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.

Sunday, September 27, 2020
Asheville Walking Tour
Sep 27 all-day
Asheville
This insider excursion provides you with tips and local secrets about the best way to do Asheville on a budget! You will have a better understanding of how Asheville became the unique, quirky city you see now and learn everything we are doing to “Keep Asheville Weird.” This is the only tip-based walking tour, allowing you to pay what you think it’s worth. We will follow the urban trail, stopping along the way to taste donuts, gin and honey for free and finish the tour with some special beer tastings at one of the best local breweries in South Slope! I want you to know and love my city as much as I do and I am excited to share this experience with you!
  • I have been living in Asheville for about 3 years now
  • I have been on many tours myself and know what is good :)
  • I speak English, Spanish & Portuguese
  • I believe you should only have to pay exactly what you believe it is worth to you and here is your chance!
  • Satisfaction guaranteed or it’s free!
  • You will reap all the benefits of my connections to the community with all offers and discounts
  • I offer personalized itinerary planning, officially or unofficially
  • I am also just a lot of fun to be around ;)
Buncombe County Parks Playgrounds Open with New Guidance
Sep 27 all-day
Buncombe County Parks

Hiker with camera on a log

Playground openings.

Some areas remain closed including restrooms and picnic shelters. Paddle boat, water trike, and Jon boat rentals will not be available until further notice.

Staying physically active is one of the best ways to keep your mind and body healthy. Parks are open spaces to exercise for no or little cost, places for hurried individuals to reconnect with nature, and community areas to connect with neighbors and preserve culture. While these facilities and areas can offer mental and physical health benefits, it is important that you follow the steps below to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

Guidance for Park Visitors

  • Remember that ongoing community spread of COVID-19 continues. Practice the three Ws:
    • Wear a cloth face covering over your nose and mouth when you go out or are around others.
    • Wait at least six feet apart from and avoid close contact with others who do not live in your household.
    • Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer often.
  • Stay home if you are sick or exhibiting symptoms.
  • Wash your hands before leaving home and bring sanitizer or wipes, water, and sunscreen. No restrooms or water fountains are currently open.
  • Maintain at least six feet of physical distance between yourself and anyone who does not live in your household.
  • Outdoor gatherings are limited to 50 persons.
  • Playgrounds are subject to regular cleaning, but the virus that causes COVID-19 can spread when kids touch contaminated objects, and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth.
  • Picnic shelters remain closed.
  • Keep it moving when using trails and step aside to let others pass. At some parks, trails may be marked as one-way only.
  • Limit your park time so that others can also safely enjoy the space.
  • Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter to help minimize invasive species, bank erosion, and water pollution.
  • Let us know how you’re enjoying your parks! Tag Recreation Services on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #IHeartBCParks.
Inclusion Matters: Wheelchair Swings at Parks
Sep 27 all-day
Buncombe CountyParks

Buncombe County is diverse. Playgrounds should be, too. The spirit of inclusion is straightforward in a recent partnership that has brought swing access for persons of all abilities to the three largest parks in the County’s Recreation Services system.

With support from Dogwood Health TrustSand Hill Lions Club, and the citizens of Buncombe County, wheelchair swings can be found at Buncombe County Sports ParkCharles D. Owen Park, and Lake Julian Park that adhere to Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. Front and rear ramps allow easy access onto and off a 32 inch wide platform (the same as standard doorway entries). Wheelchairs can easily navigate on specially engineered mulch that also acts as a safety feature in case a user should fall.

Rocky Cove Railroad Exhibit
Sep 27 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m. (weather permitting), Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Garden Promenade.

Ghosted: Comedy Walking Tour w/ LaZoom
Sep 27 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LaZoom Room

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

Ghosted: Comedy Walking Tour w/ LaZoom
Sep 27 @ 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm
LaZoom Room

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

Monday, September 28, 2020
History Café: Preserving the Historic South Asheville Cemetery
Sep 28 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center

The South Asheville Cemetery, located in the Kenilworth neighborhood behind St. John “A” Baptist Church, is the resting place for approximately 2000 African American residents of Asheville, who were buried there from the mid-19th century to the early 1940s. In recent decades, the cemetery has been reclaimed and maintained by groups of volunteers, led by members of the South Asheville Cemetery Association. George Gibson, one of the founders of the Association, will be joined by Olivia Metz, Patricia Griffin, and David Quinn to discuss the history of the cemetery and the Association’s ongoing efforts to honor the people buried in the cemetery, to maintain this sacred and historic site, and to promote greater public awareness of African American history in Buncombe County.

About History Cafe
Ever wonder how Asheville came to get its drinking water from Black Mountain? What slavery looked like in western North Carolina (Yes, there were enslaved people here.)? How wagons, stagecoaches, and trains made it up the steep grade from Old Fort into Ridgecrest? Come to the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center one monday a month at 10:30am for a discussion about local history. Come start off your morning getting to know our region a little better!

Cost: $5 for museum members and students with ID. Nonmembers may pay $10 in advance online or at the door. Coffee will be provided.

Designed for adults and modeled after the popular Science Cafes taking place across the nation, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center’s monthly History Cafe offers lectures and workshops led by local experts and researchers on regional history topics. These hour-long meet-ups engage the many stories that have shaped our southern Appalachian community as a place — from geological changes to native histories, musical innovations, pioneer experiences, and labor struggles — and will end with informal discussion bringing our shared history into context with contemporary issues.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Asheville Food Tours
Sep 29 all-day
varies

Discover the original Asheville Food Tour. In this premiere tour, taste the unique flavor of Asheville on our guided walking tours of the city’s culinary treasures, in historic downtown Asheville. Eating Asheville one bite at a time never tasted so good!

One of the nation’s premiere food destinations, Asheville boasts some of the most exciting and memorable food in the South. Asheville Food Tours offers a sumptuous glimpse into this exotic world of local Asheville restaurants and gourmet food shops and featuring artisan cheeses and choice meats from local farms, crusty baked breads from local ovens, rich hand-made chocolates, dynamic wine lists and hand-crafted local beer.

Downtown Food Tour – $55

West Asheville Tour – $60

International Tour – $60

Food Fan Foot Tour – $65

Saturday Brunch Tour – $65

Night Tour – $85

Gift Certificates –  $55 and up.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Asheville Food Tours
Sep 30 all-day
varies

Discover the original Asheville Food Tour. In this premiere tour, taste the unique flavor of Asheville on our guided walking tours of the city’s culinary treasures, in historic downtown Asheville. Eating Asheville one bite at a time never tasted so good!

One of the nation’s premiere food destinations, Asheville boasts some of the most exciting and memorable food in the South. Asheville Food Tours offers a sumptuous glimpse into this exotic world of local Asheville restaurants and gourmet food shops and featuring artisan cheeses and choice meats from local farms, crusty baked breads from local ovens, rich hand-made chocolates, dynamic wine lists and hand-crafted local beer.

Downtown Food Tour – $55

West Asheville Tour – $60

International Tour – $60

Food Fan Foot Tour – $65

Saturday Brunch Tour – $65

Night Tour – $85

Gift Certificates –  $55 and up.

Thursday, October 1, 2020
Asheville Food Tours
Oct 1 all-day
varies

Discover the original Asheville Food Tour. In this premiere tour, taste the unique flavor of Asheville on our guided walking tours of the city’s culinary treasures, in historic downtown Asheville. Eating Asheville one bite at a time never tasted so good!

One of the nation’s premiere food destinations, Asheville boasts some of the most exciting and memorable food in the South. Asheville Food Tours offers a sumptuous glimpse into this exotic world of local Asheville restaurants and gourmet food shops and featuring artisan cheeses and choice meats from local farms, crusty baked breads from local ovens, rich hand-made chocolates, dynamic wine lists and hand-crafted local beer.

Downtown Food Tour – $55

West Asheville Tour – $60

International Tour – $60

Food Fan Foot Tour – $65

Saturday Brunch Tour – $65

Night Tour – $85

Gift Certificates –  $55 and up.

Inclusion Matters: Wheelchair Swings at Parks
Oct 1 all-day
Buncombe CountyParks

Buncombe County is diverse. Playgrounds should be, too. The spirit of inclusion is straightforward in a recent partnership that has brought swing access for persons of all abilities to the three largest parks in the County’s Recreation Services system.

With support from Dogwood Health TrustSand Hill Lions Club, and the citizens of Buncombe County, wheelchair swings can be found at Buncombe County Sports ParkCharles D. Owen Park, and Lake Julian Park that adhere to Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. Front and rear ramps allow easy access onto and off a 32 inch wide platform (the same as standard doorway entries). Wheelchairs can easily navigate on specially engineered mulch that also acts as a safety feature in case a user should fall.

Riverlink Bus Tours 2020
Oct 1 @ 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm
New Belgium Brewery

Because of the Covid-19 situation, we will book tours on an individual basis. Please contact our office at 828-246-6777 or [email protected]. We will not mix groups with people who do not know each other.

Join us as we explore the history of the French Broad River and its seminal place in the development of Asheville–from the time when Native Americans lived along its banks to the Buncombe Turnpike, the railroad, and industries of yesteryear. On the tour you’ll hear about:

    • How the river has changed since the days of George Vanderbilt, Thomas Wolfe, and when NASCAR greats Richard Petty and Junior Johnson raced cars in the area.
    • The 1950s when Wilma Dykeman asked, “Who poisoned the river?” in her groundbreaking book, “The French Broad.”
    • The current-day thriving River Arts District, the beautiful chain of parks along the riverfront greenway, and the recreational opportunities that abound.
    • The great work of the RiverLink and our many partners (government, corporations, civic, non-profit conservation groups, and individuals) that have worked together to protect, preserve, and enhance the riverfront area so that locals and visitors alike can enjoy its beauty and grandeur.

If you like history and you appreciate environmental sustainability, this tour is for you.

CiderFest Tours 2020
Oct 1 @ 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Various Cider Houses

Image may contain: 3 people, people sitting, drink and outdoor

The eighth annual CiderFest NC fundraiser will be held in a brand-new format this fall that offers loyal guests the chance to celebrate, sample and savor cider safely and responsibly.

While the large annual festival will not be offered this fall in light of current health concerns, the event will continue this year through CiderFest Tours: small-group curated tours of three Asheville cideries that are being offered in partnership with local business Leap Frog Tours.

The tours will allow participants to visit three of Asheville’s cideries — Noble Cider, Urban Orchard Cider Company – West and TreeRock Social Cider House & Mead Bar — for intimate, small-group tasting sessions to sample unique takes on the craft beverage on each of the locations. Proceeds will be shared between Leap Frog Tours, the three participating cideries and Green Built Alliance.

To offer the largest number of people the opportunity to participate, the four-hour tours will be offered from 3 to 7 p.m. on every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday in October.

Tours can be reserved for groups of 2 to 14 individuals, and bookings open up today. To prioritize safety in light of COVID-19, all tours will be private without combining reservations from separate parties. (Visit our website or Leap Frog’s booking page for a full list of COVID-19 precautions being taken for the tours.)

The cost is $85 per person. The price includes a tasting at each cidery, a souvenir CiderFest tasting glass, and transportation by Leap Frog Tours from Aloft Hotel in downtown Asheville.

Since the event has sold out in recent years, people are encouraged to book their tours early. For more information and to book a tour, visit www.ciderfestnc.com.

Ghosted: Comedy Walking Tour w/ LaZoom
Oct 1 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LaZoom Room

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

Ghosted: Comedy Walking Tour w/ LaZoom
Oct 1 @ 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm
LaZoom Room

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

Friday, October 2, 2020
Asheville Food Tours
Oct 2 all-day
varies

Discover the original Asheville Food Tour. In this premiere tour, taste the unique flavor of Asheville on our guided walking tours of the city’s culinary treasures, in historic downtown Asheville. Eating Asheville one bite at a time never tasted so good!

One of the nation’s premiere food destinations, Asheville boasts some of the most exciting and memorable food in the South. Asheville Food Tours offers a sumptuous glimpse into this exotic world of local Asheville restaurants and gourmet food shops and featuring artisan cheeses and choice meats from local farms, crusty baked breads from local ovens, rich hand-made chocolates, dynamic wine lists and hand-crafted local beer.

Downtown Food Tour – $55

West Asheville Tour – $60

International Tour – $60

Food Fan Foot Tour – $65

Saturday Brunch Tour – $65

Night Tour – $85

Gift Certificates –  $55 and up.

Inclusion Matters: Wheelchair Swings at Parks
Oct 2 all-day
Buncombe CountyParks

Buncombe County is diverse. Playgrounds should be, too. The spirit of inclusion is straightforward in a recent partnership that has brought swing access for persons of all abilities to the three largest parks in the County’s Recreation Services system.

With support from Dogwood Health TrustSand Hill Lions Club, and the citizens of Buncombe County, wheelchair swings can be found at Buncombe County Sports ParkCharles D. Owen Park, and Lake Julian Park that adhere to Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. Front and rear ramps allow easy access onto and off a 32 inch wide platform (the same as standard doorway entries). Wheelchairs can easily navigate on specially engineered mulch that also acts as a safety feature in case a user should fall.

Ghosted: Comedy Walking Tour w/ LaZoom
Oct 2 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LaZoom Room

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

Saturday, October 3, 2020
Asheville Food Tours
Oct 3 all-day
varies

Discover the original Asheville Food Tour. In this premiere tour, taste the unique flavor of Asheville on our guided walking tours of the city’s culinary treasures, in historic downtown Asheville. Eating Asheville one bite at a time never tasted so good!

One of the nation’s premiere food destinations, Asheville boasts some of the most exciting and memorable food in the South. Asheville Food Tours offers a sumptuous glimpse into this exotic world of local Asheville restaurants and gourmet food shops and featuring artisan cheeses and choice meats from local farms, crusty baked breads from local ovens, rich hand-made chocolates, dynamic wine lists and hand-crafted local beer.

Downtown Food Tour – $55

West Asheville Tour – $60

International Tour – $60

Food Fan Foot Tour – $65

Saturday Brunch Tour – $65

Night Tour – $85

Gift Certificates –  $55 and up.

Inclusion Matters: Wheelchair Swings at Parks
Oct 3 all-day
Buncombe CountyParks

Buncombe County is diverse. Playgrounds should be, too. The spirit of inclusion is straightforward in a recent partnership that has brought swing access for persons of all abilities to the three largest parks in the County’s Recreation Services system.

With support from Dogwood Health TrustSand Hill Lions Club, and the citizens of Buncombe County, wheelchair swings can be found at Buncombe County Sports ParkCharles D. Owen Park, and Lake Julian Park that adhere to Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. Front and rear ramps allow easy access onto and off a 32 inch wide platform (the same as standard doorway entries). Wheelchairs can easily navigate on specially engineered mulch that also acts as a safety feature in case a user should fall.

Naturalist Niche: Fall Birding Walk
Oct 3 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Chimney Rock Park
Advance registration required. Includes Park admission.

Fall bird migration is an active time in the North Carolina mountains. It is here that migratory birds are preparing to journey south to their wintering grounds in the Southeastern U.S., Caribbean, Central America, and South America. This makes Chimney Rock a great hotspot to catch a glimpse of a lot of northern birds before their mass, seasonal exodus. Join a local birding expert during this two-hour excursion to locate and identify some of these “snowbirds”.

Stream Monitoring Information Exchange (SMIE) Training
Oct 3 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Environmental Quality Institute (Virtually)

Virtual Zoom lab session in the morning and socially distanced stream side demonstration at the Big Ivy River in the afternoon!

Have fun sampling local streams for water quality! This regional effort trains adults (17+) in water quality monitoring methods. Topics covered include: basic stream ecology, how to report water quality problems, aquatic insect identification, and field sampling skills. No experience necessary. Donations accepted to defray materials cost (not required for participation).
After training, volunteers work in small groups with a Group Leader to sample sites in Haywood, Madison, Buncombe, Yancey, and Mitchell counties in the spring and fall each year. Fall Sampling Start Date TBA!

RSVP required: [email protected] or 828-333-0392
EQI website: eqilab.org

Community Garden Workday
Oct 3 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Buncombe County Sports Park
Rocky Cove Railroad Exhibit
Oct 3 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m. (weather permitting), Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Garden Promenade.

Welcome to LEAF! Open hours to tour LEAF Global Arts center
Oct 3 @ 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
LEAF Global Arts center

We are grateful to be able to bring community together with LIVE MUSIC at a limited capacity with safe and proper precautions. Most notably, ULEAF stage will be by Triangle Park hosting amazing artists who call AVL home

The Fall Color Ramble
Oct 3 @ 2:00 pm – 2:20 pm
Grandfather Mountain

From Oct. 3-11, guests can enjoy 20-minute guided walks that highlight Grandfather Mountain’s fall colors.

CiderFest Tours 2020
Oct 3 @ 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Various Cider Houses

Image may contain: 3 people, people sitting, drink and outdoor

The eighth annual CiderFest NC fundraiser will be held in a brand-new format this fall that offers loyal guests the chance to celebrate, sample and savor cider safely and responsibly.

While the large annual festival will not be offered this fall in light of current health concerns, the event will continue this year through CiderFest Tours: small-group curated tours of three Asheville cideries that are being offered in partnership with local business Leap Frog Tours.

The tours will allow participants to visit three of Asheville’s cideries — Noble Cider, Urban Orchard Cider Company – West and TreeRock Social Cider House & Mead Bar — for intimate, small-group tasting sessions to sample unique takes on the craft beverage on each of the locations. Proceeds will be shared between Leap Frog Tours, the three participating cideries and Green Built Alliance.

To offer the largest number of people the opportunity to participate, the four-hour tours will be offered from 3 to 7 p.m. on every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday in October.

Tours can be reserved for groups of 2 to 14 individuals, and bookings open up today. To prioritize safety in light of COVID-19, all tours will be private without combining reservations from separate parties. (Visit our website or Leap Frog’s booking page for a full list of COVID-19 precautions being taken for the tours.)

The cost is $85 per person. The price includes a tasting at each cidery, a souvenir CiderFest tasting glass, and transportation by Leap Frog Tours from Aloft Hotel in downtown Asheville.

Since the event has sold out in recent years, people are encouraged to book their tours early. For more information and to book a tour, visit www.ciderfestnc.com.

Sunday, October 4, 2020
Asheville Food Tours
Oct 4 all-day
varies

Discover the original Asheville Food Tour. In this premiere tour, taste the unique flavor of Asheville on our guided walking tours of the city’s culinary treasures, in historic downtown Asheville. Eating Asheville one bite at a time never tasted so good!

One of the nation’s premiere food destinations, Asheville boasts some of the most exciting and memorable food in the South. Asheville Food Tours offers a sumptuous glimpse into this exotic world of local Asheville restaurants and gourmet food shops and featuring artisan cheeses and choice meats from local farms, crusty baked breads from local ovens, rich hand-made chocolates, dynamic wine lists and hand-crafted local beer.

Downtown Food Tour – $55

West Asheville Tour – $60

International Tour – $60

Food Fan Foot Tour – $65

Saturday Brunch Tour – $65

Night Tour – $85

Gift Certificates –  $55 and up.

Inclusion Matters: Wheelchair Swings at Parks
Oct 4 all-day
Buncombe CountyParks

Buncombe County is diverse. Playgrounds should be, too. The spirit of inclusion is straightforward in a recent partnership that has brought swing access for persons of all abilities to the three largest parks in the County’s Recreation Services system.

With support from Dogwood Health TrustSand Hill Lions Club, and the citizens of Buncombe County, wheelchair swings can be found at Buncombe County Sports ParkCharles D. Owen Park, and Lake Julian Park that adhere to Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. Front and rear ramps allow easy access onto and off a 32 inch wide platform (the same as standard doorway entries). Wheelchairs can easily navigate on specially engineered mulch that also acts as a safety feature in case a user should fall.

Rocky Cove Railroad Exhibit
Oct 4 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m. (weather permitting), Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Garden Promenade.