Great showing LIZZIE! The theatre was great too lots of volunteers, and the drinks weren't crazy…read moreover priced. Clean and we got some great seats. Very talented actors and great singers. FUNNY IMO the old prudes in front of us left half way through the showing because they thought it was too risqué. God forbid two women kiss for a second- adding in details of LGBTQ+ had a plot reason in the end if they would have stayed for it. Looks like they found their way to the reviews here too unfortunately. Personally, I wouldn't take it with a grain of salt This got me interested in the lore behind Lizzie (had no clue about her previously). Would return again If you do some research many of the rumors surrounding Lizzie ranged from incest, gay lovers, and other things too which help make her an outcast along with the murder of her parents back in her days. We will be back!!

We were excited to see the opening show of Lizzie, but were sadly disappointed. The description of…read morethe show did not mention that, with artistic license, the play immediately included race, incest, and homosexual behavior. Why? They had the Lizzy Borden story and good songs with great singers. We love the theatre and have seen previous shows but this one was unacceptable. We left at intermission.

I've been here twice now. Years ago to see the performance Hedwig and the Angry Inch and a few…read morenights ago to see the band The Moon and You. The space is great, it is small and intimate. The stage is the perfect size for the venue and there is a good view regardless of where you sit. The lobby has snacks and drinks for great prices. The NC Stage is located right next to a parking deck so you don't have to drive around downtown forever looking for a parking spot.

My wife and I attended a performance of "Jeeves in Bloom." This event featured a free buffet of…read more"heavy" hors d'oeuvre. The food was delicious and included prime rib, grilled vegetables, meat and cheese wraps, a cheese tray with probably 10 varieties of cheese and accompaniments, bread, crudité, and some sweets. There were drinks of all kinds and some lighter fare offered in the concession area also. Unlike most theaters, the food and drink can be taken into the performance. The show was two hours with an intermission and I brought a soft drink back for the second half. The show was wonderfully acted and well-presented by all technical and back stage staff. The staff and ushers at the theater were very friendly and helpful too. They told me---more than once---that they were grateful for my support of the arts. I'm glad they were there, and hope they remain so for many seasons to come. Bravo, to all!

I booked tickets here and then couldn't go. Trying to get your money back from them and their third…read moreparty is absolute hell. The only way you can get your money back is if someone is dead or dying

Absolutely shocked to find that I have never been to the spot before. I think that perhaps I always…read morethought it was the fine arts theater or gotten confused or maybe they're advertising is so good that I've seen a lot of shows posted, but never actually had the privilege of attending. Speaking of privilege, a lot of that here. Went to see a show in the balcony the other night and it was a nice experience. Definitely wear a lot of the older wealthier Asheville citizens gather. Certainly a crowd here. Could've also been the event we went to which was a cultural performance. Ultimately, I appreciate that we have cultural performances in our city and a space for them. Parking was a little annoying just because it was Saturday downtown but I do like the space is central. Lots of places to eat at around. Finding it was incredibly easy as well. Inside, there was quite a bottleneck as we arrived about 20 minutes before the show. We did have to wait in line. It was a little bit confusing to figure out exactly where to go but some staff helped. They had wine for sale- house and pricier stuff. The house was around nine dollars a glass. I really appreciate that the staff helped us shoes and gave their opinion. The staff working the wine area was incredibly kind. The stage itself was gorgeous. It was very easy to see in here, no matter where you were.

We saw the final performance of RENT on 2/22/26! What an amazing performance! This Theatre is such…read morea gem in the city of Asheville. if you are local or just visiting, try to see a show here. You won't be disappointed!

I came here on a Sunday afternoon for the first time to see 39 Steps. As many people said, parking…read moreis street only, so be sure to arrive at least half an hour ahead of time. The theater has two stages. The main stage can accommodate maybe 100 to 200 people, but it created a really nice atmosphere. The backstage is much smaller. The play I saw was on the main stage. I enjoyed that everything started on time and had only a 15 minute break for intermission. The play itself was fantastic. I know that Asheville is a cultural center with lots of artsy folks, but the actors were top-notch even assuming that. I will be coming back for a few other plays this month, and can't wait to see what more they can offer. I also enjoyed that the play was translated into American sign language. I think including diversity and accommodating people of different abilities is essential.

My husband and I recently took a vacation to Asheville -- primarily for the breweries and rising…read morefood scene. In an effort to plan an activity that didn't involve stuffing our faces for a least 30 minutes, I scheduled a VR session at Better Than Unicorns. My husband was initially skeptical, but I pushed him to go. While my motion sickness didn't allow me to get beyond the first game (pro tip: take a non-drowsy Dramamine 30 min before your appointment if you also suffer from this unfortunate condition), my husband absolutely LOVED the entire experience. We both had fun because he got to try out several different games and I got to watch him on the massive screen directly behind him (side note: your spouse in the VR headset flying through a make believe city makes for a pretty epic boomerang lol). We had such a good time that we bought an Oculus when we got home and have really enjoyed playing/sharing the experience with our friends. Final verdict: If you want to tryout the highest quality VR before taking the $400+ plunge for a personal headset (or just want to take a break from drinking and eating), definitely schedule a session with Better Than Unicorns. BONUS TIP: The building is just around the corner from French Broad's Chocolate Factory -- so after our VR we only had to walk a few yards for a 30-min chocolate factory tour and a liquid truffle. Boom!

Wow, this was so much fun! We went as a group of 4 late on a Sunday afternoon and had the best…read moretime. It's a little hard to find since there's no signage on the outside of the building, but it's in the studio right next to the French Broad chocolate factory (which you can't miss). Walter was our VR guide and was so patient with us newbies and very accommodating of our requests to play different types of games. And man, do they have a lot of games! I felt like I could have asked if he had anything where I could ride a T-rex through the Wal-mart and he would have said "sure, let me pull that up"...amazing! It was also hilarious to watch others in the group play. Whether they were walking the plank or punching out bad guys, we could see what they were seeing on the big screen, as well as watch them react to it in the real world. Too funny. Thanks to Walter and the BTU crew for a great afternoon that we'll be talking about for a long time. We're already planning our next visit!

While visiting Asheville for a long weekend from Washington, D.C., booking a Hood Huggers tour was…read moreone of the best things we did. Led by Mr. Dwayne, the tour is an hour and a half learning about the Burton Street Community, a historically Black neighborhood in West Asheville and the victim of gentrification and highway expansions. Hood Huggers was created to serve as a champion for the 1912 neighborhood and its long-time residents. My wife, eight-year-old daughter, and I booked a Sunday morning tour. Since it was just us, he gave us the option to walk it or take his little shuttle. Mr. Dwayne gave us the background on the area before Mr. Cotton, the grandson of the man who founded the neighborhood, joined us with a book of photos. After a drive, we ended at the Peace Gardens and Market, a sacred space for the community.

What a cool tour. Our tour guide was very friendly and even offered to do a shuttle right for us…read moreversus a walk ride due to the weather being cold and it was just us on the tour for that morning. He showed us a lot of different areas that were Historical for the African-American community. He also shared a lot of historical information of the schools and colleges in the area that were very prominent years ago. I will definitely recommend this tour hands down to give you more of a historical African-American background of the city based on the money that we spent I feel that it was a great value for the tour that we received the service was outstanding by our tour guide and hands-down. I definitely would recommend this tour.

Okay, so this is not a normal cafe. This is one of those community initiatives where all the food…read moreis free, although you're encouraged to make a donation. The address is on Haywood, but the entrance is around the corner on State. It's under Firestorm Books (but at street level, because hills). It's only open for lunch, 11 am - 1 pm. All tables are community tables, like Le Pain Quotidien or the Amtrak dining car, so if there's an open seat go ahead and seat yourself. If there's not, someone will be near the front to welcome you and seat you when a spot opens up. There's a chalkboard with the menu and a server will come take your order. The menu changes throughout the meal. They post the menu on Facebook each morning, but usually it changes as things run out and they bring out new offerings. The idea is to bring the community together, so while no one is going to force you to chat with the people at your table, it's one of the reasons people come to 12 Baskets. You might recognize buskers from downtown as well as people from the neighborhood and who work nearby. Come for the meal, come back for the friends. All of the food is donated by local restaurants. They can't legally serve whatever is leftover at the end of a shift or catering trays that are unused, but they can donate it to 12 Baskets (which is also under food safety certification, this isn't Food Not Bombs). There is almost always delicious Indian food (except on non-curry Thursdays, saddest day of the week in my book). Because the food is donated, this is not a safe space for people with serious food allergies. Lots of the food is vegetarian, but they only sometimes know if something is vegan. Local shops and residents with abundant garden harvests will drop off things at the front table for anyone to take, like a community free market. The cafe is run by volunteers, along by staff paid with grants (like Americorps). When they're short handed, regulars will hop up and put on an apron. It's run by Asheville Poverty Initiative and led by a reverend (did the name give it away?) but there is no Bible thumping or anything of the sort. Their regular volunteers are a motley crew of atheists and spiritualists of all stripes. Everyone is queer and trans affirming. While the food is donated and it's a labor of love, rent is no joke and there are plenty of things they still have to buy for each meal, so popping some money into the donation bin (or writing a check or donating online) is very important for keeping this incredible community space open.

This place is amazing! If I could give it more stars, I would. My wife and I stopped in on a…read moreSaturday night during a trip to Hendersonville and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I would drive 5.5 hours just to come to this place. The atmosphere is friendly and warm, just like good ole bluegrass and Gospel should be. This is good, wholesome family entertainment that really gives you a taste of good bluegrass in its natural environment. I love that they have good Gospel music mixed in as well. The locals clogging/two-stepping is fun to watch as well and really adds to the atmosphere.

Had a great time at this church doubling as a music venue. No alcohol but free coffee and cake. The…read morelive music is the main attraction and you can't beat the atmosphere for local color.