The World’s Greatest Places of 2025 by AnneLise Sorensen

Places to Stay

The Radical 

After Hurricane Helene left much of Asheville under water in September, The Radical hotel sprang into action, housing first responders, serving free meals, and operating as a supply distribution center. Since reopening to guests in January, it has also emerged as a beacon for its beloved neighborhood, the River Arts District, a.k.a. RAD. If Asheville’s famed Biltmore Estate captures the city’s Gilded Age history, the downtown its splendid Art Deco architecture, and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains its nature, then the River Arts District is its creative soul. The community unfolds on the banks of the French Broad River, which reached record swells of up to 30 feet during Helene, obliterating more than 75% of the district. The Radical—in a refurbished 1920s cereal factory, with a self-described “posh punk” attitude and decor, from the eclectic lobby with sofas of all shades to the bohemian rooms with patterned headboards and fringed lamps—is now providing gallery space for the displaced Radical Arts District Artists (RADA) members. The hotel’s restaurant, Golden Hour, helmed by Asheville restaurateur Jacob Sessoms, reopens in March with a playful, seasonal menu, and The Roof is planned to reopen shortly after—try a brew by the River Arts District Brewing Company while taking in views of the waterway. New pop-up galleries and exhibitions have opened around the city to feature more artists who were displaced by the storm, including the Resurrection Studios Collective, the FOMO Music & Art Collective, and the “Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art and Community After Hurricane Helene” exhibition at the Asheville Art Museum, on view through early May.

 

Read the full TIME article here.