Asheville Lodging/Craft Weekend
 

My husband and I are considering going to Asheville to enjoy the downtown art festival.
Is it worth the trip and where is a good place to stay. I have stayed at the Grove Park Inn and been to the Biltmore but other than that have missed other things to visit.

Which art festival are you referring to?

Is Asheville worth it? Absolutely. You could spend a week or two here seeing ALL the sights.

I believe it is the Bele Chere. At least that is what the Asheville calendar says. Suppose to be the largest one in Ashville

Ah... I see. Bele Chere. I'd call that more of a music festival, but the arts play a big part in it -- it's really just a big street party, and it is the largest in the Southeast. It attracts upwards of 350,000 people.

If you come to Asheville during Bele Chere, expect crowds and traffic. Downtown will more or less be sealed off -- most people park in sattelite lots and take the shuttle buses downtown. If you were to stay downtown itself, be prepared for noise, but on the other hand you'd have a much easier time getting around because you'd be able to walk to the festivities, attractions, restaurants, bars, and shopping.

Asheville will be whooping it up in a big way during Bele Chere and I'd say it's well worth it, though it'll be at least somewhat stressful having to deal with the new traffic patterns and the sheer volume of people. Asheville is well worth a visit any time though, even in the dead of winter with half a foot of snow on the ground.

It depends on if you like parties and crowds as to whether you'd be comfortable coming into town for Bele Chere. Be aware that if you decide to visit, you'll need to book your hotel room NOW. During the weekend of the festival, tourist traffic spills over into every neighboring town and sometimes even down into South Carolina, more than 60 miles away. I work in a hotel and last year, as I recall, there were no rooms available anywhere at all in Western North Carolina during that weekend. People had no choice but to push on through to either Tennessee, South Carolina, or down toward Charlotte and the towns in the foothills, because the mountains were booked solid.

Downtown Asheville is so much fun. I would not ruin it by coming during Belle Chere.

Asheville has a number of outdoor summer entertainments. Check one of the online guides. I think some other weekend in Asheville would be a better bet.