Asheville Field Guide
Experiential Map for Exploring Asheville, NC
🥳 Happy New Year, Explorers!
I hope you are well and getting ready for a fantastic 2026. Before we jump into the main topic, here’s a quick update on the AVL Sherpa Project…
In 2015, after 30+ years in the financial services industry, I decided to retire and become a tour guide. That was a natural transition for me since two of those decades involved training and development. Both of my parents were educators and, evidently, I got the teaching gene. 👨🏫 🧪 🔭
My tour business was called ExploreATL Tours. Between 2015 and 2021, I designed and led 300+ walking tours and related events in and around Atlanta. One of my regular tour guests once called me the “Sherpa of Atlanta” and the nickname stuck. Shortly after the Substack platform was launched in 2017, I published my first podcast under the ATL Sherpa moniker. 🚶♂️🚶♀️🚶
In September 2023, I moved from ATL to AVL. I wanted to continue my work as a guide so I created this Substack page and several social media channels under the AVL Sherpa umbrella. The challenge, of course, was that I didn’t know Asheville well enough to lead tours. I did, however, bring my passion for exploring and discovering new places. Within weeks, I set out to do just that. 🥾 🌄 🍺
In the coming months, I will be sharing what I have learned — and continue to learn on a daily basis — about Asheville and the surrounding areas. Specifically, I will be publishing a series of articles and podcasts called the “Asheville Field Guide.” This exploration map is based on a framework, or methodology, that I created while still living in Atlanta. The high purpose of the Asheville Field Guide is to help people connect with AVL at a deeper, more meaningful, level. This has been my mission from the day I started leading tours in 2015 and it is one that I am passionate about to this day. It is truly my raison d’etre.
While the focus of this substack series is Asheville, the exploration framework described below can be used to learn about any city in the world. You are welcome to use it as designed or modify it to your liking. Just let me know where and how you decide to use it.
The Eight Dimensions Explained
The eight-dimensional map above is the framework I will be using to create this podcast series. You might think of each dimension as a lens, or portal, that you can use to explore the area. My goal is to help you connect with Asheville at a deeper, more meaningful level. As the series unfolds, we will explore each of the eight dimensions — not as academic topics but as physical encounters that will allow you to experience the world around you with a greater sense of curiosity. You can follow the suggested order or you can pick and choose the dimensions that interest you the most. 🔭 🌄 🤲
⛰️ Geology
Geology is the story of why this place exists at all. It’s the deep-time foundation—the ancient forces that lifted mountains, folded rock, and shaped the land long before people arrived. Exploring geology helps you understand why Asheville feels different, why the mountains look the way they do, and why the landscape has such a powerful presence. When you know the geological story, the scenery stops being just beautiful and starts being meaningful.
🧭 Geography
Geography is how the land shows up in the real world. It’s about elevation, distance, ridgelines, valleys, and how places relate to one another spatially. Exploring geography helps you get oriented—why Asheville feels tucked away, why towns developed where they did, and why movement here feels different than in flatter, more sprawling places. Geography helps you understand where you are in relation to everything else.
📖 History
History explains how people encountered this place, responded to it, and shaped it over time. It includes Indigenous presence, settlement patterns, trade routes, industry, conflict, growth, and change. Exploring history gives context to what you see today—why certain neighborhoods exist, why roads and rail lines follow specific paths, and how the past continues to influence the present. It turns landmarks into stories and places into living narratives.
🎎 Culture
Culture is how people express meaning in a place. It shows up in art, music, traditions, language, and everyday rituals. Exploring culture helps you understand the creative energy of Asheville—not as a brand, but as a lived experience. It reveals what people here value, celebrate, protect, and pass on. Culture is where a place begins to feel human rather than just scenic.
🏫 Architecture
Architecture is the physical expression of values over time. Buildings tell stories about resources, priorities, aesthetics, and adaptation. Exploring architecture helps you see how Asheville has grown and changed—what it chose to preserve, what it rebuilt, and how old and new coexist. It teaches you to read streets, neighborhoods, and skylines as historical documents you can walk through.
🍜 Food
Food is one of the most immediate ways to connect with a place. It reflects geography, culture, economy, and community all at once. Exploring food helps you understand local rhythms—where ingredients come from, why certain styles flourish, and how people gather. In Asheville, food is not just about eating well; it’s about craft, locality, and shared experience.
🎻 Entertainment
Entertainment reveals how people relax, celebrate, and connect. It includes music, festivals, nightlife, and informal gatherings. Exploring entertainment helps you experience the energy of Asheville as it’s lived—how people unwind, express joy, and come together. It shows you the pulse of the community in motion, not just its curated highlights.
⚖️ Governance
Governance shapes how a place functions day to day. It includes local decision-making, civic priorities, public spaces, and community responsibility. Exploring governance helps you understand why the city looks and operates the way it does—what’s protected, what’s regulated, and how people participate in shaping their shared environment. It offers insight into the values that guide the future of the place.
🔭 Looking Ahead
Throughout the remainder of 2026, I will be publishing a series of articles and podcasts that will drill down into the eight dimensions described above. My hope is that you will connect with Asheville at a deeper, more meaningful level. In the meantime, here are some additional resources that you can use to learn about this beautiful and unique city…
Here's wishing you a healthy and happy 2026. Stay curious and keep exploring! 👊 🥾 🙏