Calendar of Events
Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Pickleball 301 is a four week class for 3.0 to 3.5 level players. All classes are taught by HRC Pickleball Pros.
“Pickleball is the latest racquet sport craze. It combines elements of several racquet sports including: tennis, ping pong and badminton. It intensifies hand coordination and increases volley abilities. ALL WHILE HAVING FUN!” stated Certified Pickleball Professional Cre Still.
All classes are taught by certified pickleball professionals and will be held on HRC’s indoor courts. Limited spots are available so early registration is encouraged. To register or for more info go to www.hvillerc.com or contact 693-0040 or e-mail [email protected].
Hendersonville Racquet Club is a six acre complex that includes 5 dedicated outdoor pickleball courts, 6 outdoor tennis courts, 3 indoor tennis courts, four racquetball courts, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, group fitness room and outdoor leisure area by Shaw’s Creek and pond.
The City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy (C.A.Y.L.A) program is designed for sophomores and juniors who are interested in career exploration, leadership development, and gaining 21st-century job skills to prepare them for their future. C.A.Y.L.A provides young people with an excellent opportunity to work and grow in Asheville while also acquiring valuable work experience that will advance their future careers.
Program Benefits
The program takes place over the summer months, during which the students will become paid interns based on their career interests. Students will have the opportunity to get first-hand experience in their career of choice, network, and build skills and relationships that will aid them as they get ready to begin their college life. Upon completion of the program, students are awarded a $2,000 scholarship to go towards their college education.
Apply Today!
The application period will remain open until January 15, 2024. If you know someone who might be interested in this incredible internship opportunity provided by C.A.Y.L.A, please encourage them to apply.
For questions about the C.A.Y.L.A. program, please contact Promise Boseman at: [email protected]
Growing Minds Farm to School Funding Opportunities
We want to help fund your farm to school project in Western North Carolina! Mini-grants are available for schools to engage children in the following farm to school experiences:
- Local food taste tests & cooking demonstrations
- Incorporating local food into meals or snacks
- Farm field trips or farmer visits to preschools and classrooms
- Growing edible gardens
Funding can be used to start new projects, or to expand upon existing activities.
Pre-k through 12 schools and homeschool groups are eligible to apply. Schools must be located throughout our 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina.
- Smoky Mountains, NC: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain
- Southern Mountains, NC: Henderson, Polk, Transylvania
- Central Mountains, NC: Buncombe, Madison, Yancey
- Foothills, NC: Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Rutherford
- High Country, NC: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes
Growing Minds 2023-24 Farm to School / Preschool Funding
ASAP’s Growing Minds mini-grants help early childhood education (ECE) centers and K-12 schools provide children positive experiences with healthy local foods through these components of farm to school: school gardens, farm field trips and farmer classroom visits, and local foods served in meals, snacks, and/or taste tests.
Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. The amount awarded will be based on availability of funding, number of applicants, and the scope of your project. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding.
Applications are due by: January 31, 2024 or March 29, 2024. Funding will be awarded by the 15th of the following month.
If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year.
Buncombe County students interested in entering the field of conservation, agriculture or another natural resource program can win a $1,000 scholarship from The Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District.
The William Hamilton Memorial Scholarship will provide a student with money to go towards their studies. Eligible students must attend or plan to attend an accredited college or university and must submit a proposal for a volunteer conservation project in Buncombe County.
One winner will be selected by a committee of Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District staff and Supervisors and the funds will be dispersed directly to the institution upon completion of the volunteer project.
Scholarship Timeline:
February 28, 2024 – Deadline to apply
April 11, 2024 – Winning applicant announced
June 30, 2024 – Deadline to complete volunteer project
July 11, 2024 – Presentation to the Board, award dispersed
The winner is also expected to attend a Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District Board meeting to present the results of their project and accept their scholarship.
Find the application below. Completed applications and questions can be sent to [email protected].
The application can also be mailed to:
Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District
Attn: Jen Knight and Rose Wall
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville NC, 28806
Do you need a little inspiration to get moving after the holiday season? Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is proud to announce our 4th annual Winter Hiking Challenge to get folks out and about – no matter your background or ability this is a project designed to get folks outside to enjoy the great outdoors!
The 2024 Winter Hiking Challenge sets a goal of 60 miles in 60 days, to be completed in your own time and at your own speed. Those can be miles you’ve walked, run or hiked – in your neighborhood, around the block, up a rugged mountain trail, or through the forest. Whatever works for your comfort and skill level – just make it 60 miles within the 60-day challenge time period (January 1st to March 1st, 2024). Sign up early to have more time to complete the Challenge. Registration ends on February 25th. Please note, this is a challenge you set with yourself, it is not a competition. Registration for this challenge is $25 per person and your registration fee directly supports conservation work in the Southern Appalachians. If you cannot afford the registration fee at this time, please use the coupon code: SAHC2024.
All participants will receive informative emails with suggestions for some of our favorite places to hike across the mountains of NC and TN. This special email series will include recommendations to enjoy places that SAHC has protected as well other favorite trails and destinations. Due to overuse of popular trails in the area we will try to share tidbits about some of the lesser-known trails and places to enjoy the great outdoors. Are you a little unsure about hiking in winter? We will share helpful Winter Hiking Tips, for those who haven’t hiked during the winter months. Lastly, those who complete the Winter Hiking Challenge will receive a commemorative SAHC patch after the end of the challenge.
Please note, the Challenge signup fee is a fundraiser to help support conservation efforts; you DO NOT have to pay to hike public trails. Feel free to enter miles at any date during the 60 days, as long as they are all entered before March 1. You can even enter your miles at the end of a certain time period (e.g, entering your miles for the week on Friday, all under one entry).
Time spent outdoors and in nature can help with both mental and physical health. We hope this Challenge will make it interesting for folks to explore places you may not have hiked before, and/or to rediscover the joy of nature in your own backyard.Take the Challenge by yourself, or with friends and family. Please just be safe while doing so!
Challenge Contact Info
Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding.
Applications due by:
- November 30, 2023
- January 30, 2024
- March 30, 2024
If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year. Learn more and apply here!
Included with admission
Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.
Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.
Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!
Join us on a journey into the world of butterflies and plants, and see the complex relationship between monarchs and milkweed. “Monarchs and Milkweed” explores how very survival of these majestic creatures has been shaped over time by one another, traveling through the seasons of a calendar year and revealing how both insect and plant grow and interact, culminating in a massive migration that crosses a continent.
Our FEAST cooking and gardening program offers public school students the opportunity to learn food security skills that will last a lifetime. Not only that, we tailor our classes to grade level standard course of study and incorporate science, math, reading and history. Students get to taste and have hands on experience and we could use some supplies to help! Please let us know if you have any of the following you’d like to contribute:
Metal spoons and forks for tasting
Small one ounce Dixie cups – paper or reusable plastic
Mini Silicone Pinch Bowls
Soil for raised garden beds
Compost Now – donate your compost to us HERE
Kid friendly can opener
Cans of Black Eyed Peas
Honey
Tamari
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Please reach out to [email protected] for more information or if you’d like to drop things off. Amazon items can be ordered directly with the links above.
Guests visiting the WNC Nature Center this spring and summer have seen many new animals! Over the past six months, 19 animals representing seven species have been born or brought to the Nature Center.
Come and See
In late April, the WNC Nature Center announced the birth of a large litter of critically endangered red wolf puppies. Six females (Babs, Bonnie, Ruby, Rufina, Sienna, and Toto)and one male (Tony) have grown up in front of guests and visitors and are now almost indistinguishable in size from their parents, Gloria and Oak. The WNC Nature Center anticipates that the red wolf pups will remain in Asheville for the next two years.
On the heels of the red wolf births came two coyote pups, Cal and Walker. They were also born in April and came to the Nature Center in late July from Izzie’s Pond Sanctuary in South Carolina. While Cal and Walker are not biological brothers, they were introduced to each other at a very young age, so they have bonded and will be companions. These coyotes are incredibly shy and are usually spotted by guests behind their open den shelter.
Quickly becoming a guest-favorite, bobcat kitten Tufts joined the Nature Center in early August. He came from the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Banner Elk, North Carolina, and was named after Edgar Tufts, the founder of Lees-McRae College. The latest bobcat addition was Kohana in late November, a female bobcat who was found in the wild by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, she was born around the same time as Tufts, and the two will
be non-breeding companions.
Raccoons Grace and Frankie came to the WNC Nature Center in late September from Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. These kits have acclimated quickly with their curious behaviors and tactile foraging skills.
In our Care
To say the least, animal keepers and the veterinary care team at the WNC Nature Center have been busy keeping up with vaccines and immunizations, introducing the animals to their new habitats, and encouraging behaviors that will help with their care as they grow into adulthood.
“When you visit and see our animals, it’s important to understand why they are here with us,” says Erin Oldread. Animal Curator at the Nature Center. “Sometimes they were born under human care, like our red wolves. Other animals were permanently injured in the wild and need ongoing veterinary care. In the case of our new coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons, they were found to be unreleasable by the sanctuaries who received them. Oftentimes when you are rehabilitating a very young animal and feeding them from a bottle, they very quickly become dependent on and overly comfortable around humans. It can be harmful to them and humans if they were released back into the wild, so the WNC Nature Center is happy to give them a home.”
In the case of WNC Nature Center’s last collection of baby animals, sometimes the Center serves as a holding ground as animals develop and prepare to be released back into the wild. Appalachian Station, the Nature Center’s indoor exhibit for reptiles and amphibians, is currently housing two baby box turtles and two baby snapping turtles, all four of which are overwintering and will be released in spring 2024.
Also joining the WNC Nature Center this year are adult animals, Suli the Black Vulture and Morticia the Turkey Vulture. Suli was born in the wild but came under human care after a wing injury. She came to the Nature Center in late March from the NC Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shores. Morticia arrived from Hershey Park Zoo/Zoo America in October and joined the habitat next to Buzz, the longest living resident at the Nature Center at 33 years, in December.
Great time for a visit
Typically, the WNC Nature Center sees less crowds as Asheville enters the colder weather seasons. However, the animals who call the Nature Center home are generally more active during this time of year, and visitors can enjoy watching all the new additions encounter their first winter in Western North Carolina.
Check out the WNC Nature Center’s holiday gift guide at wildwnc.org/gift-guide to see all the ways you can support the animals who call the Nature Center home, including symbolic adoptions and purchasing items from the Animal Wishlist and Holiday Giving Tree.
About the Friends
The Friends of the WNC Nature Center are a vital partner with the WNC Nature Center. With their donors and members, the Friends enrich the Nature Center’s mission to connect people with the plants and animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. As a conservation organization, the Friends inspires a passion to know more, care more, and do more for the wildlife of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. They advance the critical work of the WNC Nature Center by supporting its growth and development through fundraising, membership, outreach education, marketing, and volunteer services.
About the WNC Nature Center
The Nature Center connects people of all ages with the plants and animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Asheville’s wildlife park is located on 42 acres and is home to more than 60 species of animals, including red pandas, river otters, black bears, red and gray wolves, and bobcats. For more information, please visit www.wildwnc.org.
Help us relaunch the Westie scene in a premier venue showcasing spacious dance floors, high ceilings, and a vintage vibe. If you are new to West Coast Swing, come check out for yourself the popular dance style that can be done to a wide variety of music, including pop, country, blues, and contemporary music! For those looking to advance their skills, the Hendersonville WCS community is excited to welcome Pro Instructor Ryan Pflumm to Continuum!
As always, the dress is casual and no partner is needed. Join us for an incredible night of connecting and dancing with our MONTHLY event every FIRST Wednesday!
PRIVATE LESSONS
If you would like to book a private lesson with Ryan for $75 per hour, please message Continuum with the following:
- Which timeslot(s)
- number of people attending
Times:
3:30-4:30pm
4:30-5:30pm
5:30-6:30pm
first come, first served
CLASSES
7:00-8:00pm Intermediate w/ Ryan Pflumm!
7:00-8:00pm Beginner w/ Rachel Harris
8:00-10:00pm Social Dance
Each class is $10 and includes a pass to the social dance. The social dance is $7 without a lesson. Music will be DJ’d by Pro Instructor Ryan Pflumm.
Bring your own beer/wine. Liquor and other beverages above 16% alcohol content are strictly prohibited.
Masks are encouraged but, not required.
Cash, cards, Venmo, PayPal, and Cash app are accepted.
The City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy (C.A.Y.L.A) program is designed for sophomores and juniors who are interested in career exploration, leadership development, and gaining 21st-century job skills to prepare them for their future. C.A.Y.L.A provides young people with an excellent opportunity to work and grow in Asheville while also acquiring valuable work experience that will advance their future careers.
Program Benefits
The program takes place over the summer months, during which the students will become paid interns based on their career interests. Students will have the opportunity to get first-hand experience in their career of choice, network, and build skills and relationships that will aid them as they get ready to begin their college life. Upon completion of the program, students are awarded a $2,000 scholarship to go towards their college education.
Apply Today!
The application period will remain open until January 15, 2024. If you know someone who might be interested in this incredible internship opportunity provided by C.A.Y.L.A, please encourage them to apply.
For questions about the C.A.Y.L.A. program, please contact Promise Boseman at: [email protected]
Growing Minds Farm to School Funding Opportunities
We want to help fund your farm to school project in Western North Carolina! Mini-grants are available for schools to engage children in the following farm to school experiences:
- Local food taste tests & cooking demonstrations
- Incorporating local food into meals or snacks
- Farm field trips or farmer visits to preschools and classrooms
- Growing edible gardens
Funding can be used to start new projects, or to expand upon existing activities.
Pre-k through 12 schools and homeschool groups are eligible to apply. Schools must be located throughout our 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina.
- Smoky Mountains, NC: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain
- Southern Mountains, NC: Henderson, Polk, Transylvania
- Central Mountains, NC: Buncombe, Madison, Yancey
- Foothills, NC: Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Rutherford
- High Country, NC: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes
Growing Minds 2023-24 Farm to School / Preschool Funding
ASAP’s Growing Minds mini-grants help early childhood education (ECE) centers and K-12 schools provide children positive experiences with healthy local foods through these components of farm to school: school gardens, farm field trips and farmer classroom visits, and local foods served in meals, snacks, and/or taste tests.
Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. The amount awarded will be based on availability of funding, number of applicants, and the scope of your project. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding.
Applications are due by: January 31, 2024 or March 29, 2024. Funding will be awarded by the 15th of the following month.
If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year.
Buncombe County students interested in entering the field of conservation, agriculture or another natural resource program can win a $1,000 scholarship from The Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District.
The William Hamilton Memorial Scholarship will provide a student with money to go towards their studies. Eligible students must attend or plan to attend an accredited college or university and must submit a proposal for a volunteer conservation project in Buncombe County.
One winner will be selected by a committee of Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District staff and Supervisors and the funds will be dispersed directly to the institution upon completion of the volunteer project.
Scholarship Timeline:
February 28, 2024 – Deadline to apply
April 11, 2024 – Winning applicant announced
June 30, 2024 – Deadline to complete volunteer project
July 11, 2024 – Presentation to the Board, award dispersed
The winner is also expected to attend a Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District Board meeting to present the results of their project and accept their scholarship.
Find the application below. Completed applications and questions can be sent to [email protected].
The application can also be mailed to:
Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District
Attn: Jen Knight and Rose Wall
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville NC, 28806
Do you need a little inspiration to get moving after the holiday season? Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is proud to announce our 4th annual Winter Hiking Challenge to get folks out and about – no matter your background or ability this is a project designed to get folks outside to enjoy the great outdoors!
The 2024 Winter Hiking Challenge sets a goal of 60 miles in 60 days, to be completed in your own time and at your own speed. Those can be miles you’ve walked, run or hiked – in your neighborhood, around the block, up a rugged mountain trail, or through the forest. Whatever works for your comfort and skill level – just make it 60 miles within the 60-day challenge time period (January 1st to March 1st, 2024). Sign up early to have more time to complete the Challenge. Registration ends on February 25th. Please note, this is a challenge you set with yourself, it is not a competition. Registration for this challenge is $25 per person and your registration fee directly supports conservation work in the Southern Appalachians. If you cannot afford the registration fee at this time, please use the coupon code: SAHC2024.
All participants will receive informative emails with suggestions for some of our favorite places to hike across the mountains of NC and TN. This special email series will include recommendations to enjoy places that SAHC has protected as well other favorite trails and destinations. Due to overuse of popular trails in the area we will try to share tidbits about some of the lesser-known trails and places to enjoy the great outdoors. Are you a little unsure about hiking in winter? We will share helpful Winter Hiking Tips, for those who haven’t hiked during the winter months. Lastly, those who complete the Winter Hiking Challenge will receive a commemorative SAHC patch after the end of the challenge.
Please note, the Challenge signup fee is a fundraiser to help support conservation efforts; you DO NOT have to pay to hike public trails. Feel free to enter miles at any date during the 60 days, as long as they are all entered before March 1. You can even enter your miles at the end of a certain time period (e.g, entering your miles for the week on Friday, all under one entry).
Time spent outdoors and in nature can help with both mental and physical health. We hope this Challenge will make it interesting for folks to explore places you may not have hiked before, and/or to rediscover the joy of nature in your own backyard.Take the Challenge by yourself, or with friends and family. Please just be safe while doing so!
Challenge Contact Info
Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding.
Applications due by:
- November 30, 2023
- January 30, 2024
- March 30, 2024
If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year. Learn more and apply here!
Included with admission
Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.
Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.
Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!
Join us on a journey into the world of butterflies and plants, and see the complex relationship between monarchs and milkweed. “Monarchs and Milkweed” explores how very survival of these majestic creatures has been shaped over time by one another, traveling through the seasons of a calendar year and revealing how both insect and plant grow and interact, culminating in a massive migration that crosses a continent.
Our FEAST cooking and gardening program offers public school students the opportunity to learn food security skills that will last a lifetime. Not only that, we tailor our classes to grade level standard course of study and incorporate science, math, reading and history. Students get to taste and have hands on experience and we could use some supplies to help! Please let us know if you have any of the following you’d like to contribute:
Metal spoons and forks for tasting
Small one ounce Dixie cups – paper or reusable plastic
Mini Silicone Pinch Bowls
Soil for raised garden beds
Compost Now – donate your compost to us HERE
Kid friendly can opener
Cans of Black Eyed Peas
Honey
Tamari
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Please reach out to [email protected] for more information or if you’d like to drop things off. Amazon items can be ordered directly with the links above.
Guests visiting the WNC Nature Center this spring and summer have seen many new animals! Over the past six months, 19 animals representing seven species have been born or brought to the Nature Center.
Come and See
In late April, the WNC Nature Center announced the birth of a large litter of critically endangered red wolf puppies. Six females (Babs, Bonnie, Ruby, Rufina, Sienna, and Toto)and one male (Tony) have grown up in front of guests and visitors and are now almost indistinguishable in size from their parents, Gloria and Oak. The WNC Nature Center anticipates that the red wolf pups will remain in Asheville for the next two years.
On the heels of the red wolf births came two coyote pups, Cal and Walker. They were also born in April and came to the Nature Center in late July from Izzie’s Pond Sanctuary in South Carolina. While Cal and Walker are not biological brothers, they were introduced to each other at a very young age, so they have bonded and will be companions. These coyotes are incredibly shy and are usually spotted by guests behind their open den shelter.
Quickly becoming a guest-favorite, bobcat kitten Tufts joined the Nature Center in early August. He came from the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Banner Elk, North Carolina, and was named after Edgar Tufts, the founder of Lees-McRae College. The latest bobcat addition was Kohana in late November, a female bobcat who was found in the wild by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, she was born around the same time as Tufts, and the two will
be non-breeding companions.
Raccoons Grace and Frankie came to the WNC Nature Center in late September from Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. These kits have acclimated quickly with their curious behaviors and tactile foraging skills.
In our Care
To say the least, animal keepers and the veterinary care team at the WNC Nature Center have been busy keeping up with vaccines and immunizations, introducing the animals to their new habitats, and encouraging behaviors that will help with their care as they grow into adulthood.
“When you visit and see our animals, it’s important to understand why they are here with us,” says Erin Oldread. Animal Curator at the Nature Center. “Sometimes they were born under human care, like our red wolves. Other animals were permanently injured in the wild and need ongoing veterinary care. In the case of our new coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons, they were found to be unreleasable by the sanctuaries who received them. Oftentimes when you are rehabilitating a very young animal and feeding them from a bottle, they very quickly become dependent on and overly comfortable around humans. It can be harmful to them and humans if they were released back into the wild, so the WNC Nature Center is happy to give them a home.”
In the case of WNC Nature Center’s last collection of baby animals, sometimes the Center serves as a holding ground as animals develop and prepare to be released back into the wild. Appalachian Station, the Nature Center’s indoor exhibit for reptiles and amphibians, is currently housing two baby box turtles and two baby snapping turtles, all four of which are overwintering and will be released in spring 2024.
Also joining the WNC Nature Center this year are adult animals, Suli the Black Vulture and Morticia the Turkey Vulture. Suli was born in the wild but came under human care after a wing injury. She came to the Nature Center in late March from the NC Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shores. Morticia arrived from Hershey Park Zoo/Zoo America in October and joined the habitat next to Buzz, the longest living resident at the Nature Center at 33 years, in December.
Great time for a visit
Typically, the WNC Nature Center sees less crowds as Asheville enters the colder weather seasons. However, the animals who call the Nature Center home are generally more active during this time of year, and visitors can enjoy watching all the new additions encounter their first winter in Western North Carolina.
Check out the WNC Nature Center’s holiday gift guide at wildwnc.org/gift-guide to see all the ways you can support the animals who call the Nature Center home, including symbolic adoptions and purchasing items from the Animal Wishlist and Holiday Giving Tree.
About the Friends
The Friends of the WNC Nature Center are a vital partner with the WNC Nature Center. With their donors and members, the Friends enrich the Nature Center’s mission to connect people with the plants and animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. As a conservation organization, the Friends inspires a passion to know more, care more, and do more for the wildlife of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. They advance the critical work of the WNC Nature Center by supporting its growth and development through fundraising, membership, outreach education, marketing, and volunteer services.
About the WNC Nature Center
The Nature Center connects people of all ages with the plants and animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Asheville’s wildlife park is located on 42 acres and is home to more than 60 species of animals, including red pandas, river otters, black bears, red and gray wolves, and bobcats. For more information, please visit www.wildwnc.org.
The City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy (C.A.Y.L.A) program is designed for sophomores and juniors who are interested in career exploration, leadership development, and gaining 21st-century job skills to prepare them for their future. C.A.Y.L.A provides young people with an excellent opportunity to work and grow in Asheville while also acquiring valuable work experience that will advance their future careers.
Program Benefits
The program takes place over the summer months, during which the students will become paid interns based on their career interests. Students will have the opportunity to get first-hand experience in their career of choice, network, and build skills and relationships that will aid them as they get ready to begin their college life. Upon completion of the program, students are awarded a $2,000 scholarship to go towards their college education.
Apply Today!
The application period will remain open until January 15, 2024. If you know someone who might be interested in this incredible internship opportunity provided by C.A.Y.L.A, please encourage them to apply.
For questions about the C.A.Y.L.A. program, please contact Promise Boseman at: [email protected]
Growing Minds Farm to School Funding Opportunities
We want to help fund your farm to school project in Western North Carolina! Mini-grants are available for schools to engage children in the following farm to school experiences:
- Local food taste tests & cooking demonstrations
- Incorporating local food into meals or snacks
- Farm field trips or farmer visits to preschools and classrooms
- Growing edible gardens
Funding can be used to start new projects, or to expand upon existing activities.
Pre-k through 12 schools and homeschool groups are eligible to apply. Schools must be located throughout our 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina.
- Smoky Mountains, NC: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain
- Southern Mountains, NC: Henderson, Polk, Transylvania
- Central Mountains, NC: Buncombe, Madison, Yancey
- Foothills, NC: Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Rutherford
- High Country, NC: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes
Growing Minds 2023-24 Farm to School / Preschool Funding
ASAP’s Growing Minds mini-grants help early childhood education (ECE) centers and K-12 schools provide children positive experiences with healthy local foods through these components of farm to school: school gardens, farm field trips and farmer classroom visits, and local foods served in meals, snacks, and/or taste tests.
Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. The amount awarded will be based on availability of funding, number of applicants, and the scope of your project. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding.
Applications are due by: January 31, 2024 or March 29, 2024. Funding will be awarded by the 15th of the following month.
If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year.
Buncombe County students interested in entering the field of conservation, agriculture or another natural resource program can win a $1,000 scholarship from The Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District.
The William Hamilton Memorial Scholarship will provide a student with money to go towards their studies. Eligible students must attend or plan to attend an accredited college or university and must submit a proposal for a volunteer conservation project in Buncombe County.
One winner will be selected by a committee of Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District staff and Supervisors and the funds will be dispersed directly to the institution upon completion of the volunteer project.
Scholarship Timeline:
February 28, 2024 – Deadline to apply
April 11, 2024 – Winning applicant announced
June 30, 2024 – Deadline to complete volunteer project
July 11, 2024 – Presentation to the Board, award dispersed
The winner is also expected to attend a Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District Board meeting to present the results of their project and accept their scholarship.
Find the application below. Completed applications and questions can be sent to [email protected].
The application can also be mailed to:
Buncombe Soil & Water Conservation District
Attn: Jen Knight and Rose Wall
49 Mount Carmel Road
Asheville NC, 28806
Do you need a little inspiration to get moving after the holiday season? Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is proud to announce our 4th annual Winter Hiking Challenge to get folks out and about – no matter your background or ability this is a project designed to get folks outside to enjoy the great outdoors!
The 2024 Winter Hiking Challenge sets a goal of 60 miles in 60 days, to be completed in your own time and at your own speed. Those can be miles you’ve walked, run or hiked – in your neighborhood, around the block, up a rugged mountain trail, or through the forest. Whatever works for your comfort and skill level – just make it 60 miles within the 60-day challenge time period (January 1st to March 1st, 2024). Sign up early to have more time to complete the Challenge. Registration ends on February 25th. Please note, this is a challenge you set with yourself, it is not a competition. Registration for this challenge is $25 per person and your registration fee directly supports conservation work in the Southern Appalachians. If you cannot afford the registration fee at this time, please use the coupon code: SAHC2024.
All participants will receive informative emails with suggestions for some of our favorite places to hike across the mountains of NC and TN. This special email series will include recommendations to enjoy places that SAHC has protected as well other favorite trails and destinations. Due to overuse of popular trails in the area we will try to share tidbits about some of the lesser-known trails and places to enjoy the great outdoors. Are you a little unsure about hiking in winter? We will share helpful Winter Hiking Tips, for those who haven’t hiked during the winter months. Lastly, those who complete the Winter Hiking Challenge will receive a commemorative SAHC patch after the end of the challenge.
Please note, the Challenge signup fee is a fundraiser to help support conservation efforts; you DO NOT have to pay to hike public trails. Feel free to enter miles at any date during the 60 days, as long as they are all entered before March 1. You can even enter your miles at the end of a certain time period (e.g, entering your miles for the week on Friday, all under one entry).
Time spent outdoors and in nature can help with both mental and physical health. We hope this Challenge will make it interesting for folks to explore places you may not have hiked before, and/or to rediscover the joy of nature in your own backyard.Take the Challenge by yourself, or with friends and family. Please just be safe while doing so!
Challenge Contact Info
Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding.
Applications due by:
- November 30, 2023
- January 30, 2024
- March 30, 2024
If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year. Learn more and apply here!
Included with admission
Embark on a scenic journey across George Vanderbilt’s Italy with a large-scale outdoor display that combines brilliant botanical designs with authentic messages written by Vanderbilt himself.
Beautifully handcrafted of natural elements, each sculptural postcard depicts a location or landmark Vanderbilt visited more than a century ago. This captivating complement to Biltmore’s Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition reveals Vanderbilt’s passions for travel, culture, architecture, and art as well as his personal experience of such renowned Italian cities as Milan, Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Vatican City.
Adding to the charm and visual appeal of Ciao! From Italy—sure to be a hit among kids of all ages—is the G-scale model train that travels in and out of each postcard in this enlightening display!
Join us on a journey into the world of butterflies and plants, and see the complex relationship between monarchs and milkweed. “Monarchs and Milkweed” explores how very survival of these majestic creatures has been shaped over time by one another, traveling through the seasons of a calendar year and revealing how both insect and plant grow and interact, culminating in a massive migration that crosses a continent.
Our FEAST cooking and gardening program offers public school students the opportunity to learn food security skills that will last a lifetime. Not only that, we tailor our classes to grade level standard course of study and incorporate science, math, reading and history. Students get to taste and have hands on experience and we could use some supplies to help! Please let us know if you have any of the following you’d like to contribute:
Metal spoons and forks for tasting
Small one ounce Dixie cups – paper or reusable plastic
Mini Silicone Pinch Bowls
Soil for raised garden beds
Compost Now – donate your compost to us HERE
Kid friendly can opener
Cans of Black Eyed Peas
Honey
Tamari
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Please reach out to [email protected] for more information or if you’d like to drop things off. Amazon items can be ordered directly with the links above.
Guests visiting the WNC Nature Center this spring and summer have seen many new animals! Over the past six months, 19 animals representing seven species have been born or brought to the Nature Center.
Come and See
In late April, the WNC Nature Center announced the birth of a large litter of critically endangered red wolf puppies. Six females (Babs, Bonnie, Ruby, Rufina, Sienna, and Toto)and one male (Tony) have grown up in front of guests and visitors and are now almost indistinguishable in size from their parents, Gloria and Oak. The WNC Nature Center anticipates that the red wolf pups will remain in Asheville for the next two years.
On the heels of the red wolf births came two coyote pups, Cal and Walker. They were also born in April and came to the Nature Center in late July from Izzie’s Pond Sanctuary in South Carolina. While Cal and Walker are not biological brothers, they were introduced to each other at a very young age, so they have bonded and will be companions. These coyotes are incredibly shy and are usually spotted by guests behind their open den shelter.
Quickly becoming a guest-favorite, bobcat kitten Tufts joined the Nature Center in early August. He came from the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Banner Elk, North Carolina, and was named after Edgar Tufts, the founder of Lees-McRae College. The latest bobcat addition was Kohana in late November, a female bobcat who was found in the wild by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, she was born around the same time as Tufts, and the two will
be non-breeding companions.
Raccoons Grace and Frankie came to the WNC Nature Center in late September from Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. These kits have acclimated quickly with their curious behaviors and tactile foraging skills.
In our Care
To say the least, animal keepers and the veterinary care team at the WNC Nature Center have been busy keeping up with vaccines and immunizations, introducing the animals to their new habitats, and encouraging behaviors that will help with their care as they grow into adulthood.
“When you visit and see our animals, it’s important to understand why they are here with us,” says Erin Oldread. Animal Curator at the Nature Center. “Sometimes they were born under human care, like our red wolves. Other animals were permanently injured in the wild and need ongoing veterinary care. In the case of our new coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons, they were found to be unreleasable by the sanctuaries who received them. Oftentimes when you are rehabilitating a very young animal and feeding them from a bottle, they very quickly become dependent on and overly comfortable around humans. It can be harmful to them and humans if they were released back into the wild, so the WNC Nature Center is happy to give them a home.”
In the case of WNC Nature Center’s last collection of baby animals, sometimes the Center serves as a holding ground as animals develop and prepare to be released back into the wild. Appalachian Station, the Nature Center’s indoor exhibit for reptiles and amphibians, is currently housing two baby box turtles and two baby snapping turtles, all four of which are overwintering and will be released in spring 2024.
Also joining the WNC Nature Center this year are adult animals, Suli the Black Vulture and Morticia the Turkey Vulture. Suli was born in the wild but came under human care after a wing injury. She came to the Nature Center in late March from the NC Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shores. Morticia arrived from Hershey Park Zoo/Zoo America in October and joined the habitat next to Buzz, the longest living resident at the Nature Center at 33 years, in December.
Great time for a visit
Typically, the WNC Nature Center sees less crowds as Asheville enters the colder weather seasons. However, the animals who call the Nature Center home are generally more active during this time of year, and visitors can enjoy watching all the new additions encounter their first winter in Western North Carolina.
Check out the WNC Nature Center’s holiday gift guide at wildwnc.org/gift-guide to see all the ways you can support the animals who call the Nature Center home, including symbolic adoptions and purchasing items from the Animal Wishlist and Holiday Giving Tree.
About the Friends
The Friends of the WNC Nature Center are a vital partner with the WNC Nature Center. With their donors and members, the Friends enrich the Nature Center’s mission to connect people with the plants and animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. As a conservation organization, the Friends inspires a passion to know more, care more, and do more for the wildlife of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. They advance the critical work of the WNC Nature Center by supporting its growth and development through fundraising, membership, outreach education, marketing, and volunteer services.
About the WNC Nature Center
The Nature Center connects people of all ages with the plants and animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Asheville’s wildlife park is located on 42 acres and is home to more than 60 species of animals, including red pandas, river otters, black bears, red and gray wolves, and bobcats. For more information, please visit www.wildwnc.org.
We invite you to join us for a hike around the beautiful SAHC Community Farm with Engagement and Education AmeriCorps member, Katie Greer!
Participants will hike along the The Discovery Trail, a 2.5-mile loop that traverses through the forests and fields of the farm. Along the way, we may encounter the resident Scottish Highland cow herd, Texas longhorn cattle, white-tailed deer, red-tailed hawks, and more as we make our way across the farm grounds.
Our 140-acre Community Farm educational and working farm just outside of Asheville. The farm is a continually evolving home for conservation projects and agricultural production. An ideal place for photographers, nature-lovers, and individuals interested in regenerative agriculture, our stream restoration project, shortleaf pine reforestation project, farm incubator program, and education center, are a few of the highlights.
Please note that our Community Farm is an active farm not open to the public unless accompanied by SAHC staff. To ensure safety, staff capacity, and a positive experience for everyone involved it is critical that ALL hike participants pre-register for events before visiting the farm. You will receive an email with specific information about where to meet on the farm and other necessary details. If you do not receive this email, as well as a confirmation email following your registration, we do not have you registered for the hike. The majority of this hike is not disability accessible.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or require further details at [email protected]