A FREE Daily Visitor Guide for the North Carolina Mountains and 50+ NC Mountain Cities: Merlefest

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Monday, April 22, 2013

MerleFest 2013 this Weekend

April 25 - 28 MerleFest Celebrate spring and help kick off the NC festival season at MerleFest, considered one of the premier music festivals in the country. MerleFest is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College. The four-day festival features over 90 artists performing on 14 stages, including memorial tributes to Doc Watson and performances by Vince Gill, Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives and the Tedeschi Trucks Band.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

MerleFest - One of the Southeast's Favorite Music Festivals

April 26-29 MerleFest 25 on the camous of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro NC. Celebrate spring and help kick off the festival season at MerleFest 25, considered one of the premier music

festivals in the country. The four-day festival features over 90 artists performing on 14 stages, including Doc & Richard Watson, Vince Gill, Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives and the Tedeschi Trucks Band.

In addition to the music performances, there are:The Shoppes of MerleFest - a centrally located shopping village of commercial vendors and official MerleFest memorabilia, plus services such as first aid, lost and found, overnight storage, and internet access. Festival guests can peruse vendor booths, check email and pick up an official MerleFest tee-shirt all in one location.

In the center of The Shoppes at MerleFest there will be a large grass area for festival-goers to enjoy a snack, visit with friends, or just enjoy the festival atmosphere.

Heritage Crafts - The Heritage Crafts Tent offers some of the region’s finest artisans selling their handicrafts and offering demonstrations to educate MerleFest fans about their craft. The Craft Tent is located in the center of The Shoppes At MerleFest area.

Food Vendors - During the four days of MerleFest 2012 Music, Moments, and Memories you'll need a good meal, snacks and beverages. A variety of options will be offered throughout the festival. In the Watson Stage area there are two large food tents that can satisfy nearly any craving. There are also snack and food options located in The Shoppes at MerleFest and in other convenient locations across the festival grounds. Proceeds from food and beverage sales benefit local non-profits and WCC Clubs.Get more local information on the Wilkesboro NC Visitor Guide.

Monday, April 25, 2011

The 24th Merlefest begins this Thursday!

April 28 - May 1 at the Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro NC Merlefest 2011 will really get your toes tappin'! Zac Brown returns this year along with with over 90 artists performing on 14 stages during the course of the event making MerleFest one of the best entertainment values anywhere.

photo by Jacob Cadill

Ticket purchases can be made online through May1. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College Endowment Corporation and a celebration of “traditional plus” music. Doc Watson coined this term to describe the unique mix of music found at MerleFest: traditional, roots-oriented sounds of the Appalachian region, including bluegrass
and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, country, “plus whatever other styles we
were in the mood to play,” Watson explained.

Throughout the four-day festival the Dance Tent will feature various workshops and dance
instruction with plenty of opportunities for festival attendees to cut loose with some stellar music
performers. Additionally, Mayes Pit-Cohn Auditorium in Thompson Hall at MerleFest is
devoted to a wide variety of workshops and demonstrations on Friday and Saturday, where
world-class performers share their expertise with attendees.

Additional festival activities include: Jam Camp, Pickin’ Place, Open Mic, Songwriters’ Coffeehouse, the Little Pickers Area, Youth Showcases, The Shoppes at MerleFest, Raffle and Silent Auction, Nature Walks and a MerleFest Fan Favorite- the Midnight Jam.

The Blue Ridge Parkway at 469 miles long is the nation's longest scenic rural parkway. Now 70 years old it is administered by the National Park Service and host to approximately 20 million visits annually. It connects the Shenandoah Valley National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Along the route are opportunities for lodging, dining, camping, hiking and simply enjoying breathtaking views from easily accessible overlooks and picnic areas. For additional information visit :The Blueridge Parkway Association

The River Arts District is open year around with the opportunity to meet artists in their studios. Schedules are available online. This unique area along the French Broad River is home to more than 165 artists with working studios located in 18 turn-of-the-century industrial buildings. The artists of the River Arts District welcome you into their studios to talk with them, see their latest artwork, watch demonstrations, and experience for yourself the magic hidden inside the time-worn factories and warehouses along the French Broad River.

Chimney Rock Park is named for a 500 million-year-old giant granite monolith overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge. Visitors are awed by the breathtaking view that spreads 1200 vertical feet beneath them and 75 miles across the Carolinas. The now state owned park encompasses 1,000 acres offers the best of the mountains in one place with spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, a variety of special events and much more. Chimney Rock NC

The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has provided funding for almost 1500 state and nationally designated byway projects in 48 states. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.

Tsali Recreation Area is an outdoors lover's paradise. Probably the most popular features of Tsali Recreation Area are the 39 miles of trails suited for mountain bikers and horse-back riders, as well as hikers. The 4-loop system offers a variety of landscapes. You can climb 1-foot wide rugged paths or travel flat, well-beaten roads. The four trails--Right, Left, Mouse Branch, and Thompson Loops--meander through mixed pine and hardwoods on a peninsula stretching into Fontana Lake. Near Bryson City NC and Robbinsville NC.