Hood Huggers International

This was a wonderful tour and I highly recommend it to everyone. It was a real eye opener. Dewayne is so knowledgeable and informative. This tour was the most memorable part of our trip to Asheville. Thank you Hood Huggers!!

I am very glad I found the Hood Huggers Tour on Visit Asheville's site, when I travel I like to see & do the things the locals do and I definitely learned about the African American History of Asheville which I gained a strong appreciation for. Having traveled to other well cultured destinations, I've learned "everything that glitters isn't gold", and while Asheville has many good things going for it there are many communities that still need & deserve a lot of support. I strongly recommend doing this tour when in Asheville!

So much of American history has failed to include both the contributions of the Black community as well as the harms that have come to Black people through unfair government and social policies. This tour underscores and celebrates the ongoing resilience of our Black communities in Asheville as well as providing missing historical information about the influences of Black artisans and educators in East Asheville. I highly recommend this experience for groups as well as individuals. It was excellent.

Great tour! Would recommend if you want to learn about the AA history of Asheville, VA. It was a true honoring of the ancestors. Thank you -

Informative and insightful. Dewayne is very knowledgeable both about Asheville history and with current developments plus we learned about Pierce's grandfather's role in early days and had a delightful song/dance too. The Burton Street tour is fascinating for anyone who wants to understand Asheville history particularly as it regards racial inequality/discrimination and how the neighborhood is working together to improve this community.

This tour was enlightening, humbling, and very special. To learn about African American history in Asheville’s context was eye-opening as a local, and I hope to take what I learned on this tour and educate myself and others on the importance of truly seeing everyone and treating them with compassion, value, and love. Our tour guide, Daniel, was so kind and welcoming. His smile radiated passion for what he does and it was obvious the heart he has for his community. I highly recommend these tours and Daniel as a tour guide!

Hood Huggers tours should not be missed! (And should be a requirement for anyone living in Asheville) I went on both the Eagle Street and Burton Street tours with a group from my church this week. Both tours were incredible. DeWayne is an excellent tour guide who engages people of all ages in the experience. Beyond the history that is shared on the tour, he also has a wealth of information to share about current policies and projects happening. I cannot recommend these tours enough!

A great tour for both visitors and residents to experience. It was the most engaging tour I've ever been on, educating me not only on Black history in Asheville but encouraging me to think about how I can leave the tour and support the Black community. And it opened with a performance from an amazing local artist, Virtuous - a concert and tour all in one!