Asheville, NC—It’s a Friday night in Asheville, and the air is filled with the sound of drumming. It grows louder as the pungent perfume of patchouli oil—the “wet earth”-scented cologne favored by dreadlocked liberal arts students—grows stronger. I’m drawn towards the sound as I walk down a sidewalk flanked by beautifully preserved Art Deco buildings, brushing past an accordion player, who, with his dancing toy monkey in tow, is presumably looking for a quieter street to perform his squeeze-box symphony. Turning right past the Drhumor Building, with its late 19th-century limestone frieze of cavorting mermaids, I finally spot the source of this din of ubiquity.

In the intimate, tree-lined amphitheater known as Pritchard Park, at least fifty folks are packed shoulder-to-shoulder on a semi-circle of stone bleachers, banging on bongos nestled between their knees. They are accompanied by a clean-cut man with a full drum set, a white-haired old fellow clanging a cowbell with a drum stick, and a woman in a flowing red skirt who is clearly channeling Stevie Nicks, shaking a tambourine and dancing gypsy-style. All heed the beat set by a “conductor” who is banging two antlers together, until a bearded man with a mane Grizzly Adams might envy takes the lead, leaping up and bruising his bongo with a ferocious, frenzied passion that’s hard to ignore.

It’s a wonderfully appropriate soundtrack for this bohemian metropolis in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Thanks in part to the youthful fervor generated by the students at the University of North Carolina’s Asheville campus, this little city is a heck of a lot more hip than the typical touristy mountain town. Forget about fudge stores, Christmas “shoppes,” and meat-and-three restaurants. In Asheville, you’ll find funky shops like Himalayas Import, featuring antiques, jewelry, and carved statues from Nepal and Tibet; counter-cultural bookstores like Malaprop’s, which stocks such titles as “The Hippie Dictionary” and features flyers for chakra yoga on its community announcements corkboard; and restaurants and cafes dishing out cuisine from the Caribbean, India, Thailand, Morocco and the Middle East.

At any time of year, the streets are filled with colorful characters, from street musicians to multiply-pierced skateboarders to a gray-bearded man, whom I’ve mentally dubbed Merlin, who always tops off his flowing robes with a beret and a staff. They gather at Pritchard Park, alongside yuppies with puppies and moms and pops bouncing babies on their knees, for concerts and silent film festivals. They throng to the cafes that front Pack Square. They browse the boutiques at the Grove Arcade. It’s “Americana” meets “carnivale,” and, God bless ‘em, everyone seems to get along.

Asheville first came to prominence 120 years ago as a summer escape for wealthy socialites tired of sweltering in the lower elevations. George Vanderbilt cemented Asheville’s reputation as a fashionable getaway in 1895, when he completed Biltmore Estate, a sprawling 250-room chateau with gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect behind New York’s Central Park.

Though it’s a melting pot of humanity today, Asheville still boasts a certain celebrity cache. Actress Andie McDowell owns a home in the swanky neighborhood just outside Biltmore Estate, and the local rumor mill has had everyone from Steven Spielberg to Tom Cruise and Robin Williams checking out real-estate in recent years.

With Asheville about to don its fiery autumn finery, now is the most popular time of year to visit. Read on for a list of suggestions about what to see, where to eat and where to stay when you get there. Just don’t forget to bring your bongo.

MUST SEE

Biltmore Estate, which has been featured on A&E’s “America’s Castles,” is the largest privately held estate in America, with four acres of floor space encompassing 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and even an indoor pool and bowling alley. Visitors have plenty of opportunity to gawk at the lifestyles of the rich and famous as they tour more than 50 rooms, from the vast Banquet Hall, with its thunderous pipe organ, to the salon, featuring 17th-century French tapestries and a chess table once owned by Napoleon Bonaparte. Don’t miss the indoor pool and bowling alley in the basement. But pace yourself, as Biltmore also offers a winery and acres of gardens and parklands to explore via hiking, biking, horseback riding, kayaking down the French Broad River, or just on a leisurely drive. www.biltmore.com. 800-624-1575. Adults $39.00, Youth 6-16 $19.50, ages 5 and under free.

The Thomas Wolfe Memorial, housed in the 28-room Victorian boardinghouse where the illustrious author was raised, is considerably more humble than Biltmore. But it’s a literary Mecca for fans of Wolfe, who immortalized Asheville (which he dubbed “Altamont”) and this very boardinghouse in his 1929 autobiographical novel “Look Homeward, Angel.” www.wolfememorial.com. 828-253-8304. 52 N. Market St.

Chimney Rock Park is a little out of the way—about 25 miles east of Asheville—but the panoramic mountain views from the top of this distinctively shaped rock are well worth the trip. Some of the most dramatic scenes from “The Last of the Mohicans” were filmed in this 1,000-acre park, which boasts a 400-foot waterfall, miles of hiking trails, and a 26-story elevator shaft that takes you to the Sky Lounge. From there, it’s just a short walk up to the rocky promontory. www.chimneyrockpark.com. 800-277-9611. Adults $14, Youth 4-12 $6, ages 3 and under free.

MUST EAT

Tupelo Honey Café promises “Southern Home Cookin’ With An Uptown Twist.” That means that instead of fatback, grease-soaked biscuits, and grits that taste like liquefied Styrofoam, you can expect cosmopolitan concoctions that might make your granny’s blue-tinted perm stand on end—but will set your taste buds a'tingle. Think French toast served with amaretto cream and toasted almonds; fried green tomatoes accompanied by goat cheese grits and basil; and grit cakes stuffed with cheddar cheese and topped by green tomato salsa and red chili sauce. www.tupelohoneycafe.com. 828-255-4404. 12 College St.

Rezaz, located on the main drag in historic Biltmore Village, offers Mediterranean cuisine accented by an extensive wine list. Start your evening with the Reza Mezza platter featuring hummous, baba ghanouge and a red pepper dip served with soft pita bread. Move on to the grilled lamb or the housemade ravioli filled with butternut squash, ricotta and sage, and finish with the molten chocolate cake. Then you’ll know why it’s called “Rezahhhhzzzzz!” www.rezaz.com. 828-277-1510. 28 Hendersonville Rd.

Café on the Square, which offers both indoor and patio seating, overlooks all the action on Pack Square in the heart of downtown Asheville. The dinner menu ranges from rainbow trout and flash seared tuna to pan roasted duck breast, baby back ribs and grilled blackstrap pork loin. For lunch, you can’t beat the jerk chicken and black bean quesadilla with fruit salad and sour cream—a full meal for just $7. www.cafeonthesquare.com. 828-251-5565. 1 Biltmore Ave.

Zambra’s offers a mix of Spanish, Moroccan and Mediterranean tapas in a Moorish atmosphere as exotic as the menu, complete with sequestered little sultan’s booths piled high with silken pillows. The restaurant features live music on the weekend and gyrating belly dancers one evening a month. 828-232-1060. 85A Walnut St.

MUST SLEEP

The Grove Park Inn, built in 1913, is a grand old 510-room, Four Diamond hotel with a massive reception hall boasting fireplaces so large a grown man could stand upright inside. While away an afternoon in a leather club chair by the roaring flames, or ensconce yourself in a rocking chair outside to enjoy the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Amenities include a 40,000-square-foot spa and an 18-hole golf course. Sunday brunch in the Blue Ridge Dining Room is a local favorite. Rates from $175. www.groveparkinn.com. 800-438-5800.

The Inn on Biltmore Estate, another Four Diamond hotel, offers convenient access to all the activities at Biltmore Estate, from hikes to carriage rides. Rates from $179. www.biltmore.com. 800-624-1575.

The Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority also has an extensive listing of hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, cabins and campgrounds in the Asheville area. www.exploreasheville.com. 800-257-1300.

IF YOU GO

Getting there: Asheville is about a 3 to 3.5 hour drive from Cumming.

More information: www.exploreasheville.com. 800-257-1300.