This NC city is one of the most underrated travel spots in the US, report says

A North Carolina city was recently recognized as one of the country’s premier hidden gem travel spots.

Asheville landed at No. 6 on a list of most underrated travel destinations in the U.S. from Wander, a luxury vacation home rental company.

“While Charlotte is one of the most popular party spots in North Carolina, Asheville is there for the people who want to have fun without the crowds,” the report says. “There are under 55,000 annual Google searches for the location.”

The city features a mix of music venues, breweries and wine bars, perfect for a weekend getaway, the report says. If you’re after something different, tourists can visit places like Asheville Axe Throwing, where they can enjoy alcoholic beverages while throwing weapons.

Wander’s report is the latest in a string of national accolades for Asheville.

Is Asheville a good place to visit?

Asheville, recognized for being “fun and a bit funky,” came in at No. 15 on Travel & Leisure’s Readers’ 15 Favorite Cities in the United States of 2023, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Asheville was also among Forbes’ list of the top 12 destinations to visit around the world in 2025: “Hurricane Helene battered North Carolina in September, causing at least $53 billion in damages. It will take years for the state to recover, but tourists can help the efforts,” the report says.

The city also ranked No. 9 on USA Today’s 2023 10 Best list of top destinations to visit “on a budget” and ranked No. 10 on a list of cities offering top-notch restaurants and cuisine, according to the travel website Tripadvisor.

Is Asheville a good place to live?

In May, Asheville was named as one of the best places to live in the U.S., coming in at No. 17 on U.S. News & World Report’s list, the Observer reported.

MoveBuddha, a Georgia-based moving and storage company, also named Asheville as the fourth-most popular destination for movers in the U.S. earlier this year.

According to the report, the city saw a 33% drop in violent crime between 2020 and 2024. (Raleigh, at No. 53 on the list, saw a major uptick in crime during the same time period.)

Underrated travel destinations in the US

Here are the most underrated travel spots in the U.S., according to Wander:

1. Williamsburg, Virginia

2. Bozeman, Montana

3. Missoula, Montana

4. Fairbanks, Alaska

5. Charlottesville, Virginia

6. Asheville, North Carolina

7. Bentonville, Arkansas

8. Bellingham, Washington

9. Helena, Montana

10. Olympia, Washington

How did Wander come up with their list?

To identify the most underrated travel spots, Wander gathered locations from sources like CNN, Cosmopolitan and Yahoo. Then, using Google Ads Keyword Planner, they tracked how often people searched for vacations in each spot between April 2024 and March 2025.

For the least searched places, they collected data from Tripadvisor and Numbeo on factors like restaurants, attractions, cleanliness, and safety, along with Instagram hashtag usage, then combined that data into a single score to rank each destination.

This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 12:09 PM with the headline "This NC city is one of the most underrated travel spots in the US, report says."

Evan Moore

The Charlotte Observer

Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.