Asheville - Where to stay within walking distance of downtown
 

My husband and I are thinking of taking a long weekend trip to see Asheville.

We always like to stay in a place that is walking distance to town so we can have dinner, a few glasses of wine, then walk home.

We like to stay in Inns rather than chain Hotels, or small (just a couple of rooms) B&Bs. We like something upscale with some charm also.

We had looked at Black Walnut, but it seems from the below comment on Tripadvisor, the location is not what we want -

The Black Walnut is a beautiful home, lavishly furnished and decorated, about as close as you can get to downtown Asheville (though still almost a mile from downtown and not exactly a lovely walk either.)

Can anyone suggest other places for us to look at?

p.s. Also looking at the "1900 Inn on Montford".

There's a fairly average Best Western right in downtown. Definitely walking distance, but not the nicest place I've ever stayed. That was 2 years ago...

The Haywood Park Hotel. Also try the restaurant, The Flying Frog, in the basement of the hotel. Very good, eclectic menu.

Haywood Park would probably be your best bet - there are also 2 inns on Chestnut Street which is less than a 10 min walk into downtown - Montford is a bit further.

We really don't want to stay in a hotel.

What are the names of the 2 inns on Chestnut street?

Does anyone know anything about the Black Walnut and it's location?

Although I don't know you, I'm concerned about the distance involved in walking from Montford to downtown. You might used Mapquest to calculate the distance. I would also ask the owner of the B&Bs about their opinion of your plans. While not as nice as some of the B&Bs, the Haywood Park would also be my recommendation for being close to the action in downtown.


Mike Honeycutt

I love the Haywood Park. It is my hotel of choice when in Asheville. The rooms are large qnd very comfortable. The property is clean and well maintained. The staff is courteous and professional. Of course reasonable minds can differ, but I would prefer the Haywood Park to a bed and breakfast.
Asheville is a marvelous town. Enjoy your visit.

If we decide to stay out of town to get something more special than a hotel room, should we just spring for the Inn at Biltmore, or is this overrated? It looks beautiful.

Haywood Park is more in the style of a European high end hotel - it is fairly small. It is right downtown. If you stay at the Inn on the Biltmore Estate you will be no where near downtown. For the B& B's on Chestnut St - Chestnut St Inn and 1889 White Gate Inn also Beaufort Inn about 1 block away. All of these would be closer to downtown than being in Montford.

The White Gate Inn is probably the closest B&B to downtown, at least within walking distance. The Chestnut Street Inn is on the same street and just about as close. Montford isn't that far away, either, particularly the 1900 Inn on Montford, the Lion and the Rose, and the Black Walnut, but not quite as close as the White Gate. The Haywood Park is a boutique hotel located right in the heart of downtown.

And yes, while the Inn on Biltmore Estate isn't anywhere near downtown, it is a special experience.

Some tripadvisor poster said the walk from the Black Walnut was "not the greatest".

Are these inns in "up and coming areas" so to speak, or is Asheville, like Savannah, really unsafe to walk at night outside of the immediate downtown?

I don't know that I would call it unsafe. I used to live in Montford and never had any problems but I would still be cautious walking home at night no matter where you stay and stick to well lit areas.

Thanks for the heads up.

I'm not sure Asheville is for us if that's the norm (having to be careful at night), especially in our retirement years.

We're so used to not having to worry about where we walk now day or night. Perhaps that's whst you give up with a larger community.

then you may want to consider some of the smaller towns nearby to stay in (Weaverville, Black Mtn, Waynesville) and just make Asheville a day trip. There are B&B's in all of the above towns.

Here is a lovely b and b in the area. You will have to drive to downtown.
http://www.innatwintersun.com/

Thanks.

I'm not so much concerned about our visit there, as I am about living in a place where we feel we have to look over our shoulder at night.

Safety is one of our top priorities. The major crime in the area we live in now is loud music, so watching out for our safety would take alot of getting used to, and I'm not sure we want that kind of atmosphere.

"The major crime in the area we live in now is loud music."

Wow--where do you live?

There are over 200,000 people living in Buncombe County, where Asheville is located. With that many people, there will be crime of some sort. But the city is generally pretty safe relative to its size.

oh I get it, I guess, you all were considering Asheville as a place to retire? If that is the case as The Phan pointed out Asheville has a broad mix of people and it does have crime - albeit pretty minor. The major annoyance we experienced living within walking distance of downtown was loud music and panhandlers though we were aware of drug dealers not too many blocks away. If you are looking for a smaller more placid experience yet relatively close to Asheville I would suggest the ones I mentioned, additionally Hendersonville.

Wow! This is a completely different issue than your original question regarding B&B in Asheville. I don't know where you live now but every community, even the smallest has its own problems, sometimes it is not violent crime that makes life difficult. In Hendersonville, Leah added to your list, there is a problem with over-development, traffic, drivers not obeying rules, trash along roads and no sidewalks so you cannot walk everywhere. Brevrad has its own issues as well. If you are thinking about finding a perfect place to move to I suggest you rent an apartment or a house for a few months so you could do your own research. One long weekend or a number of long weekends is just not enough time to familiarize yourself with an area. Meanwhile, google local papers for Asheville, Hendersonville, Brevard, Black Mountain, and other town you are interested in and start reading a local news. Good luck!