Beneath the busy and beery surface of downtown, there’s an eclectic, innovative, and often grungy history of how Asheville’s celebrated music scene found itself in the first place.
In her newly launched Music History Walking Tour, award-winning author + music historian Alli Marshall invites locals and tourists alike to explore that story on foot.
Over the course of 1.5 miles and 90 minutes, the multimedia tour covers Asheville’s musical roots, from Scots-Irish and Appalachian traditions to today’s heady blend of rock, jazz, blues, electronic, hip-hop, and experimental sounds.
The tour begins outside of Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville, which is also the “Appalachian Stage“ station on Asheville’s urban trail. From there, you weave through several historic sections of downtown, including Lexington Ave. (formerly known as Water Street), Chicken Alley, and The Block, plus stops at modern musical haunts including Moogseum, Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, and The Orange Peel.
The city’s architecture — and the juxtaposition between its past and present uses — serves as a poignant illustration of how much Asheville has grown over the decades. For instance: we were reminded that behind what’s now Water Street Diner, there was a punk rock coffee house + listening room named Vincent’s Ear that hosted legends such as The White Stripes and former Band of Horses lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey.
We also learned about the 120+ year-old pipe organ at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church on The Block, and how the LEAF Global Arts building used to be a Black-owned jazz club that hosted greats like James Brown, Percy Sledge, and legendary local funk band Innersouls.
Another one of our favorite parts? The tour has its own Spotify playlist — so you can tune into Asheville’s aural delights whenever you please.
Here’s what to know if you go:
- Tours cost $24 per person
- Various dates and times are available ~5 times a week
- Sign up via Airbnb Experiences or by emailing Alli directly.
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