ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Later this month, a new collection of Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s world-renowned trolls will arrive at the North Carolina Arboretum. Whether you are an Asheville resident looking for a troll-tastic staycation or a visitor troll-hunting for a deal, Explore Asheville has prepared several lodging packages bundled with the Arboretum experience.
“Trolls: A Field Study” will open Nov. 15 and will run through Feb. 17, 2026. Tickets to the exhibit are included in the standard NC Arboretum admission fee. Find out more here.
Troll tourism
There are 17 different lodging packages available on the Explore Asheville website with venues including campgrounds, like Asheville West KOA, downtown hotels, like Cambria Hotel Downtown Asheville, and hostels like The Lazy Tiger Hostel.
In addition to lodging, the packages include one daytime passenger vehicle entry to the the NC Arboretum, two NC Arboretum-branded cups, one Troll-themed tea towel and a discount code for $5 off admission to the arboretum’s Winter Lights exhibit.
Troll hunting
The interactive exhibit will feature 12 unique troll sculptures, each towering over the NC Arboretum gardens at heights between 7 and 9 feet. The trolls are fashioned from reclaimed wood, a staple of Dambo’s environmentally-conscious artwork, and materials like fallen branches, wooden pallets and twigs.
Read our preview story about “Trolls: A Field Study” here
To track down all 12 of the trolls, whom are scattered across the gardens and trails of the arboretum grounds, guests are encouraged to use maps provided for the event.
For more information, visit www.ncarboretum.org/trolls-a-field-study.