goddesstogo

Hi all,
We'll be in Asheville, NC, for about 3 days in mid-October and would appreciate suggestions for hotels. I don't know the city at all and while we'll have a car at our disposal, we'd like to be located in the centre of things with easy walking to sights, restaurants, etc. We'll drive to anything a little further afoot.
We'll need two rooms (traveling with friends) and a chain hotel is fine. I don't really know what to tell you about prices but probably up to $250/night would do, although less expensive would be fine too.
It doesn't have to be posh, just the usual -- clean and in a good area for walking around.
We'll be visiting Nashville and Memphis too and I'm going to post separate (but copy and paste) requests for each of those cities.
(And TDudette, many thanks for your 'arty Asheville' thread! Lots of good info there!)

Dukey1

Stay away from anything in the Biltmore Village area such as the Grand Bohemian if you prefer to be in the center.

TDudette

HI gtg and thanks for your kind words. When we were downtown, we passed a hotel on Battery Park Ave and here's what came up when I googled it. No first-hand knowledge:
https://www.expedia.com/Asheville-Ho...xoCe6AQAvD_BwE

This was right down town. You would need to drive to the arts district and Biltmore. Because I was with friends, I didn't look into public transport so no help there. I hope to talk with my pals today and will query.

goddesstogo

Thanks very much to both of you!

goddesstogo

DONE!
And sorry Dukey, it does turn out to be the Grand Bohemian but I didn't do the booking. The friends we're traveling with had a whole bunch of Marriott points they had to use (or so they said; it's possible they're just treating us to their Marriott points because they're generous like that) to we got the GB at an unbelievably low price.
We have a car anyway, so we'll be able to drive to the centre of town. I really couldn't say no and ask them to cancel. Plus it's a huge savings.
Thanks to you both for your good help!

LilyP53

Hi! I'll post links below to a few of the nicest hotels downtown:

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...ille-downtown/

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...ille-downtown/

https://www.cambriadowntownasheville.com/en-us

Asheville is a small city and is completely walkable from any of these hotels. The two Marriott hotels that I've listed are fairly close to each other. The Cambria and the Haywood Park, which TDudette posted, are in a somewhat different area, and they may actually be a little more quiet at night. We rarely go downtown at night anymore, but I understand that it can get pretty loud at times.

There are some very good restaurants, and I can recommend the following:

https://tableasheville.com/

https://rhubarbasheville.com

https://theblackbirdrestaurant.com

The Biltmore estate and Biltmore Village are, as Dukey says, a little farther away, and you'll need to drive into town, but it's only about three miles away. The Grand Bohemian in Biltmore is a lovely hotel as well.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them!

LilyP53

Oh - just saw that you'll be staying at the Grand Bohemian! I think that's a good choice. Hope you have a lovely visit!

goddesstogo

Thanks so much for your input, Lily. Even though we're set for a hotel, it's always good to have restaurant recs from locals!

willowjane

The Grand Bohemian is a great hotel and if you got it at a good rate -go for it! It is usually outrageous! Right near there and walkable is Fig restaurant (really small but so good!). Downtown is so close by that it isn't that big of a deal. There is a great parking garage right across from the Mast Store (have to go in) and that is walkable to everything downtown. Please do go to the Grove Park Inn and look around and at least have a drink in the lobby. There is lots of history there with lots of pictures and information and it is a beautiful place. I love Curate for Spanish tapas downtown - Katie Buttons is the chef and is very well respected! There are lots of other great restaurants in town. If you are looking for "day trips" - Brevard and Black Mountain are nearby and are both just lovely - I prefer Brevard. The Falls Landing restaurant there fabulous there. I hope you have a wonderful time!!!

TDudette

See you found a place! Here's my friend's reply anyhow. See the parking hint:

In October, prices downtown and near Biltmore Estate look to be in the $350+ range. But near the airport, the prices are much much better, under $200. If you have a car, you can get downtown with no hassle; get the Asheville parking app and you can always find a spot in a garage. And with a car you can drive around to more breweries--we have about 40. Sierra Nevada has a wonderful brewery near the airport (book the tour far in advance if you're interested, but lots to enjoy without it). There's Uber and Asheville Rides if you prefer not to drive. Oct. 5, 12, 19 is Art in the Park, very nice art and crafts in center of town. Hope this helps.

Enjoy!

goddesstogo

Thanks so much, wj -- this is all being added to my 'things to do in Asheville' list!

goddesstogo

Oh, sorry TD, I didn't see your post. Thank you! I hadn't thought about getting the Asheville parking app but it's such a good idea I'm going to do it for Nashville and Memphis too.

swandav2000

Hallo All,

goddesstogo, I hope that you don't mind my asking a further question on your thread --

I am headed to Asheville next year and plan to stay at the Foundry Hotel (Curio group, part of Hilton); I was drawn by its design as well as the location. So I'm wondering if there is a reason it's not listed on LilyP53's list or willowjane's comments?? Is this a nice hotel?

Thanks all for any insight!

s

Dukey1

We always stay at the Grand Bohemian as a rule although for our next trip we are staying, for a change, at the Haywood Park. We enjoy visiting the Craft Guild and the New Morning Gallery and have had breakfast several times at the Corner Kitchen. You can easily get downtown from there with your car.

goddesstogo

swandav, you're more than welcome.
Thanks, Dukey. I feel better about it knowing you stay at the GB -- I trust your judgement. Haywood Park was first on my list to explore but then I found out we were already booked at the GB. I'll add your restaurant recs to my list!

Dukey1

Just a note or two: the GB has two buildings; they are across the street from one another. I think one is called "The Manor" while the other is simply the hotel itself. Parking. The place has a garage with valet parking which we always use. I do not remember what the charge is but as I recall there is no self-parking.

The internal fixtures in some of the rooms consist of antlers or antler-like ornamentation and in some rooms there is this "window" between the bedroom and the bath. It can be closed so there is total bath privacy. For the Corner Kitchen it is helpful to have a reservation at breakfast time especially on weekends. I am always VERY hesitant to recommend eating places since I do not know what anyone else's taste might be in terms of ambience, food itself, etc., etc. There are other sorts of restaurants in the Biltmore Village and surrounds but there are a LOT of interesting restaurants in downtown Asheville which I think bear exploration.

sf7307

LilyP53

swandav2000, I hadn't seen the Foundry Hotel, so I rode by it this morning just to take a look. I didn't go inside, but it's a beautiful property on the outside, and the inside looks great on the website. The location seems fine too, just a little more out of the way of most of the touristy areas, so that could be a good thing.

In Biltmore Village, I definitely second the recommendation for Fig. It's a tiny restaurant, but the food is excellent. They have a few tables outside too, if the weather is nice, and I always prefer sitting outside if it's an option.

Curate is wonderful, but you'll need dinner reservations well in advance. It's always ridiculously crowded.

As for the breweries, Asheville has plenty and the tours can be really fun and interesting if you're into beer at all. Sierra Nevada is an amazing property and well worth a visit but, as noted, it's a long way from downtown Asheville, an approximately 20-30 minute drive with no traffic.

Vttraveler

I assume you are planning to tour the Biltmore estate. The (very expensive!) admission price includes a wine tasting at the vineyards at the village and it's good to build in plenty of time for this. https://www.romanticasheville.com/biltmorewinery.htm

swandav2000

Thanks, LilyP53, for your assessment! I truly appreciate it!

s