National Gingerbread Competition returns to Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville

Bakers from around the world will be bringing their best gingerbread creations to Asheville this weekend for the National Gingerbread Competition.

The competition began in 1992 with a few members of the community and has grown to include hundreds of entries each year at the Omni Grove Park Inn. This year will mark its 30th competition.

The winners will be named on Monday, Nov. 21.

Visitors can view the displays in person from Nov. 28 through Jan. 2. Hotel guests will be able to view the displays at any time during their stay, but people not staying at the hotel are invited to view the display after 6 p.m. on Sundays or anytime Monday through Thursday, based on parking availability, and excluding these dates Dec. 23-25, 30-31 and Jan. 1.

All Fridays and Saturdays are reserved for registered resort guests and those that have confirmed dining reservations.

Note that if you are visiting and not staying the night at Grove Park, there is a $25 self-park fee for drive-on, day guests of the property. A portion of the proceeds will go to a variety of local nonprofit organizations.

Grove Park's Holiday Parking Program has helped raise more than $680,000 for area nonprofits since its inception in 2013.

And stay tuned to Grove Park's social media channels where they will be celebrating one gingerbread house winner per day from Dec. 1 through 12.