Asheville was dubbed the Paris of the South in the early 1900s, thanks to its unique, artisan style and fanciful architecture. So it’s only fitting that Asheville features authentic French food! Walk a cobbled street downtown and you’ll discover restaurants with French comfort food with farm-fresh local ingredients and hand-picked wine lists. Further out of town you can enjoy classic French cuisine and play Petanque (or Boules), a French social game with rules similar to horseshoes. 

On the theme of French influence, you can also find Cajun and Creole-inspired eats, including everyone’s favorite—beignets! Asheville even has its own Mardis Gras parade and second line band, where everyone is invited to join in the spectacle.