Arena993

Traveling to Asheville in the P-car the first weekend in August with the wife and need a good place to stay in downtown. We want to walk to everything and keep the driving to a minimum. Here are a few places I found. If anyone has any other downtown hotel recomendations please let me know.

The Hotel Indigo
Four Points Sheraton
Reanaissance Hotel
Haywood Park Hotel
Bohemian Hotel

We are also planning to do a Brews Cruise and The Biltmore so if you know of any good places to eat downtown or anything else to do please chime in.

Thanks

Mike

abiazis

You'll have a great time......

The first three on your list are downtown. You can walk anywhere downtown from those 3. Don't know about Hayward Hotel......the Bohemian is across from Biltmore House/Biltmore Village shopping area...

There is lots to do downtown.........restaurants/art galleries/pubs/coffee and tea houses/shopping

Make sure you hit the following places downtown:

French Broad Chocolate Lounge - coffee and desserts - liquid chocolate drinks/homemade chocolates

Tupelo Honey - restaurant

Gourmet Potato Chip - snacks centered around potato chips - unique

Chocolate Fetish - chocolate store

LAB - Lexington Avenue Brewery - brew pub

Posana - restaurant - organic natural local fresh menu

Table - restaurant

World Coffee - great cappuccino...

Fine Arts Theatre - art house - maybe for a night time movie after walking all day.....

Grove Arcade - nice to walk through

Green Sage - good lunch place - Old World - desserts next door.....

Ultimate Ice Cream - small alcove area next to BOCA restaurant - also served in many town restaurants

Thirsty Monk - one of top brew pubs in the nation

Jack of the Wood - old fern bar atmosphere...dancing and music at night...

BOCA - sit outside and eat...

Early Girl - breakfast - on Wall Street.....

Twisted Crepe - good cheap eats....

Bouchon - French

Out of downtown spots-

Grove Park Inn and Spa - drinks - nice view of the mountains - good for lunch outside...check out the spa - world rated top 10........

The Stag - Bohemian Hotel - drinks - restaurant - expensive

Biltmore Village - shops - plus food = Books and Board - good lunch place next to Ruth Chris Steakhouse and the Corner Kitchen - lunch/dinner place, also a place called Rezzar and the FIG near there are good...

Biltmore House - largest house in America privately owned - tours - also winery there - most visited in the US with over 1 million visitors.....

Green Life Supermarket - if u need anything - funky place to cruise through.....

The Junction - great restaurant very reasonable in River Arts District ( galleries and funky area) - close to downtown about 3 miles

The Wedge Brewery is good to hangout in the River Arts District.....

The Admiral - Haywood Street area - West Asheville - hip area on that street for about a mile or so...small restaurant - dancing after dinner as tables are moved out....tough to get into....no reservations.....

Burgermeisters - hamburgers extraordinaire... Haywood street

Have a great time............if you need any last second info while in town call me at 828-335-2298...Andy

NC TRACKRAT

Mike, I'm not from Asheville but we frequently go to a couple of places in that area:
1) Black Mountain...Only about a 15-20 min. drive West, just off I-40. Great little town full of all kinds of neat shops. Get there early and have a great cup of coffee at "The Dripolator", then, after a little shopping, work up an appetite to have a Supreme Pizza at "My Father's Pizza", then shop some more.
2) Waynesville-About 1/2 hour East off I40. If you play golf, check out the Waynesville Inn and Country Club. If not, plenty of shops downtown. Great restaurant: "The Sweet Onion" just off the main drag.
3) Want an awesome drive similar to the infamous "Tail of the Dragon"? Go to Maggie Valley, then take the road to Cherokee, tour the shops, especially the Qualla Cherokee Museum and store for beautiful handmade Indian baskets and jewelry, gamble at Harrah's resort, then take the same road back. Yeehah!
BTW, you can pretty much plan on spending a full day at The Biltmore. It's HUGE...the largest, most elegant private residence in the U.S. and matches anything seen in Europe. The grounds, garden and conservatory are manicured. They have their own winery and dairy.
Oh, yeah...If you want more neat side trips, Hendersonville is another excellent town to visit as is Lake Lure (where "Dirty Dancing" was filmed). Take the tour boat for a view of some awesome lakefront homes, Bat Cave, Chimney Rock....as long as you're down that far, may as well cut over to Greer, SC and go through the BMW Plant. Come to think of it, you better stay an extra week!
Enjoy your visit!

Arena993

Thanks guys that is EXACTLY what I am looking for!!!! I really appreciate the help. Is anyone up for a Sunday morning drive and breakfast before we head back to Nashville? Great information.

Mike

abiazis

Can't do any car stuff this weekend due to USTA tennis stuff......have a great time in Asheville.....

Arena993

Andrew

How about the first weekend of August? That's when we are coming down.

Mike

cmd4

Indigo way overpriced for what it is.

Haywood not bad and great walking distance to lots of good places for eats and drinks.

Bohemian in biltmore(5 mins to down town),also lots of good places for eats and drinks

renaissance and sheraton still downtown,but a much longer walk(atleats 6 blocks or more)

My fathers in Black mountain has great pies,and there is a incredible drive there including parts of Hwy 9
Really the lists can go on and on.Feel free to give me a buzz too.828-301-6111-Cody

Arena993

I was looking at Indigo because of the parking situation. Underground garage for guests only. Haven't really looked at the other hotels yet. I just don't want on street parking and I want to be real close walking distance to everything. Thanks Cody

Mike

abiazis

We might have a Porsche club ride for our Region already scheduled for August, since the first weekend is the club meeting and we usually do a club ride, etc... that time of year........as the date comes closer remind me and I'll probably have some information about that weekend's events, etc............it might work out that a ride is scheduled, etc.....

Arena993

That would be great to join the ride as the Rivi Blue Cab will be making the trek.

Mike

wheeze

We just stayed at Renaissance, lobby redone, rooms standard but got a great rate. Parking was off street but very close in/narrow, I wouldn't park my porsche in that lot.

We ate at Posana, had been previously, this time meal had tiny portions, my family was still hungry after appetizers and meal so I would not return. We went to the French Broad chocolate bar around the corner for dessert and returned each night we were in town, it was a big hit!

Arena993

Thnks Wheeze. It seems all the reviews are great for Indigo. Plus the lower level parking garage is a benefit to me.

Mike

BobbyT

"French Broad" is not what some of you perverts are thinking--it is the name of a local river.

Falcondrivr

No recs on Asheville. I havent been back much since I left The Asheville School in the early 80s. However, I'll be at Lake Chatuge 1st week of August. Keep us informed!

Arena993

Are you driving up in the P-car? It would be great to get a contingent for a Sunday cruise through the mountains for a breakfast or lunch run.

Mike