Nonfiction book lovers should check out the Craggy Gardens Visitors Center, at milepost 364.6. Stop by the Folk Art Museum near Asheville , milepost 382, for an overview of highland art traditions. Asheville itself is an artsy community where unique mountain crafts and fine arts are available. Don't miss the Biltmore Estate and Winery , a full day's adventure. Southwest of Asheville, the Parkway cuts through Pisgah National Forest, famous for its wilderness areas.
More civilized facilities are available as well.
Sleep in Pisgah Inn and eat in their large dining room. Try river trout for breakfast with an awesome view of the mountains on the side. Or, camp at nearby tent or camper sites and sear your own trout, outside on an open-air grill. Several good hikes begin near Graveyard Fields, south of the Pisgah Inn on the Parkway, at milepost 418.8. The perennial and vegetable garden is a grand, cumulative work of art.