Wander amid art and artists in Asheville's river district

Many cities have transformed their old industrial zones into attractive neighborhoods for recreation, shopping and new small businesses. Nowhere has this trend come to life more gloriously than in the River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina.

The River Arts District is a sprawling section of town along Asheville's French Broad River that manages to be charming and historic, gritty and trendy all at once. Unlike other tourist-friendly shopping districts in so many destinations that are just a few blocks long and way too cutesy to feel authentic, this one is for real. In the River Arts District, you'll meet artists and see them at work, wander around beautiful old brick buildings, and shop for truly unique souvenirs - from handmade clothing to upcycled lighting fixtures.

More than 180 artists work in 22 buildings dating as far back as the 1880s and early 1900s. The large, light-filled spaces-once home to a tanning factory, an oil distribution facility and companies that made biscuits, flour, cotton and concrete blocks - are home today to galleries, potter's wheels and towering vats of craft beer. You'll see artists sewing, painting, woodworking, basket-making and more.