Best Theaters in Asheville—A Local’s Perspective
- Marshall Manche
- Oct 22, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 6
Ever since mankind learned to bang two rocks together, we’ve been on the hunt for entertainment. Song, dance, puppet shows. Some people even enjoy standup comedy
Now here in the twenty-first century, we’re sitting on a true stockpile of entertainment. We're inundated with more motion pictures, stage plays, improv gangs, miniseries, limited series, world series, and thirty-second shorts than you can shake a stick at. What’s more all the content ever made can fit in your own little old phone. Thanks internet!
And yet, I reckon many of us out there yearn for simpler days: the days of the movie theater. The big screen. The center stage. The smell of popcorn, and the shared experience of witnessing something extraordinary with your fellow audience members.
That’s all a long way of saying that this week’s topic is the best theaters in Asheville, and boy do we have some fierce competition. .
Whenever I find another Ashevillean in my travels, I inevitably turn the conversation to Asheville Pizza and Brewing. It’s something of a litmus test. Sure, you might’ve lived in Asheville, but did you true live there?
Here you'll find hot pizza, pub fare, local craft beer, cult-classics and first-run blockbusters all under one roof. That’s a recipe for a heck of a good time, if you ask me. Plus, you’d be hard pressed to find a better deal on tickets out there, in this economy.
If you work this great theater into your visit to Asheville, you’re getting dinner, a show, and a taste of one of my hometown’s favorite local amusements. Check out their website to get your tickets ahead of time.
Hot Tip: Asheville Pizza’s got three locations. The theater lies in their north Asheville spot, on Merrimmon Avenue.
Ah yes, the fine arts. They do not call it the Paris of the South for nothing.
Tucked away right behind the Asheville Art Museum, not too far from the famous French Broad Chocolate Lounge, the Wortham Center is Asheville’s premier performing arts theater, showcasing virtuosos, classic plays, dance ensembles, stand-ups, you name it. If it can happen on a stage, you can see it at the Wortham Center.
Tickets here don’t come cheap, especially compared to our previous entry. But the way I see it, an evening at the Wortham Center is an excuse to play it up, wear a tie, and get dinner at a fancy-pants downtown restaurant.
Hot Tip: Check out Curate just across the street for some of the best Spanish tapas in Asheville. Or, if you’re more in the mood for coffee and cake, venture a short ways north for Old Europe, one of my favorite local cafes.
This right here is a theater’s theater. Thick red carpets, high ceilings, boosted bass that’ll make your bones rattle when the bombs go off in Oppenheimer. South Asheville’s Regal Biltmore Grande is, in a word: a cinema.
A ticket here lands you consistent quality, vast silver screens, and concession stands stocked with every confection under the sky. But I don’t want you coming away thinking there’s nothing special about this place. To their credit, the Regal does show more obscure releases at least a couple times a month, plus special anniversary screenings of classic films.
Finally, this here theater is located in Biltmore Park, south Asheville’s finest destination for shopping and dining. It’s all-inclusive, a great place for date nights and family outings alike.
Hot Tip: If you don’t mind a little wait, get in line for a table at Nine Mile after your show to experience Asheville’s some of finest in Caribbean-inspired fare.
The time has come to go a little off the beaten path. This cozy little theater’s hidden down an alley just east of downtown’s Malaprop Bookstore, marked by a circular orange sign that reads, appropriately: “Stage.”
But don’t let its humble exterior fool you. The North Carolina Stage Company is one of the very best theaters in Asheville for live performances, sitting you down just feet away from the action, propelled by local actors truly committed to their craft. It’s an intimate setting for sure. You could reach out and touch the characters, if only the ushers wouldn’t throw you out in response.
Anyways, whereas the Wortham Center goes big and bold, hosting acts from around the world, the North Carolina Stage Company is a great place to get in touch with Asheville’s homebrewed arts. It’ll be a night to remember, for sure.
Hot Tip: Make a stop at the Chocolate Fetish one street to the west to pick up some delectable local sweets, preferably after the show, so that your fellow audience members don’t give you sour looks as you crunch on malted milk balls. Not that this has happened to me.
To round things out, we head back downtown, to visit Asheville's own home of art and independent film, one of the hippest places to watch a movie in the entire Southeast.
The Fine Arts Theater screens cult-hits, art films, throwbacks, and even even mainstream titles, if they're deemed to have sufficient artistic merit.
Bolster your cinematic experience with some concessions, sit back, and enjoy entertainment handpicked for style and substance. It's exactly what you’d expect of a downtown theater, in the most artistic city in WNC.
Hot Tip: After the showing, head to Double D's Coffee and Desserts just down the street, located in a converted double-decker bus.
Now if you're ready to go out and explore the arts here in Asheville, then all that's left to do is find a place to stay.
Our luxury cabins offer top-rate amenities, featuring full kitchens, hot tubs, grilles, and even heated bathroom floors, all while lying just a short drive away from both downtown and Biltmore Park.
Book a stay yourself and see just why Asheville Cottages is rated number one on trip advisor, with plenty of five-star reviews.
Businesses Mentioned
Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co.
(828)-254-1281
675 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts
(828)-257-4530
18 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Regal Biltmore Grande
(844)-462-7342
292 Thetford St, Asheville, NC 28803
North Carolina Stage Company
(828)-239-0263
15 Stage Ln, Asheville, NC 28801
Fine Arts Theater
(828)-232-1536
36 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
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