Carolina Renaissance Festival

Peak October 25 2026 forecast

The Blue Ridge Parkway's high country near Asheville crosses Graveyard Fields at milepost 418.8, a wind-stunted valley of blueberry shrub and yellow birch that turns scarlet in October, with waterfall trails and overlooks at nearly every mile toward Mount Pisgah.

Don’t miss: Milepost 418.8 waterfall loop · Mount Pisgah overlook · Peak color mid-to-late October

Peak November 4 2026 forecast

A 315-foot granite spire above Hickory Nut Gorge, reached by elevator or stairs, gives views over Lake Lure and a fall canopy of oak, hickory, and maple across the gorge walls that typically peaks in late October.

Don’t miss: Chimney Rock elevator climb · Hickory Nut Falls trail · Lake Lure overlook

Peak October 27 2026 forecast

America's highest suspension footbridge, the 228-foot Mile High Swinging Bridge, crosses to Linville Peak at 5,305 feet, with sweeping Blue Ridge views that turn color at the summit by early October and in the valleys through mid-November.

Don’t miss: Mile High Swinging Bridge · Wildlife habitats · Linville Peak overlook

Peak October 28 2026 forecast

George Vanderbilt's 8,000-acre Gilded Age estate outside Asheville pairs its 250-room chateau with Frederick Law Olmsted's gardens, where the Walled Garden and Bass Pond turn gold and crimson through October alongside the estate winery's fall harvest.

Don’t miss: Olmsted-designed gardens · Antler Hill Village winery · Walled Garden color