Play Through the Mountains: A Day in the River Arts District
The River Arts District wears its creativity out in the open, and Biltmore Championship Asheville Week is a good excuse to go see it up close.
Down along the river just southwest of downtown, the RAD is a working neighborhood of studios, galleries, and makers glad to talk shop while they work. Plenty of them have put together deals for the week. Here is a day among them.
Morning | Follow the Art + A Yoga Break
Get your bearings on two wheels with The Flying Bike, which runs guided bike tours through the district and beyond, public or private for groups of six or more. Then slow down among the makers: Marquee, the sprawling gallery and maker bazaar on Foundy Street, is packed with artists, antique dealers, and small studios. Wander in, watch the work happen, then get your own hands moving at the North Carolina Glass Center, where a short one-on-one session lets you shape a paperweight, ornament, or cup and choose your colors. From there, follow the thread through the district's studios: Local Cloth, a fiber-arts gallery celebrating the region's weavers, dyers, and spinners; Lunadendron, where Emelie Weber Wade weaves one-of-a-kind wearable art at Pink Dog Creative; and Alison Press Art, a working studio and gallery at the historic Asheville Cotton Mill showing paintings drawn from the Blue Ridge landscape. Keep wandering and you will find more to see at the galleries of Nicolette Leigh Arts and Tracey Morgan Gallery. Need a break from shopping? Check out Blue Ghost Yoga, which is offering discounts on private classes throughout the tournament. Mention the promo code 'PGAYOGA' in your inquiry.
Late Morning | Make Something, Take Something Home
Several makers have put together something special for the week. Ignite Jewelry Studios hosts a workshop where you can stamp your own golf ball marker or a golf-themed keepsake. Heather Divoky Art and Design is releasing a limited-edition PGA TOUR ornament, a spinning golf-ball keepsake wrapped in giclée print on copper. And painter Linsey Gray is taking 10% off everything in her studio, originals included.
Afternoon | A Bite, Something Sweet, and A Golf Simulator
Break for lunch at Piccolina, a small Italian spot on Depot Street and a favorite of the district's makers, an easy table between gallery stops. Then follow your nose to the French Broad Chocolate Factory and Cafe, which is taking 20% off its factory tours and 20% off select chocolates in store from September 14 to 26. Watch bean become bar, then settle in with something rich. Nearby, Foundation Woodworks keeps a busy co-op of woodworkers at the saws, turning out bowls, shelves, and the occasional guitar. Cap the afternoon with a little friendly competition at Ace and Eagle, whose Fairway and Flight Experience pairs two hours on the golf simulator with a 30-minute craft beer tasting at neighboring Hi-Wire Brewing. They are also running a closest-to-the-pin challenge all tournament week, with a $150 cash prize and a $50 Hi-Wire gift card on the line.
Evening | Dinner and a Show
Stay in the district for dinner at Crusco on Depot Street, built for sharing a few plates and letting the night stretch. When you are ready for a final chapter, walk to The Grey Eagle, the all-ages music hall that has long been the sound of the RAD after dark. Expect live music every night on the main stage and early-evening sets out on the patio, with the venue's taqueria open daily from noon if you need a bite before the show. Round it out with a pour at New Belgium Brewing, high on the west bank. Or find the unmarked door at The Radical, where a whiskey tasting waits in a hidden speakeasy.
Where to Stay | Bed Down by the River
The Radical is also running a PGA Weekend Stay and Play package with parking, breakfast, and a dining credit at its restaurant Golden Hour, and larger groups can book a private buyout of its speakeasy. For a longer visit, River Row Suites takes 20% off stays of seven nights or more. The Country Inn & Suites Asheville River Arts District offers a straightforward, well-placed stay within reach of the district's studios and galleries.
