HOTEL/VENUE Asheville Renaissance Hotel Asheville, North Carolina, USA Invitation to Asheville Known as an art colony, a healing resort and a home to notable luminaries, statesmen and bohemians, Asheville is one of the most welcoming, vibrant cities in America. Nearby is America’s most visited National Park, Great Smoky Mountains. Accommodations and Registration A block of hotel rooms has been reserved for symposium attendees at the Asheville Renaissance, One Thomas Wolfe Plaza, Asheville, NC 28801. The Renaissance is located in downtown Asheville, surrounded by the Smoky Mountains within walking distance of many craft and antique shops, over 20 restaurants and nightspots as well as the Asheville Civic Center. The hotel is just minutes away from the Asheville Regional Airport, Biltmore Estate and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Renaissance has made rooms available to symposium delegates at the rate of $179. Note: You must book by May 27, 2009 to receive this rate! To make reservations on-line, CLICK HERE or call 800-359-7951. Be sure to ask for the “ARMA Asheville 2009” rate. Attractions Numerous art galleries – Asheville has been heralded as a prime arts destination by the New York Times and features hundreds of fine artists, performing arts venues, mountain crafters, folk artists, hip arts neighborhoods, numerous art galleries and myriad art events. Blue Ridge Parkway – It was the nation's first, and ultimately longest, rural parkway, connecting Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. Enduring standards for parkway engineering and design were pioneered here.  Biltmore House – Built for George Vanderbilt in the 1890’s, the house features 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces and is one of the most prominent remaining examples of the Gilded Age. Great Smoky Mountains – World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America’s most visited national park. Colburn Earth Science Museum – The Colburn Earth Science Museum is the legacy of engineer Burnham Standish Colburn. Colburn retired to Asheville in the 1920’s because of its proximity to North Carolina's mineral fields which contain the greatest variety of minerals in the nation. Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site – The first National Historic Site to honor an American poet. This 240-acre estate epitomizes the simplicity of life enjoyed by the Sandburg’s for 22 years in Flat Rock, North Carolina. CLICK HERE to visit Asheville's Chamber of Commerce website