Historic Inns & Hotels in Asheville

The neighborhoods

Where to stay, by area

Downtown

Downtown is a National Register district (1979, expanded 1989 to 2011) packed with 1920s boom-era buildings, including Douglas Ellington’s Art Deco City Hall (1926–28). Its historic stays are converted commercial buildings: Haywood Park Hotel, in E. W. Grove’s 1923 Bon Marché department store, and The Foundry Hotel, in the c. 1920 Asheville Supply and Foundry shops in The Block. Everything is walkable, but parking is garage or valet.

Montford

Just north of downtown, Montford is a National Register district (1977) of well over 600 buildings and a local historic district (1980), with many houses by Biltmore’s supervising architect, Richard Sharp Smith. Most of Asheville’s historic B&Bs are here, about a mile’s walk from downtown: the 1899 Wright Inn on Pearson Drive, Abbington Green on Cumberland Circle, Pinecrest on Cumberland Avenue, and the 1900 Inn on Montford and The Lion and the Rose on Montford Avenue.

Grove Park

E. W. Grove began developing Grove Park in 1908 as a planned residential park at the foot of Sunset Mountain, and it is now a National Register district (1989). The Omni Grove Park Inn (1913) crowns the ridge, and the 1909 Albemarle Inn is nearby on Edgemont Road. The neighborhood is residential and hilly, a short drive or a long walk from downtown.

The Reynolds Mansion (about 1855) stands apart in north Asheville, on Reynolds Mountain, and is easiest to reach by car.

Chestnut Hill

A few blocks north of downtown, running east from Merrimon Avenue to Furman Avenue, Chestnut Hill is a National Register district (1983) of mostly 1880s to 1900s houses. Beaufort House, built in 1895 as Beaufort Lodge, and Bunn House (c. 1905) are both within walking distance of downtown. Chestnut Street Inn, also here, closed after Hurricane Helene.

Biltmore Village

George Vanderbilt planned Biltmore Village at the estate gates in the late 1880s, with buildings by Richard Morris Hunt and cottages by Richard Sharp Smith; many are on the National Register (1979). Hurricane Helene flooded the village in September 2024, when the Swannanoa River rose to 27 feet above flood stage, and a year later some shops and restaurants had reopened and many had not. Biltmore Village Inn (1892) sits on the hill above, and Cedar Crest Inn (1891) is a few blocks north on Biltmore Avenue; neither inn’s website reports storm damage.

Before you book

Planning your stay

Getting around

Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) has nonstop flights on American (seven destinations) and United (three), and ART’s S3 bus route serves it. Asheville Rides Transit (ART) runs 18 routes from the ART Transit Station at 49 Coxe Avenue downtown, with a $1 one-way fare, and its buses connect to the intercity bus stop on Asheland Avenue. Downtown and the Montford and Chestnut Hill B&Bs are walkable, but the Grove Park Inn, Biltmore Village and the Reynolds Mansion are easier by car.

Parking

The city’s six downtown garages are open 24/7: free if you leave within the first hour, then $2 an hour with a $15 daily maximum. Street meters cost $2.50 an hour with a two-hour limit, payable 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday (free Sundays and city holidays). Haywood Park Hotel is valet-only at $22 a night. The Omni Grove Park Inn charges $35 a night to self-park and $45 for valet. Most B&Bs in Montford, Chestnut Hill and around Biltmore Village include free off-street parking.

When to go

Fall is peak season. Explore Asheville’s 2026 guidance says color starts on the highest Blue Ridge Parkway peaks in late September, reaches the city in mid-to-late October and drops below 2,000 feet by early November, though a warm September 2026 may push this year’s peak later. Expect higher rates and minimum stays on October weekends.

Accessibility

Many historic B&Bs are stairs-only: the Reynolds Mansion says all rooms and common areas in its main house require stairs. The Omni Grove Park Inn lists accessible rooms with roll-in showers and accessible elevators. Downtown has ADA parking spaces throughout the business district, and ART runs paratransit.

Before you book

Book October weekends early, and check age rules: the Wright Inn’s main house, the 1900 Inn on Montford, Albemarle Inn, Beaufort House and Cedar Crest generally take guests 12 and older, and the Reynolds Mansion and Biltmore Village Inn 16 and older. The Omni Grove Park Inn takes dogs up to 60 pounds for a $350 fee, and several B&Bs keep a few pet rooms, often in a carriage house. Applewood Manor and Chestnut Street Inn closed after Hurricane Helene and the Princess Anne Hotel is closed for renovations, so book through an inn’s own website and confirm it is taking reservations.