The Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend in Asheville is so much fun with lots of do. Here are our Top 10 things to do. Of course, eating is number one!
 1. Thanksgiving Day Asheville Restaurants: While many restaurants are closed, there are still many great choices for a Thanksgiving brunch, lunch or dinner.
Biltmore Estate Restaurants
• Deerpark 11AM-5PM: Special Thanksgiving buffet, reservations required.
Phone: 828-225-6260.
• Bistro (at Winery) 11AM-8PM: Special Thanksgiving prix fixe menu, plus limited a la carte. Phone: 828-225-6230
• Stable Café (by House) 11AM-3PM: A la carte menu with blend of most popular lunch menu items, plus a number of holiday offerings.
• Cedric’s Tavern (Antler Village) 11AM-11PM: Regular lunch and dinner menus. Phone: 828-225-1320
• Biltmore Catering offers full Thanksgiving dinners to go also, for pick up the day before, or delivered to your home for an added fee.
Grove Park Inn Restaurants (Dining reservations:
1-800-438-5800) Click here to visit their Web site.
• Blue Ridge Dining Room: Breakfast 6:30-10:30AM a la carte menu, 7:00-10:30AM breakfast buffet.
Lunch 11:00AM-3:00pm Thanksgiving Grand Buffet. Dinner 5:00-9:30PM Thanksgiving Grand Buffet
• Sunset Terrace: Lunch 11:00AM-4:00PM a la carte menu and Thanksgiving entrée special (herb roasted turkey breast, corn pudding, wild mushroom stuffing, green bean casserole & dessert). Dinner 5:00-9:30PM, a la carte menu and Thanksgiving entrée special (herb roasted turkey breast, corn pudding, wild mushroom stuffing, green bean casserole & dessert)
• Horizons: Dinner 5:00-9:30PM a la carte menu and Thanksgiving entrée special (apple cider brined North Carolina breast of turkey, pulled turkey leg stuffing, French green beans & herbed turkey jus)
Grand Bohemian Hotel: Thanksgiving Buffet (Biltmore Village), Red Stag Grill and Kessler Grand Ballroom. Chef Hayes' old world menu features spears of provencal turkey, apple cider glazed ham and hickory smoked bison top round with an elegant and lavish buffet filled with family favorites. $39 per person plus tax and gratuity. Click here to visit their Web site
Biltmore Park (South Asheville)
Roux, Hilton Hotel Biltmore Park: A traditional home-cooked Thanksgiving innovative menu with selections from roasted all-natural NC turkey to baked ham and sweet potato casserole with pecan streusel. Buffet on Thanksgiving Day from 1 to 5:30 PM. Reservations required, call 828-209-2715 or www.rouxasheville.com.
Downtown Asheville Restaurants
• Restaurant Solace, open Thanksgiving Day: Café & Bar, 8-10:30 AM Breakfast, 11:30 AM to 10 PM Light Fare Menu. Restaurant (Lower Level)-11 AM to 8 PM, a la Carte Thanksgiving Dinner Menu. Reservations: 828-505-8333. Click here to visit their Web site.
• Fiore's, wide range of distinct flavors inspired by traditional Tuscan cuisine using local and fresh ingredients,
122 College St, open 12-9:30 PM, call 828-281-0710 for reservations.
• Pack's Tavern, Thanksgiving Feast with turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings special and plenty of beer choices, 20 South Spruce Street, 11AM-'til. Reservations for groups of 8 or more. Phone: 828-225-6944
• Olive or Twist, Annual Thanksgiving day buffet with turkey, ham, prime rib, squash and green bean casseroles, and all the other traditional sides. 81 Broadway St, noon until 10 PM. Reservations: 828-254-0555.
• Storm Rhum Bar & Bistro, open Thanksgiving Day with new-world approach to classic food and drink. 125 South Lexington Ave, 2-9 PM. Reservations: 828-505-8560.
• 151 Boutique Bar & Kitchen, Hotel Indigo, small-plate menu features made-from-scratch delights and organic, locally roasted coffee for a memorable meal amid a hip, urban landscape, special $35 prix fixe menu, 151 Haywood St. 4-10 PM, 828-239-0239
Hot Springs Restaurant
Mountain Magnolia Inn Thanksgiving Harvest Dinner served from 1-7pm. Five-course prix fixe $50 or a la carte. Children under 12, $25 and under 6 free. Executive Chef Chris Brown serving some traditional favorites as well as new creations, all organic and locally sourced when possible. Dine by fireside in the 1868 Country Inn. Call 1-800-914-9306 for reservations. Click here to visit their Web site.
Hendersonville/Flat Rock Restaurant
Season's at Highland Lake Inn annual Thanksgiving Day Buffet Spectacular, 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM with live music. 828-696-9094
 2. Holiday Packages / Places to Stay: See our holiday vacation packages page for the latest holiday vacation packages, deals and specials. Also see our list of the bests hotels, bed and breakfast inns and cabin rentals in Asheville and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Make reservations early since we will have lots of visitors in town for the big Thanksgiving Weekend. The Grove Park Inn Thanksgiving Celebration includes an elegant and lavish buffet and all the holiday traditions on Thanksgiving Day with the Macy’s Day Parade and football games on the big screen, sumptuous buffets, and live music throughout the resort.
3. Biltmore Estate: Biltmore Estate is open on Thanksgiving Day. Normally it is not very busy, so it's a great day to visit to see America's largest home decked out in festive finery. Restaurants are open (make dining reservations in advance). The Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving are very busy on the estate. When you purchase tickets, inquire to see if your self-guided tour of Biltmore House requires a reservation (required on very busy days). See our Christmas at Biltmore Guide.
4. Shop Downtown Asheville: Most all downtown stores are closed on Thanksgiving. But there's plenty of holiday shopping on Friday and Saturday to find those special gifts. Browse through more than 200 shops, 30 art galleries and a dozen antique stores - all locally owned. Tour the fascinating Thomas Wolfe Home for only a buck on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. See our Downtown Asheville Guide. For more great local shops with unique gifts, explore the quaint downtowns of nearby Brevard, Hendersonville and Waynesville.
 5. LaZoom Comedy Bus Tours: What a fun outing with friends and family! Take the zany tour on the big purple bus. During their newest tour, you'll meet a real fruitcake, a traveling snowman and a turkey that simply defies explanation! The special Happy Jollidays Tour runs on Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Friday, Saturday and Sunday after (but closed on Thanksgiving Day). Read more about LaZoom Tours.
6. Gingerbread Houses at Grove Park Inn: For a real treat, see the amazing display of gingerbread houses from the National Gingerbread House Competition at the famous Grove Park Inn Resort. Overnight guests and restaurant guests at the resort can view the display at anytime. If you're not a guest, visit on Mondays-Thursdays. It's free to tour the display and see the other elaborate decorations at the grand hotel. See our Gingerbread House Competition Guide.
7. Holiday Shopping: Located across from the entrance to Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Village is home to more than 40 unique shops. Most businesses are housed in historic cottages and buildings. Asheville is a mecca for artists, so this is the place to find one-of-a-kind gifts. In addition to the galleries downtown and Biltmore Village, head to the Folk Art Center and the River Arts District. See our Gallery Guide. The best area in Asheville to find antiques is the Biltmore Antiques District with 13 stores within a mile and a half of the Biltmore Estate. Included is the local long-time favorite, the Antique Tobacco Barn. See our Antique Shopping Guide. Most all stores are closed on Thanksgiving Day.
8. Get Outdoors: Take a late fall hike and enjoy views through with leafless trees, cool temperatures, and few fellow hikers. See our hiking guide for top picks. All trails in the National Forests are open every day. And don't forget to find some of our spectacular waterfalls (most waterfalls are open on Thanksgiving Day, including DuPont State State Forest and Gorges State Park). Area ski resorts will open by the weekend if we get a lot of cold weather before Thanksgiving.
NC Arboretum: Free admission on Thursday and Friday! The NC Arboretum property will be open 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., November 24 and 25. Arboretum buildings will be closed, all outdoor gardens/trails open, and parking fees will be waived those days.
Zip Line Canopy Tours: Navitat Canopy Adventures (in the mountains just 20 minutes north of Asheville) is open for zipping on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Friday-Sunday after. And you can ride the zip lines through 150-year old trees at the new Asheville Zipline Canopy Tours and enjoy views of the mountains and downtown (open Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving). On “Green Friday,” Asheville Zipline Canopy Tours is donating half of tour fees to the Tree Fund at Keep America Beautiful affiliate Asheville Greenworks!
 9. Pick your Christmas Tree: North Carolina is the number two state in the country for growing Christmas Trees! Go to a "choose and cut" Tree Farm to pick the perfect one for your home on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. All are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many farms offer hayrides and other holiday-related events. See our Asheville Christmas Tree Farms Guide.
10. National Parks: Both Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park are open on Thanksgiving Day, weather permitting. For road closures and conditions on the Blue Ridge Parkway, along with weather reports, call the Parkway information line at (828) 298-0398. The Parkway Visitors Center and Folk Art Center are closed on Thanksgiving Day. The Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smokies is open on Thanksgiving Day.
More Thanksgiving Events
Here are more Thanksgiving Weekend events in the Asheville area:
- November 26-December 4, 2011: It's a Wonderful Life by NC Stage Company. Already becoming an Asheville tradition, this new imagining of the uplifting story of George Bailey is the perfect antidote to today's commercialized and stress-fueled holiday season.
- November 25-26, 2011: Hard Candy Christmas Fine Art & Craft Show in Cullowhee with more than 100 artisans will fill Western Carolina University's Ramsey Center arena.
See our Top 10 Holiday Outings for more holiday events!
Thanksgiving Recipe from Biltmore Estate:
George Vanderbilt's Favorite Turkey and Cornbread Dressing
 Ingredients:
- 20–25 pound turkey
- Cornbread, prepared
- 6 buttermilk biscuits, prepared
- 1 dozen eggs, hard-boiled
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup ground sage
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method
- Rinse turkey and rub with salt inside and out.
- Using a large boiler or cooker, place turkey in enough water to almost cover it (one gallon or more).
- Heat to boiling point and cook on medium for about 2 1/2 hours or until breast is tender; use a ladle to baste broth over the breast meat to keep it moist.
- For cornbread dressing: Bake a large pan of cornbread using your favorite cornbread recipe.
- Bake about six buttermilk biscuits using your favorite recipe, or purchase frozen biscuits and bake.
- Peel eggs and chop or grate them into large mixing bowl. Add onions, celery, sage, salt and pepper. Crumble cornbread and biscuits into bowl.
- When turkey is done, pour turkey broth over the cornbread dressing until the desired consistency is reached. Mix well, using plenty of broth so that dressing will be moist and soft when done.
- Place turkey in center of large baking pan. Spoon dressing into and around turkey. Bake in 425ºF oven for about 45 minutes. If turkey browns too soon, cover with aluminum foil.
- Serves eight to ten
The creator of this recipe, Ellen Davis, came to Biltmore House from the community of Avery Creek in the spring of 1899 to work as a cook for the Vanderbilts. She fell in love with Thomas H. Johnson, a groomsman in the Stables, and they were married the following spring. This recipe was a favorite of George and Edith Vanderbilt's, and it became a tradition for Ellen Johnson to prepare it for them each year. |
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