Explore Asheville
Destination Management Organization
About Explore Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina is surrounded by the spectacular natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is a premier Southeast mountain destination for your next sporting event. Our team of local experts can assist with site selection, planning details and connecting your event’s needs to the community. Asheville also offers plentiful lodging, dining options, family-friendly attractions and outdoor recreation, making for a seamless event filled with discovery and adventure.
Asheville has been the host of many notable professional and youth sporting events including: the Billie Jean King Cup (2018, 2019, & 2022), Camping World Maui Invitational (2020), Southern Conference Basketball Championships (annually), Spartan Race (2015-2019), Gran Fondo Asheville (2013-2022), Haute Route (2018 & 2019), Gala Gymnastics (2013-present), and the Asheville Championship (2021-present).
From historic hotels to grand resorts, elegant inns to modern hotels downtown, from full service to limited service, Asheville now has 9,300 hotel rooms for your event attendees. Here, you’ll also find a collaborative culture where local growers, foragers, James Beard chefs and independent restaurants work together to create award-winning food complemented by a thriving beverage scene including more than 50 craft breweries, among the most per capita in the county. Or take advantage of one of our food courts at the Asheville Mall or the new Tanger Outlets for your youth events.
With more than a million acres of national forest, Asheville offers up opportunities for outdoor adventure. Whether it’s a guided hike, rafting, ziplining or an event with stunning mountain views visitors can be immersed in the natural world. Long revered as a therapeutic escape, Asheville’s tradition of health and wellness rejuvenates visitors. From traditional spas to salt caves, to healthy food and fitness, to mindful activities like mountaintop meditation or social responsibility projects.
Things to do in Explore Asheville
https://www.exploreasheville.com/stories/post/50-things-to-do-in-asheville/
Explore Asheville & Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission work in collaboration with one another to ensure each sporting event held in the area is a successful and unforgettable experience. Combined, we are your one-stop for sports event planning in the Asheville area.
Travel details
DRIVE
With two major interstates connecting through the city, Asheville is a prime central location in the Southeast. Atlanta-based attendees can drive to Asheville in approximately 3 1/2 to 4 hours. From Columbia, S.C. the drive time is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes. Nashville, T.N. is approximately a 4 1/2-hour trip. Charlotte, N.C. is a 2-hour drive, and Raleigh, N.C. is approximately a 4-hour trip.
FLY
Located just 20 miles from downtown, the Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) is one of the best-connected regional airports in the country and continues to be one of the fastest-growing airports in the U.S. AVL offers frequent non-stop flights daily including flights to six international hubs and is currently served by six airlines.
And, once you get here, you are surrounded by the region’s highest peaks, national parks, state forests and the famed Blue Ridge Parkway. The wide-open spaces and deep cultural connections make it a hidden gem outside densely populated areas — but within a 600-mile radius of 50 percent of the country’s population.
Services offered
Event Marketing Sponsorship
Grant Programs
Lodging Services
Marketing
PR/Media Assistance
Site Visits
Volunteer
Welcome Bags
Explore Asheville works with event organizers, both locally and nationally, to showcase the Asheville community and its sports venues as the ideal location for their next event.
Contacts
- JDJohn Doe
Manager