Bryson CIty Bicycle offers FREE Classes

FREE and open to the public, Bryson City Bicycle  (BCB) offers a monthly education class to teach different aspects of bicycle maintenance, repair, and adventure.  Classes are held on the first Tuesday of each month from April through October from 6:30 - 7:30pm.  Snacks provided.  Attendees receive a 10% discount on any purchase the night of the event.

Watch the Birdie with the Compleat Naturalist in Asheville

FREE Naturalist Meetup March 11, 6:30 PM.

The March 11 Naturalist Meetup hosted by the Compleat Naturalist kicks off a series of events focused on bird song.  Stop by anytime between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. for a glass of wine or juice and some snacks; meet other people interested in nature!  The event is FREE and open to anyone, but please call us at 828-274-5430, or email Laura@compleatnaturalist.com to sign up.  We'll have an informal presentation and conversation about birds, local birding, and bird songs beginning at about 6:45 p.m.         Come on over and bring a friend!

March 19:  Bird Song ID for Beginners Class, 2:00-3:30 pm Bird song is all around us.  Identifying birds by ear is a bit challenging, but in this class we will present the tools and techniques that are most helpful in getting started.  This is the best time of year to begin, as the resident birds are singing their spring songs, while summer residents have not yet arrived to complicate things!  Join Compleat Naturalist owners Laura and Hal Mahan for a slide and audio presentation to help get you started learning the most common backyard bird songs.  Please register by phone, by mail, or in person in the store.  Class Fee:  $10.00  Class size is limited.  For details, visit our website.  We'll also be leading free bird song ID field trips on March 26 and March 30!  Call us at 828-274-5430 for further information

New Crossley ID Guide for Eastern Birds

The new Crossley ID Guide has arrived!  Unlike other guides, which provide isolated individual photographs or illustrations, this is the first book to feature large, lifelike scenes for each species.  These scenes are each composed of at least ten color images showing the bird in a wide range of views—near and far, from different angles, in various plumages and behaviors, including flight, and in the habitat in which they live. These beautiful compositions show how a bird's appearance changes with distance, and give equal emphasis to characteristics experts use to identify birds: size, structure and shape, behavior, and color.    The Crossley ID Guide    $35.00

The Compleat Naturalist is located at 2 Brook Street in Asheville NC

Sylva Bookstore Now Offers Google eBooks

City Lights Bookstore in Sylva NC may be a small shop in a small town but it's a big part of a growing cultural community in the smoky mountains. The bookstore is a gathering place for locals and visitors alike with poetry readings, book signings and a friendly staff throroughly knowledgable about their excellent inventory.

And now Google eBooksTM has arrived! You can shop locally even for digital media. The ebooks have been available on the City Lights website for several years and the number now available through Google eBooks is huge. From New York Times bestsellers to old favorites, City Lights Bookstore now offers you one of the largest ebook collections available with Google eBooks. Shop for your next ebook and begin reading on just about any device.

With Google eBooks, you can read seamlessly on almost any device - the Kindle ebook reader is an exception.  Computers, tablets (such as iPads), Nooks, Sony's eReader, Droids, iPhones and other smartphones are all fine. Google eBooks stores your library safely in the digital cloud, so you can read anywhere you go, using just about any device with an Internet connection.  As you read, your page positions are saved across all the devices so you can pick up reading where you last left off. That means you can start reading on your PC, continue on your laptop, and carry on reading on your smartphone.

Explore thousands of titles instantly  in every imaginable category. From bestsellers to classics, top fiction to up-and-coming authors, all Google eBooks now offer instant availability and free preview before you buy.

So maybe the day to "have your cake and eat it too" has finally come. Well...at least it has in Sylva at City Lights Bookstore. You can shop locally with excellent and friendly service and still have the largest selection of ebooks in the world. That's technology even an ol' mountain gal can love.
Check it out at City Lights Bookstore, 3 East Jackson St., Sylva, NC or online here

Asheville Shop Offers Great Gifts for Nature Lovers

The Compleat Naturalist located at 2 Brook Street in Asheville NC is a store for nature lovers. If it's about nature, you'll find it there - birding supplies and feeders, binoculars, compasses, field and botany supplies, weather instruments, books and maps, gifts, clothing and more. And you can join the owners for a free morning bird walks. Check out these special gifts for your holiday shopping:

Guide to Bird Feathers. This is the first book we've seen that provides a photographic identification guide to bird feathers.  How often have you seen a bird feather while hiking and wondered what bird it's from?  This book includes 400 photographs representing 379 species of North American Birds.  A must for every nature lover's library!

The Practical Naturalist.  If you have a budding naturalist in the family, this book will give them a great start on how to become proficient in various nature study hobbies. Chapters are arranged by habitat and feature tips on how and what to investigate in each area, plus a chapter on "Weather and Sky" covering weather and astronomy. Also included is a chapter on "What a Naturalist Needs." The color photography illustrations are fantastic.

Binocular Sale. Some of the most popular binoculars are on sale through December 31.  Come in and check them out!  Or check on our website, Sales and Bargains page.  The optics experts here in the store can help you select the perfect instrument for the naturalist on your gift list.

Bird Song Bible.  Bird Songs Bible covers the sights and sounds of every single breeding bird in North America-- nearly 750 in all. A beautiful keepsake, Bird Songs Bible is an essential volume for the true bird lover. 536 pages, hardcover in carrying case with handle. 15 x 13.75 inches, full color illustrations, maps, electronic sound module.

Heartwood Bird and Bat Houses. This is a brand new line of bird and bat boxes that we love!  They are made in Mississippi, mostly from cypress, the most naturally rot-resistant wood that grows in the U.S., and are made from scrap pieces from the furniture industry.  We love the beautiful artistic design with metal roofs, or multi-colored shingles with copper covering on the peaks.  And all are fully functional and built-to-last.

Annual Hometown Christmas this weekend in Saluda

Dec 10-11  Main Street in downtown Saluda NC will be decked out in all its Christmas lights when hosting the annual  Hometown Christmas. Sponsored by the Saluda Business Association, this long-standing tradition has become a way for Saluda residents to come together and celebrate the holiday season. Businesses and shops are open from 6-8 PM and serve holiday refreshments while local musicians perform.

Free Shipping on Handmade Mountain Crafts until Christmas!

From now until Christmas, your order from the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree of $25 or more is eligible for free shipping!  Order online 24 hours a day for beautiful handcrafted gifts from the mountains of North Carolina and have your gifts shipped for you...FREE!  Your purchase supports over 100 local crafts entrepreneurs as well as our Foundation's scholarship fund for local students.  Thank you for supporting the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree!

HOME OF THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS TREE  Project  has created nearly 100 individual small businesses that have produced quality, handmade products as part of the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree collection. Locally handcrafted products are available in the shop or online and include: Furniture, Lighting, Rugs, Textiles (Top of Bed, Quilts, Kitchen and Bath), Decorative Accessories, Home Fragrance, Cookware, Food, Christmas, Pottery, Wood, Glass, Children’s Toys.

Christmas Shopping Update from Asheville's Grove Arcade

Downtown Asheville's Grove Arcade is a spectacular setting to celebrate the holidays and this year you can purchase locally grown, fresh-cut Fraser fir Christmas trees on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Stop by and let Steven Tingle help you find the perfect tree from his family farm in Cruso. Tingle will be selling from the Portico Market at the corner Battery Park and O.Henry Avenue.

Brother Wolf Rescue is teaming up with the merchants of the Grove Arcade to provide a special holiday Gift Wrapping service for downtown shoppers this season. Bring your gifts to the Arcade on Saturday, December 11, and Saturday, December 18, from noon until 5 p.m. and have them wrapped for a nominal fee. The Arcade is providing the materials, and Brother Wolf is providing the talented wrappers. All proceeds will benefit Brother Wolf Rescue, a local organization dedicated to the rescue of animals of all sorts who need our help to survive.

Winter Wonderland Continues a display of entries from the National Gingerbread House Competition, live holiday music on the weekends, photos with Santa and special family events.

Suite 143 is the site of a special exhibition of artwork submitted for the Mountain Express holiday cover art contest. Entries will be displayed from December 1 to 19 with an opening reception taking place Friday, December 3, from 6 to 7 p.m. Artist Jason Probstein is working in Suite 143 creating beautiful handmade blown glass ornaments, a perfect holiday gift or memento of a trip to Asheville. Children attending the December 3 will receive a beautiful handmade glass candy canes created by Probstein as a souvenir of this event.

At Make Merry on December 4 and Make Merrier on December 18, you won't want to miss the Noon performances of a dramatic reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas that are sure to become a family tradition.

The Historic Grove Arcade is located at One Page Avenue in Asheville North Carolina

Asheville Tourists T-Shirt Sale $8.99 until Friday

Fall Special! Fans, the Tourists are getting a "new look"! Now is your chance to take advantage of our fall specials taking place from now until 12 noon on Friday, Nov 5.

ALL regular T-shirts including mens tees, womens tees, and kids tees are only $8.99!
Polo shirts are just $19.99 (Reg. $45)!
All hoodies and sweatshirts are also on sale for as low as $19.99 (Reg $39.99 and above)!
Doing some early holiday shopping? Our baseballs make excellent stocking stuffers. They are usually $6/each, but are only $1.99 during this limited time sale.

Order online now by visiting the Tourists Trap. For more information, you may contact a Tourists staff member at (828) 258-0428 ext. 200.

We Still Have Game Worn Jerseys Available!
Fans, the Tourists still have some 2010 game worn jerseys for sale. There is still a large selection of home, away, and batting practice jerseys. There are also a few red alternate jerseys. For more information, call Brent at (828) 258-0428 ext. 200.

Labor Day Event: Super Sale at The Grove Arcade

September 4 - 6  Asheville' Historic Grove Arcade Labor Day Super Sale.  The Arcade Merchants are hosting a building-wide Super Sale with discounts up to 25%. Visit the discount table and draw your discount coupon for a 10 to 25 percent discount off an item in any Arcade shop (restaurants are excluded). In addition to the discount, many merchants are taking advantage of the sale to clear merchandise and are offering great savings. Shoppers spending $50 or more will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 Grove Arcade gift certificate. The Grove Arcade is located in downtown Asheville NC at One Page Avenue.

Visit Little Switzerland and the Historic Orchard at Altapass

Live Music and More - the Historic  Orchard at Altapass  is a favorite mountain tradition for both locals and visitors. Every week from Wednesday through Sunday you'll find live music and mountain dancing, storytelling and hayrides, monarch butterfly raising, naturalist tours and birding walks, arts and handwork demonstrations, book signings and more. The Orchard is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 328.3 near Little Switzerland North Carolina.

Groovin' at the Grove this weekend

June 19 from 3:30PM - 6:30 PM come to a "Coney Island" party hosted by Asheville's Grove Arcade merchants. Live music begins at 3:30 with dance and funk classics from Motownblue featuring the Arcade's own "singing security guard" William Stafford. Enjoy  live entertainment featuring fortune tellers, jugglers, hula hoop performances and more. Grab a hot dog and sip your favorite boardwalk beverage while strolling the halls and shopping the Arcade's locally-owned shops and galleries. Shoppers spending $20 from 3:30 to 5:30 will be entered into a drawing to win a $200 Grove Arcade gift certificate.


The Grove Arcade is located at One Page Avenue at the heart of the Battery Hill neighborhood in downtown Asheville and offers unique shopping and exciting dining in one of Asheville's architectural jewels. A downloadable building tour is available on the website. Parking is available in the Wall Street, Rankin and Civic Center garages as well as on the street.

Dillsboro Shop offers Military Discounts

Country Traditions 78 Front St, Dillsboro North Carolina.  10% off all items all days for active duty Military except consignment items or alcohol (ID required). Enjoy stepping into the past by visiting this unique shop. You will find an eclectic mixture of old and new to purchase as well as a variety of handmade items from local artists and authors. There is even a room just for men called the MAN CAVE!

Franklin Historic Store Holds Annual Treasure Sale

May 22, 9:00-2:00, TM Rickman General Store, 251 Cowee Creek Road, Cowee/West's Mill National Register Historic District, Franklin North Carolina. Both Visitors and Locals enjoy the 3rd Annual Treasure Sale at the Rickman General Store.

The T.M.Rickman General Store, a part of the 370 acre Cowee/West's Mill National Register Historic District, was acquired by the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee in August of 2007. Since then the community has been active with fundraising, making the purchase a reality.

Motown Meets March Madness in Asheville

March 5-6, The Grove Arcade, One Page Avenue, Asheville North Carolina. Bargains, specials and sales galore will be found throughout the Grove Arcade this Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM.  Groove while you shop to the funky sounds of Motownblue featuring William Stafford - the Arcade's own "singing security guard" performing Saturday,from 3PM. to 6PM. Enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail while you shop deep discounts and think about spring. Free popcorn and a chance to win a $100 Grove Arcade certificate add to the fun. In addition to sales in each Arcade business, the Jazzy Giraffe clearance sale continues in Suite 141 with inventory from the recently closed Biltmore location.

The Grove Arcade offers Sweet Deals for Valentines

Feb 12- 13, The Grove Arcade, One Page Avenue, Asheville North Carolina. The Arcade will be bursting with sales, specials, gift ideas and more to help you show your sweetie just how much you care. A few of the events and specials include:
“Kissing to the Chimes” - on the stroke of 5 p.m. on Friday or Saturday,give your sweetie a kiss just as more than a hundred clocks chime at Tic-n-Time in the North Arcade.
Restaurant Row, on the Arcade's Page Avenue side, features a wide variety of cuisines and atmospheres and there is no shortage of sweets to tempt from Kamm's dark chocolate custard, handmade fudge in special packaging at Nutz about Fudge to sweetheart cakes from True Confections.
special fashion and jewelry show at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, focusing on the art of romance.
Live romantic music from James Rogers on the Arcade’s antique piano
Jazzy Giraffe is having its biggest sale ever in Suite 141 in the Arcade, right around the corner across from True Confections. You will find great inventory at incredible savings with all seasons will be represented from 25-70% off.
Shop and Win - To show their appreciation for your patronage, the merchants are sponsoring prize drawing during the weekend. Any visitor spending $25 or more in any shop or restaurant on Friday will be entered into a drawing for a beautiful Arcade gift basket. Visitors spending $25 or more in any shop or restaurant on Saturday will be entered into a drawing for a $250 Grove Arcade gift certificate. http://www.grovearcade.com