Travel Information
Welcome to Asheville, North Carolina!
For a brief introduction to Asheville, brought to us by the "Weekend Window" of Good Morning America, click here.
With an annual average high of 67 degrees and an annual average low of 46 degrees, Asheville, North Carolina, offers a mild climate in all four seasons. Protected by the surrounding mountains, Asheville has less precipitation than any city east of the Mississippi River. This is very good news for us because the Asheville area boasts more than 2,000 miles of trails, some of the Southeast's finest whitewater, nine of the state's major waterfalls, and America's largest private residence. Less than twenty minutes away is the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is recognized as the nation's most popular scenic highway. Its 470 miles link the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, you can wind your way around North America's oldest mountain--Grandfather Mountain--and climb to the highest point east of the Mississippi River--which is Mount Mitchell at 6, 684 feet.
If an urban hike is more your style, Asheville has that, too! The downtown area's urban trail system is well marked and has become a very popular activity for those who want to see the sights while getting some exercise. There is probably more art deco architecture built in the late 1920s and early 1930s that can be found in downtown Asheville than in any other southeastern city outside Miami. Asheville was once called the Paris of the South. More recently, US Airways Magazine designated Asheville the SoHo of the Blue Ridge because of its vibrant arts community--an eclectic variety of sophisticated urban galleries and homespun Appalachian handicrafts, rare and used book shops, elegant symphonies, funky fusions of drums and jazz, and blue grass in the streets.
Along the urban trail, you will have multiple opportunities to tempt your taste buds at any one of Asheville's seventy locally owned cafés, restaurants, coffee shops, and bakeries. You will not go hungry in Asheville--a community known for its good food. Watch for the "The SCSECS Food-Lover's Guide to Eating in Asheville." Coming soon to this website and be sure to sign up for SCSECS's first-ever "POSTER SESSION" lunch downtown. Check for details at the SCSECS registration desk when you arrive at the conference. In the meantime, what's a good meal without a fine beverage?
Well, Charlie Papazian, founder of the Association of Brewers and the American Homebrewers Association, recently recognized Asheville as the Brew Capital, USA ( Examiner.com). Boasting nine microbreweries in the downtown area, alone, this is another good reason to bring your walking shoes to Asheville. Additionally, on Wednesday evening before the conference officially begins, attendees can elect to participate in a SCSECS Brews Cruise to three of Asheville's favorite microbreweries. This is a tasty, pre-conference treat you will not want to miss! Space is limited, so be sure to sign up early.
In Asheville, our eyes are drawn upward to blue mountain vistas in every direction. I look forward to welcoming you in person to the Appalachian mountain south and to exploring the multitudinous panoramas and prospects of the long eighteenth century at the conference.
See you in Asheville!
Phyllis Thompson, President
South Central Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
For more information about this year's accommodations, travel options, and dining opportunities in the Asheville area, click on the buttons below.
Hotel Information
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