Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville: Event-Day Planning

Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville is at 87 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. Its two spaces are the ExploreAsheville.com Arena and Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, so confirm which venue your event uses before setting out.

Asheville Rides Transit routes originate at the ART Transit Station, at 49 Coxe Avenue downtown. For route times, use the transit operator's maps and schedules to plan local transport.

The venue's downtown location can fit into a day around the city, with a one-day Asheville itinerary from the motel as one way to organize the route.

Buy tickets through Ticketmaster.com, the venue's only approved ticket-selling agent. The venue uses mobile-only digital tickets, though hard tickets can be purchased at its box office at 87 Haywood Street.

Doors generally open one hour before an event, but both door and event times can vary. Check the individual event listing before arrival. The box office's normal business hours are Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; on event days, hours vary and are normally 3 p.m. or 30 minutes before the event, whichever comes earlier.

Pack light: the prohibited-items list includes bags larger than 14 × 14 × 6 inches, strollers, laser pointers, mace or pepper spray, and signs on sticks or oversized signs.

Signs must be no larger than 8½ × 11 inches. Weapons are prohibited, including firearms, knives, explosives, stun guns and pepper spray; the venue does not offer weapon lockers or check weapons at Guest Services.

Tickets are nonrefundable and nonexchangeable, with possible exceptions for canceled performances or when the event promoter approves an exception. You generally cannot leave and re-enter on the same ticket, except for medical situations or emergencies, or with an exception approved in advance by the promoter.

Parking prices and participating garages may depend on the event. The venue charges $11 per vehicle for special-event parking and says there is no multi-day event-parking rate. The City of Asheville charges a $12 event fee at the HCCA, Rankin Avenue and Wall Street garages: a $10 special-event fee plus a $2 auditorium-renovation surcharge.

The Harrah's Cherokee Center Garage has 550 spaces and is a two-minute, flat walk from the venue. Its regular rate is free for the first hour, then $1.25 per hour including the first hour if you stay longer than that initial hour; the daily maximum is $10.

Accessible spaces are available at the Harrah's Cherokee Center Garage (12), Rankin and Wall Street garages (seven each), and Biltmore Avenue Garage (11). Nearby curbside accessible spaces are limited and first-come, first-served.

A pick-up and drop-off zone for guests with disabilities is in front of the venue, and the venue asks guests to plan ahead because accessible parking nearby is limited.

Accessible seating is available in the arena and on the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium orchestra level. The auditorium balcony has no elevator access, so if you cannot use stairs, purchase an orchestra-level ticket.

Complimentary wheelchair escorts are available on request at any entry point, but staff do not stay with guests during events, and venue wheelchairs cannot be kept for the event.

Use the event's timing and your transport arrangements to plan your departure. If you are taking Asheville Rides Transit, check the operator's maps and schedules for route times; routes start at the ART Transit Station at 49 Coxe Avenue downtown.

Parking rates and garage participation can change with the event, so check the official site before you go. For event-day parking details, consult Harrah's Cherokee Center and the City of Asheville. For a wider Asheville visit, coordinate event plans with rooms at Whispering Pines Motel.