Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.
The Asheville Art Museum is entering a new chapter. When organizations are healthy and strong, they can look to the future. Therefore, the Museum is focusing on what steps it should take to better serve our community. One recent stride was the addition of an Online Collection database to our website. Since its launch in October, more than 1,500 searchable objects have been digitized and uploaded out of our growing Collection of 7,500-plus artworks. The goal is to enable interested patrons, scholars, curators, artists, and educators worldwide to learn about the Museum’s holdings, whether they are on view or not, and to make the Collection accessible to more of the general community from the comfort of their homes. We know virtual learning is here to stay, and families and students of all ages can use the database for exploration and learning from anywhere with an internet connection! Christopher Whitten, associate registrar for the Museum, speaks more about the project:
“I think there’s this constant wonder among patrons about what is in the vault or behind doors. The online database allows us to share a significant portion of the Collection on a global scale. Often, there are inquiries by researchers into which artists we have. Others ask about potential gifting of more artworks by a current artist, or even by a new artist that would be a good fit within the Collection. The Online Collection gives a new, deeper Museum experience to visitors. With three-dimension artworks, we’re able to feature more than one view, allowing visitors to see the objects from multiple angles.
“For many of the artists, we’ve included updated biographies, including where they were educated and/or taught. Keywords help visitors find artworks associated with a certain subject. For example, when one types in the word dog, it will pull artworks not only with the word in their titles, but also ones in which the descriptive field mentions the word dog.
“Another great thing about clicking on an object record is getting to know its dimensions—information that’s not included on museum labels. Families and donors can search and find out what items were gifted to the Museum, and by whom. Our goal is to have the entire Collection accessible online soon. We’ll be adding large groups of objects every quarter, with the next round starting in January.”
Thanks to supporters like you, the Museum can provide programs that facilitate and sustain meaningful relationships. A gift to the Annual Fund ensures the Museum continues to engage artists, educators, and other experts in programs that broaden and deepen our understanding of art, ourselves, and our communities.
Help us continue to support Asheville’s deeply rooted arts community by making a tax-deductible gift to the Museum’s Annual Fund today, either by visiting ashevilleart.org/donate or calling 828.253.3227 x117.
We deeply appreciate your dedication to the Museum and to keeping the arts vibrant in Western North Carolina. Because of your continued support, we can share the transformative power of art with our regional community and beyond.
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From 11/15 – 12/31, we’re offering a Holiday Special on our subscriptions! Get tickets at a discounted price, AND get a free ticket voucher for our next play, Native Gardens! Check our website on 11/15 to purchase this limited-time deal!
This December through January, the Asheville Gallery of Art presents our annual group exhibition with over 20 local artists participating. This year’s theme is titled “Winter Magic”. The opening reception will be held on Friday, December 2nd from 5-8pm.
Compared to the showy colors of autumn, winter can be seen as a drab time of year, but from an artist’s viewpoint, it is a time of magic. Picture the soft, subtle light of winter, casting reflections and shadows of peach, amber, cerulean, and violet; the dazzling brightness of snow across a landscape; the quiet, peaceful, stillness of a walk along a snowy forest path; the awe inspiring sight of snowcapped mountains; or the joy of winter holidays filled with light and love and hope. These subjects and more form the inspiration for our upcoming exhibition. Here you will find an array of paintings that will warm your heart and carry you through the cold winter months.
Visit us from December 1st through January 31st and let the Asheville Gallery of Art artists take you on a journey into the magic of winter.
Decorating Your Windows for the Holiday Season? Join the Holiday Windows Walking Tour. Plus Share Holiday Happenings
Downtown businesses: Are you decorating your windows for the Holiday Season? Be sure to let us know and we will include you on our Holiday Windows Walking Tour. This is a self-guided tour for people to follow as the stroll Downtown Asheville throughout the holidays.
Also, are you have a holiday sale, event or promotion? We’re happy to share through our social media, newsletters and press releases.
Merchants all over Henderson County vie for the honor of best holiday window displays and lighting, Take a drive around the county then vote for your favorite store front online, All displays will be available to view by November 26, but voting is only open December 6 – 17, Find the list of participants and information for online voting.
the City of Hendersonville will begin their fall bulk leaf collection service for City residents. Bulk leaf collection will continue throughout the fall season and conclude on December 30.
During bulk leaf collection, City residents should pile loose leaves as close to the street, curb, or sidewalk as possible without placing the leaves in the roadway or on the sidewalk. Leaves should not be bagged by City of Hendersonville residents.
Residents can help prevent safety hazards by keeping leaf piles out of the sidewalks. Obstructed sidewalks may force people to walk into the street and pose a danger for pedestrians and motorists. Keeping leaf piles out of the roadways and sidewalks also helps prevent debris from being washed into the storm drains which can cause flooding.
The bulk leaf collection process is separate from brush collection crews; therefore, residents will need to keep their brush and leaves in separate piles until bulk leaf collection has concluded at the end of the year. Leaf piles should be free of tree limbs or other objects that may damage collection equipment. Spring bulk leaf collection typically occurs during the month of March.
It is not necessary for the public to contact Public Works with leaf pick-up requests as this service is automatically provided to City residents. Leaf piles are picked up from homes every ten to fourteen days but, depending on the volume of leaves placed out for collection, the piles could be picked up sooner or later than that time frame.
Homeowners all over Henderson County vie for the honor of having the best holiday decorations, as voted on by you. You are invited to take a drive around the county to look at all the festive holiday displays and then vote online for your favorite. An interactive online Google map with all locations and a printable PDF will be available by Nov. 25, 2022.
Printed copies of maps will also be at the Hendersonville Welcome Center at that time. Online voting opens in December.
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| The fall season is a time when many of us gather with our friends, families and loved ones for a variety of holidays and seasonal festivities. Often, these celebrations center around food, making it out of reach for so many people struggling to afford groceries, especially this year, with rising food costs making even a holiday turkey a distant luxury. Right now, MANNA and our partner network are still serving 68% more people than before the pandemic – many who are needing a hand for the first time. |
Now more than ever, MANNA FoodBank is dedicated to filling as many holiday tables as possible, and you can help us give thousands of households the gift of a holiday, of one less struggle, and a helping of hope. Please join our Virtual Turkey Drive – where we can stretch your donation further to get turkeys, hams, and holiday foods of all kinds for our neighbors across 16 western North Carolina counties. Together, we can make the holidays happen for the people who live and work right here at home, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. |
Adventure is what we do.
Nantahala Outdoor Center has a long history of venturing where many haven’t, pioneering new adventures, and bringing opportunities to experience the outdoors to millions of guests over five decades. Our International Adventure Tours offer unique destinations, exciting adventures and activities, experienced guides, and world-class hospitality. These all-inclusive, small group excursions will redefine how you travel. Experience some of the most breathtaking places in the world without feeling like a tourist.
If your idea of fun is a rafting trip on the Chilko, a quiet lake paddle in Argentina, surf lessons in Ecuador, or trekking in Iceland, our trips have something for every adventure and skill level. Enjoy kayaking, hiking, fishing, horseback riding, yoga, surfing, ziplining, wine tastings, or cultural experiences, along with the flexibility to customize your own adventure. Settle in after your travels in some of the most unique accommodations in the world; from cozy lodges and five star resorts, with local cuisine and tastings, every detail is meticulously planned so you can soak up every moment.
We hope these guided, off-the-beaten-path expeditions will foster the same spirit of adventure we encourage in our Southeastern locations, while giving you the opportunity to explore beyond your own backyard.
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We have officially announced our new 2023 Adventure travel trips for you to explore new destinations, try new adventures, and experience new cultures! Our trips are small groups, offer world-class hospitality, unique lodging and the most diverse activity options for you to try! We’re giving “revenge travel” new meaning. |
Oral History Resources
Why Oral History?
“You don’t have to be famous for your life to be history.” -Nell Sigmon
The words above serve as the unofficial motto of the Southern Oral History Program, a project that has inspired and guided the development of Buncombe County Public Libraries’ oral history collecting initiatives.
History doesn’t just live in public records, letters, maps, or photographs. Many people aren’t well-represented in documented history, especially those that have been historically excluded from power or property.
Oral histories gives people the opportunity to tell their stories in their own words and allow their voices to endure through times. Oral histories fill in the gaps of the historical record, and deepen our comprehension of the past and present by showing us how lives are experienced on an individual level.
Through conducting, facilitating, and collecting oral histories, we hope to help bond generations, build understanding, and strengthen community.
Oral History Backpack Loan Program
You can now check out an oral history backpack from Buncombe County Public Libraries!
Call your local library or 828-250-4740 to request a backpack. You will receive a phone call when the backpack is ready to be picked up. There is no cost to borrow a backpack!
Your oral history backpack will include everything you need (and more) to record a successful oral history interview, and (if you choose) to donate the recording to a collection where it can be made available to the public and preserved for future generations. Donating your oral history recording is not a requirement of checking out a backpack. Accepted donations must meet specific donation conditions and criteria; see “Donating Oral History Recordings” below.
Borrowing Rules and Procedures
- Only one backpack may be checked out per household at a time.
- Borrowers must be 18 years or older, with a Buncombe County library card in good standing.
- The loan period is four weeks.
- Backpacks can be picked up at any Buncombe County library.
- Backpacks must be returned during normal library operating hours, either inside or using curbside service. NO OUTSIDE DROP BOX returns.
- Files must be saved by the borrower before returning. All data on returned devices will be deleted and may not be recovered.
- Backpacks will be considered lost when 10 days overdue. The charge for lost items is: voice recorder $100; backpack $30; headphones $20; microSD card, adapters, windscreen, or hard-shell cases $10 each.
Forms and Documents
For borrowers:
- Borrower Agreement (must be signed when checking out a backpack)
- Oral History Manual (includes list of backpack inventory, guidelines, and basic tech guide)
- Video Instructions [COMING SOON]
- Oral History Question Cards (ideas to get you started)
- H1n Handy Recorder Quick Start Guide & Safety Manual
- H1n Handy Recorder Complete Operation Manual
Downtown Hendersonville
Peppermint Bear takes you on a fun-filled bear hunt in downtown Hendersonville in search of her lost cubs. Hint: the cubs are hiding in downtown businesses.
Once you have found a lost cub in at least 12 of 26 participating businesses and the shopkeeper has punched your brochure, you are eligible to win scavenger hunt prizes. Complete the entry form in the brochure and drop it in Peppermint’s mailbox in front of the Welcome Center, by Dec. 23.
For more details about the Scavenger Hunt, watch this video or stop by the Welcome Center at 201 South Main Street. Peppermint Bear Scavenger Hunt brochures are available at the Hendersonville Welcome Center.
Opioid Settlement Fund Buncombe County is set to receive $16 million over a period of 18 years through the Opioid Litigation Settlement. Communities can use these dollars to help attain outcomes for residents through treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and other life-saving programs and services. Pharmaceutical companies have also agreed to certain steps that limit the distribution and sale of opioids. For more information, including North Carolina’s opioid settlement dashboard, go to https://ncopioidsettlement.org.
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Remote Tropical |
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Uncrowded point breaks, warm water, predictable waves, friendly locals, great food and drink…this is a real surfer’s paradise! Join us on a surf safari in the Ecuadorian town of Mompiche. Great waves and a multitude of other activities from surf lessons, SUP, horseback riding, massages and more, enjoy it all from your ocean front home away from home! |
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Registration is ongoing through the year. Get new updates and access all previous entries in a convenient online library.
The Curator’s Journal by Bonsai Curator Arthur Joura is a year-long course offering the ultimate insider’s view of bonsai at The North Carolina Arboretum. Regular entries chronicle growing an art and growing an enterprise. Some journal entries will be long and others more brief; some will be mostly words and others mostly pictures; some will be close-up studies of detail and others will step back to take in the wider scene. The path will not be linear, but all the entries will be steps along a journey.
You’re invited to come along.
Ready the hot cocoa and pull out your decorations; it’s time for another holiday season. As you begin your holiday preparation traditions, remember to visit the Buncombe County Wish Trees! This year we are offering two opportunities to spread cheer throughout the community:
Each year children in foster care and young adults participating in Extended Foster Care in Buncombe County submit a list of wishes they would like for the holidays. Signing up to sponsor a child or young adult is easy! Just follow the link below and select the child or young adult you would like to sponsor. After signing up, you will receive email confirmation that provides a copy of the wish list and all the instructions for drop off. We are taking extra precautions due to COVID-19 so be sure to read the follow up email in its entirety.
[email protected]
(828) 250-5824
There are a lot of Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities in Buncombe County in need of connection this holiday season. Show a Older Adult and or Adult with Disabilities how much you care by sponsoring them this holiday season. Signing up to sponsor a Older Adult and or Adult with Disabilities is easy. Just follow the link below, select the Older Adult and or Adult with Disabilities you would like to sponsor, and check your email for confirmation, a reminder of what your Older Adult and or Adult with Disabilities would like this holiday season, and drop off instructions. We are taking extra precautions due to COVID-19 so be sure to read the follow up email in its entirety.
CLICK HERE TO SPONSOR AN OLDER ADULT OR AN ADULT WITH DISABILITIES
The holidays can be hard for a lot of people, children in foster care, older adults, and adults with disabilities in particular. Holidays are a time when family and friends gather together, show support for one another, and shower each other with love, kindness, and generosity. Each year, we have an opportunity to deliver the holiday spirit to children in foster care, older adults, and adults with disabilities through our wish tree gift drives. The expressions of joy and excitement on our clients faces as we deliver their gifts reminds us of the true meaning of the holiday season, connection. Yes, the gifts are nice. But the real gift is knowing that someone loves and cares. That is what we deliver to our clients. Thank you in advance for your generous sponsorship.
Join us for a relaxing ride through quiet countryside on your way to small town life in western North Carolina on the Tuckasegee River Excursion. Departing from Bryson City, this 4 hour excursion travels 32 miles round-trip to Dillsboro and back to the Bryson City Depot. Pass by the famous movie set of The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford!
The Tuckasegee (tuck-uh-SEE-jee) River Excursion includes an 1 hour and 20 minute layover in the historic town of Dillsboro, where you’ll find more than 50 shops, restaurants, a brewery, and country inns. There is time to shop, snack, and visit the many unique shops before returning to Bryson City.
Our Virtual Angel tree is up for this holiday season. This gift tree provides our broader YWCA community a path to join us as we aim to support our program participants and their families with a holiday season full of love and support.
If you would like to adopt a family this holiday season please click here or email Taleese Morrill in our Programs team to get the details of how you can fulfill a family’s holiday wish.
If you prefer please select a gift from our Amazon wish list by December 1st, 2022. Gifts from the list will be mailed directly to our building and will be sorted and distributed by our YWCA elves. All items on the list have been selected by the families and are items they are wishing for or are in need of this holiday season.
All gifts must be ordered by December 1.
MotherLove
YWCA’s MotherLove program supports pregnant and parenting teens throughout Buncombe County. Our goals are to help young parents to stay in school and graduate, access higher education and vocational training, develop the skills and knowledge needed to become strong parents, and delay another teen pregnancy.
Getting Ahead In a Just Getting By World
YWCA’s Getting Ahead program aims to provide financial empowerment for low-income women of all ages and backgrounds to make choices that positively impact themselves, their families, and their community.
Early Learning Program
YWCA’s Early Learning Program provides 5-star childcare for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Our experienced and compassionate teachers not only provide exceptional care for little ones, but also prepare young children to succeed cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. We prioritize families using childcare vouchers or caring for children in the foster care system.
Empowerment Childcare
The YWCA provides up to 12 hours of free childcare per week for parents who are in transition, continuing their education, accessing social services, or looking for employment. ECC works closely with the Family Justice Center, Buncombe County Health and Human Services, A-B Tech, Green Opportunities, and Mary Benson House.
Bari’s always been a bit of an angry, depressed misanthrope and losing her job teaching nihilism in New York to work at the local fulfillment center in her rural hometown has sent her into despair. But lately her recurring headaches manifest bizarre, ecstatic, almost religious experiences, and they’re changing her entire view of life. She’s in love. She’s almost… happy. When she finds out they’re also killing her, she must decide whether it’s better to live a short, joyful life, or risk a lifetime of unhappiness. Explore the immense joy and sorrow that come with being alive in this quirky, unexpected romantic comedy at Asheville’s only professional theatre.
Discretionary Warning: Mature Language and Content
COVID protocol: masks required in the theatre space
Immerse yourself in a Winter Wonderland with Santa and his elves and of course, Santa’s reindeer at Carolina Ace Hardware. Bring the whole family and take your Christmas pictures in the magical Christmas display in the Garden Center. Free to the public. Bring your cameras.
The WNC Farmers Market is the premier destination for buying and selling the region’s best agriculture products directly from farmers & food producers to household & wholesale customers in an environment that celebrates the region’s diverse culture, food & heritage.
House of Operation:
WNC Farmers Market: 24/7, 361 days a year market access for farmers
Office: Monday- Friday, 8am-5pm
Market Shops: 7 days a week, 8 am-5 pm
Wholesale and Truck Sheds: 7 days a week
The public is invited to learn more about the Pack Square Plaza Visioning Project and to provide input that helps create a shared vision for the future of the area.
The public is invited to help shape the future of Western North Carolina’s most central civic space by attending one or more special engagement events for the Pack Square Plaza Visioning project in December.
Getting there: Parking in the College Street Garage will be validated if you bring your ticket to the meeting. Transit routes 170, S2, WE1 and WE2 stop within one block of this location. Bicycle Parking is available outside the Pack Square Pavilion, City Hall, and throughout the park.
Join us for a two day hand made craft extravaganza! Our talented volunteers (Elves) have been busy creating unique holiday decor perfect for holiday gifts or to treat yourself.
Our Mission Statement: Promote the Independence, dignity, and well-being of adults through service, education, and advocacy
We are looking for volunteers to work with low-income Medicare recipients as an unbiased, knowledgeable guide, providing education and assistance with navigating through the application process to help them receive much-needed assistance with the following programs:
The safety of our clients is our highest priority. Here’s what’s required for this role:
Additionally, we are very flexible and will work with your schedule.
Who would make a strong candidate for this volunteer role?
If you want to help make a difference in the lives of real people right here in western North Carolina, we would love to welcome you on board as a volunteer.
American Novelist Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938)
Considered by many to be one of the giants of 20th-century American literature, Thomas Wolfe immortalized his childhood home in his epic autobiographical novel, Look Homeward, Angel. Wolfe’s colorful portrayal of his family, his hometown of “Altamont” Asheville, North Carolina, and “Dixieland” the Old Kentucky Home boardinghouse, earned the Victorian period house a place as one of American literature’s most famous landmarks.
Adult – $5.00
Student (ages 7-17) – $2.00
Adult Group (10+) – $2.50 each
Student Group – $2.00 each
6 & under – Free
BRN Elective – Wildlife, 3 hours | NCEE Criteria II
All ducks do not look the same! This field trip will take us to several of the area’s better sites for identifying ducks and other waterfowl. Winter is by far the best time of the year for viewing waterfowl in the mountains, and many of the birds should be in full color in anticipation of the upcoming breeding season. Males are the easiest to identify, but the class will spend time deciphering the cryptic plumages of those look-alike females as well. We will also examine their structure, biology and improve our identification skills. Species seen will vary with the day and the location, but we hope to see some of the following: Wood Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Canada Goose, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Ring-necked Duck, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, and Ruddy Duck. Local rarities have included: Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, and Snow, Ross’s and Greater White-fronted Geese. Meeting location will be sent upon registration. Participants should wear weather-appropriate clothing for a day in the outdoors.
Originally from Suffolk, England, Simon Thompson has lived in North Carolina for over 20 years. Prior to moving to the US he lived in Lebanon, Kenya, Yemen, and Ghana, where his interest in birds and natural history began. In addition to traveling extensively in the United States, Simon spent six months in China studying the crane and bird of prey migration as a member of the British “China Crane Watch” expedition. As owner and operator of Ventures Birding Tours, Simon has led many birding trips all over the world.
Registration and Participation in In-Person Classes through the Arboretum:
*Please add [email protected] to your contacts to ensure our emails do not end up in your spam folder.
For the second consecutive year, Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville (HCCA) and Grateful Bread will team up to host a Winter Coat Drive to benefit our local community. Guests, community members, and more are encouraged to bring their lightly used and recently cleaned jackets, coats, and related winter apparel to the HCCA Box Office during business hours (Tuesday-Friday, 10a-4p) or during active event times until December 22nd. Grateful Bread will also be hosting a special pop up coat drive event on December 10th in front of the venue for the Christmas Jam.
Each tree, uniquely decorated around the theme: A Black Mountain Christmas, will be created by businesses, organizations, or individuals to help raise funds for the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry Fuel Fund. Come join us! Share in the Christmas spirit and support your favorite tree by donating with cash, check, or on-line at svcmblackmountain.org.
