In my article “Setting: Elements of Towns and Cities,” I wrote about how many writers believe a setting is merely a location; however setting is not just a location, but everything that would define a location as a place. The seven elements that a writer should focus their setting writing on are the local restaurants, local shops, local events, local activities/entertainment, and culture. The best settings serve to incorporate all of these seven elements throughout the story. One area that has an abundance of these seven elements is Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville is a large city located in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.

Local Restaurants & Local Shops

Asheville is filled with areas that include both local shops and local restaurants like downtown Asheville and Biltmore Village, both of which are filled with boutiques, coffee shops, and restaurants which make both areas popular with both residents and tourists.

 Local Events

Asheville is known to host a festival of some type or another for almost every season, making it likely that a trip to the streets of downtown, the banks of the French Broad River, or a mountain meadow will lead to a festival being found. The most popular festivals are

Biltmore Blooms Festival -This spring festival is located at the Biltmore estate and it showcases the estates’ blooming spring flowers (more than 130,000 flowers).

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival - This summer festival is known to be one of the country’s longest folk festivals and it features ballad singers, banjo players, and cloggers that use their art and music to highlight and preserve classic Southern Appalachian culture.

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands - This fall festival features more than 200 craftspeople that travel from all over the country to show off their craft during this four-day festival through live demonstrations and through the availability of their crafts for purchase.

Winter Lights at the North Carolina Arboretum Festival - This winter festival has a half-million lights spread out throughout the gardens to create a true winter wonderland that individuals and families with tickets can explore at their leisure. It is well known for its animated tree, which is over forty feet tall!

The Big Crafty- This winter festival always occurs before the winter holidays as it features a collection of crafters who come to show off their homemade wares for those looking for the perfect holiday gift. The festival is not just a large craft market though as it is well known for its abundance of local food, beer, and live holiday music.

 Local Activities/Entertainment

Asheville is well known for its art scene and historical importance. The most well-known venue for tourists is the Biltmore Estate. The estate is a large Châteauesque-style mansion that was built for the Vanderbilt in the late 1880s through the late 1890s. It has more than 135,000 square feet of living area in the house. Ticket holders without or without tour guides can explore the house. The house features a rich history that makes it an ideal setting for any story taking place in Asheville. Additionally, Asheville has many museums and galleries - some of the more popular are the Folk Art Center, CURVE studios & garden, Blue Spiral 1, Smith-McDowell House Museum, Asheville Museum of Science, and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Museum.