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

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Labor Day Weekend Event: Annual Mile High Kite Festival

September 4 9th Beech Mountain Annual Mile High Kite Festival Family fun all day with Vendors and big kite demonstrations, music and contests for the best decorated, smallest and largest kites. Large kites will be on display from kite clubs.

Kite-flying demonstrations are given by the Richmond (Virginia) Air Force Kite Club and the Wings Across Carolina Kiting and Okra Society of Charlotte. Children of all ages are invited to fly their own kites. The first 200 children receive free kites to decorate and fly. Visitors can buy kites at the event or bring their own. Clinics on building and decorating. Beech Mountain NC.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Labor Day Weekend Mountain Music

Begin your Labor Day weekend on a happy note by attending one of the many music events or concerts throughout the western North Carolina Mountains over the Labor Day Weekend:

Aug 31 - Sept 5    CANTON NC Canton Labor Day Celebration Crafters and lots of food vendors, rides, and live entertainment all day, all Labor Day weekend from Saturday through Monday

Sept 2   TYRON NC Summer Tracks: Firecracker Jazz Band. 7 PM - 10 PM The concert is free, however, a voluntary donation at the gate is encouraged. Giardinis wood fired pizzas, water and soft drinks will be for sale.

Sept 2 -3   LAKE JUNALUSKA NC Annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center, will offer two nights of the finest traditional music and dance of the Southern Appalachian Region.

Sept 2 -3   LAKE JUNALUSKA NC Annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center, will offer two nights of the finest traditional music and dance of the Southern Appalachian Region.

Sept 3    GALAX (N of SPARTA) NC Blue Ridge Music Center: Next Generation Youth Concert - Three of the hottest youth bluegrass bands: The Snyder Family Band, Loose Strings and Adam McPeak and Mountain Thunder will perform. The concert begins at 7 PM and seating opens at 5:30 PM for picnics and socializing.

Sept 3    ASHEVILLE NC Biltmore concert series: Styx Enjoy a variety of live performances at Biltmore from July through October held on the South Terrace and the Diana at Biltmore. Dining options available.

Sept 3 ASHEVILLE NC Shindig on the Green A joyously spontaneous celebration of traditional and old-time string bands, ballad singers, storytellers, big circle mountain dancers and cloggers. Stage show and informal jam sessions.

Sept 3    BEECH MOUNTAIN NC Dancing in the Streets at Town Hall Three street dances will be held for the Summer of2011 with a DJ playing music for all ages from the 1940s and up. Dancing is on a sanded surface at a cool elevation of 5065 feet in the mountains, so bring a jacket.

Sept 3    BEECH MOUNTAIN NC Dancing in the Streets at Town Hall Three street dances will be held for the Summer of2011 with a DJ playing music for all ages from the 1940s and up. Dancing is on a sanded surface at a cool elevation of 5065 feet in the mountains, so bring a jacket.

Sept 3-4    FRANKLIN NC Inspirations Labor Day Festival Southern Gospel singing with The Inspirations, The Primitive Quartet, The McKameys and other groups performing old-timey gospel music.

Sept 4   WEST JEFFERSON NC Annual New River Blues Festival A legendary day of music on the banks of the pristine New River, there is a day devoted to world-class blues. The setting is wonderfully scenic and hundreds of blues fans dance in the green grass to the music of living legends. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, the kids, umbrellas (rain or shine). Food, mixed & soft drinks, beer and wine available for purchase.

Sept 4 BLOWING ROCK NC Mountain Home Music Series: A Labor Day Celebration: The Mountain Home Bluegrass Boys - Now in its 18th year, this music series is dedicated to the proposition that, in the words of founder Joe Shannon, "our local music here is as good as any in the world."

Sept 4 - 6    FLAT ROCK NC Flat Rock Playhouse Music on the Rock The Greatest Hits of Journey and Air Supply. Summer Music on the Rock Concerts offer audiences a variety of music of well-known artists performed by exceptional singers and musicians.

Sept 5 ASHEVILLE NC - FREE Labor Day Concert in Pack Square - Asheville Symphony Orchestra performs a fee concert from 7 PM - 10 PM. Bring a lawn chair for free lawn seating or VIP and reserved seating available for purchase. Pack Square is in the center of downtown Asheville. Four AIR restaurants will be preparing gourmet fare available to purchase in the park, as well as wine and Highland Brewery beer after 5:00 PM.

Sept 5 MARION NC Marion Labor Lady Concert Annual Concert at the Historic Marion Depot on the lawn. Bring chair or a blanket and enjoy. In case of rain, the concert will be inside the depot.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Labor Day Weekend Event: Transylvania County's 150th Birthday Bash

September 3 from 10 AM - 5 PM Brevard NC hosts Transylvania County's 150th Birthday Bash. Enjoy a variety of fun-filled activities and live music. Get FREE birthday cake, ice cream, popcorn, and lemonade!

At Brevard College (soccer fields) there will be children's activities from 5:30-6:15pm, free music from local bands at 6:15pm, an evening concert with Edwin McCain from 7:00-8:30pm followed by a spectacular multimedia fireworks show at 9:00pm.

Mountain Spirits: Wine and Beer Labor Day Week, September 1

In a proclamation praising North Carolina’s wine and grape industry, Gov. Bev Perdue has declared September 2011 as Wine Appreciation Month in North Carolina. Governor Perdue urges consumers, restaurants and retailers to help support our growing wine industry by promoting North Carolina wines throughout September. So come on by for a visit as we celebrate Wine Appreciate Month!

September 2, Heinzelmannchen Brewery, 545 Mill Street, Sylva NC - Food & Beer Pairing. In honor of Oktoberfest we've invited Trillium Farms Natural Pork to share their DEEEElicious bratwurst paired with Heinzelmannchen Ales. Tammara & Darryl will have their pork for sale this evening, so bring checks or cash to take home some locally grown pork!

September 2, 4 PM - 7 PM LaBouteille, 10 N Trade St, Suite A Tyon NC - Complimentary Wine Tastings every Friday. The last Saturday of each month 3-5 pm is a 10 beers for $10 beer tasting. Bring a dish of food to share.

September, 2, 4 Pm - 7 PM Hops and Vines, 797 Haywood Rd, Ste 100 in Asheville NC. Southern Tier Brewing: In operation since late 2002, Southern Tier Brewing Company of Lakewood, New York, has grown to produce over 30,000 barrels of beer annually. The hand crafted ales are now available in more than half of the United States, as well as parts of Australia, Denmark, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Ontario, British Columbia, and the United Kingdom. 2X IPA, Harvest Ale, Un*Earthly, plus a repeat of last week's Alex's Black Ace IPA - while it lasts. Sept 3, 3 PM - 6 PM Free Wine Tasting: Sustainably Farmed Santa Julia Wines from Mendoza, Argentina. Santa Julia Torrontes 2010, Santa Julia Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2009.

September 2, 5 PM - 7 PM at Table Wine, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Suite 102, AAA Travel Center in Asheville NC. Friday Winedown - The Wines of Bodegas Gratia, With Special Guest Eric Scheffer. Three Wines That Will Make Your Head Spin - $5 per person, free to Grapenuts. Sept 3, 2 PM - 5 PM - Free wine tasting of 4 new wines PLUS fresh organic veggies(until 3:30) at Table Wine every Saturday.

Sept 2, 7 PM - 10 PM at The Classic Wineseller, 30 church Street, Waynesville NC. Friday Night Live, tonight with Lorraine Connard, Chris Minnick. Waynesville's new outdoor music venue.

September 2, 6 PM - 8 PM, at Divine Wine, 1011 Tunnel Road East Asheville NC . Friday Wine Tastings - complimentary tastes of special wines and beer, along with an assortment of hors d’oeuvres. Each week we celebrate with a different theme and a few surprises.

September 3, 3 PM - 7 PM at Appalachian Vintner, 2-B Huntsman Place in Asheville NC - Cara Freije of Wisdom Beverage will be representing the Dalla Terra portfolio. Dalla Terre only imports small family owned estates from Italy, that have a strong emphasis on sustainability. All of these wines are pure expressions from the land that they were farmed. INAMA Soave Classico- 100% hand picked Garganega from 30+ year old vines; Coltibuono Cetamura Chianti- The thousand-year-old “abbey of good culture” has belonged to the Giuntini family, now Stucchi Prinetti, since 1846; Li Veli Primonero- Primitivo 50% - Negroamaro 50%. In 1999 the Falvo family bought a 128-acre property in the area of Salice Salentino, heart of the Salento region.

September 3 RagApple Lassie, 3724 Ragapple Lassie Lane Boonville NC - Traditional 'end of summer' Hurrah. Harvesting this week and some "liquid gold", aka fresh pressed, unfermented juice,may be available to sample. There will be twelve kinds of wines for your tasting pleasure, including the new 2008 vintage of Syrah, the signature Sangria for sipping, and live music by MOOD SWINGZ, everybody's favorite duo, and lunch in the Back Door Café!

September 4 , noon - 4 PM, Sanders Ridge, 3200 Round Hill Rd, Boonville, NC -Yadkin River Wine Trail Mini Festival includes 5 wineries, food by Chef Starr & music by Dell Guthrie. Picnic lunch available for $10 includes: Pulled Pork Sliders, Ginger Apple Coleslaw, Sweet Potato Fries, a Cookie, and lemonade.

September 3, 5 PM - 8 PM at Round Peak Vineyard, 765 Round Peak Church Road, Mount Airy NC. EVERY Saturday from June through August, Round Peak is open until sunset and will have live music. This week: Mood SwingZ. Bring a picnic and your own meat; our grills will always be fired up. Stay and relax with a bottle of wine and watch the sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

September 3, 2 PM - 5 PM The Wine Guy, 555 Merimon Ave and 1200 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville NC. FREE Saturday tastings are a great way to sample new favorites in a casual setting. Every week we sample 4 to 6 new wines. Light hors d’ oeuvres will be served and all wines poured will be specially priced.

September 3, 12 PM - 5 PM at Vino Vino Wine Market, 178 Weaverville Rd., Asheville NC. Every Saturday anytime between 12:00 and 5:00pm enjoy a sampling of wines from around the world. A 10% discount on each of the wines we are featuring.

Tasting Rooms:

Old North State Winery, 308 North Main Street, Mount Airy NC. Hours of operation are: Monday-Wednesday 11am-6pm, Thursday-Saturday 11am-9pm, and Sunday 12pm-6pm. Sample wines and browse the gift shop featuring wine related and gourmet gift items.

RagApple Lassie, 3724 Ragapple Lassie Lane Boonville NC Tours are "on demand" noon to six PM daily. Tastings are available noon to six PM daily and include up to 11 varieties of wine.

Calaboose Cellars, 565 Aquone Road, Andrews NC. Tasting room summer hours: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Noon to 5:00. This week check out the "Warden's White".

Daily Tastings at Wedge Brewing Company, 125 B Roberts St. Asheville NC. Micro-brewery regular Tasting room hours: Monday - Thursday 4 PM - 10+ PM; Friday 3 PM - 10+ PM; Saturday and Sunday 2 PM - 10+ PM.

Daily Tastings at Greenman Brewery, 23 Buxton Ave., Asheville NC. The tasting room is open seven days a week at 4 o'clock, or maybe earlier

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.