Raleigh NC to Asheville road trip: Drive time, distance & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Raleigh NC to Nashville drive are Durham NC, Greensboro NC and Hickory NC. The distance from Raleigh NC to Asheville is 247 miles, with a 3h37m driving time.
Planning a Raleigh NC to Asheville road trip itinerary
The Raleigh to Asheville drive takes you from the capital of North Carolina to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Raleigh NC offers a series of high quality museums. The North Carolina Museum of History, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina Museum of Art are the three big-hitters. Meanwhile, the Mordecai Historic Park is where you’ll find Raleigh’s oldest house and the William B Umstead State Park is the top spot for outdoorsy pursuits.
Top Raleigh activities include trolley pub tours and ghost tours.
For Raleigh accommodation, the Marriott is the prime address downtown and the Store is a gorgeous guesthouse.
In the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville NC is one of the main gateways to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is one of America’s best road trip routes.
But there’s more to Asheville than the mountains. It’s a buzzy city of arty shops, restaurants, breweries and live music venues. The River Arts District is particularly strong on the studios and galleries front. The lavish Biltmore Estate, meanwhile, is the country’s biggest privately-owned home.
Top Asheville experiences include after dark ghost walks, Blue Ridge Parkway hiking tours and Jeep adventures, plus Segway tours and scenic helicopter rides.
You can also do guided e-bike tours either downtown or in the mountains, then take a guided visit to several craft breweries.
Raleigh NC to Asheville distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Raleigh NC to Asheville is 247 miles. You can expect a driving time of around three hours and 37 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40.
The best stops to add to a Raleigh NC to Asheville road trip itinerary are Durham NC, Greensboro NC and Hickory NC.
Raleigh NC to Asheville drive: Durham NC
Durham NC is a big tech research center, and home to Duke University. The latter is home to the Nasher Museum of Art and the soaring Gothic Duke Chapel.
Nature-lovers can go walking through the Sarah P Duke Gardens and take a tour of the Duke Lemur Center. The biggest crowd-pleaser, however, is the Museum of Life and Science. There are several sections to this, both indoor and outdoor. It’s mainly button-pushing, kid-friendly science indoors and black bears, butterflies and red wolves outside.
Raleigh NC to Asheville road trip attractions: Greensboro NC
Greensboro NC has a handful of strong cultural attractions. The first port of call should be the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, which houses the original FW Woolworth’s lunch counter. This was where four college freshmen staged a sit-in at the whites-only venue – a key moment of non-violent direct action in the Civil Rights struggle.
There are more backstories at the Greensboro History Museum, and the Guildford Courthouse National Military Park focuses on a Revolutionary War turning point.
- For more suggestions, see the guide for the Greensboro to Asheville drive.
Best stops between Raleigh NC and Asheville: Hickory NC
The Hickory Museum of Art, the Hickory History Center at Harper House and the hands-on Catawba Science Center all cluster together in town, but much of Hickory NC’s appeal comes from the parks around Lake Hickory. Of these, the Glenn Hilton Park has a canoe launch, nature boardwalk and disc golf course.
The trail-lined, waterfall-centered South Mountains State Park is just to the south of the city.
More Raleigh NC road trips
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