Art Center is one of the stops on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A lot of the Parkway is still…read moreclosed and this is the last stop at the moment as there are barriers preventing you from going north. The Folk Art Center is free to visit. Sometimes when I visit, you can see people working on their crafts. They were during my most recent visit. The building is accessible for everyone. The first floor has restrooms, the Southern Highlands Craft Guild shop and a Blue Ridge Parkway shop and an information desk. The second floor showcases the art. I love seeing all the different types of art from the quilts to woodworking to basket weaving. I enjoyed the stained glass and a canvas that was woven. It was quite unique. I enjoy the rotating exhibits as it is different each visit. Outside there are some trails if you want to explore nature.

Do you like GHOST STORIES and tales of haunted places? Then Helen's Bridge will be of interest to…read moreyou. Also known as Zealandia Bridge, it was constructed in 1909 as a roadway to Zealandia Estate, where there is (or once was) a mansion that looks like a castle. According to Urban Legend, a woman by the name of Helen who lived near the mansion hung herself from the bridge after her daughter died in a fire. The same designer of the bridge (R.S. Smith) also worked on the design of Biltmore Estate and Kanuga Lake Club, now know as Kanuga Conference Center near Hendersonville, NC. Kanuga is a Cherokee name thought to mean "gathering place". He also designed the Henderson & Swain County courthouses. ~ THE EXPERIENCE & LEGEND We learned about this bridge from our hotels front desk staff, whom also used to be a ghost hunter. She said there are stories of people having mysterious handprints on their cars if they parked near the bridge overnight. Some even say their car wouldn't start or the locks wouldn't work. She said some have even seen the distressed ghost asking passers-by if they've seen her daughter. INTRIGUED, I searched for more of the story and found several. Here is the one I liked best: Helen was single mother in her mid-40's when a fire broke out while cooking. She ran upstairs to get her newborn daughter but was overwhelmed by smoke and fainted. The baby and Helen were rescued by fire fighters, however, the baby could not be resuscitated. Helen, drowning in grief, wandered into the woods where she found the bridge and committed suicide by hanging herself. She remains attached to the bridge to this day not wanting to leave her daughter. Another report says she was the mistress of the mansions owner and decided to kill herself when she discovered she was pregnant with his child. In any case it could not have been the original owner John E. Brown, since he died 14 years before the bridge was built. Near the top of the bridge there is niche in an outcrop of stone that has a few figurines places in it. Our hotel staff member said it was placed there after a car accident death OR maybe Helen is still trying to find her daughter. Whatever you choose to believe, the aging bridge and its legend still stand after more than 109 years. ~ HISTORY Zealandia Castle was built by John Evans Brown in 1889. John inherited the land from his father whom died in 1884. John was living in New Zealand at the time in an area he helped establish called Swannanoa, which he named after the Swannanoa Valley in North Carolina where his father lived. John left North Carolina in 1849 at age 22 to head out West during the days of the Gold Rush. He eventually migrated to New Zealand where he became a gold miner, farmer and a member of Parliament. Tragedy claimed his eldest and youngest sons, first wife and then his father back in the United States. After returning with his new wife he discovered isinglass on his newly inherited land. It was a popular mineral at the time used in making a variety of heating items such as stoves, lanterns and carriages, and made him even wealthier! He died in 1895 at 68 years of age. The castles new owner, Philip S. Henry, added to its size in 1908 making it a 62 room home, but it was reduced to 28 rooms in the 1950's after demolition of the original John E. Brown structure. Much of Mr. Henry's art collection was featured in the very first Art Museum of Asheville established in 1948. If you are a fan if the movie THE LONGEST RIDE (written by the author of The Notebook), then you no doubt remember the Black Mountain College art featured in the movie. THIS was that art! ~ FINAL THOUGHTS To an unsuspecting passerby it's just an old unused bridge. But it has so much more intricate history than that! Now you also know why there is a New Zealand town named after North Carolina, and a North Carolina estate named after New Zealand! Isn't history fascinating? 2018/68

I love a good ghost story or a haunted place! Do you? If…read moreyou're anything like me you'll love this bridge. Urban Legend says that a woman by the name of helen hung herself from this bridge after her daughter died in a fire. She lived in a mansion near by. All I can say is the feeling I got at this bridge felt .... heavy. Like hard to breathe. Definitely one of the creepiest feelings I've ever felt. You come around a corner and there's a deserted area right by the bridge that you can park at. Don't park on the street it's on a curve and people might not see your car turning. I crossed the bridge and cut through some of the bushes .. through the fence you can see a portion of the mansion that she lived in and you can still see the burns from the fire on it!