Asheville Herb Festival

The Asheville Spring Herb Festival holds the distinction of being the longest-running herb festival in the United States and Canada, 35 years and counting. Held annually on the last weekend of April (April 25-27 for 2025), this three-day celebration draws approximately 30,000 visitors to the WNC Agricultural Center’s Davis Event Center at 761 Boylston Highway in Fletcher, just south of Asheville Regional Airport.

Festival Manager Andy Reed oversees the nonprofit WNC Herb Marketing Association’s showcase of 75-77 vendors offering everything from culinary herbs and heirloom vegetable starts to medicinal tinctures, herbal soaps, and carnivorous plants. Notable participating nurseries include Bluff Mountain Nursery, operated by Danni Speight, whose father Tom Speight was among the festival’s original founders, and Wildwood Herbal, run by festival president Darsey Driver. Other longtime vendors include Red Moon Herbs, Useful Plants Nursery, and Smoking J’s Fiery Foods.

The festival distinguishes itself with completely free admission, parking, and workshops. Educational sessions in 2025 cover topics from “Backyard Wild Edibles – Eat Your Weeds!” to “The Doctrine of Signatures in Practice.” The 45,000-square-foot LEED-certified Davis Event Center provides climate-controlled comfort, with separate rooms dedicated to hands-on demonstrations.

Parking fills the expansive 87-acre North Carolina Department of Agriculture WNC Agricultural Center campus via Gate 4 or Gate 5. The venue sits 25-30 miles from Lake Lure (45-minute drive), 10-15 miles from Lake Powhatan, and 45-50 miles from Lake James. Beaver Lake lies approximately 15 miles north.

Dining options near Fletcher include Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (opened August 2014) at 100 Sierra Nevada Way in Mills River, a LEED Platinum-certified facility featuring chef Anthony Cerrato’s restaurant, located roughly 5-6 miles from the festival grounds.