Marshall sits snug as a town can be in a mountain river valley, making use of both banks of the French Broad River, not to mention the river itself. The town 25 minutes north of Asheville makes for a most adventurous day trip.
Morning
Go for a hike. The best of days begins with a hike. The only question: What kind of hike are you up for? If you like to ease into the day, then you’ll want to start with a ramble around Blannahassett Island. The island, which sits in the French Broad River just opposite downtown Marshall has long played an important role in town, initially as a residential area, as the home of Marshall High School from 1925-1992, and today as host to a park, a fishing pier, a disc golf practice field, and to artist studios and exhibit space in the old high school building. A half-mile trail lets you explore it all. If you’re up for a more vigorous way to start the day, drive 15 minutes up US 25 to Hurricane for a hike on the Laurel Creek Trail. The trail follows Big Laurel Creek for 3.6 miles to its dissolution into the French Broad, passing numerous swimming holes and trout pools along the way. If you’re not up for a 7.2-mile hike (roundtrip), scale down to around 5 by turning around at the foundation remains of the old town of Reunion.
More info:
- Blannhassett Island: https://visitmadisoncounty.com/blannahassett-island/
- Laurel Creek Trail: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/north-carolina/laurel-river-trail
Midmorning
Catch your breath by wandering around downtown, grabbing a cup of coffee or lunch (you have numerous locally owned options), then stop by the Madison County Arts Council to check out the work of local artists and craftspeople, as well as the latest changing exhibit. If you’re fortunate enough to visit on a Thursday, stick around for the weekly art crawl that visits the various galleries in town.
Address: 90 S. Main St., Marshall
More info: https://visitmadisoncounty.com/madison-county-arts-council-3/
Afternoon
Take to the water. Marshall is on the French Broad River so there must be whitewater rafting, right? Yup, not to mention tubing and fly-fishing and canyoneering and – wait, canyoneering? The eastern version, at least, where you clip into a harness and rope and rappel down a waterfall. Water not your thing? You can also fly through the air, on a zipline!
More info: https://visitmadisoncounty.com/
Evening
Sure, there’s a good chance you’ll find some live entertainment downtown, especially on weekends. But honestly, after the day of adventure you’ve just had you’ll be lulled to sleep in no time should you book accommodations along the river.
More info: https://visitmadisoncounty.com/