Each year, the Grove Park Inn hosts a national gingerbread house competition, where locals and tourists compete for a $7,500 prize and a two-night stay at the Omni Grove Park Inn.
On Sept. 27, Tropical Storm Helene hit Asheville, North Carolina, causing widespread destruction, confusion and an estimated $53 billion in damages to the area.
“This year would be the 32nd year, and for the first time, has been officially canceled. A lot of factors played into that decision the No. 1 was that at the time the decision was made, the hotel was closed, the area didn’t have potable water, and we didn’t know what the future looked like for the area,” said Isabel Miller, marketing manager at the Grove Park Inn.
With the holiday season quickly approaching, the community began brainstorming new ideas for the Christmas tradition, drawing visitors from around the world to Asheville.
“We explored many different avenues and explored a virtual route, but it didn’t have the same impact or the same contribution to the community that we wanted to do,” Miller said. “Thinking of the competitors it wouldn’t feel right to try and put on a competition.”
With tourism down following the storm, 2024 will likely be challenging for business owners, but the Grove Park Inn is working to support its community.
“So they have had that time to keep working on their creations so there was also a level of unfairness there too. So we took all that under consideration and came up with the Gingerbread trail of giving,” Miller said.
The Grove Park Inn hosted The Gingerbread Trail of Giving for more than three decades offering a new take on the traditional Christmas experience. “So, we said if you want to keep working on it and you have the ability to bring it up here because of the road closures, please do and we’ll take your house, but instead of just displaying it here and encouraging thousands to visit, we’d love to take these pieces and give them to the community,” Miller said.
According to the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, the revenue calculated by Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority quoted that Asheville’s tourist industry—nearly $3 billion annually—helps sustain the local economy.
“The main reason for the trail was to help and show what is open because there are a lot of misconceptions right now. So we said we’ll literally put gingerbread houses in places that are open, and we could go to these businesses you may not have been to before,” Miller said.
Miller said the trail also aims to help stabilize Asheville’s economy and to get small businesses and artists back on their feet.
The Gingerbread House Trail features over a dozen local businesses who volunteered to participate.
Gingerbread House Trail map.
“When we heard they were doing the Gingerbread Trail of Giving we were excited and jumped right in to host one of the gingerbread houses, and it’s been really fun having it here because a lot of people have come in following the trail who may not have known about our store or other stores. It’s really getting people out and about and bringing people together,” said Bethany Perron, curating manager at Woolworth.
Perron said the trail gave a way for tourists to engage with Asheville positively and to support the community as it recovers.
“After the Hurricane, it’s been pretty dead, and then after they started doing the Gingerbread Trail, a lot of people started coming in. Like almost every other customer is here for the Gingerbread house,” said Emma Smith, a Rocket Fizz employee.
Tourists’ efforts to shop locally have also made a difference for business owners said Marie Hendrix, owner of Home Crafts.
“This is the feedback I get 30 or 40 times a day “I came to Asheville to come here and shop. We want to shop local, and we came here because we know you had your economy devastated.” So, feedback is coming in and it’s a conscious decision to come in and shop, the Gingerbread house is nothing but a bonus,” Hendrix said.
Hendrix said Asheville businesses are embracing the adapted gingerbread house trail.
Although this year marked the first time in 32 years the traditional Gingerbread House Competition was replaced, local businesses are hopeful that the Gingerbread House Trail could become a new holiday tradition.
“I think it’s a lot better than just keeping them at Grove Park,” Smith said. “It’s a lot of fun, and it opens a lot of doors to stores people didn’t know about. I even did the trail and found new stores I didn’t know existed. I think the best one is in Curio, though!”
Perron and Smith said that the Gingerbread house trail is a unique and enjoyable experience for everyone this holiday season.
“A thing which surprised me most is that it really appealed to all ages, everything from elderly people who are wandering around to little kids to groups of teenage friends because it’s fun, so it’s been a really cute winter thing to do. Compared to Having all the Gingerbread houses at the Grove Park Inn, it has been such a treat and I hope they do it in the future and not just because of the Hurricane and the relief projects,” Perron said.
