Believe it or not, despite the fact that Asheville is in what is considered to be a tropical climate (crazy, I know!), it’s actually one of the driest areas in North Carolina! Asheville does see quite a bit of precipitation (be it rain or snow) during the winter months with March being our wettest month of the year! Recently, we’ve had quite a few rainy days which left me wishing for a really rad list of awesome things to do with my energetic 7.5 year old in Asheville!
So, I’ve taken the liberty of putting together a great list of fun Rainy Day Activities for Kids in Asheville! (This list is as much for me as it is for you! LOL)😅
Notice something that’s not on this list that definitely should be???
Please, let me know, I’ll add it to the list!! ❤️
I’m breaking the list into three categories (Learning, Physical & Entertainment) for indoor, rainy day activities around Asheville that would be super fun for kids (and adults too)!!
Learning Rainy Day Activities for Kids in Asheville: (Museums & other cool places)
Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS)(Asheville) – https://ashevillescience.org/
Asheville’s interactive science museum in the heart of downtown where exhibits include elements of forestry, minerals, planetary exploration and dinosaurs. There’s also a STEM laboratory and hurricane simulator and there’s an adorable “toddler nest,” for our littlest ones to experience hands-on learning.
Asheville Art Museum (Asheville) – https://www.ashevilleart.org/
In addition to the museum’s array of ever changing exhibits! The museum also offers a children’s area for young visitors! The museum’s Art PLAYce is a creative space for children to play and learn together in a sensory-rich environment with free exploration of colors, shapes, textures, and patterns. Kids can try out interactive pieces created by regional artists and make art of their own art!
Fox-N-Otter Adventure Puzzle Rooms (Asheville) – https://escaperoomsasheville.com/
An escape room experience for kids! This locally owned business offers brain-twisting puzzles where kids work together to try to escape perplexing scenarios. Puzzles are geared towards kids ages 10-15. Single admission is $25/person.
Hands On Children’s Museum (Hendersonville) – Museum Info
A staple among local parents, Hands On Children’s Museum is located in downtown Hendersonville (about 40 minutes south of downtown Asheville). The museum was renovated during COVID and offers fun, interactive exhibits for children with focus on science, social, nature, engineering and motor skills. Exhibits include a fossil dig, art room, fire engine, pet vet hospital, grocery store, cafe, dentist / medical office, music room, lego raceway, puppet theatre, stage and more!
Aquarium & Shark Lab (Hendersonville) – Aquarium Info
This mountain aquarium is home to 275 fish, invertebrates, reptiles and salamanders! With over two dozen exhibits including a shark study tank, the museum’s mission is to encourage education, enrichment and exploration of aquatic life! Kids can observe reptile, shark, and stingray feedings and even see pufferfish training!
Mineral & Lapidary Museum (Hendersonville) – https://mineralmuseum.org/
This fascinating museum if for the dino lovers! Located in downtown Hendersonville (about 40 minutes from downtown Asheville) featuring many diverse underground treasures including raw minerals, meteorites, gemstones, and fossils. The museum’s dinosaur fossil exhibit features a tyrannosaurus rex skull, a mastodon tusk and teeth, and a wooly mammoth leg bone!
WNC Air Museum (Hendersonville) – Air Museum Info
The WNC air museum boasts an impressive collection of antique airplanes, flight manuals, engines, historic photographs of airplanes and pilots, and more! See and touch airplanes from the 1910s through the1980s. Admission is free, and donations are appreciated!
Museum of the Cherokee Indian (Cherokee) – Museum Info
Located on the Cherokee Reservation (about 50 miles west of downtown Asheville), the Cherokee community presents its perspective on it’s own history and culture. The museum’s impressive exhibits walks visitors through time, beginning 11,000 years ago through present day.
Kid Senses (Rutherfordton) – Museum Info
Located in Rutherfordton (about an hour South East of downtown Asheville), this large, interactive space offers fun indoor exhibits where kids can learn and stimulate their imaginations through hands-on play! The museum offers children fourteen different interactive exhibits geared toward children aged 10 and under.
Adventure / Physical Rainy Day Activities in Asheville: (Indoor Play Spaces)
Cultivate Climbing (Asheville) – https://cultivateclimbing.com/
Cultivate Climbing has been part of the North Carolina rock climbing community for over 25 years! This large, indoor climbing gym has multiple climbing walls tailored to varying skill levels! There are plenty of surfaces and paths to train and practice on and for novices and travelers, equipment is available to rent
RAD Skatepark (River Arts District) – https://www.radskateparkavl.com/
A large, indoor skate park located in the River Arts District outside of downtown Asheville offers a safe, supervised environment for skaters and riders of all ages! Kids can bring skateboards, bikes, or scooters! Admission starts at $10.
We Rock the Spectrum (Asheville) – https://www.werockthespectrumasheville.com/
An indoor sensory kid’s gym tailored for children with special needs! We Rock the Spectrum provides ALL children with a fun, motivational, and inclusive environment to help them in the areas of strength, movement, sensory processing, communication, positive behavior modification and social interactions.
The Riveter (South Asheville) – https://www.riveternc.com/
The Riveter is such a cool space! If you’re into adventure activities, you don’t want to miss this one! Located in South Asheville, this incredible space includes a full-service rock climbing gym, youth programs, special events and epic views of the Blue Ridge!
Mountain Play Lodge (South Asheville) – https://www.mountainplaylodge.com/
A staple for parents with young children in Asheville, this large, indoor play space is ideal for children aged 10 and younger! The space offers two age-appropriate play floors with a variety of soft play equipment including a miniature village, toddler slides, and a large jungle gym with slides. There’s a concession stand with a variety food and beverage options for purchase, including snacks, coffee, and even beer and wine! Admission: $8-14. Don’t forget your socks!
Launch Trampoline Park (Arden) – https://launchtrampolinepark.com/asheville/
If you just need to get some energy out, Launch is the definitely the ticket! This larger, indoor trampoline park offers indoor sports, a ninja course, rock climbing wall, launch pad, dodgeball, basketball, knockout, tumble tracks and trampoline courts! There’s also an arcade and snack bar! Admission starts at $19 per person, per hour!
Waynesville Recreation Center Indoor Pool (Waynesville) – Pool Info
This indoor pool and water park located in Waynesville (about 45 minutes west of Asheville) is open daily throughout the year, making it a great option for children to be active on rainy day or snow day! A family day pass is $20 for up to 6 people!
Smokey Mountain Skateway (Waynesville) – https://smokymountainsk8way.com
The rink offers open skate sessions, bounce houses, an obstacle course, arcade games, a snack bar and more! Find a variety of skate rental options, including skate trainers for beginners! Admission + skate rentals start at $9. (Closed Mon-Wed)
Entertainment for Kids in Asheville: (Gamers, Movie Lovers & Artists)
Asheville Pinball Museum (Asheville) – https://ashevillepinball.com/
This downtown museum offers pinball and classic video games and is such a fun rainy day activity with over 80 games to play! Best of all, it’s a flat rate admission, no tokens or coins necessary! Admission for adults is $15 and $12 for kids 10 and under.
Well Played Board Game Cafe (Asheville) – https://wellplayedasheville.com/
Imagine a super hip cafe serving snacks, coffee, beer and wine in the heart of downtown with a giant library of over 700 board games, organized by category and difficulty level so you can select the best fit for your group! Feeling indecisive? Let the Gamemasters surprise you with a recommendation.
Bowling – Bowling is always a solid choice for a fun rainy day activity with kids in Asheville! Both bowling alleys listed here serve food, have a bar and arcade games as well!
AMF Star Lanes (Asheville) – Centrally located (and right across the street from Dancing Bear Toys!), AMF Star lanes is a ‘big box’ bowling alley. It has over a dozen lanes, arcade games and a bar/grill inside@
Sky Lanes (West Asheville) – Sky Lanes is definitely more “Asheville” — located in hip, west Asheville, it has a cool Big Lebowski mural on the side of the building, it’s smaller with fewer lanes, fewer games but it’s got a bar / grill in the alley as well!
Asheville Retrocade (West Asheville) – Asheville Retrocade is gonna be a dream for your gamers! Located in hip, west Asheville along Haywood road (surrounded by tons of great restaurants, bars, shops etc) There are two floors of old and new games (basically everything you could think of!) You could spend hours in here (and there’s a bar!)
The Factory (Franklin) – This one’s more of a day trip (Franklin is about an hour & a half west of Asheville, in the mountains!) You don’t wanna miss this one! This old industrial factory was converted into floors of fun for your entire family! This one is really something to behold and could provide hours of fun on a crummy day in Asheville! Enjoy over 100 arcade games, the region’s largest go cart track, laser tag, jump park, buper cars and indoor mini golf + a kid’s play area for smaller children and much more!
Chuck E. Cheese (Asheville) – We all know what Chuck E. Cheese is, although it’s not at all unique, it’s on the list because it’s easy, centrally located (on tunnel road, near target) and will get the kids out of the house, entertained and fed for a few hours!
Claying Around (Asheville) – Claying Around is such a fun spot for little artists! A full service Paint your own Pottery studio located in South Asheville, the studio is bright and spacious with lots of good energy, and most importantly – adult and kid friendly! They offer a HUGE selection of fun and unique pottery pieces, ranging in price from $10 to $150. They have over 60 different colors of underglaze, 50 fun specialty glazes, various stamps, stencils, silk screens, sample pottery and books to get you in the mood. Not sure if you can do it? Not to worry – they will show you how! You can even reserve a pottery wheel lesson on one of the pottery wheels, paint some pottery, handbuild with clay, make cool glass fused pieces, or create a beautiful canvas painting!
Fire’d Up! (Asheville) – With a similar concept, Fire’d Up! is conveniently located in downtown Asheville and was Voted “Best Place to Make Art” by Mountain Expres. Fired Up offers Paint your own Pottery, Glass Fusing, Clay Hand Building, Canvas Painting, a Pottery Wheel as well as lots of Classes and Events! If you are looking for something fun to do at home, you can order To Go Pottery from their online store to pick up and paint at home!
Movie Theaters – An age old ‘go to’ for rainy days, it seems silly to include move theaters as an option on this list but I’d be remiss not to share my favorite local theaters for your reference!
Grail Movie House (River Arts District) – A locally owned movie theater, runs independent films and documentaries. This is definitely better for older children (bc of the movie selections) but the snack game at Grail Movie House is on fire (and that’s important to know!)
Carolina Cinemark (South Asheville) – Our favorite theater in Asheville! We’re headed there today actually! We love this theater because there’s comfortable, reclining seating and also they have a full restaurant / bar soooooo that’s the bessst IMO!
Biltmore Grand (South Asheville) – What makes this theater notable is that it’s located in Biltmore Park which has lots of shops and restaurants within walking distance of the theater (+ a Cold Stone Creamery, just say’n!). Biltmore Grand has comfortable, reclining, stadium seating and your run of the mill snack selection for a theater!
