3 Best Sights in Asheville, North Carolina

At this unusual bookstore and bar, you can relax on an overstuffed chair or sofa while sipping one of 80 wines and champagnes by the glass. The inventory includes more than 20,000 secondhand books, with special strength in Civil War, American history, and North Carolina subjects. It's pet friendly, too, with an "espresso dog bar."

This is what an independent bookstore should be, with an intelligent selection of new books, many author appearances and other events, and a comfortable café. Staffers speak many foreign languages, including Hungarian, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French, and German.

At the southern gateway to the River Arts District, this 1902 brick building houses more than 60 artists, crafters, and entrepreneurs in ceramics, painting, textiles, woodworking, and jewelry. There are studios and galleries where you can see working artists as well as buy art and fine crafts.