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

March Madness at Asheville Cabins- Stay 3 Nights and the 4th Night is FREE!

March Madness Special At Carolina Mornings:
Stay 3 Nights and the 4th Night is FREE!

Asheville was just chosen as a top 2011 global destination in Fodor's Travel Guide. Don't waste time and make sure you get here while the place is still "local." Dream of drinking award-winning beer this spring as the flowers bloom, or walk to one of the many music venues and art galleries that give the city its reputation. Take advantage of our March Madness Special: stay 3 nights and the 4th night is free!*

Carolina Mornings offers an exceptional selection of the finest vacation home rentals in the Asheville NC area. Whether you choose to stay in a captivating Blue Ridge Mountain chalet, a Smoky Mountain log cabin, an elegant downtown loft or a luxury vacation villa located at the center of Historic Biltmore Village, you will be showered with free exclusive activities, personal attention, exceptional service and superior amenities. Our vacation rentals offer spectacular mountain views, hot tubs, fireplaces, WIFI (wireless Internet), pool tables, pet friendly rentals and more.

Call 828.398.0712 to book or search our rental options.   *Applies to most properties.

Weekly Food & Beer Pairing at Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva North Carolina

The gnomes at Heinzelmannchen Brewery are at it again. This time with Friday Beer and food Pairings that give real meaning to "TGIF". The Food & Beer Pairings are held from 5-8 PM at the brewery with old favorites and new creations from Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro, under the new ownership of Haley Milner and Tori Walters.
Specialty Beer Rotation:
March 4 - Big Amber Gnome
March 11 -  Imperial Gnome Ale
March 18 -  Kilted Gnome Scottish Ale
March 25-  Dunkle Weise

These ales are brewed in very small batches so there is a limited supply. We tap them on Friday afternoons and fill growlers until it's gone!

Heinzelmannchen Brewery, Inc is located at 545 Mill Street in beautiful Downtown Sylva, NC.

Not your Grandma's Library - this one's Jammin'!

To say :the "Joint is Jumpin" is to describe the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City NC. Especially on Thursday nights with the Community Music Jam.  Fortunately for the locals and visitors alike, the Jams are held year around with the next one coming up this Thursday.

All toes are "tappin" in the Library's auditorium from 6 PM - 7:30 PM as anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer - anything unplugged - join in. Singers are also welcomed along with those who just want to listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City, and offers a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they know well or learn new mountain songs.

Marianna Black Library is located in Downtown Bryson City at the corner of Academy and Rector. For more information or driving directions call the library at (828) 488-3030. This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art.