Most of Asheville is open and ready for visitors after Helene. Here’s how one writer filled his time with a mix of music, design and relaxation.
by Jay Ahuja
Asheville is an outdoor playground, but tickets to see gypsy-rockers Gogol Bordello indoors at the Orange Peel were the driving force for our Labor Day visit. We arrived and almost immediately stumbled upon another concert, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, that very night. We snagged two tickets from the box office at nearby Harrah’s Cherokee Center (with some guidance from our hotel concierge) and doubled down on our long weekend of musical enjoyment.
We stayed at the Flat Iron Hotel for its proximity to some of our favorite restaurants, galleries and music venues. We were cheerfully greeted at the front desk and offered a glass of sparkling wine or a local beer. We were also handed two reusable, compostable water bottles and made aware of the beverage station on our floor.
The nine-story Flat Iron opened in spring 2024 in one of Asheville’s first skyscrapers, built in 1926 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 71-room boutique hotel with an art deco design boasts the Red Ribbon Society, a chic basement speakeasy; a swanky rooftop bar with stellar views of the surrounding area and distant mountains; Caffe, a coffee and breakfast restaurant; and Luminosa, a luxe Italian eatery with a wood-burning oven offering pasta, steaks and pizzas. Most importantly, Flat Iron provides comfortable, nicely appointed rooms.
Breakfasts at Early Girl Eatery, appetizers and drinks at Wicked Weed, and meals at Rendezvous, Ukiah or Rhubarb are all a short walk or ride share away. Same for shopping at the Grove Arcade and Kress Emporium or a stroll through Aston Park.
On day two of our trip, we came upon a flyer for private, outdoor, saltwater-hydrotherapy soaks in the woods at Shoji, a Japanese-inspired spa and lodge hidden at 2,500 feet in the hills of Asheville. After a morning hike and an afternoon wandering the grounds of the iconic Grove Park Inn, the spa was a surprise highlight of our stay. Shoji guests are provided with a cotton robe, towels and sandals before heading to an enclosed shower and saltwater hot tub with sweeping forest views. Massages and other add-on experiences are available.
Little did we know that within three weeks of our visit, Hurricane Helene would hit the region and wreak havoc in ways nobody imagined. While there is still much work to be done, most of Asheville is open for business and eager for visitors. SP
In Back to nature, Editor Cathy Martin writes about her stay in Asheville a few months into the recovery following Hurricane Helene. Here’s what she observed, where she stayed, and a list of things to do this spring.
