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The Group Travel Leader Going on Faith Select Traveler

Meetings up on the roof

 Photo of One North Park in Asheville, N.C., by Rachael McIntosh

Three smaller cities are proving that rooftop gardens and terraces are not strictly the stuff of big cities.

In Wilmington, N.C., the developers of the Terraces on Sir Tyler, a suburban event center opened this fall, wisely decided to take advantage of the coastal community’s mild climate. Two rooftop terraces for up to 100 guests each flank a 4,000-square-foot ballroom for up to 570 reception guests. The center is the top floor of a three-story office building in a suburban area not far from Wrightsville Beach and across from the area’s largest mall.

877-747-8953
www.terracesonsirtyler.com

Early this year, one of Scottsdale, Ariz.’s staples, the Venue Scottsdale, will show what a difference $500,000 can make. Among the improvements is a rooftop patio that looks out on the surrounding mountains and the Sonoran Desert. With the 8,000-square-foot expansion, the Venue Scottsdale will be able to accommodate up to 2,000 people.

(480) 945-5551
www.thevenuescottsdale.com

It’s easy to see that Asheville, N.C., is not a city whose sidewalks roll up at night, especially from the rooftop terrace at One North Park. The city’s only rooftop venue, run by Biltmore (as in the Biltmore Estate) Catering, opened downtown last spring in a building designed by architect I.M. Pei. It’s a logical place to absorb the Art Deco influences that pepper Asheville’s architecture and admire the hues of the Blue Ridge Mountains that edge the city. The terrace is not the only option at One North Pack; there’s also a main meeting room and a boardroom.

866-208-9513
www.biltmore.com/catering/north_pack.asp