With the year coming to an end, we're taking a moment to celebrate some of Asheville's accomplishments. Throughout 2023, our beloved city has landed on multiple top lists and gotten notable mentions from major media outlets — so we're sharing a few of our favorites features from the past 365 days.

Joining the ranks

The South's Best Cities 2023 | No. 3
The Land of the Sky ranked quite high in Southern Living's roundup of the greatest places our region has to offer — we got a nod for our numerous breweries and artist studio spaces.

Top 20 Music Cities in America | No. 13
We may have tied with Seattle for this spot (we'll get you next time, SEAtoday), but Asheville's music scene is number one in our eyes.

15 Favorite Cities in the United States of 2023 | No. 15
Travel + Leisure readers praised Asheville for itsor "praised our city for its" — the combo just read a little awkwardly vibrant arts, delectable food scene, and plethora of outdoor adventures.

Other notable features

In February of this year, Citizen Vinyl got a spotlight from CNN. The local record factory was highlighted for its unique blend of music, food, and art — including its vinyl record production, public listening room, and craft cocktails.

In May, the New York Times shared an itinerary detailing 36 hours in Asheville, with must-do activities like taking a tour with Hood Huggers International and dancing the night away at Asheville Beauty Academy.

This year Neng Jr.'s was on a roll, earning an acclaimed place on both the New York Times Restaurant List and Bon Appetit's roundup of the 24 best new restaurants of 2023.

We bet there will be even more to applaud in 2024.