Calendar of Events

Experience everyone’s favorite train like never before as Thomas the Tank Engine chugs his way through the NC Mountains. Children can meet and take pictures with Sir Topham Hatt, listen to Thomas and Friends storytelling, and enjoy activities in the Imagination Station.

Experience everyone’s favorite train like never before as Thomas the Tank Engine chugs his way through the NC Mountains. Children can meet and take pictures with Sir Topham Hatt, listen to Thomas and Friends storytelling, and enjoy activities in the Imagination Station.

Experience everyone’s favorite train like never before as Thomas the Tank Engine chugs his way through the NC Mountains. Children can meet and take pictures with Sir Topham Hatt, listen to Thomas and Friends storytelling, and enjoy activities in the Imagination Station.

Do you love cars? If so, then join us at Asheville Outlets (ShopAshevilleOutlets.com) for Cruise ‘In, a monthly car show featuring an exciting display of cars, trucks, motorcycles and special interest vehicles behind the Food Court on Sundays, May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20 and November 17, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Cruise ‘In is free to car owners and spectators.

Live music, food, and family fun! Join us on July 5th for Hearts Gone South, Asheville’s hony tonk darlin’s!

Hearts Gone South plays original classic-style country and honky tonk full of heart and soul, laced with wit and woe.

Hearts Gone South’s sound has been described as “ the sweet spot between vintage country and modern production values — that make the band’s original tunes sound and feel warmly familiar.” – Bill Kopp, author, music journalist, historian, collector, and musician.

Led by vocalist Tricia Tripp, this cast and crew of all star players (JP Parsons,-tele, Casey Saulpaugh – pedal steel, Scott Thomas- drums, and Landon George- bass) bring fire and feeling to the age-old stories of heartbreak, love, and victory for the underdog. From tear-soaked ballads, to heartfelt dance tunes, to twangy barn burners, Hearts Gone South shoots straight from the hip with impassioned vocals, a tight rhythm section, and smoking leads, to hit their target dead on.

A band rooted in a love of old country, and branching out into their own firebrand of the genre, Hearts Gone South will win your heart over with their original country, shining like diamonds in a rhinestone world.

This tour stays centrally focused around the farm store, visits with the baby animals, and provides an in-depth history of the farm and family. This tour is great for limited mobility guests, those with young children, and anyone who is interested in the historical side of HNG.

Experience firsthand how food is grown and raised in the Southern Appalachian Mountains! Choose from over 20 WNC family farms to visit and encounter the sights, tastes, and stories of working farms through guided tours, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. The tour is family-friendly and a wonderful summer adventure for visitors of all ages and interests. Learn more and purchase your tour pass at asapconnections.org.

Wrenegade Sports is very excited to announce another brand new event for 2019: Farm to Fork Fondo – Asheville on June 29 & 30, 2019 in the picturesque foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview, NC!
An organized bicycle ride where you get to choose the distance best for you and stop for chef-prepared bites at farms along the way.

All activities at Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Rd. NC 28730

SATURDAY JUNE 29, 2019
• 4 to 6:30pm Packet pickup at Hickory Nut Gap Farm
• 6:30pm Meet the Farmers Dinner (tickets required)

SUNDAY JUNE 30, 2019
• 6:30 to 7:45am Packet Pickup Forto Coffee Station, and Bicycle Tune-Up Station open
• 8am Farm to Fork Fondo (Piccolo, Medio and Gran) departs (pre-registration required)
• 10:30am Ramble Ride departs
• 11:30am to 6pm Post-Ride Farm to Fork Barbecue (tickets required)
• 1 to 5pm Live music
• 5pm Volunteer Competition Awards Ceremony

Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to see some of our area’s most inspirational, diverse and beautiful private gardens!

On June 29, 2019 the Garden Club of Weaverville presents the Weaverville Gardens Galore Tour, which will feature seven private gardens and the Weaverville Main Street Nature Park. This self-guided tour opens at 10AM and closes at 4PM. The themed gardens on the tour include an English Cottage Garden, Laughing Crow Ornamental Garden, Whimsical Fantasy Garden, Stone Fire Pit and Garden, Urban Food Garden, Kaleidoscope Garden and a Meandering Mediterranean Garden.

Visit the Garden Club website to view a Tour flier, descriptions of the gardens on the tour, & to pre-reserve a ticket (optional): https://gardenclubofweaverville.org/

Tickets and a Tour map for this fundraising event are available on June 29 at the Weaverville Town Parking Lot on Main Street beginning at 9:30AM. Suggested Adult Donation: $20. Supervised children 12 years and under are admitted free.

The Tour proceeds will support the programs, organizations and scholarships sponsored by the Garden Club of Weaverville, a non-profit organization. The Club is committed to providing gardening-related educational programs and promoting beautification and conservation in the Weaverville community.

Start off your 4th of July with a BANG and join us at Asheville Outlets (ShopAshevilleOutlets.com) for a fun, flat and fast 5K at the Asheville Outlets. Choose from the timed 5K run/walk or a 1 mile untimed walk.

Event Schedule:
July 4 – 6:30 a.m. – Race Day Packet Pick-Up and Registration Begins
July 4 – 8:00 a.m. – 5K Adult and Youth Race Begins
July 4 – 8:05 a.m. – 1 Mile Walk Begins
July 4 – 9:00 a.m. – 5K Awards

$5 from every registration will go towards Wounded Warrior Project or Veterans for Peace. To register, visit: https://raceroster.com/events/2019/22665/asheville-independence-day-5k. All runners will receive a drawstring goodie bag courtesy of Asheville Outlets.

Asheville’s Independence Day 5k will get you starting your July 4th with a bang! This is a flat, family friendly course that starts and ends at the Asheville Outlet Mall.

Every Saturday in July the park stays open late, until 9:00 p.m., so you can make more time for family memories. Enjoy evening train and stage shows, rides at dusk, and fun throughout the park.

This tour goes exploring through our 80 acres of working farmland. Head to the top of UFO hill for a spectacular view, walk alongside the creek through forest, see the grazing animals on pasture, and learn about regenerative agriculture. You will get an overview of our farm history but a more in-depth look at our farming practices. We will be traversing over rough terrain, so suitable hiking attire is suggested.

Every Saturday in July the park stays open late, until 9:00 p.m., so you can make more time for family memories. Enjoy evening train and stage shows, rides at dusk, and fun throughout the park.

Summer Cycle is This Saturday!

HOSTED BY: Asheville on Bikes and the event sponsors.

This free, family-friendly event is open to the public and includes easy-to-follow route options for bike riders of all ages and abilities, followed by a celebration at New Belgium Brewing. Summer Cycle is perfect for the new or returning bike rider to get started and meet new friends to ride with in Asheville. Volunteers needed too!

Pick your Summer Cycle route! 

• 2 mile easy River Arts District loop
• 10 mile Main Route that tours the best of the RAD& West Asheville.
• 14 mile Ride More Route that adds an extra loop to the Main Route

Summer Cycle ’19 Schedule:

• 3:00pm – Gather at New Belgium Brewing
• 3:30pm – Kick off with all-ages balance bike loop, then all rides depart
• 4:30pm (ish) – Return to New Belgium Brewing for post-ride celebration.

Participants are asked to have their bicycle in good condition and bring a water bottle, lights, and bike bell. Costumes are encouraged, helmets are required!  There is lots more info at AoB’s Facebook page, where you can RSVP and even VOLUNTEER to help make it happen.

In this free, fun and educational event, you’ll have a chance to learn about the endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel and build nest boxes to aid in its recovery!

Join Defenders and special guest presenter U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist Sue Cameron on Thursday, July 18th to learn about the endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel. Ms. Cameron coordinates efforts to recover the squirrel, and you’ll learn what makes it special and why it is endangered, as well as effective strategies aimed at helping it recover. You’ll also hear from Anna Norton – live and on location at Southern Highlands Reserve – about the unique role the Reserve is playing in the squirrel’s recovery.

Following the presentation, you’ll have the chance to help these critters in the wild by assembling flying squirrel nest boxes that the NC Wildlife Resources Commission will install as part of their monitoring program. Refreshments will also be provided.

Then, join us on Saturday, July 20th for a walkabout along Flat Laurel Creek Trail, Pisgah National Forest, NC. We’ll enjoy this cool, high elevation spruce-fir forest – an endangered ecosystem in our region and home to several other rare species – while we explore what makes this squirrel habitat unique. We’ll also examine previously installed nest boxes in the area for upgrading through the Resource Commission’s programs and a collaborative red spruce restoration project underway.

Sponsored by weilerwoodsforwildlife.com. Nest boxes made possible by deltechomes.com.

Wildlife Workshop: Carolina Northern Flying Squirrels

Thursday, July 18th, 2019, 5:15pm – 7:00pm
Defenders of Wildlife’s Southeast Office
1 Rankin Avenue, 2nd Floor
Asheville, NC 28801

-AND-

Wildlife Walkabout

Saturday, July 20th, 2019, 8:00am – 1:00pm
Flat Laurel Creek Trail, Pisgah National Forest
Route 215
Canton, NC 28716

For more info, contact Tracy at [email protected].

Bicycle and Pedestrian Task Force

Vision: For Asheville to be a community of connected pathways that is healthy, safe and accessible for people of all ages.

Mission: To educate the public about bicycle and pedestrian transportation; to advocate for the development and maintenance of safe, convenient and inter-connected facilities; to promote the benefits of walking and biking for individuals and community health.

Jesse Barry, known for her soulful blues pipes and contagious enthusiasm on stage, began her music career at the tender age of eight years old. Influenced by Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Carole King, Etta James, and Susan Tedeschi, Jesse has created her own, unique blues sound. She is often described as an “old soul” and audiences are stunned by the huge voice that comes out of her small body. Popularly known as “Skinny Legs” from Skinny Legs and All, a band she created as a teenager, Jesse has placed in the Mountain Xpress “Best Of” blues band category three years in a row, and has performed at B.B. King’s Club for the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, and at the Springing the Blues Festival in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Jesse competed on the popular TV show “American Idol” in season 9 and has made a lasting impact on her hometown, Asheville, North Carolina. She has recorded 3 albums with Skinny Legs and All and is currently working with her blues, funk, and soul group Jesse Barry and The Jam, special events band A Social Function, and her new Steely Dan tribute band Dirty Logic.

Join us at Hickory Nut Gap to see Jesse Barry and The Jam perform, eat farm-to-fork food, and prepare to dance!

Every Saturday in July the park stays open late, until 9:00 p.m., so you can make more time for family memories. Enjoy evening train and stage shows, rides at dusk, and fun throughout the park.

Put on your dancing boots and join Friends of the Smokies for the 2nd annual “Smokies Stomp” Barn Party just outside of Asheville, NC. The Smokies Stomp supports projects and programs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park like Parks As Classrooms, which brings thousands of schoolchildren into the Smokies every year. Folks will be treated to a gourmet farm-to-table dinner, live music, drinks, square dancing, and the opportunity to visit with rangers from the National Park Service. So come on out for fun and fundraising at the Smokies Stomp Barn Party!

Do you love cars? If so, then join us at Asheville Outlets (ShopAshevilleOutlets.com) for Cruise ‘In, a monthly car show featuring an exciting display of cars, trucks, motorcycles and special interest vehicles behind the Food Court on Sundays, May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20 and November 17, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Cruise ‘In is free to car owners and spectators.

Discover the beauty of the Appalachia’s both wild and rural. Your day begins with the expansive views of Chimney Rock State Park where your group is welcome to enjoy one of the many leisure or intensive hiking trails on the property. Lunch at the award-winning Old Rock Cafe is included with this package to enjoy at your leisure after 11am. At 2pm, join the park’s animal educators for the Animal Encounter, an interactive experience where you can touch, feel, and learn about the wildlife at the park. After meeting the animals of the wild, your group will drive an easy 20 minutes North up 74A for the evening portion of your day trip.

Starting at 4pm, your evening encounter begins with an in-depth tour of the farm’s history and agricultural model along with a meet-and-greet of our farm animals. Choose our standard top-tier tour or upgrade to a horseback ride for an intimate farm experience. Immediately following the tour, your group will be treated to a plated Farm-to-Fork meal prepared by our expert catering chef including an adult beverage of your choice. Finish the day with engaging conversations and gorgeous long-range views as the sun sets.

Every Saturday in July the park stays open late, until 9:00 p.m., so you can make more time for family memories. Enjoy evening train and stage shows, rides at dusk, and fun throughout the park.

This tour goes exploring through our 80 acres of working farmland. Head to the top of UFO hill for a spectacular view, walk alongside the creek through forest, see the grazing animals on pasture, and learn about regenerative agriculture. You will get an overview of our farm history but a more in-depth look at our farming practices. We will be traversing over rough terrain, so suitable hiking attire is suggested.

Wide trails, mostly good footing through forests of hemlock, beech, and poplar. One fairly steep two-mile climb at the beginning, then six easy stream crossings. Includes parts of Sycamore Cove trail, Grassy Road, Thrift Cove, and Black Mtn. Type: figure 8 loop. Ascent: 1450’. Max elev: 2950’. Avg moving pace: 2.7 mph. Difficulty (1=effortless, 10=hard): 6. Dogs: welcome if well-behaved, subject to area restrictions. Trailhead: Pisgah Ranger Station / Visitors Center, 1600 Pisgah Hwy. Directions from Waffle House to Mills River Ingles (9.7 miles): Left (south) on NC-191 Brevard Rd for 9.4 miles; right on NC-280 Boylston Hwy for 0.3 miles. From Mills River Ingles to the Ranger Station (13.7 miles): Right (south) on NC-280 Boylston Hwy for 12.1 miles. Right on US-276 N for 1.6 miles. Meet in the back lot (first right entering from the south). Est. return to Waffle House: 2:00 p.m. PLEASE DON’T SIGNUP IF YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE DISTANCE, ASCENT, OR PACE. PLEASE UPDATE YOUR RSVP TO “NO” IF YOU SIGNUP, BUT CHANGE YOUR MIND

The Carolina Mountain Meetup Group was founded by the Carolina Mountain Club to access the Meetup platform. As long-standing hiking and trail maintaining club, the mission of the Carolina Mountain Club is • to explore the mountains of Western North Carolina and adjacent regions through its hiking trails and rivers, • to carry out the responsibilities we have been given by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to develop and maintain our assigned section of the Appalachian Trail and to act as its stewards, • to develop and maintain other hiking trails in Western North Carolina as approved by the Club Council, • to encourage the conservation of our natural scenery, • to foster in Club members knowledge and enjoyment of hiking, trail construction and maintenance, and fellowship and enjoyment of the out-of-doors.

Pet policy: Pets are not permitted on regular Carolina Mountain Club hikes. However, they may be permitted on Carolina Mountain Meetup hikes at the leaders discretion only if specifically stated in the hike description.

To view the Carolina Mountain Club website go to: http://www.carolinamountainclub.org/index.cfm/do/home.main