So much to do and see!
Chair Nerding ~ Asheville Adventures
Come for the Gathering, plan a vacation!
Click on each title for a printable list below.
Chair Nerding around Asheville
Aside from Silver River Center for Chair Caning and The Folk Art Center, there are many opportunities to satisfy your geeky tendencies in Ashville.
Brandy's Top 5 Chair Nerding stops in Asheville
1. Brian Boggs Chairmakers, River Arts District
2. Matt Tommey's Basket studio, River Arts District
3. Grovewood Gallery at the Grove Park Inn, has antique car museum too!
4. Earth Guild, supplies for caning and a multitude of other crafts. Downtown
5.Biltmore Estate, pricey but worth the visit, plan to spend the day.
En route to Asheville or within a few hours from Asheville
1. Woody's Chair Shop, Spruce Pine NC (1 hour North of Asheville)
2. Reynolda House & The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) Winston Salem, NC. (2 1/2 hours East of Asheville plan to spend the day!)
3. Kentucky: Berea Kentucky Artisan Center (4 hours North of Asheville, & Pleasant Hill Shaker Village KY (6 hours Northwest of Asheville)
4. Nearby craft schools: Penland, John C Campbell, Arrowmont (look 'em up)
5. Suzanne Moore's Basketworks (four hours East of Asheville)
Brandy's favorite local antique stores
1. River Arts Antiques ($, good folks and close to Silver River, River Arts District)
2. Tobacco Barn ($$, you can get lost & find cool stuff, near Biltmore Village)
3. Oddfellows/Nostalgique/Local Antique Market ($$-$$$ spend the afternoon wandering through this amazing complex of antique shops, near Biltmore Village)
4. Village Antiques in Biltmore Village ($$$$ but cool to check out)
5. Bon Vivant Antiques ($$ very cool place, nice folks in Biltmore Village)
6. Regeneration Station ($-$$ great large space with vendor booths, use GPS)
7. Nothing New Consignment Tunnel Rd Asheville ($-$$ pick up your next caning project close to back entrance of Folk Art Center)
8. Screen Door ($$ lots of square footage with vendor booths, use GPS)
9. Hendersonville (30 min South of Asheville on Interstate 26 E. Needful Things & downtown antique shops)
10. Tryon, NC (1 hour Southeast of Asheville on Interstate 26 E...antiques are to Tryon, what beer is to Asheville)
1. Lazoom Comedy Tour. The most amusing way to see downtown Asheville and surrounding neighborhoods. Book early and laugh your Asheville off.
2. Walks & Hikes. Whether along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the NC Arboretum, Botanical Gardens, or one of the many greenways around Carriar Park , there are easy, moderate, and strenuous trails for everyone to enjoy.
2. Beer. Welcome to Beer City USA. Take tours or just get a flight & sample microbrews. Book tours in advance. Wedge, Burial, Wicked Weed, Twin Leaf, Funkatorium, Greenman, Hi Wire, Pisgah, Highland, New Belgium, Sierra Nevada, the list goes on....
3. Yoga/Massage/Spas. Asheville has as many health and wellness opportunities as we do breweries. Hot Springs Spa, Grove Park Inn, Sensibilities, The Salt Cave, Asheville Yoga Center, One Center Yoga, West Asheville Yoga, Asheville Community Yoga Center.
4. Art, art, and more art. River Arts District has over 200 artists working in one square mile. Blue Spiral, New Morning Gallery, Grovewood Gallery for fine arts.. Murals spice up every neighborhood in Asheville. The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands happens Thurs-Sun July 21-24 downtown at the Civic Center. If you miss it, you will see many of these artists at the Folk Art Center. Biltmore Estate has a Renoir, gardens, and many antiques. Zapow or Grove Arcade Downtown.
5. Shopping. Whether it is for shoes, antiques, or local boutiques, Asheville can spice up your home or wardrobe. Lexington Ave downtown or Haywood Rd in West Asheville have abundant locally owned boutiques and gift shops. Discount Shoes or Tops will tickle your shoe fetish. Antiques abound in Biltmore Village, but also in the River Arts District and Downtown.
6. Downtown Asheville. Food, breweries, outside sculptures, galleries, Friday night drum circle, parks and architecture, downtown Asheville does not disappoint. Parking Garages are free for the first hour. Or ride the trolley from the Visitors center.
7. Unique and thriving small towns dot the mountains surrounding Asheville. Weaverville, Marshall, Hot Springs to the north. Tryon, Saluda, Flat Rock, and Hendersonville to the south. Black Mountain & Montreat to the East, Waynesville, Clyde, Brevard & West Asheville, well, to the west! All have delicious eats, antiques, and lovely winding drives to get there.
8. Getting around. Grab your gps and make sure you iphone is charged. Asheville's one drawback is that the roads don't make sense due to mountainous topography. Make sure you have directions or stop and ask for help if you get lost.