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.

Educator Workshop – Project WILD: Elk

Aug 19 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Grandfather Mountain

Project WILD is a K-12 interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife. All participants will receive the Project WILD activity guide and earn six hours of Criteria II or III credits toward their N.C. Environmental Education Certification (or 0.6 CEU’s). Homework option available to earn up to 10 hours or 1.0 CEU.

About Our Environmental Educator Certification Programs

Join the staff of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission for the opportunity to learn more and have fun, while earning your certification as an environmental education in North Carolina. We offer Criteria I, II and III programs.

These adult programs are free of charge, and admission to Grandfather Mountain is complimentary for those attending the course. The workshops will take place at high elevation (4,500+ feet) and will include some walking, so please bring appropriate footwear and be prepared for inclement weather. Participants are asked to bring their own lunch, but there is a restaurant on site in the park’s Nature Museum.

The participant limit for each workshop is 12 individuals. Upon registration, you will be sent detailed information on course meeting location and expectations.

Online registration opens June 19.

Categories: Education Family Fun Outdoors

Free Admission Western North Carolina Air Museum

Aug 19 @ 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Western North Carolina Air Museum

The Western North Carolina Air Museum is a center of living history in the popular Hendersonville – Flat Rock region of the state. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to remember flying the way it used to be. Bring your kids, your camera, and your leather jacket. You can view the airplanes in an hour or so, or spend the afternoon hanger-flying with our friendly, informative staff. We can’t guarantee fine weather, but our hangar doors are open rain and shine. And we can’t guarantee that we’ll be flying on the day you visit, but we do promise to propel your imagination back to the golden age of general aviation. Come for the airplanes. Stay for the memories. There’s plenty of both right here at the Western North Carolina Air Museum.

Preserving & Promoting

Our

Carolina Flying Heritage

Categories: Family Fun

Courtyard Acoustic Jam Night

Aug 19 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

East Asheville Library

Courtyard Acoustic Jam Night

All ages and abilities welcome. Bring your instrument and jam with other musicians in the library courtyard. No amps or electric instruments, please. Call 828-250-4738 for more information.

Categories: Family Fun Music Outdoors

Friday, August 20, 2021

CityPIXels: Piecing Together What We Love About Where We Live

Aug 20 all-day

Online

The Perfect Turkey

Take a look around. Now, look closer.

The word “pixelated” means made of small pieces but the word, “pixilated” means infatuation with a mischievous, mythical creature called a pixie.

Looking at the world in a different way can feel mischievous. Walk through your neighborhood looking up, looking down. Look at how buildings are put together or how things fall apart. Find patterns, shadows, twisting vines, whatever makes you stop and think. Whatever makes you feel pixelated.

Send us your favorite square-framed shots of simple, surprising thing that make you think, wonder or smile in Buncombe County.

Look for BiblioBoard on the Buncombe Public Library site. Make an account and log in. Select Menu and Buncombe County. Scroll down to Buncombe County collections. Dive into the CITYPIXels module and submit a photo.

If we get enough submissions, we’ll put them together as pixels in a larger display of just what it is we love about where we live. Then we can enjoy what we love alone, together!

Get pixelated, Asheville!

Categories: Art & Craft Community Family Fun

Nantahala River Rafting Fully Guided

Aug 20 all-day

Nantahala Outdoor Center

guests rafting on the Nantahala River Raft & Duck Rentals in North Carolina trip

A guided whitewater rafting trip is one of the best ways to experience the Nantahala Gorge. The crystal-clear Nantahala River is the perfect family-friendly river where experienced river guides will help you navigate through splashy Class II-III rapids and bouncy waves, with occasional calmer waters where you can enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery. The fully guided rafting trip the most popular adventure at NOC, with thousands of families returning year after year.

Categories: Family Fun Outdoors Sports

Outpace Hunger: A Kid-Friendly Way to Stay Active This Summer

Aug 20 all-day

Asheville NC

Summer is here, and this year, we have a great way for families, neighbors, friends, and communities to come together and make a difference for our WNC neighbors facing hunger – all while participating in your favorite activities!

Outpace Hunger – MANNA FoodBank’s brand-new fundraising campaign to help turn your favorite activity into much-needed food for WNC families – is off to a great start!

The campaign is simple: participants set an activity-based fundraising goal and share their personal fundraiser with friends and family. Then, they track their progress and encourage people to support their effort to raise money for meals as they come closer to their goal.

Whether you enjoy walking your pooch, are an avid paddler, a stop and smell the roses hiker, yoga lover or an ultra-marathoner, you can turn your passion into meals by signing up to participate. Every $1 raised for MANNA helps provide four meals-worth of food – and it is needed now more than ever.

How It Works

Participating in Outpace Hunger is easy!

You decide your level of commitment, so every participant can create their own path to helping provide food to our community. Participants also decide how, when, and where they complete their goal, any time now through the campaign end on October 31.

Outpace Hunger participants:

(1) Register to be a part of MANNA’s Outpace Hunger community. The $20 registration fee includes a t-shirt for you and provides 80 MEALS for neighbors facing food insecurity in WNC.

(2) Choose a favorite activity (run, walk, roll, stroll, hike, bike, paddle, climb, float, skate, golf, and everything in between!) to complete individually, or as a family/group/team.

(3) Set a goal to reach. This can be an activity-related goal, a fundraising goal, or both.

(4) Invite friends and family to support your fundraising efforts through your own, personalized Outpace Hunger webpage.

Categories: Community Family Fun Fundraisers

Private Caboose Party

Aug 20 all-day

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Ride in style on the historic Great Smoky Mountains Railroad aboard your very own restored Caboose. These are great for family reunions, birthday parties, private meetings, corporate field trips or just any time!

Our cabooses accommodate up to 15 people with seating on the main level and in the cupola. (And, remember, babies are people, too!) The cabooses feature heat, private bathrooms, windows that can be opened, and open air vestibules at each end for unobstructed views. Advanced reservations are required and availability of caboose rentals are limited.

A platter of cheese and crackers, and an assortment of 15 bottled Coca-Cola products are included. Plus, the caboose is the only place where you can bring your own food and drink (please, no alcohol) in picnic baskets or coolers.

You can charter the caboose on:

Best value for small groups and private parties up to 15 passengers. Available by phone only. Book now by calling 800-872-4681.

Categories: Family Fun Tours

Rafting

Aug 20 all-day

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Rafting

Available April – October with the morning departure of the Nantahala Gorge Excursion departing Bryson City, NC. Train seating in Open Air Gondola. Booking available by phone only: 1-800-872-4681.

Convenient, Inclusive, and Simple!

Adult (13 years and older) $109
Child (Minimum of 7 years old or 60 pounds) $92

A Fully-Guided Experience

The original Raft & Rail© since 1988: enjoy the two best adventures in the region in one day, great for families. Southern Living Magazine calls this “an ideal adventure for families, first-timers, young or old.” This full-day guided adventure starts with a Wildwater staff member greeting you at the train depot, followed by a scenic train trip, deli lunch with all the fixings, and a Nantahala River whitewater trip with a guide in every boat. Hot showers and a photo show follow immediately after your 8 mile Nantahala River trip. All transportation is included to and from the Bryson City Train Depot.

Available by phone only. Book now by calling 800-872-4681.

Categories: Family Fun Outdoors Sports

Rail + Trail

Aug 20 all-day

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Enjoy this trip combining the Great Smoky Mountains Railroads trip with the Waterfall Jeep® tour. You’ll begin your trip in Bryson City, NC, with a 2 hour (approximate) railroad excursion over Fontana Lake and into the Nantahala Gorge. As you travel on the train, watch paddlers challenge the rapids. At the top of the line, disembark from the train and climb aboard Wildwater’s customized Jeep® for a 2-hour (approximate) personal exploration up the mountain, past waterfalls and lakes, up to the Appalachian Trail and back. A delicious deli lunch is included.

Available by phone only. Book now by calling 800-872-4681.

* Children 40 – 80 lbs. are required to sit in the front passenger seat with the airbag disengaged using a child booster seat. Children 80 lbs. or greater will sit in the back using a lap seat belt. If there is more than one child in the 40 – 80 lb. range, the second child will sit in the back using a lap belt.

Categories: Family Fun Outdoors Tours

Tarzan Train

Aug 20 all-day

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Tarzan Train

Our train and canopy combo trip will start in Bryson City at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad train depot. You will ride through the Smoky Mountains, along Fontana Lake and up into the Nantahala Gorge. On your 2 hour train ride, watch paddlers challenge the rapids on the Nantahala River. A delicious Deli Sandwich lunch is included. At the top-of-the-line, you will disembark the train and travel a short distance to Wildwater’s Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours.

The original zipline canopy tour in Western North Carolina, Wildwater’s Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours offers 13 different zip lines and 8 sky bridges. Our two highest platforms have unbelievable views of Clingman’s Dome, Fontana Lake and waterfalls. This gliding experience, naturally fueled by a gradual elevation change, takes you through multiple ecosystems, past hemlocks, into hardwoods and through a deciduous forest packed with native flowering plants. All Canopy Tour Rangers are trained to – and all courses are built and inspected to – ACCT Standards to provide for your well-being and fun. This is a great experience for families.

After enjoying the fully guided zip line tour, check out your photos and buy a t-shirt in Wildwater’s store. Your adventure will end later in the afternoon back at your car in Bryson City, NC. All transportation is included.

Members of your party who can’t – or don’t want to – go on the canopy tour can ride the train round trip. You’ll all meet up shortly after the train’s return in Bryson City, NC.

Categories: Family Fun Outdoors

The 2021 Summer Learning Program: Tails + Tales – an exploration of wildlife and fantastical folktales

Aug 20 all-day

Online

Illustration of animals reading book.

Get ready to go wild at the library for our annual Summer Learning Program. Join us for Tails & Tales – an exploration of wildlife and fantastical folktales. We’ll have an activity sheet with lots of fun adventures for all ages. You can pick up a sheet at any library starting June 1, or download it HERE. Check our calendar to find our most up to date list of programs all summer long.

The 2021 Summer Learning Program is open to young people, preschool through teen, with books and activities for every age. All library programs are free and open to children of all abilities. Come in and see what the library has for you!

Categories: Bookclubs Community Education Family Fun

YWCA: NOW ENROLLING 3 to 5-YEAR-OLDS AT OUR 5-STAR CHILD CARE CENTER

Aug 20 @ 7:00 am – 5:00 pm

YWCA Asheville

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 your little ones, but they also prepare young children to succeed cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. YWCA’s childcare center also offers NC Pre-K for qualifying families.

***Due to COVID-19 tours are not allowed at this time***

We are now accepting applications through our online waitlist. In order for your child to be considered for our program, you must apply online by entering your information on the waitlist form by clicking the button below.

YWCA CHILDCARE WAITLIST

Categories: Community Family Fun

Wild Art Sculpture Showcase

Aug 20 @ 8:00 am – 9:00 pm

NC Arboretum

The North Carolina Arboretum is going wild for art and nature in 2021 with Wild Art! On view April 1 through September 26, this outdoor sculpture exhibition features works by 17 local and national artists drawing inspiration from the natural environment. Situated throughout the Arboretum’s spacious, open-air gardens, the show offers guests a doorway into the wild world from the comfort and safety of cultivated landscapes transformed by art.

The 18 sculptures on display represent a variety of approaches to the theme of “wild art,” from the literal to the abstract, and are crafted from a diverse array of materials that will delight and inspire. Let your imagination take you on a wild journey into the world of plants and animals near and far with Wild Art at The North Carolina Arboretum.

The exhibit is available to all guests during normal Arboretum hours, and there is no admission cost to view the sculptures beyond our usual parking fee of $16 per personal vehicle.

Categories: Art & Craft Family Fun Garden Outdoors Parks & Recreation

Fairy Trail 2021

Aug 20 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Bullington Gardens

Fairy Trail 2021

Join us on the magical Fairy Trail where your imagination is the only limit.

Developed by Fairies and dedicated volunteers, Bullington Gardens’ Fairy Trail is a whimsical treat for the young and the young at heart. Featuring playful vignettes and villages, the fairy trail will charm you with its thoughtful design, eye catching displays and secret woodland trail.

Rules of the trail:

Do not move or rearrange fairy displays. The fairies are very fond of their own decorating.

Do not leave trash on the trail. Fairies do not like litter in their town.

Please ensure children and pets are supervised at all times. Dogs and loud noises can scare the fairies into hiding.

Do not disturb wildlife or vegetation. The fairies depend on the vegetation to build their homes.

The trail is one way only. Please stay on the trail at all times.

P.S. the Fairies would like us to remind you that we are a non-profit and donations are greatly appreciated. Help us keep the fairies living in the style with which they’ve become accustomed.

Bullington Gardens and the Fairy Trail are closed on Sundays.

Categories: Family Fun Garden Hike Outdoors

Biltmore Gardens Railway

Aug 20 @ 9:30 am – 6:00 pm

Biltmore

Included with admission

Our fun-for-all-ages botanical model train displays invite you to experience our grounds in an engaging new way. Located in the Conservatory in the Walled Garden, the displays feature replicas of structures connected with Biltmore and its founder George Vanderbilt. Each beautifully executed piece was handcrafted from such natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs.

In compliance with state and local mandates related to COVID-19, all guests must enter the Conservatory via the ADA entrance in the back and follow a one-way route.

Categories: Family Fun Garden Outdoors Tours

Tiny Tots Yoga

Aug 20 @ 11:00 am – 11:45 am

Oakley/South Asheville Library

Tiny Tots Yoga


	REGISTRATION REQUIRED • SPACE IS LIMITED Calling all kids between the ages of 18 months and 3 years! Bring your grown-up and join us for a free outdoor yoga class located at Oakley Park, adjacent to Oakley/South Asheville Library, 749 Fairview Rd, Asheville, 28803. Our instructor, Ms. Brandon, does a combination of easy yoga poses, stories, songs, and rhythms. The classes will be on Fridays from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m., August 20, September 3, and September 17. Please register for this free event on the Library Events Calendar at buncombecounty.org/library. Event will take place outdoors. In the event of inclement weather, event will be canceled. Check our Facebook page for notifications. Children should be between 18 months and 3 years old. Bring your own yoga mat and/or blanket. Grown-ups will sign a release before the session begins.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED • SPACE IS LIMITED
Calling all kids between the ages of 18 months and 3 years! Bring your grown-up and join us for a free outdoor yoga class located at Oakley Park, adjacent to Oakley/South Asheville Library, 749 Fairview Rd, Asheville, 28803.

Our instructor, Ms. Brandon, does a combination of easy yoga poses, stories, songs, and rhythms. The classes will be on Fridays from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m., August 20, September 3, and September 17. Please register for this free event on the Library Events Calendar at buncombecounty.org/library.

Event will take place outdoors. In the event of inclement weather, event will be canceled. Check our Facebook page for notifications.

Children should be between 18 months and 3 years old. Bring your own yoga mat and/or blanket. Grown-ups will sign a release before the session begins.

Categories: Family Fun Yoga

Free Admission Western North Carolina Air Museum

Aug 20 @ 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Western North Carolina Air Museum