Walk or drive the winding paths of this Victorian rural garden cemetery and enjoy the vistas that were part of its plan. Thomas Wolfe referred to it as “the lonely hill of the dead.” Today it is a Buncombe County Treasure Tree Repository belonging to the City of Asheville and maintained by the city department of Parks and Recreation. It is still an active cemetery as well as a beautiful spot to recreate.

Here the famous, the infamous and the humble rest together: financier and pauper, Christian and Jew, black and white, soldier and civilian, the powerful and the meek.  It is the final resting place of Thomas Wolfe, O’Henry and Kenneth Nolan, as well as notable Asheville figures like Zebulon Vance, Richmond Pearson, Tempie Avery, Queen Maude Carson, and Thomas Clingman. Asheville’s character was built on the shoulders of those buried at Riverside and your tour will reveal some of their stories. You may also recognize the namesakes of our local streets: Starnes, Merriman, and Rankin to name a few.

“Trudy and I enjoyed this adventure into Asheville’s history.”—Ross Terry

“Now we know when we have company we need to take them to the cemetery.”—Lisa Bucki

Tour takes approximately 70 minutes. Call 828-777-1014 or email historyathand@charter.net for schedules and reservations. Adults $30.00, Students $12.00

A portion of Riverside cemetery belongs to Congregation Beth HaTephila and a tour is available under video tours on this website.