Calendar of Events

Grab your binoculars and get ready for our annual feathered frenzy. This event was designed so birders of all skill sets can enjoy one of the country’s fastest growing hobbies – bird watching! Live bird demos, guided walks, activities for kids and our annual hawk watch are just a few of the reasons this event is perfect for the whole family.

Check out the full schedule below.

Flock to the Rock 2022 Schedule of Events

Saturday September 17th 

7:30am Early Bird Walk*

10am – 3pm Birding Activities begin

10am – 10:30am Who gives a Hoot (live bird program)

10:30am – 11:00am Intro to Family Birding

11am – 3pm Hawk Watch on the Chimney

12pm – 12:45pm  Wings to S.O.A.R presentation (live bird program)

1:00pm – 1:30pm Intro to Family Birding

2pm – 2:45pm Wings to S.O.A.R presentation (live bird program)

Sunday September 18th

7:30am Early Bird Walk*

10am – 3pm Birding Activities begin

10:30am – 11:00am Intro to Family Birding

11am – 3pm Hawk Watch on the Chimney

11:30am – 12:00pm Radical Raptors (live bird program)

1:00pm – 1:30pm Intro to Family Birding

2pm – 2:30pm Radical Raptors (live bird program)

*pre-registered event

Asheville Outlets will host Drive Electric Asheville Sunday, September 25, 2022, from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. Spectators will view a wide range of electric vehicles including Tesla’s, Kia EV6s, Bolt EVs, and more. Visitors will also get a chance to test the latest e-bikes and electric scooters, and enter-to-win an electric bike, sponsored by Sugar Hollow Solar. For more information, visit ShopAshevilleOutlets.com.

Join Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy on October 14th for a hike at Scott’s Ridge, a recently-protected 139-acre tract adjoining Pisgah National Forest. Participants will hike a moderately strenuous 3 mile loop through a heavily forested area. This loop will give participants a chance to marvel at the beautiful fall foliage while walking through a series of moderately sloped trails throughout the property.

Cost – $10 or Free to Members. Pre-registration is required.

If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected].

Thank you for taking interest in our outing with Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy!

I am sorry to say that our outing is currently full and we cannot accept any more attendees at this time. However, if you are still interested in the hike, please contact me at [email protected] and your name and email will be put on a wait-list. I will contact you if a spot becomes available.  If you have any questions, you can contact me at emily@appalachian.org. 

Thank you for your interest in hiking with SAHC!

The Urban Orchard (South Slope) is such a fantastic place to gather. I’ll be facilitating one of my Speed Connecting activities as well. Looking forward to seeing y’all there!

“The best way to spread holiday cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” – Buddy The Elf

Time to embrace your inner elf and share some holiday joy with friends new and old. Come on down for another fabulous evening adventure with AVL Digital Nomads!

Aloft Asheville Downtown has invited us to share their beautiful W XYZ Bar on the 2nd floor. Our event will kick off their new “Brews & Beats” night with beer tasting and live music. They’ll have beer from Asheville Brewing Company and a live DJ. The event will have a cash bar including food.

Who isn’t excited to meet other nomads, professionals, travelers, and remote workers? Well, we sure are! Isolation no more. Let’s celebrate and socialize with an after-remote-work party!

See you there!

This announcement is revised from the original Dec 15th to Dec 22nd.
John Muir didn’t like the word ‘hike’. “We ought to saunter through them reverently, not ‘hike’ through them.”
I am going to scout the Stone Mtn Tr in DuPont; A few of you are welcome to join me.
Hike Distance: 4.0 Total (optional) ascent: 675 ft
Pace: 1.5mph – because I’m an ol’ Codger.
Difficulty: Well established Tr. No water Xings.
Optional Climb to Stone Mtn is 600 ft ascent in 1 mile.
(I, and the more leisurely of us, will skip this part. ;-)
Drive time: 25 min/14 mi 1-way

Managing complex WordPress websites can be a huge hassle.

Take the stress out of website management with easy-to-use techniques & plugins to help you handle complex websites like a pro, saving you time and money.

Get peace of mind knowing that your website is in top shape & running smoothly, no matter how complicated it may be!

Our Sandy Mush WordPress Meetup Online Meeting is open to all WordPress user experience levels.

Meeting are demo and discussion based.

Join us for Happy Hiker Day, a spring event celebrating the Year of the Trail and our love for hiking! At the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and the Nantahala River, we are proud to be a respite and guide for thru-hikers, day hikers, and anyone that wants to get out on the trail! Enjoy a free guided local hike, discounts on hiking gear, activities for kids, a trail mix bar, an AMA (ask me anything) with a former thru-hiker, and participate in a backpack shakedown!  AT Thru-hikers and authors Josh and Amber Nevins will give a talk and book signing.

Schedule Of Events:

• 10% off Select Hiking Gear at our Outfitter’s Store.
• 11 am: Short guided informational hike to Rufus Morgan Appalachian Trail Shelter, 1.5 mile round trip- easy to moderate. Meet outside the General Store.
• Pack Shakedowns with our experienced retail guides at the Outfitters Store.
• 12 pm: Kids Activities on River Left. See signs for details
• 12:30 pm – 1 pm: “Ask Me Anything” with former 2016 Thru-Hiker “Hot Sauce”
• 2 pm: Book Signing/Presentation with Josh and Amber Niven upstairs in the Outfitter’s Store

See other great hiking events here: https://greattrailsnc.com/events/ 

This is a casual meetup for developers, tech-minded pros, and geeks at any experience level. All are welcome and newcomers are welcome. Hope to see you there.

Mills River Brewing has a permanent food truck onsite.

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement!

Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned. With an emphasis on interactive, hands-on exhibits, people of all ages will leave inspired to make something of their own!

Join the team from Libby for a one-hour Getting Started with Libby webinar, and learn Libby with the Experts! This webinar will show you everything you need to know to get started with Libby or to make the switch from the OverDrive app.

Avant garde music & circuit bending fans! Do not miss the next incarnation of Nightmare of Noise,Toybox Theatre’s electric experimental toy orchestra! Featuring local mad scientist Zen Sutherland and local fan favorite multimedia artist Edwin Salas.

SAHC’s annual Roan Highlands showcase will feature five outings, ranging from easy to difficult: 1 – Roll n’ Stroll at Rhododendron Gardens 2 – Challenge Hike on the Hackline Trail 3 – Waterfall Hike on Little Cove Creek Preserve, with Pathways to Parks 4 – Hampton Creek Cove Loop Hike 5 – Birding at Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area Be sure to join us at the Nilsen Homestead at SAHC’s Little Cove Creek Preserve for afternoon refreshments and a conservation celebration. FREE for all participants, but registration on hikes may be limited. Be sure to register early!

Join us July 20th for an introduction to Next.js.

What is Next.js? Let’s ask nextjs.org:

Used by some of the world’s largest companies, Next.js enables you to create full-stack web applications by extending the latest React features, and integrating powerful Rust-based JavaScript tooling for the fastest builds.

In this session, you will learn the pros and cons of using Next.js along with examples of what you can accomplish using the framework. We will give an overview of how a Next.js application is structured, demonstrate a production Next.js website, and build a Next.js website from a starter template.

Big thanks to the Biltmore HR Department who graciously gifted us use of their well-equipped training space. Biltmore Career Center is centrally located with tons of parking, ample snacks/beverages, and reliable Wi-Fi.

As you may know, Asheville JavaScript Meetup has been dormant since January 2020 and recently changed leadership. This session, if successful, will likely lead to more events. The JS world is too exciting to sit by idly – let’s have some fun! 🎉

Your hosts are Jennifer Hill, Front-End Web Developer, and Chad Evans, Web Enthusiast.

Note that Asheville JavaScript Meetup is an independent meetup group. Future events may be held at a different location with different sponsors.

GIVEAWAY: Two (2) Biltmore tickets will be awarded to two (2) lucky attendees – only if you RSVP and are present for the session. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

We are excited to share that XP League Asheville will have Open House activities on 7/29 from 10-2pm where you can book a free coaching session. All early registrations will receive a Founding Member discount – for life!
Team games we play include Fortnite, Minecraft (bed-wars), Rocket League, Valorant, Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, and League of Legends.
The founders of this NC based franchise created a league where kids ages 7-17 could join a team and enjoy high-level league play against other youth teams across the country, all while enjoying a safe environment, PCA certified coach-led sessions, and receive training on how to play with a positive mindset.
Please scroll to the calendar on this website to book the free coaching session that you want to attend:
https://asheville.xpl.gg/home

Online or in-print, you can’t avoid all the hype around the new AIs like ChatGPT. They are going to take over the world! But first they are going to replace lawyers, doctors, accountants, marketing departments, script writers… and on…

Or maybe… they are yet another tool that will help – in powerful ways – but not replace any of those groups or replace you. In fact, they are already helping in many fields and have been before all the press coverage started. But they are also getting people into trouble. And they can get you into trouble, or hurt your business results, if you don’t understand their limits and uses.

In this class you will learn how Large Language Models (like ChatGPT) work (and how they don’t). You will learn how they can get people into trouble so you will have a better chance to avoid that. And you will learn a few, basic, ways they can be used, after all, to help you with your small business.

If you can, please bring a laptop or tablet so you can setup a free ChatGPT account (if you don’t have one) and can tailor some of the class examples to your own business interests. However, a computer is not required to benefit from the class – we will be running examples and results on the projector screen as well.

This is not a technical class. We will not get into APIs and will only talk about the model parameters as part of showing, in a non-technical way, how the models work. We will also not debate whether they will replace all those professional groups “in a few years” because a) they won’t because they can’t by their very nature and b) we’re going to spend the class time talking about how small business owners can safely and productively use the tools today.

Instructor: Michael Truffa

Michael Truffa has been involved in a range of technology roles starting in the 1970s continuing on to today – doing application scripting, web & back-end programming, data science, error analytics, team management, and more. He also has a wide range of non-computer experience including roles in direct & b2b sales, as a mechanical & electrical technician in the oilfield, retail, and more that help inform his pragmatic view of how computers can, and sometimes can’t, help people do real-world jobs.

Imagine moving through your sun salutation on a mountaintop as the sky glows all around you (or stay in savasana for the full hour! No one here will judge you!) Marvel at nature’s light show, breathe in the fresh mountain air, and revel in the expansiveness of wide open spaces. This is our favorite version of our classic Yoga Hike here in Asheville.

This mountaintop is on all of the “best places to view the sunset in Asheville” lists and we can’t wait to share it with you!

We’ll bring the mats. You bring your spirit of adventure!

Prefer a private adventure? Sunset, Morning, and Afternoon hikes are available daily year round for private groups…even if you’re a solo adventurer!

Are you curious or even passionate about using advocacy, technology and sensible design to create more equitable social and civic structures in Western North Carolina?
Whether you call yourself an organizer, a technologist, a designer, planner, concerned resident, all of the above or something else entirely, we want to be in relationship and build community together with you.
Check out a list of our current projects: https://github.com/CodeForAsheville/projects
What to expect:
Since project work takes place asynchronously—individually and in smaller squads—the goals of our monthly gatherings are to:

• build relationships and learn about each other’s skills, interests and goals,
• learn what we are doing across the organization (project updates),
• provide opportunities to get involved with and/or initiate projects, and
• shape where we are going as an organization, co-creating the culture and course of our work together.

In this meeting, we will:

• gather virtually using Zoom for group video chat,
• do brief introductions, with a prompt,
• share updates about the projects that we’re working on, highlighting deliverables for the next month and areas where additional resources would be useful, and
• discuss proposals and new opportunities to engage with local government and community organizations.

It isn’t all glamorous, but the stakes are low for showing up and we’d be delighted to join together with you in this work.

Join a local naturalist on this waterfall hiking tour and enjoy the best scenery near Asheville. This intimate group tour offers 2-3 stunning waterfalls, local history, wildlife, and edible plants. Transportation included from Asheville! Call us now to book or make a reservation through our website!

Join a local naturalist on this waterfall hiking tour and enjoy the best scenery near Asheville. This intimate group tour offers 2-3 stunning waterfalls, local history, wildlife, and edible plants. Transportation included from Asheville! Call us to book or make a reservation through our website!