Smith-McDowell House Museum

BILTMORE AREA. Asheville's oldest home is Victorian in style and was built around 1840. The red-brick structure was a rarity in the days of log cabins, and it was built using slave labor. Occupied by a variety of prominent Asheville citizens and families, the house features exquisitely landscaped grounds designed by renowned Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. Today, the home's lovingly furnished period rooms offer a glimpse of Asheville's early days, and informative history exhibits further elucidate life during the era.