The Festival Gathering is held in a beautiful location, approximately 20 miles from Asheville, North Carolina.

The Ridgecrest Conference Center, www.lifeway.com/ridgecrest,  was selected by the board for its abundance of technologically advanced classrooms and performances spaces, the naturally beautiful setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and for the affordability and wide selection of rooms. Please note: our use of the LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center for this event does not imply alignment with, or endorsement by, LifeWay Christian Resources or the Southern Baptist Convention.

Just minutes away from our conference location is the quaint tourist town of Black Mountain, N.C., which boasts excellent restaurants, taverns with live music and an abundance of quality craft, quilt, and jewelry shops including Song of the Wood (which is famous for its dulcimers and Celtic harps), Chocolate Gems (handmade European chocolates and gifts), Grace Jewelers and Visions of Creation (custom, handcrafted jewelry), Acoustic Corner (which carries a wide variety of hand-made acoustic instruments and is home to several musicians on the sound track of “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?”), Kilwin’s Fudge (with fabulous homemade ice cream), the Yarn Shop (a dream for knitters), the Merry Wine Merchant, Fly on the Wall (a gift shop for foodies), the amazing “old timey” Town Hardware store and many, many more!

An entrance to the fabulous national wonder also known as the Blue Ridge Parkway is about 15 minutes away. If you decide to take a drive on the Parkway, don’t miss the Parkway’s Folk Art Center which houses a year round exhibit of mountain crafts and also has a fabulous gift shop where you can purchase the best of Blue Ridge photos, quilts, and crafts. If you head west on the parkway, toward the Smoky Mountains, you’ll find a dining delight known as the Pisgah Inn. The Inn is about a 45 minute drive from the conference center but well worth the drive. The restaurant sits at one of the highest points west on the parkway and features floor to ceiling windows with a view that extends to the Smoky Mountains on a clear day. The food is excellent and the dress code casual.

Asheville is home to more amazing restaurants including Mela (Indian cuisine in a trendy setting), the Mellow Mushroom (pizza and brew), Doc Choy’s (Chinese & Thai in a fast paced, casual space) and more. The nation’s grandest home, The Biltmore. is also about a 20 minute drive form the conference center. Here are some links you can use to visit!

http://www.exploreasheville.com

http://www.blackmountain.org

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org

http://www.biltmore.com