Saluda 130th Birthday Events for August

August 10 - Horace Pace Video, "Narrows on Green River"; 1:00 pm at the Saluda Center.

August 14 - Sol Driven Train at Purple Onion at 4:30pm. Concert free to children accompanied by an adult.

August 17 - A Literary Soiree; 1:00 pm; Meet and greet local Saluda authors at the Saluda Center.

August 24 - Charlene Pace; Memories of Saluda Past; 1:00 pm at the Saluda Center.

August 31 - Martha Ashley; Bus Tour of Saluda Inns; 10:00 am; Beginning August 1, sign up at Saluda Center before August 15.    Get more Saluda 130th Anniversary Events here.

Asheville's Family Farm Tour takes you Back to the Farm

June 25 - 26   Asheville hosts  The Family Farm Tour   For one weekend every summer, the gates and barns of 41 WNC farms open to the public for the Family Farm Tour. The Tour includes many  farms that don’t normally allow visitors.

To access the Tour you purchase  an ADMISSION BUTTON which admits your vehicle and all its occupants for one price during the two-day self-guided driving tour. Learn how food grows, taste farm-fresh treats, interact with farm animals and meet the community’s food producers. The Family Farm Tour is coordinated by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP).

For the 2011 Tour, ASAP has created a Family Farm Tour Photo Contest. Take your camera with you on the tour. That stunning image you capture could win one of three top Photo Contest prizes: a day pass to Biltmore and $15 in Asheville City Market Bucks. Read how to enter your photos on the Photo Contest page.

Classic Cars today in Old Fort

June 19   OLD FORT   Classic Car Show   Bring your car, truck, or motorcycle to downtown Old Fort today from 1-5 PM. The event is  free and sponsored by Route 70 Cruisers.

Route 70 Cruisers is a group of car enthusiasts formed to cruise and enjoy cars with family, friends and fellow enthusiasts. The group also does fund-raising for  a variety of  charitable organizations such at the American Cancer Society and for local churches and individuals in need.

Cool off with a 5 Mile Race on Beech Mountain

June 10 - The  Cool 5 Race & Fun Run   is a 5 mile race and a 1.5 mile fun run on COOL Beech Mountain NC. The race course will be above 5000 feet in elevation. Participants will enjoy Beech's "cool" summertime temperatures while enjoying scenic vistas all along the way. There will be a Pre-Race Pasta Dinner on Friday, 5:30-8:30 PM with motivational speaker, music, games and activities for the family.

Summer Carnival in Cherokee NC

June 6 - 10   Summer Carnival  opens on the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds in Cherokee NC with carnival rides, games, concessions. Kids of all ages will enjoy this annual summer kick-off with live music,  food vendors along the midway and lots of  fun during the  five-day gathering.

Hendersonville's Small Plate Crawl features 29 Restaurants

April 5-6. The Small Plate Crawl is back for 2011and bigger and better than ever! Hendersonville and Flat Rock have joined together with restaurants, stores, galleries, bakeries, historic Inns and Bed and Breakfasts. The event celebrates local dining, shopping and memorable accommodations with unique Small Plate Menus, free parking in all city lots, specials and giveaways. Small Plate crawl is a 2 day event Tuesday, April 5th and Wednesday, April 6th, 2011.

Twenty nine restaurants will be serving "Small Plates", priced from $2 to $8, showing off their cuisine and Chef’s talent. Restaurants participate both days during one of three blocks of time: 11:30AM to 9:00PM, 11:30AM to 3:00PM OR 5:00PM to 9:00PM. See hours for each participating restaurant on the Small Plate Crawl Passport. 

23rd Annual Comedy Classic Weekend in Asheville NC

March 11 - 14  Asheville's The Grove Park Inn hosts the  23rd Annual Comedy Classic Weekend , a weekend of a thousand laughs as John Boy & Billy host two nights of side-splitting comedy at this Annual Comedy Classic. Weekend activities include a cooking demonstration, chair massages and live music throughout the resort.

The Inn is offering a Special One Night Only Comedy Offer! Starting at: $149 (rate is per person, for one night not including taxes - some restrictions may apply). 800-438-5800. The Grove Park Inn is located at 290 Macon Ave. in  Asheville, NC

Who wil be King of the Mountain?

March 5   Highlands NC hosts the King of the Mountain Chef's Challenge.  Award-Winning Chefs face off in "Iron Chef" style competition.  Using mystery ingredients, the chefs will race against the clock to create the winning culinary dish and be crowned "King of the Mountain."

Arts & Crafts Antique Show and Conference at the Grove Park Inn

February 18 - 20   Asheville NC hosts the Arts & Crafts Antique Show and Conference.  Recognized for its dedication to the education of the collector, this special weekend blends informative talks with an immense show of furniture and collectibles. Providing inspiration is The Grove Park Inn’s own rich Arts & Crafts tradition, which lives on throughout the resort, from the Old Hickory rockers to the Roycroft chandeliers.

Celebrate Valentines with a movie and a Brew

Gnomeo and Juliet NOW PLAYING . . . .Join Heinzelmannchen Brewery at Carolina Asheville Cinema Saturday, February 12 from 2 - 8 PM for Heinzelmannchen Beer, Sodas and lots of  Giveaways!  If you can't make it on Saturday, you can always enjoy a fresh draft of Heinzelmannchen beer at the Cinema's on another day!  

"See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!" Romeo and Juliet Quote (Act II, Sc. II).
The Carolina Asheville is located at 1640 Hendersonville Rd in Asheville, NC. Heinzelmannchen Brewery is located at 545 Mill Street  in Sylva, North Carolina.

Asheville Fringe Arts Festival this Weekend

January 20 - 23   ged for the  Asheville Fringe Arts Festival , a city-wide festival bringing new and challenging art to Asheville’s audiences. Held in downtown Asheville, each participating venue plays host to a variety of performers, assuring an interesting mix to challenge and delight audiences. Find our more about the Fringe Arts Festival and other Asheville Events and attractions...

This Week's Events in Ashe County

Ashe County is known for art, music and some of the friendliest folks around. See for yourself at this week's events:

DINNER & BLUEGRASS every Friday through Thanksgiving at Todd General Store. Dinner at 6pm, bluegrass at 7pm.

FAIRIES & GNOMES, House Building. Saturday, Nov. 6 at 2pm at the Mt. Jefferson State Natural Area picnic area. Come up and use your imagination and natural materials to build a woodland creature house. Call 336-246-9653 for more info.

LARRY PENNINGTON & ALAN MASTIN MEMORIAL FESTIVAL Saturday, Nov. 6 at 4pm at Mountain Music Jamboree in Glendale Springs. Great bands - Whitetop Mountain Band, Creek Junction, Carolina Travelers. Food available.

MT. JEFFERSON GEOLOGY ROCKS, House Building. Sunday, Nov. 7 at 2pm at the Mt. Jefferson State Natural Area picnic area. Visitors will observe several types of geological formations on a nature hike of the Rhododendron Trail. Learn about metamorphic formations and intrusive quartz. Call 336-246-9653 for more info.

BEN WAKEMAN SINGER/ SONGWRITER AT RIVER HOUSE'S SUNDAY SALON in Grassy Creek. Sunday, Nov. 7 beginning at 4pm; hors d'oeuvre at 5pm, 4-course chef's choice menu at 6pm. Call 336-982-2109 for reservations. CLICK HERE for info about Ben Wakeman.

Chimney Rock Park Fall Color and Events

Fall is a special time of the year at Chimney Rock Park. Beautiful autumn color is spreading down the mountainside, highlighting cool temperatures and fun events. Check out the weekly fall color report, complete with images. And for even more color some fall wildflowers are blooming including turtlehead, aster and wood sorrel.  

October 23 at 9 AM Chimney Rock hosts Pardee Hospital's 2nd Hike to Health. Hikers have the option to choose their skill level from three of the Park's trails: the Great Woodland Adventure, the Hickory Nut Falls trail or the Four Seasons trail. Registration for Hike to Health is now open. Interested participants can register by calling 866-790-WELL (9355). Registration is $15 per hiker, with no charge for children age 10 and under

October 23 -24  join the Shutterbugs Nature Photography Workshop with noted WNC photographer Jeff Miller. This information-packed weekend includes plenty of field time as well as classroom instruction. Space is limited, so sign up today. If you've visited the Park this year and taken pictures (and pretty much everybody does), you may enter the Annual Photo Contest by using an online submission form, so send in your pictures. The Grand Prize winner will receive a weekend getaway to Hickory Nut Gorge including two nights at the historic 1927 Lake Lure Inn and Spa.

Tonight's Sylva After Dark - a Hometown Experience

For those of us who long for a bygone day when an evening stroll down a city street was a fitting end to a hard-worked week there is a little town in the Western North Carolina mountains ready to take us "home".

Sylva NC may be one of the lesser known NC mountain towns, but once you've been there it will become one of your favorites. Tonight's Sylva After Dark is the perfect opportunity to explore this special place with an of evening of art, music, food, shopping and lots of friendly, smiling faces.

Begin your stroll at  It’s by Nature (678 W. Main St.) as the gallery hosts an artist demonstration/reception with Tara Melton-Miller demonstrating Kumihimo, a form of Japanese braiding. Meet the artist from 6-9 PM and enjoy live music and wine & cheese.  At  City Lights Book Store (3 Jackson St.)  Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, will be reading from her new novel, The Improper Life of Bezillia Grove at 7 PM.  The Spring Street Café (3 E. Jackson St.) offers live music and a terrific menu  mixing local freshness with eclectic originality.

Stop by Annie’s Naturally Bakery (506 W. Main St.) for a bread tasting from 5 PM - 8 PM with toasted Whole Wheat Walnut bread topped with Annie’s scrumptious Pumpkin Butter - wash it down with Smoky Mountain Roaster’s Pumpkin Spice coffee.  Gallery One (604 W. Main St.) will host an opening night event  from 6 PM - 9 PM for the exhibition, “Hand + Craft: A Jackson County Celebration".  At Papou’s Wine Shop and Bar find  a free wine tasting from 6 PM - 9 PM or stop by The Wilderness Society  (563 West Main Street, Suite 1) for poetry and art  from 6 to 9PM featuring the Dreams and Distillations series of Rabun County artist Honor Woodard, and local poets Thomas Rain Crowe and Laurence Holden.

And don't forget Sylva's own brewery,  Heinzelmannchen Brewery for a Food & Beer Pairing from 5 PM - 8 PM.

This Event is for the Birds!

Sept 25-26 Don't be a birdbrain -  Flock to the Rock at Chimney Rock Park! Enjoy all kinds of programs to get you going bonkers over birds. Events include guided walks with area ornithologists, opportunities to “get up close and personal” with non-releasable birds of prey, and lots of workshops and other fun activities. This weekend also marks the annual hawk migration over the area when dozens, sometimes hundreds, of hawks can be seen heading to southern wintering grounds. Chimney Rock Park, Chimney Rock NC.

Chimney Rock is also an official site on the North Carolina Birding Trail. In 2010, our partner, North Carolina State Parks, is celebrating the "Year of the Birds" paying tribute to North Carolina birds at NC parks throughout the state.

4th Annual Beech Mountain Barn Dance

July 31   Beech Mountain North Carolina presents the  4th Annual Beech Mountain Barn Dance.  Put on your boots, buy a cowboy hat, tie a bandanna around your neck and join the crowd for live music, dancing, and Prairie Fair food. $15.00 per person. Tickets are available at the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce and at the door.

2nd Annual Taste of Downtown Sylva

June 26 from 2PM - 5PM come to downtown Sylva for the 2nd Annual Taste of Downtown Sylva. Sample items from downtown businesses and enjoy what they have to offer including Cool coffee drinks, gourmet cuisine, delectable sweets, organic, local fare and more!

Get tickets from participating businesses: Annie's Naturally Bakery, Bubacz's Signature Brew Coffee Company, Mill and Main Restaurant, Heinzelmannchen Brewery, Bill's Backstreet Takeout, Spring Street Cafe, Papou's Wine Shop, Eric's Fresh Fish Market, Lulu's on Main, Ironstone Grill and My Place restaurant.  Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $7.00 for children 12 and under.  Cash or check only please.

Visit the Historic Orchard at Altapass for Old-fashioned Mountain Fun!

June 23 - 27,  Enjoy  Live Music and More - the Historic  Orchard at Altapass.  The historic orchard is full of fun including music and mountain dancing, storytelling and hayrides, monarch butterfly raising, naturalist tours and birding walks, arts and handwork demonstrations, book signings and more. Events happen every week, Wed-Sun. The Orchard is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 328.3. in between Spruce Pine and Little Switzerland North Carolina.

Beach Bonfire & Marshmallow Roast tonight in Lake Lure

June 19  Rumbling Bald Resort hosts a  a Beach Bonfire and  Fireworks,  free family marshmallow roast and fireworks. This is a great time to bring your family down to the beach to visit and enjoy a beautiful Lake Lure evening. The fire is ready by 8:30 pm and a staff member stays until 9:30 pm with marshmallows and roasting sticks for everyone. Rumbling Bald Resort on Lake Lure is located at  112 Mountains Blvd., Lake Lure 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.