ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Sometimes you don’t want to travel too far for a good hike. Fortunately, downtown Asheville is home to a two mile urban trail, the South Slope Mural Trail, home to many local businesses covered with interesting artwork. It’s like taking a hike and visiting an art gallery at the same time!
Fast facts
- The South Slope Mural Trail was originally organized as a joint effort between the Asheville Downtown Association, Explore Asheville and the South Slope Neighborhood Association to highlight the murals of the downtown district. The trail was last updated in September 2024 and several murals have changed, morphed or been added in the year and change since. Nonetheless, the rough route has remained the same, and can be found here.
- The South Slope Mural Trail runs approximately 2 miles total, from Asheville Brewing Company at 77 Coxe Ave. to “Bungy’s Stars” at 123 Biltmore Ave.
- While the Asheville Rides Transit bus depot is located within a few blocks of the South Slope Mural Trail, some of the best parking in town is located in the lot across the street from APBC and Asheville Yards
Strolling through South Slope
After parking across from Asheville Brewing, head on over to see the first mural on the list. While the only remnant of the “Can Vault” from the Explore Asheville guide is a mural of a vault door in the back of the restaurant patio, the front facade of the pizzeria has been beautifully painted with some gorgeous neon lettering.
Next, walk downhill toward Hilliard Avenue. Take a right at the Hilliard intersection and head up for a brief diversion at Hi-Wire Brewing, 197 Hilliard Ave. The building is painted in multicolored rainbow splendor.
Look both ways before crossing the street, then head down Federal Alley for the first bonus mural on the trail. The back fence of Bear’s Smokehouse Barbecue is painted with a dapper bear dressed in a nice tuxedo. The mural, painted by Kathryn Crawford, extends down the fencing to the back entrance of the Wicked Weed Funkatorium, home to both “Les Tonneliers,” the official third entry on the trail, and a cool painting of a smoking elk.
The next six mural stops are all inside a quarter of a mile down Coxe Avenue. First, the South Slope Mural Trail gets a mascot mural with “South Slope” outside Chemist Spirits. Next, reflect on the history of Asheville with Caren Frost Olmsted’s handsome mural, “100 Years,” located outside of Swannanoa Cleaners at 165 Coxe Ave.
Another half a block down Coxe Avenue and across the street, Octopus Garden is decorated with “Twisted Tentacles,” a big purple octopus. Adventurous hikers can double back up Coxe Avenue to the Buxton Avenue intersection. Just a few paces up Buxton, take a right down Collier Avenue to admire murals outside of Good Hot Fish and Burial Beer Co. South Slope Taproom, as well as another plump plum octopus on the backside of Octopus Garden.
Continue past the rainbow mountain mural of Hygge Markets and through the parking lot at the end of the line of buildings to spot “Bower Power” by Lara Nguyen, a massive, blue mural featuring several bowerbirds, located at 207 Coxe Ave.
The next stop on the trail is the building next to “Bower Power,” Open Hearts Arts Center, located at 217 Coxe Ave. Open Hearts is decorated with a four portrait series by Ian Wilkinson called “Arts. People. Empowerment.,” styled after photographs of Open Hearts artists.
Several secret murals on the trail can be found in the alley between Open Hearts and “Bower Power.” One, my personal favorite, is made up of colorful faces by CHUAVEVO, squished together to fill a fun, silly frame.
The next stop on the trail is around the corner of 217 Coxe Ave. There, crane your neck upwards to admire two murals by Zander Stefani, “Liberation” and “Freedom.” “Freedom,” on the right, depicts a colorful dog meeting a small man, while “Liberation” is the bright, geometric mural on the left.
After the straightforward sights of Coxe Avenue, the back half of the South Slope Mural Trail winds around several blocks.
Start by turning the corner onto Southside Avenue, where the big green gears of “Inner Workings” cover City Transmission Service at 51 Southside Ave. Across Southside Avenue, a cute pair of murals adorn South Slope Convenience: a girl with big eyelashes on the side, and around the corner, a small black cat behind the dumpster. Even further behind South Slope Convenience, one of the most impressive murals in the Indigenous Walls Project can be spotted.
Head up Southside Avenue to the Buxton Avenue intersection. Take a left and walk up the block to admire the sprawling mural on the outside of Urban Orchard Cider Co., then take a right to walk up Collier Avenue before taking a right on Banks Avenue, where two murals can be found across the street from one another. One of them, “Cubist Parade,” is on the side of Vortex Donuts at 32 Banks Ave., while the iconic Dustin Spagnola “Wonder Woman” sits on top of a mandala mural by Megan Kelly at 39 Banks Ave.
The murals with the biggest change on the Explore Asheville list are those at 175 Biltmore Ave., found at the terminus of Banks Avenue. While a large mural by Zander Stefani used to cover the wall, the restaurant Xico has since moved in, adding their own collection of murals to their walls, including geometric pastels with a watching eye behind them, a blocky fellow catching a bird of prey and a long-boarding woman with a cactus. However, Stefani paintings can still be found on nearby walls.
On the walls beneath Daddy Mac’s Down Home Dive, the building next door, Stefani’s “Golden Days” is a bright, blocky collection of colors and clouds.
Behind Xico and Daddy Mac’s, head up South Lexington Avenue to admire the final two murals on the official South Slope Mural Trail: “French Broad Topo Impression,” a French Broad River-inspired series of paintings on South Lexington planters, and “Bungy’s Stars,” quilt-inspired stars by Gabriel Shaffer.
Finally, head back to Asheville Brewing via any of several routes, each spanning about a quarter-mile. I recommend walking along Hilliard Avenue to admire the incredible “Eres Un Orguilo Latino” mural by Leslie Reynalte-Llanco “and her community.”
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Hikes of WNC: South Slope Mural Trail
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