Getting into the spirit of gift giving is seamless when shopping in Asheville. We are a wonderland for the present seekers and bringer of good tidings. To help you have the best experience our mountain town has to offer I have highlighted 4 of the best shopping destinations in Asheville. Whether you made it onto the naughty or nice list, we have something for everyone.
Grove Arcade
The historic Grove Arcade is a magical place to spend your time doing holiday shopping. The beautiful building is decked out with lights, poinsettias, and snowy Christmas trees shining brightly on winding wrought iron staircases draped in garland.
Winter Wonderland festivities kick start on November 18th and last through January 4th. They open with quite the bang too. Deck the Halls Lighting Celebration is from 5-8 and the Asheville Symphony Chorus is there to carol for you beginning at 6 pm. They make this a fun venture out a great option for families too with ornament decorating for kids, story time, pictures with ole Santa Clause and free servings of cookies and warm cider.
Located right outside and wrapping around the arcade is the bustling Portico Market, offering more eclectic gifts and locally crafted goods.
Santa visits are held every Sunday from 1-5 until Christmas.
Biltmore Village
This charming little area is definitely for the architectural aficionados! The Biltmore Village is said to have been built to capture the look and feel of a rural England village or French hamlet. The streets are lined with maples, ginkgo and poplar trees as you stroll along brick sidewalks.
From traditional to peculiar, this area is bound to please the tastes of just about everyone with it’s over 40 shops to visit. The cottages have been turned into store fronts and studios that host house ware products, naturalist goods, furniture, books, clothing for men, women and children of all ages as well as galleries for jewelry and art admirers. The streets are also lined with tasty restaurants and bakeries such as the Well-Bred Café which I highly recommend.
Downtown Asheville
Extolling the abundantly quirky virtues of downtown Asheville never get old. What I love about shopping in the heart of Asheville is that it feels like an experience; an experience that you can fine tune to your liking in such an exciting variety of ways. Your downtown experience not only includes the Grove Arcade but also over 200 locally-owned and operated shops, boutiques and antique emporiums.
Buskers and entertainers on the street corners are ready to serenade you or humor you with their talent. On every street you’ll find a variety of restaurants that appeal to a variety of tastes buds such as French, Greek, Middle Eastern, Thai, German, Spanish and so much more! When you get tired from walking head into one of our many pubs and maybe even catch a jam session to enjoy. Maybe you’ll even get to see our famed bicycling nun that rides around Asheville.
Asheville Outlets
Asheville Outlets opened up in 2015 and was designed to be an open-air village for shopping and hosts 70+ of our nation’s top retailers. It is beautifully designed with plenty of sunlight, waterfall fixtures and awnings for rainy weather; all providing more of a relaxed shopping experience. The food court is located indoors for when you get a bit hungry but there are also options right outside of the mall. After you are done shopping you can even head right down the street to an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway for a scenic drive and hike.
Written by Kate Randall
