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| Downtown Asheville Guide |
Downtown Asheville Map | Shopping Guide | Gallery Guide | Urban Trail | Grove Arcade | Restaurants |
Dancing & Live Music | Basilica of St. Lawrence | Thomas Wolfe | Pet Friendly | Architecture | Bookstores |
Downtown Condos | Beer & Brew Pubs | Asheville Art Museum | Coffee Shops & Bakeries | Wine Bars |
Lexington Gateway Mural | Downtown After 5 | More Downtown Photos | Orange Peel Club |
Downtown Photos | Downtown Fall Photos |
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Asheville's lively downtown has great architecture, interesting museums, 200 locally owned stores including 15 antique shops and 30 galleries, 50 restaurants, 10 coffee shops, and a dozen nightspots with live music or dancing. If you are visiting with your laptop, there is free WI-FI service. There are many festivals and events downtown, including Bele Chere, Shindig on the Green, Downtown After 5, and the weekly Drumming Circle. During 2009, watch the extreme makeover of Pack Square. The Asheville Civic Center & Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and The Orange Peel host many major concerts and events.
See our Tips for Downtown Parking.
See a Map of downtown.
For a walking tour, take the Urban Trail.
NEW! See photos of Fall Colors set against the downtown Asheville architecture!
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Fine art, gifts, fresh food, crafts, and more at the Grove Arcade city market with dozens of locally owned shops and restaurants. |
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More than 50 restaurants and coffee shops, many with outside dining, can please a wide variety of tastes. |
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Attend one of the many festivals and concerts downtown. See Events. |
Wonderful architecture abounds.
See the Basilica. |
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Vance Monument marks the
center of town. |
Follow the 1.7-mile Asheville Urban Trail with wonderful sculptures. |
40 galleries showcase work of hundreds of local artists. See our Gallery Guide. |
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See a first-run independent and art film. |
Browse more than 200 shops. |
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Looking down Haywood Street at the intersection with Battery Park. |
Shopping Areas Downtown
Grove Arcade: This renovated historic building is worth a visit to admire the architecture alone, but it's also a wonderful place to wander, shop or visit galleries. The dining options range from Chicago-style hot dogs to frozen custard, wine bars to coffee shops, upscale restaurants to sidewalk cafes.
Haywood Street: From chocolate to contemporary furniture to wigs, you can find it all on Haywood. See the works of 150 artists at Woolworth Walk, browse Malaprops Bookstore and get your craft supplies at the Earth Guild.
Wall Street: This picturesque side street features a mix of unique shops and some great restaurants like Early Girl and Market Place.
Broadway & Biltmore This street changes name at the monument, with Broadway to one side of Patton Avenue and Biltmore to the other. It is lined with local institutions like Mast General Store and Blue Sprial I gallery, along with many restaurants with outdoor dining.
Lexington Avenue: It's described as "funky and eclectic" and "hip and happening." The street has adopted the motto "where world culture meets counter culture." Eclectic it is: watch glass blowing at Crucible Glassworks, enjoy lunch at a French bistro, get vintage clothing at Hip Replacements, and find many of the grittier stores of Asheville.
See a map of downtown. |
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 Go Blue Ridge Card
Get the Parkway’s ultimate attraction pass, featuring pre-paid admission to over 25 of the best attractions and activities in Western North Carolina! Visit as many of the included attractions as you like for one low price and save money over buying tickets directly at the ticket gate. Plus, receive a full-color guidebook to the area. Attractions include Biltmore, Chimney Rock Park, Grandfather Mountain, Whitewater Rafting, Tweetsie Railroad, Linville Caverns, and MORE!
Click here to visit their Web site. |
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More Downtown Photos
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Over the last 15 years, downtown Asheville has undergone a dramatic renaissance. Nearly $200 million has gone into the revitalization, creating what many consider one of the most attractive downtowns in the Southeast. Another $200 million is on the drawing board over the next decade, including many condos. (Read about Asheville Residences at 151 downtown condos and Pioneer Building downtown condos)
Downtown has become a hotspot not only for tourists, but for locals as well. On any given evening Downtown Asheville hums with life as people stroll the streets shopping, dining at a variety of eateries, and being entertained by the diverse mix of culture, music and art that have led this city center to be dubbed the "Paris of the South."
One of Downtown Asheville’s greatest attributes is that there are so many things to do. Not only that, they are easy to get to. Downtown Asheville is so compact that you can park and walk to everything. |
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Tips for Parking in Downtown Asheville
PARKING GARAGES
The easiest solution to parking is using on of the three city parking decks. On Monday-Friday, your first hour is free then 50-75 cents per hour. After 7pm and all day Saturday and Sunday, parking is $1-2 flat fee per exit (be sure to have quarters or a dollar bill - there are not attendants to give change after 7pm and on weekends). For big special events downtown, flat fee increases to $5.
- Civic Center Parking Deck is entered from Haywood or Rankin
- Rankin Avenue Parking Deck is entered from Walnut
- Wall Street Parking Deck is entered from Otis Street near Patton Avenue
There are a couple of privately owned parking garages in Asheville downtown that are usually more expensive, but very convenient.
ON STREET PARKING
- For on-street parking, meters usually run 75 cents an hour (don't forget your coins).
- Pay meters on Monday-Saturday, 8 am-6 pm.
- On-street parking is free after 6 pm, Sundays, and holidays (New Years Day, Martin Luther King Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, two days at Thanksgiving, and three days at Christmas)
- A city lot with meters is located on Biltmore Avenue.
- Citations for overtime parking are $10.
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