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Visitors to Western North Carolina who purchase Asheville vacation packages can choose from many extra attractions to get the most out of the time they spend in the area.

One weekend alone could be spent exploring the city’s eclectic downtown area.

One of the reasons downtown Asheville is so vibrant is that the city has retained so much of its early 20th Century architecture. From the iconic City Hall Building by architect Douglas Ellington and the classic revival-style Buncombe County Courthouse to all of the other historic buildings maintained or restored and repurposed, downtown Asheville is an architectural treasure.

But there’s much more to do than look at the buildings. Within them are more than 30 galleries, scores of restaurants and shops, world-class music venues, and unique independent bookstores and coffee shops.

It would take a series of Asheville vacation packages to cover all of the city’s performing arts offerings. The Diana Wortham Theatre features a full calendar of music, theatre and dance performances by nationally touring artists in its renowned Mainstage Series. Downtown is also home to The Asheville Community Theatre (www.ashevilletheatre.org), Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and the Asheville Civic Center. Nationally touring major music artists also perform locally at The Orange Peel and The Grey Eagle. And these are just a sampling of the venues in town for the full spectrum of performing arts and music.

The visual arts are well represented in downtown Asheville, too, from the Asheville Art Museum to galleries including Blue Spiral I, Woolworth Walk, and many more including the arts and crafts studios in the River Arts District.

So if you’re exploring your options for Asheville vacation packages, be sure to leave room in your itinerary for downtown exploration.

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