Gather bathing suits and sunscreen, Buncombe County’s outdoor pools are getting ready to open. The County’s five outdoor pools will open for the 2023 season on May 27. This includes the pools at Cane Creek, Erwin, Hominy Valley, North Buncombe, and Owen.

Outdoor pools will be open on weekends only until area schools are out for the summer. Starting on June 10, Pools will be open seven days a week.

Pool hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Cost for pool entry is $3 per person.

Private lessons at the outdoor pools are available for different age groups from 3-year-olds and up. For more information on lessons or to register for a class, click here.

The pools can also be booked for private parties 14 days in advance and must have a minimum of 50 patrons. Pool bookings are available Monday through Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Click here for more information on booking pools.

Buncombe County Pool Locations:

• Cane Creek Pool – 590 Lower Brush Creek Road, Fletcher
• Erwin Pool – 58 Lees Creek Road, Asheville
• Hominy Valley Pool – 25 Twin Lakes Road, Candler
• North Buncombe Pool – 734 Clarks Chapel Road, Weaverville
• Owen Pool – 117 Stone Drive, Swannanoa

In addition, lap swimming is available year-round at the Buncombe County Schools Aquatics Center, a 10-lane pool managed by the YMCA of Western North Carolina and Buncombe County Schools.

For more information on outdoor pools, visit the County’s pool website or call (828) 348-4770.

Join us at Eliada Home’s campus for a small group guided walking Farm Tour. Tours last approximately 1 hour. Participants will learn about outdoor and greenhouse growing practices, aquaponics, hydroponics, market gardening, corn maze production, and about our equine therapy program.

Reservations required. There is no cost, but donations to the non-profit agency are greatly appreciated.

We recommend bringing the following: comfortable shoes for walking on pavement and grass, hat, sunglasses, and water. This tour is not handicap accessible and will require participants to climb stairs and walk on uneven ground.

The N.C. Cooperative Extension, Transylvania County Center and Conserving Carolina are offering a series of lectures, field trips, and service days to better acquaint the public with the French Broad River, and give you ways to explore and act on its behalf.

The fifth part of our series: EXPLORE A float on the French Broad River!

Let’s get on the river! Join us on a class 1 and 2 urban float on the French Broad River through the River Arts section in Asheville. Joining us will be Trevor Freeman from the Asheville Museum of History, discussing the history of interaction between people and the French Broad River. Jack Henderson of Mountain True will discuss ways we are currently addressing challenges to keep the river healthy.

This event is open to the general public, and the fee is the cost of membership to the organization of your choice. For current AMoH members, the discounted rate is $20. We will be using both inflatable rafts and kayaks. A meeting location and recommended items will be announced prior to the event.

Join us for a relaxing ride through quiet countryside on your way to small town life in western North Carolina on the Tuckasegee River Excursion. Departing from Bryson City, this 4 hour excursion travels 32 miles round-trip to Dillsboro and back to the Bryson City Depot. Pass by the famous movie set of The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford!

The Tuckasegee (tuck-uh-SEE-jee) River Excursion includes an 1 hour and 20 minute layover in the historic town of Dillsboro, where you’ll find more than 50 shops, restaurants, a brewery, and country inns. There is time to shop, snack, and visit the many unique shops before returning to Bryson City.

Here’s what we plan on doing. Refer to this train’s schedule for departures times.

Given the nature of railroading, durations are approximate and subject to change without notice.

Being Bilingual Rocks! is an interactive, one-of-a-kind experience created by Parents Choice Award Winners Alina Celeste and Mi Amigo Hamlet. They weave an eclectic blend of original and traditional songs from Latin America, taking kids and families on a musical journey through a mix of contemporary rumba-flamenco, Caribbean and bluegrass beats. Everyone will sing, dance, and learn Spanish and English in a joyful blend of cultures, sounds, and language.

Únanse a Alina Celeste y Mi Amigo Hamlet para una celebración musical en dos idiomas. Este programa interactivo incorpora canciones originales y folclóricas en español e inglés, con música que abarca géneros como Rumba-Flamenco, Bluegrass y otros ritmos caribeños, latinoamericanos y norteamericanos. ¡Prepáranse para bailar, cantar y rockear, estilo bilingüe!

This free program is for children of all ages. For other great programs for families, check out our Summer Learning Program calendar.

ONLINE EVENT

Craft and Community Vitality Grants will support six artists, artist collectives, or art organizations with $2,200 grants to use craft to engage with regional communities in Western North Carolina.

During the pilot year (2023) of this program the Center for Craft has partnered with the University of North Carolina Asheville’s UNC Gillings Master of Public Health (MPH) program to explore the community health impacts of craft in Western North Carolina.

Each selected project will be paired with a UNC Asheville MPH student who will use methods they are learning in their coursework to co-explore and measure community vitality impacts of each artist’s project. The collected information will be shared with the Center for Craft community, craft professionals and centers, and additional people interested in craft and community vitality around the country.

Craft has the power to promote individual and community vitality. Making, experiencing, and learning about craft contributes to social, emotional, mental, physical, economic, and environmental well-being. There is an opportunity to better understand how research on the ways that craft acts as an indicator of and pathway to bring people together, build community, and foster a healthy, resilient future.

2022 Market Season: Every Friday April – October

Craft and Community Vitality Grants will support six artists, artist collectives, or art organizations with $2,200 grants to use craft to engage with regional communities in Western North Carolina.

During the pilot year (2023) of this program the Center for Craft has partnered with the University of North Carolina Asheville’s UNC Gillings Master of Public Health (MPH) program to explore the community health impacts of craft in Western North Carolina.

Each selected project will be paired with a UNC Asheville MPH student who will use methods they are learning in their coursework to co-explore and measure community vitality impacts of each artist’s project. The collected information will be shared with the Center for Craft community, craft professionals and centers, and additional people interested in craft and community vitality around the country.

Craft has the power to promote individual and community vitality. Making, experiencing, and learning about craft contributes to social, emotional, mental, physical, economic, and environmental well-being. There is an opportunity to better understand how research on the ways that craft acts as an indicator of and pathway to bring people together, build community, and foster a healthy, resilient future.

Join us for a screening of Paul Bonesteel’s documentary Muni (2020), followed by a panel discussion of the film with the filmmaker, community leader Matthew Bacoate Jr., and Chris Corl from the City of Asheville.

Muni is a love letter to the game of golf as told by the Black caddies-turned-players who, despite Jim Crow laws, built a rich and vibrant golf culture on a classic municipal course in Asheville, affectionately known as Muni.

This free program will be Friday, July 7 at 4:30 p.m. at the East Asheville Library and everyone is invited. Click here to watch a trailer for Muni.

Asheville’s only and original DRAG QUEEN BAR CRAWL!
Experience Asheville’s one-of-a-kind Drag Queen Bar Crawl, a unique fundraiser supporting local non-profit organizations. “Beer Flight” offers an unparalleled opportunity to discover the vibrant craft brewery scene of Beer City while enjoying the delightful company of our hilarious drag queen flight attendant. Perfect for special occasions, including birthdays, weddings, and even divorce parties, this event promises a memorable and enjoyable experience for all fans of drag and beer alike. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to support local non-profits and have a blast doing it!

The two-hour tour promises a side-splittingly funny experience, featuring:

• The beer! The drag queen! FUN!
• 2-3 Flights of craft beer/seltzer/wine/sours ($45 value)
• Souvenir sticker ($5 value)
• Mid-flight snack (priceless!)
• VIP seats at an after-party event*
• No cover and no waiting at venues
• Photo ops with your drag queen guide
• See FAQs at the bottom of this page
• *After-party not available on all tours; ask!

Prepare for takeoff as Bearded Lady Productions presents a first-class “beer flight” bar crawl tour featuring the company of a hilarious drag queen wannabe flight attendant. You won’t want to miss this two-hour tour, where you’ll get to enjoy fine brews, seltzers, wines, and sours from multiple iconic downtown breweries, all while being entertained by a fabulous drag queen leading the way. Tickets for the first-class “beer flight” tour include the tour itself, all beverages along the route, fun surprises, and other perks. Seating is limited, so book your tickets now at https://www.AshevilleDragBrunch.com. You won’t want to miss this chance to experience the best of Asheville’s craft brewing scene while being entertained by a top-notch fabulous queen.

The tour has multiple dates and most tours end with VIP seats at a 2-hour special event, drag karaoke or drag music bingo. And don’t worry if a real airplane is not available for the tour, as the one-mile trip will be on foot. But that won’t stop you from experiencing the high-flying adventure that “Beer Flight” has planned for you. The after-party event is not available on all tours, so be sure to ask about it when booking your ticket. This is the perfect way to spend an afternoon or evening, so grab your friends and get ready for an unforgettable experience. The sky’s the limit with this unique first-class experience!

Upon arrival at one of Asheville’s premier craft breweries, guests will be greeted by a world-class drag queen who will serve as their stewardess for the night. As guests wait for the “flight” to board, they will have the opportunity to mingle with their fellow passengers. The tour will then take off, with the drag queen leading the way through the vibrant streets of Asheville. Although a real airplane may not be available, all seats are first-class and drinks are included. Guests will be treated like royalty, with no cover and no waiting at the breweries along the route, and a guided tasting of each flight.

Go on an epic adventure with us as we perform a made-for-Moppets adaptation of the original road trip gone wrong story!

Asheville Gallery of Art’s July show, “Many Views: Inside and Out” features the work of two gallery artists, Olga Michelson and Susan Voorhees. Both Michelson and Voorhees use the painterly language of storytelling to narrate their paintings; Olga with her oil paintings and Susan with pastels. Both artists use rich colors and textures in their individual expression of landscapes, still life, and interiors. Thus comes the title of the exhibition: Many Views: Inside and Out. The show runs July 1-31 during gallery hours, 11am-6pm daily. An opening reception is slated for Friday, July 7, 5-8pm.

From the local favorites to new regional acts, all live from the river banks of the Nantahala. Raft, dine, then jam with us with Live Music every Friday and Saturday from 5pm-8pm between Memorial Day and Labor Day!

Swannanoa, such a beautiful name.

Along the river is written Western North Carolina’s history from its earliest years into the future. Archaic era people lived by the river on Warren Wilson’s campus 4,000 years ago. The raging flood of 1791, five feet higher than the record flood of 1916, convinced Buncombe County’s first commission to locate the court house up on a plateau rather than where the Swannanoa joins the French Broad. Utterly brutal abuse of Black Americans as convict labor drove rails through Swannanoa Gap in 1879 bringing prosperity to the valley. Train transportation and cool clean water drew industry ranging from Beacon Blankets revered for quality and community citizenship but also Chemtronics, now a brownfield site. Trains also introduced tourists. And once the world became aware of this sublime valley from Ridgecrest to Biltmore Village, the communities we so enjoy today blossomed.
On July 7 from 5-6pm John E. Ross, author of Through the Mountains: The French Broad River and Time (UTenn Press 2021), will take us on a tour of the French Broad watershed summarizing its natural and cultural history from the origin of the mountains, through the evolution of the river and the populations who’ve lived along it, and into the future. Through the Mountains was a finalist for the 2022 Reed Environmental Writing Award sponsored by the Southern Environmental Law Center and the 2022 Thomas Wolfe Literary Award from the Western North Carolina Historical Association.

Sip and stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens in the glow of the golden hour, all while listening to live music from a variety of local and regional artists! ArborEvenings runs Thursdays and most Fridays through September 30, 2022 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

There is no additional cost to attend ArborEvenings beyond our standard parking fee. As always, Arboretum Society members and their accompanying guests can enter for FREE (guests must be in member vehicles to receive free entry). Proceeds from ArborEvenings help support the The North Carolina Arboretum Society and further advance the Arboretum’s mission.

Beverage Service

Beer, Wine, and soft drinks will be for sale onsite at the Green Gardener’s Shed from 5:30 to 8:15 p.m. each night of the event. Outside alcohol is strictly prohibited, but guests are welcome to bring in water or a favorite non-alcoholic beverage.

Food Available for Pre-Order, Picnics Welcome

Although the Bent Creek Bistro will not be open during the event, they will be offering their delicious dining options at ArborEvenings via pre-order! Simply place your online order — including alcoholic beverages — up until 11 a.m. on the date you plan to attend, then pick up your order at the Baker Information Desk between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. (In the event of rain cancellation, pre-orders will be fully refunded.)

Guests are welcome to bring in outside food and non-alcoholic beverages. However, outside alcohol is strictly prohibited. 

Find more information here. 

Wanna hear the best local music ​and​ drink the best local beers? Hop aboard LaZoom’s Purple Bus and rock out with a local band while we take you on a journey to Asheville’s premiere local breweries.

The Scatterlings are a four-piece acoustic/Americana band based in Asheville, North Carolina. The members share a fondness for songs about heartbreak, whiskey, and killings, although they promise they are actually all very peaceful people. Many of their original songs offer masterful personal storytelling, while others are steeped deep in local history. The Scatterlings are: Elfy Kornfeld on lead vocals and baritone ukulele, Terrell Jones on upright bass and harmony vocals, Brad Pope on guitar and mandolin, and Kevin Gary on guitar, mandolin, and fiddle.

The Scatterlings have released two albums–Being Human and The Scatterlings’

Guests will meet outside the Asheville Art Museum (2 S. Pack Square, Asheville, NC 28801) and then depart with their treasure map on a walking team scavenger hunt where they will use their minds and feet to follow clues, solve puzzles, and crack codes to find and unlock the treasure chest for a grand prize!

The hunt involves walking a distance of up to 2.0 miles in total and will take place rain or shine, so long as the weather does not become dangerous. The hunt typically takes about 60 minutes to complete.

Children under 10 years old are welcome to participate for free with the purchase of an Adult ticket.

The beats of the Friday Night Drum Circle have been rocking Pritchard Park for decades and the circle has become so popular that it is featured in magazines and TV commercials.

Bring your own skates and roll bounce with us to your favorite soundtrack.
Dates are May 19th, June 2nd, July 7th, Aug. 4th, Sept. 15th, & Oct. 20th

Ages 5+

Every Friday Modelface Comedy brings you the best comedians from all over the country! This Friday we have Kenny DeForest!

Kenny DeForest is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor best known for his appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Late Show with James Corden, HBO’s Crashing, TruTV’s “Friends of the People”, and as a former producer and co-host of “Comedy at the Knitting Factory”, widely considered to be one of the best independently run comedy shows in the world.

In 2017, he recorded his debut stand-up album “B.A.D. Dreams” with Comedy Dynamics, which debuted #1 on iTunes, and in 2015 he was named one of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch.” In 2018, he was invited to perform in the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal as a “New Face” where he was named “Best of the New Faces” by The Village Voice. He was also named one of “50 Funniest People in Brooklyn” by Brooklyn Magazine.

Additionally, he has performed in the New York Comedy Festival, Brooklyn Comedy Festival, High Plains Comedy Festival, Riot Fest LA, Chicago Comedy Exposition, Accidental Comedy Festival, Red Clay Comedy Festival, and his work has been highlighted in “The Observer”, “Time Out New York”, and “The New Yorker”. Best of all, he has a lot of fun performing and fun tends to be contagious. Come get some.

ages 18+

Tickets $18, premium seating $23

The Friday Night Music series will present the familiar 50’s and 60’s
classic rock and beach music from a host of different bands. Food vendors like Babbles Ice
Cream, Blue Ridge Hospitality and Eggs Up Grill will provide a some spice. The Carolina
Mountain Car Club will participate as in years past.

Friday Night Concerts
Super 60’s June 9
Gotcha Groove June 16
It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere June 23
Marsha Morgan June 30
Shades of Gray July 7
Thomas Brown July 14
Emporium July 21
Johnnie Blackwell Band July 28
Rock and Roll Reunion August 4
208 Army Band August 11
Night Moves Band August 18