See Part I, which includes online and magazine guides to this year’s Bele Chere festival, as well as transit information.

Parking. The straightforward, easy and obvious way to park is to use one of the many pay lots surrounding downtown. During Bele Chere, anyone that has a parking lot charges for public parking. When I’ve paid in the past, I’ve used the YMCA or First Baptist Church of Asheville parking lots, which are right next to each other, and located on the edge of downtown. There’s no telling what they’ll be charging to park though, and I’ve always found that I’d rather save that money for the great art, trinkets, food and drink you’ll find downtown at Bele Chere.

My recommendation is to park on a neighborhood side street slightly away from downtown, off of Charlotte Street, College Street, or even Merrimon Avenue. You’ll do a little more walking, but it is a street festival, after all - so you’ve got to expect some walking.

The neighbors who live on those streets might disown me for divulging that information, but all of the locals who go to Bele Chere are already parking there, so why shouldn’t you? (SORRY neighborhood locals!)

Reservations
At Carolina Mornings (also known as Asheville Cabins), we still have 5 vacation rentals available right in Asheville proper - including a luxury Biltmore condo, a downtown Asheville condo, and cabin rentals. Other properties located outside of Asheville are also available, and some are within 30 minutes of town. Hotels are booking quickly and have high summer rates, especially during Bele Chere. You’ll get a lot more for your money with a vacation rental. Call us at 800.770.9055 or visit us online!

Enjoy the 30th Anniversary celebration of the Bele Chere festival in Asheville! And most importantly, have fun and stay safe this Bele Chere!

The Bele Chere official Web site is, of course, your one online stop for complete information about this huge public event (each year during Bele Chere weekend, Asheville hosts one of the largest street festivals in the Southeast, with 365,000+ people!).

The Mountain Xpress has this year’s official print guide to the festival. This has info about all the bands, the stages where they’ll play, parking lots and more in one convenient, roll it up & put it in your back pocket kind of guide. You can pick them up ALL over town - just keep your eyes peeled for a Mountain Xpress newspaper rack.

The guide should look like the picture to the left, so keep an eye out! Photo from Mountain Xpress Web site.

Tips and Tricks
So, now that you know where to go for all of that other valuable information on the festival, I’d like to share my tips and tricks for the easiest navigation of getting to and from Bele Chere.

Taxi and Bus Transit. If you plan on drinking alcohol at the festival and don’t have a designated driver, please please PLEASE use a taxi service or the city bus. The bus is by far the cheapest option, while the taxi may be the easiest (especially if you life or are staying far from downtown). You can arrange a taxi driver to take you to the festival, then keep the driver’s direct number for a pick-up when you decide you’re ready to leave.

Bus Service:
The city buses (Asheville Transit) start running at 6 a.m. and run until 11 p.m. Buses may run longer on Bele Chere weekend. If you have questions, The Transit Center is located near the heart of downtown, at 49 Coxe Avenue next to the U.S. Post Office. Regular fare is $1.00, or you can buy a booklet of 11 tickets for $7.00.

Taxi Services:
New Blue Bird Taxi Company - 828.258.8331
Beaver Lake Cab Company - 828.252.1913
A Red Cab Company - 828.232.1112

Stay tuned for Part II: Parking! Which will include my recommendation for parking as well as a brief bit of information regarding Carolina Mornings - Asheville Cabins vacation rental accommodations for Bele Chere weekend!

Check out the WNC Farmer’s Market, open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. It’s a good size, with lots of vendors and retail buildings.

Location:
570 Brevard Road Asheville, NC 28806
Tel: 828-253-1691

Other events happening this month:
Master Gardener Plant Clinic

The NCSU Master Gardeners Program offers plant clinics to assist the public in diagnosing and solving gardening questions. All clinics are free, and the public is encouraged to bring samples from problem plants or insects that need to be diagnosed and/or identified. The Master Gardener Program provides research-based information on home horticulture.

Saturday, July 12 & Saturday, July 26
11 am - 2 pm

July 4th in Western North Carolina. Several towns in WNC have fireworks and other festivities.

My personal favorite is downtown Weaverville, which, while still crowded, is more quaint and more easily manageable than fireworks in downtown Asheville.
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One of this year’s Southern Living Idea Houses is located 17 miles northwest of Asheville in Whisper Mountain.

EcoBuilders, an Asheville green construction company, built the home with eco-friendly features such as solar thermal and photovoltaic panels, rain water catchment and grey-water systems, radiant floor heating, tankless water heating, recycled metal roofing, and Energy Star appliances. The home was also built with non-toxic, and mostly locally produced building materials.
Read more…