Always bustling with activity, Pritchard Park is sort of the unofficial gathering place for locals and tourists alike visiting the cities downtown area. It is, quite simply, one of my favorite places to just sit and chill anywhere in the world. There are local artists selling their goods, people playing chess, street performers trying to make a buck from a wide variety of talents (some insane and others clever) and almost always a musician pouring out their soul for all to hear. During our visit there was a young lady who's music reminded me of Tracy Chapman. Why she doesn't have a recording contract is a mystery, but I can tell you not only was her voice divine and lyrics heartfelt, she also commanded a large crowd that DID NOT MOVE from their seats while listening to song after song. I could have stayed to listen to her all day and two weeks later still regret not buying one of her CD's. Other times this park hosts what is known as the Drum Circle, which is equivalent to New Orleans random Second Line dance parties that break out in various spots around the city. An amazingly good time where everyone young and old dance to the thunderous rhythm of the dozens of drums or join in on playing the drums themselves: Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=lDZp68zjfTc SIDE NOTE: There IS a homeless element here, but as far as I can tell they are mostly harmless. My wife and I have a heart for the homeless and pray other who see them will not disregard them. Tragedy befalls us all and some just don't handle it as well as others. I sought one out after dinner to give him a few of the Korean wings I purposely didn't eat from our meal @ nearby Blue Flame Curry House. So good by the way! FINAL THOUGHTS Looking for the heart and soul of Asheville, come here!!! Taste and see what living feels like through life in its purest form... dancing, singing and laughing as one! Asheville to me feels like what humanity was always meant to be: All races all creed all nationalities enjoying life... TOGETHER. 2018/81 read more

Pritchard Park - Parks Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

(review specifically about Friday nights at the park) The park is a simple open space, but on Friday evenings around 5 pm it comes alive. Locals gather with their drums and the whole place fills with rhythm, creativity, and that unmistakable Asheville spirit. The sense of community is amazing. It was recommended to me by a local who said, "You should check it out--it's good for the soul." She was absolutely right. It really is. read more

The drum circle on Friday nights is pure noise. It's an abomination. Mind numbing and awful. The droning of the same rhythms for over an hour makes one psychotic. Just the single worst thing i've ever heard. read more

This is just an ok park in the downtown of Asheville. When we visited nothing was happening and it was pretty run down and it had homeless people scattered throughout. It was not too pleasant and not sure if it was because it was winter or what read more

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Bucket drumming! Who doesn't like to listen to some homeless guy banging on buckets hoping to get paid a few bucks to either get some lessons or just stop. When I came to this triangular park in the middle of Asheville, thankfully they weren't doing their infamous drum circle, due to pandemic. Instead, it was a bunch of homeless looking people hanging out panhandling and milling around. We saw one guy digging through the trash until he found a takeout container, which he proceeded to chow down on. The stores around this park all have the Asheville hippy vibe to them. This seems like a pleasant park to check out a concert, since it has a sort of amphitheater seating arrangement to it. Traffic gets routed around this park, so it's a good place to people watch. If you're a chess master, there's chessboards here. It seems like there's more that happens here than meets my foreign eye, but as of my visit, it was more of a homeless hangout than a proper park. I didn't spot any restrooms. Parking looks to be very challenging, since this park is smack in the middle of everything in downtown Asheville. read more

There's a park marshall here! May be because of all the tourists flaking around possibly because of the homeless population [not sure if they were homeless or that's just the look they were going for] but either way, there's some top security. Pass by Pritchard Park on purpose on a Friday night for the well known drum circle {these won't be the only musicians you'll see on a Friday night, but it's a good place to start your adventures}. Enjoy the parking when waiting for dinner reservations at any of the surrounding restaurants but make sure you don't have any open containers--there's a Park Marshall on duty, remember?! Try your hand at a game of chess on one of the built in, concrete chess boards, so people watch in the amphitheater style seating [or on one of the benches surrounding the park--as long as it's not being used as someone's bed]. Overall, tiny park, but definitely worth a stop JUST to see the Friday night drum circle. read more

Pritchard Park - Can't miss the trees! - Parks Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

A neat little triangle-shaped park in the center of the downtown area. Benches, steps, there is apparently a drum circle thing that goes on during warmer weather. Today was a bit cold, so I applaud the two guys playing chess and the sketch artist. Great spot to sit while waiting for your table at one of the many nearby restaurants. read more

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Pritchard Park is a small park in Downtown Asheville. On Fridays, there is a Drum Circle where lots of people come to participate. It is a fun experience to see if you are in Asheville on a Friday night. read more

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Call it spontaneous percussion! This is a must when your in Asheville on a Friday evening! You can bring your drum or cowbell and join in the fun. Or you can dance the whirling diverish if the spirit moves you. Or you can take it all in and enjoy the creative vibe that is the essence of this city. Either way, it's bound to be a memorable occasion! read more

Every Friday night a little "thing" goes on in Pritchard Park...a drum/groove session. Now this started years ago and has grown to something I'd never thought I'd see.....hundreds of people filling this tiny little park in the center of town beating drums and dancing in a huge mass. Now I grew up in Asheville, so Pritchard Park was for many years mainly a city bus stop. But somewhere in this crazy transformation of this downtown (mind you most of the hippy stuff is self contained in the city) the drum/groove session started. The funny thing about it now is that as condos were built in and around that square the new neighbors have complained about the noise???? Hmmmmm......the more things change, the more they stay the same. The session itself starts around dark and goes into the evening. For the particular weekend I counted 50 people with some sort of drum or noise making instrument and at least twice as many people grooving to the beat. Old, young, conservatives, hippies....all walks of life watch this little display with amazement probably thinking to themselves how this gets organized.....and that is the great part...it isn't...just pure fun every Friday night. Check it out.... read more

Pritchard Park - Movin...Groovin.. - Parks Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Pritchard Park is a triangle nestled between two of downtown Asheville's major thoroughfares. If you've heard of Asheville's weekly drum circles, THIS is the spot where they occur. Visitors, please be mindful that it gets quite cold in the winter months and many drummers move inside to hibernate during the colder months. However, when spring and summer roll around, a visit here on a Friday evening will present quite the view of the colorful fauna present here in Asheville. If you love the sound of striking hides tightened over any number of circular shapes, then boy are you in for a treat. If you enjoy watching people pretend that their arms are snakes then double that treat. If you have thoughts on the energy vortices that surround the greater Asheville area, or perhaps you have a theory as to the prana conduction that the quartz deposits underneath our fair city provide, then man... this is the place for you... why are you even reading this? How are you even reading this? When not serving as the central waypoint for the most enlightened souls of Asheville, Pritchard Park does have a few uses. One can often catch free concerts put on by local radio stations. Sometimes there are even stand-up comedy routines put on by religious groups here, but they seem to all indulge in this aggressive routine about your soul being in mortal jeopardy that I just don't get, yet. But they do their best, and some people seem to really like it... they put their hands up and yell ramen, which I have to assume is what they're planning on having for dinner in celebration of their performance. There are some times bizaars that pop up here over the weekends. Really, there's no telling what you're in for. There are often wanderers who sleep under the stars that use this a gathering point. Most are gentle and friendly. Some, however, can be a bit direct or even rude in their requests for financial support to continue their journeys. Be mindful and cautious, but do not be rude in return, that will do nothing but escalate things, and then before you know it someone's going to be shirtless and angry, and no one needs that, especially if there are children in the area. read more

People watching at its FINEST. We love the drum circle on Friday nights. Looks like a great workout for the participants!! Great for the entire family. Bring ANYTHING to beat together to get IN on the FUN!! read more

Pritchard Park - Typical crowd - Parks Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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More or less in the center of downtown; Pritchard Park is everything that you'd expect it to be. I stumbled upon the Friday night drum circle which - while not my particular cup of tea - seemed pretty cool. During the day you get an entire cross section of the town from families with small children to homeless burnt out hippies selling made up poems for a whatever you're willing to pay. A uniquely Asheville experience. read more

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Great park to sit and relax. When we went, there was a drum exhibit in the park. 20 or so people were playing various drums and music. It's something to see. Lots of people showed up for it. Very diverse group of people. Lots of things to do in surrounding the park. Lots of restaurants and shops. read more

Cool triangular shaped park in downtown Asheville! Wired for sound! Seems like there's always someone there playing music. It's constructed like a mini Greek amphitheater with step like seating. Built in Chess Boards with John Deere tractor seats. Great place to catch some shade, tunes and take a break from eating and shopping! read more

Pritchard Park - Parks Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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The center of downtown. Truly special little park. Trippy...fun...kids and parents play while they wait for a spot in a dining place nearby like Tupelo Honey. Friday night is drum circle, some protests occur here, and sometimes some chessplaying. Small but a cool spot. read more

I love this place, so many cultures all gather to have clean fun, dance and enjoy life... Would love to sit for hours and listen to the music/drums and watch the people dance. read more

Pritchard Park - This dude did not even breath. - Parks Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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-Bullet M.- Some of the complains you had are legitimate if not a little whiny (like you bought a ticket or something). Pritchard Park is not a park, it's an old bus station. They just tossed a 'park' after it because Pritchard Station no longer made sense. Also if you can't handle a few hippies, dry your eyes and head back to Louisiana. The drum circle is a fun thing to do on a Friday night. Swing by if you haven't checked it out yet. Most powerful body odor wins....just kidding it's actually pretty fun. read more

Every Friday night Pritchard Park is the venue for one of the largest drumming circles I have experienced in North America. They have a very large number of excellent percussionists and the crowd fills the park, I understand, nearly every Friday. I strongly recommend attending to pick up on the real vibe underlying this strange town. read more

This neat little triangular park is nestled right in downtown Asheville. The amphitheater-style steps provide a nice place to meet up with friends or relax on your own. You can also find chess boards, tractor seats, and plenty of shade, and friendly faces. Also, there's a drum circle on the weekend, where you can drum along or people watch. This is a great spot for locals or visitors to soak in some Asheville :) read more

Highly disappointed. Came up during the Columbus Day weekend and was so excited to experience downtown Asheville. My family and I have been wanting to come visit the area for some time. We knew there would be homeless and hippie like people about, but did not expect to see such an overwhelming population of them. While sitting at Mayfel's across from the park, you can see and hear them acting bizarre. Even walking along the sidewalk next to the park, it smell of body odor and urine. There was even a man in his truck with a whiteish colored mask on driving around with his windows down screaming at people! We just didn't feel safe, we saw no cops anywhere. We just can't believe this town hasn't done something to keep the homeless out of the area more, especially the downtown area where businesses operate. If I could, this would be zero stars. We love the area for its great hiking, but we will not be back visiting downtown Asheville. read more

Pritchard Park comes across as the epicenter of the outdoor music scene in AVL. The band here did not disappoint! - solid performance and great acoustics. given the setup, it felt rather like an amphitheater, with the music resonating off of the surrounding buildings. Don't know the history of this Park, but do see plenty of chess games underway - as well as smartphones being recharged by what I can only surmise as well-to-do transients. read more

Great little open space to hang out downtown. Almost always something entertaining going on, and even if there's not it's just a nice place to sit for a while! read more

Calling these people percussionists is a stretch. Sitting around in a big circle and attempting to find a rythm with each other isn't what I call being a percussionist. I'm a percussionist. These folks aren't. Drummer is a better word. But, it is kinda cool. I think the local residents decided that peace and quiet after certain hours was in order so you may want to go while the sun is still up. Asheville PO will more than likely shut it down if anyone complains. read more

Pritchard park has come a long way, well all of Downtown Asheville has . To me this is not really a park, it's like more so a grassy, small amphitheater in the middle of city. There use to be a fountain that people would occasionally put soap in , and a place for bums to hang out. It seems like they have built up the area and turned it into a nice little tourist spot. There are plenty of vendors selling things and the usual Ashevillians, and tons of tourist with cameras. There is also space for people to place chess or checkers on the side. I usually go back home twice a year but rarely go downtown . This year my fam and I decided to go see the Drum Circle (google it ). Being a native absolutely nothing surprised me about what was going on , random people from all walks of life sitting around sporadically drumming... Just bring your own African drum, cow bell, tambourine, plastic bin and join in. The crowd gets a little larger around 7 or 8 pm and apparently a deal was worked out with the people living in condos and apartments near downtown so that the drumming has to stop at 9pm. My advice get there around 7, be open minded and just have fun! read more

I think it is funny to review a park, but here is my critique - Nice park, small, central to Asheville, full of homeless most of the time and hippies on Friday afternoons. But it does have two hot dog stands surrounding it, so that pretty much makes it ok in my book! read more

The reason the woman was fined for feeding birds in Pritchard Park, Asheville is because it is illegal to feed wildlife. Human food (bread, chips, fries, etc) causes animals like ducks, geese and pigeons to become ill, have digestion problems, creates infections, and often causes waterfowl not to migrate. The police officer in question was just doing his job of upholding the law. Please don't feed wildlife human food (winter bird seed is ok). read more