Exploring Asheville

Book excerpt: Mystery writer, Tom Collins, departs from his usual genre to explore Asheville–the city they call the Weirdest, Happiest, Quirkiest, and Most Haunted Place in America. It’s a book that tells visitors everything they need to be Asheville Smart–things to do and see, but also the city’s secrets and mysteries along with its ghosts, if you believe in such things. If you don’t, you still might want to take care. Strange things happen in these quartz laden mountains. Oh, I also threw in a hardy dose of Appalachian Mountain tall tales, folklore, and legends, some alleged, some exaggerated and some hard to believe at all! Award Winning Book for Getting The Most Out of Visits to Asheville and the Western North Carolina: Asheville History—important monuments and people in the city’s history Attractions—things to do and to see in Asheville and neighboring areas Mysteries and Ghosts—stories at the heart of vortexes and hauntings Tall Tales—in the Appalachian Mountain tradition The book’s cover depicts the view down Patton Avenue toward City Hall painted by Asheville River Arts District’s artist Jeff Pittman. 2022 winner of Independent Press Award for its literary category.