SEE: First up has to be George Vanderbilt’s regal 250-room Biltmore Estate. This icon of America’s Gilded Age remains America’s largest house, with gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and an on-premises winery. Then explore downtown Asheville’s rich, preserved architectural legacy—original Art Deco, Beaux Arts and Neoclassical buildings. Be sure to stop at the Smith-McDowell House Museum, Asheville’s oldest home, and revel in the Asheville Art Museum’s bounty of American art from the 20th and 21st centuries.

STAY: The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa is authentic and romantic, with in-room fireplaces and Jacuzzis. The four-diamond Inn on Biltmore Estate is an elegant hostelry; the only one on the grounds and worth a stay.

DINE: June is prime time to sample the region’s farm-to-table restaurants, where talented chefs work magic with the bountiful local seasonal ingredients. Among the highlights: Bouchon for Lyon French, Laurey’s Catering and Gourmet-to-go for sophisticated comfort vittles, Zambra for Spanish tapas, Tupelo Honey Café for Southern fusion.

SHOP: Asheville is a primo destination for lovers of arts and crafts, traditional and cutting-edge. Begin in the River Arts District, which rolls out the welcome mat the second weekend in June with its Studio Stroll. The Grove Arcade ARTS & Heritage Gallery dates from the late 1890s heyday and has crafts, stores and music of the Blue Ridge. Woolworth Walk downtown exhibits more than 150 artists in the 1930s-era Woolworth Co. building. Shop for original gifts and artworks at Biltmore Village, near the estate, in a charming village atmosphere.

INSIDER’S TIP: Asheville has a strong literary heritage, too. Visit native son Thomas Wolfe’s boyhood home downtown—infamously immortalized in Look Homeward, Angel. The stone angel that inspired the novel is in a cemetery in nearby Hendersonville, a short hop from the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site.