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.

Thursday, August 6, 2020
Additional Library Curbside Service
Aug 6 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Fairview, Leicester, and Oakley/South Asheville branches

 

Buncombe County Public Libraries will be opening three additional locations for curbside pickup service, the Fairview, Leicester, and Oakley/South Asheville branches. These locations will operate from 1-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, in addition to our current curbside pickup service locations at the Black Mountain, North Asheville, South Buncombe, and West Asheville locations. For more information about library curbside pickup service or to place an item on hold for pickup, please call your local library or the Ask-A-Librarian line (828-250-4700) or visit buncombecounty.org/library. We hope to see you soon!

NC Arboretum’s “Arbor Evenings”
Aug 6 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

Relax and unwind at the Arboretum’s “ArborEvenings” after hours series. Held every Thursday, June – October, from 6 to 9 p.m., visitors will sip and stroll through the Arboretum’s beautiful gardens while enjoying live music amongst flowers and friends. Local beverages, including beer and wine, are available for purchase along with light food options.

Admission to ArborEvenings is free; however, standard parking fees apply to non-members.

Semi-Wild Women Night
Aug 6 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Saint Paul Mountain Farms

Semi Wild Women Night! 

Have an amazing evening out with the girls! Come enjoy a complimentary appetizer along with your favorite Saint Paul wine. 

–The first Thursday of every month from 5:30PM -8:00PM 

Mitch’s Totally Rad Trivia
Aug 6 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Scoop: Mitch's Totally Rad TRIVIA

Mitch Fortune brings you an irreverent and nostalgia filled night of pop culture trivia every Thursday night 7-9 pm at the One Stop in Downtown Asheville. A potpourri of movies, music, TV show trivia just for you!

Odie Lindsey: Some Go Home, in conversation w/ Chanelle Benz
Aug 6 @ 7:00 pm
Online

Some Go Home: A Novel Cover Image

Odie Lindsey is the author of Some Go Home and We Come to Our Senses: Stories. He received an NEA fellowship for combat veterans, holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MA from the University of Mississippi, and is writer-in-residence at Vanderbilt University’s Center for Medicine, Health, and Society. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He will be in conversation with Chanelle Benz, author of The Man Who Shot Out My Eye Is Dead. 

Like most of our events, this event is free. If you decide to attend and to purchase the author’s book(s), we ask that you purchase from Malalprop’s. When you do this you are supporting our work and keeping more dollars in our community. Thank you!

Friday, August 7, 2020
Anti-Racisim: Resources Literacy Council
Aug 7 all-day
Online

Recognizing and understanding racism, and actively unlearning the everyday, built-in mechanisms of systemic racism is an ongoing effort that must be made by every single one of us. It can be difficult to navigate issues, origins, and solutions surrounding systemic racism, especially with so many different angles portrayed by the media.
There are countless truthful resources to help us find our way to social justice and equity. Here are just a few educational resources and ways to help our Black communities:
Educational reading:
The above photo has an excellent list of books!
Community:
Media:
Follow Black activists and voices on social media! Please reach out to us if you’d like suggestions on whom to follow.
Shop + Dine Henderson County
Aug 7 all-day
Online

COC Shop and Dine

What is Shop & Dine HC?

Shop & Dine HC is a collaborative movement designed to remind the public of the benefits and importance of spending their dollars with our local businesses. Local businesses lay the framework for a strong community and we want Henderson County to shop local, spend local, save local.

Why does shopping locally matter?

When you shop locally:

  • $0.02 of every $1 stays in the community through the Sales Tax. These dollars support county and municipal budgets for schools, law enforcement, infrastructure, and more.
  • you help create and retain jobs for existing businesses as they succeed and grow, and create a successful business community that attracts other businesses and entrepreneurs.
  • those same businesses you are supporting will give back to our community through donations to non-profits, civic clubs, youth programs, and more.

Simply put – our local businesses make our community better.

Want to get involved?

Be part of the conversation!

Join the Shop & Dine Facebook Group

 

Shop to Win!

When shopping in Henderson County:

  • take a selfie, post it to Facebook or Instagram
  • use the #ShopandDineHC
  • tag the Chamber @hendersoncochamber and business visited
  • be entered to win bi-monthly contests.

Contests begin July 1, 2020.

Library Computer Appointments Available
Aug 7 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Buncombe County Libraries
The Perfect Turkey

Buncombe County Public Libraries will begin offering appointments for computer use on July 1. Forty-five minute appointments are available 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays at all library locations except the Oakley/South Asheville branch.

Carolina Shine Moonshine Experience with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Aug 7 @ 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

“Shine and Dine” on the railway! We cordially invite you to hop on board The Carolina Shine, GSMR’s All-Adult First Class Moonshine Car! We will be proudly serving hand crafted, triple-distilled, craft moonshine. Some of the smoothest tasting moonshine in the Carolinas!

Offered on the Nantahala Gorge excursion, this shine and dine experience begins in a renovated First Class train fleet car, The Carolina Shine. The interior features copper lined walls filled with the history of moonshining in North Carolina. Learn about the proud tradition that the Appalachians established when bootlegging was an acceptable way of life and local home brews were the best in town. Read about Swain County’s very own Major Redmond, the most famous mountain moonshine outlaw of the 19th century.

Once your appetite for knowledge is satisfied, enjoy sample tastings of flavors like Apple Pie, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, and Strawberry moonshine. If the samples are not enough, there will be plenty of Moonshine infused cocktails like Copper Cola or Moonshiner’s Mimosa available for purchase.

 

GSMR is excited to feature multiple craft NC based distilleries to serve our guests only the best! Each jar is handcrafted and authentically infused with real fruit, the way moonshine was meant to be made.

Passengers will also enjoy a full service All-Adult First Class ride with an attendant serving GSMR’s freshly cooked pulled pork barbeque rubbed with Cajun spices then slow-roasted to perfection served with southern sweet cornbread muffin with honey butter, coleslaw, and cinnamon apples then finish with a delicious piece of Sea Salt Caramel Cheesecake. Riders will also receive their very own Carolina Shine mason drinking jar, refillable with soda beverages and tea throughout the day, and a souvenir GSMR tote bag (1 per couple/party).

Storytimes Online with Buncombe Librarians
Aug 7 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Online

Join us a for a fun, socially distanced story time!

A brand new story time video will be posted every day. Keep checking back!

Hemp Xpress Trolley:  Cruisin’ Asheville 
Aug 7 @ 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Carolina Hemp Company

 The Hemp X Hot Box:Roll with us Fridays from 5-10pm as we coast a route through West Asheville and Downtown. Stops at UpCountry Brewing, One World Brewing West, Foggy Mountain, and The One Stop. We’ll have smokable and edible hemp products for purchase to enjoy alongside any wine or beer you bring yourselves (closed containers only). We’re happy to provide an affordable way for locals and visitors to Roll Up, Stay Safe and Party Down! Cruisin Asheville July 10th, July 31st, August 7th, August 21st. More dates to come! 

Purchase Tickets on board! One Way Pass $3 and All Night Unlimited Pass $5

Private Rentals: Spark up your next Asheville area celebration with our personalized rental platform! We offer several packages at different price tiers to best cater to your party’s needs! Our team is dedicated to working with you to create an experience that will leave your guests (and your smoke) blown away!

The Hemp Xpress is dedicated to the safety of the Asheville community; public routes and experiences are operating at half capacity within social distance guidelines. Hand sanitizer is readily available to riders, and surfaces are regularly sanitized. Buncombe County requires a face mask be worn in public places.

Free Dead Fridays
Aug 7 @ 5:30 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Join us at The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall every Friday at 5:30PM for our FREE Acoustic Grateful Dead series Featuring members of Phuncle Sam and great drink and food specials.

Image

Summer Music Series at Burntshirt Vineyard
Aug 7 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Burntshirt Vineyard
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Anti-Racisim: Resources Literacy Council
Aug 8 all-day
Online

Recognizing and understanding racism, and actively unlearning the everyday, built-in mechanisms of systemic racism is an ongoing effort that must be made by every single one of us. It can be difficult to navigate issues, origins, and solutions surrounding systemic racism, especially with so many different angles portrayed by the media.
There are countless truthful resources to help us find our way to social justice and equity. Here are just a few educational resources and ways to help our Black communities:
Educational reading:
The above photo has an excellent list of books!
Community:
Media:
Follow Black activists and voices on social media! Please reach out to us if you’d like suggestions on whom to follow.
Shop + Dine Henderson County
Aug 8 all-day
Online

COC Shop and Dine

What is Shop & Dine HC?

Shop & Dine HC is a collaborative movement designed to remind the public of the benefits and importance of spending their dollars with our local businesses. Local businesses lay the framework for a strong community and we want Henderson County to shop local, spend local, save local.

Why does shopping locally matter?

When you shop locally:

  • $0.02 of every $1 stays in the community through the Sales Tax. These dollars support county and municipal budgets for schools, law enforcement, infrastructure, and more.
  • you help create and retain jobs for existing businesses as they succeed and grow, and create a successful business community that attracts other businesses and entrepreneurs.
  • those same businesses you are supporting will give back to our community through donations to non-profits, civic clubs, youth programs, and more.

Simply put – our local businesses make our community better.

Want to get involved?

Be part of the conversation!

Join the Shop & Dine Facebook Group

 

Shop to Win!

When shopping in Henderson County:

  • take a selfie, post it to Facebook or Instagram
  • use the #ShopandDineHC
  • tag the Chamber @hendersoncochamber and business visited
  • be entered to win bi-monthly contests.

Contests begin July 1, 2020.

U-Pick Peaches + Blueberries
Aug 8 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Jeter Mountain Farm

Image may contain: grass, outdoor, food and nature, text that says 'U-PICK PEACHES & BLUEBERRIES'

Peaches & blueberries are finally ready!

Join us Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. to enjoy a wagon ride to our orchards where you can pick your own beautifully ripe & perfectly sweet Jeter Mountain peaches & blueberries.

Your family can also grab a warm apple cider donut, fresh cider and slushies, and shop the Jeter Mountain Farm Market.

PEACHES – $23 includes a 1 peck, reusable wooden Jeter Mountain Farm basket and grants 4 people a ride on the wagon to the orchards. If you bring your basket with you the next time you visit, you can refill it for just $20! Four people per purchased basket are welcome to ride the wagon into the orchard (children 2 & under are not factored in count). Additional individuals wishing to visit the orchard via wagon may pay $3 to tag along, or can purchase a basket for additional U-picking. *Please note that our peach trees can only be reached via wagon ride.*

BLUEBERRIES – $6 per pint. Our blueberry bushes are within walking distance this year, and do not require a wagon ride to reach. *Blueberries have been flying fast, so we recommend arriving early if you wish to pick them!*

Cash & Credit Cards accepted. Please leave your furry friends at home.

We look forward to seeing you at the farm!

Uncorked with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Aug 8 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Join us for Uncorked! This unique Rail Line and Wine experience will fuse the adventure of railroading with the love of good wine and good company.

Passengers will enjoy a full service All-Adult First Class ride in our First Class cars with a private attendant and plush, well-appointed dining seating. A narrator will accompany the ride to present each pour to guests and share knowledge and history of the wines selected. Passengers on this specialty car will enjoy an exclusive sampling of cheeses and a surf and turf meal prepared fresh.

We have carefully selected our wine samples to accompany the meal. All passengers will receive a GSMR souvenir stemless wine glass, four samples of selected wine, and a dessert that’s perfect for the season!

On Your Plate

For Starters
Enjoy a sampling of Havarti, muenster, & Gouda cheeses
Soup
Fresh Pumpkin Bisque Soup with Toasted Hazelnuts Served with a Warm Dinner Roll
Main Course
Onion Crusted Atlantic Baked Salmon topped with a Dijon Cream Sauce over a bed of Creamy Mushroom and Spinach. Tender Beef Slices topped with a Port Wine Reduction and Carrot Soufflé.
Dessert
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake topped with fresh Raspberries.

How to Purchase

While reservations are not required, we do sell out this special event well in advance.

You can purchase your tickets online or call our reservations department at (800) 872-4681.

No matter how you purchase tickets, they’ll be waiting at will call.

Ticket prices are $125 for Adults, ages 21 years old and up only.

Plan on being here by one hour before departure.

Storytimes Online with Buncombe Librarians
Aug 8 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Online

Join us a for a fun, socially distanced story time!

A brand new story time video will be posted every day. Keep checking back!

Additional Library Curbside Service
Aug 8 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Fairview, Leicester, and Oakley/South Asheville branches

 

Buncombe County Public Libraries will be opening three additional locations for curbside pickup service, the Fairview, Leicester, and Oakley/South Asheville branches. These locations will operate from 1-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, in addition to our current curbside pickup service locations at the Black Mountain, North Asheville, South Buncombe, and West Asheville locations. For more information about library curbside pickup service or to place an item on hold for pickup, please call your local library or the Ask-A-Librarian line (828-250-4700) or visit buncombecounty.org/library. We hope to see you soon!

Asheville Wine Market Saturday Afternoon Tastings
Aug 8 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Asheville Wine Market

Taste 3 for Free when you join us in the shop for weekly Saturday Afternoon Tastings.

Image may contain: text that says 'Taste 3 for Free Saturdays, 2-5 PM Saturday Afternoon Tastings'

Learn to Cook Paella
Aug 8 @ 4:00 pm
Asheville Mountain Kitchen
Paella is Spain’s national dish. It takes many forms throughout the Mediterranean region; rice is combined with seafood to rabbit, chicken, snails and beans. In this cooking class, we will make Paella with seafood. If you are vegan or vegetarian we can accommodate you with a separate dish to fit your dietary needs.
Each class has a theme that corresponds w/ a holiday, a season or a favorite cook book. In each class we learn 3-6 dishes, depending on their complexity and the number of participants. We nibble and taste throughout the class in a very casual atmosphere. At the end of the class we have a meal together. My cooking style is simple, I do not over complicate recipes.
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Anti-Racisim: Resources Literacy Council
Aug 9 all-day
Online

Recognizing and understanding racism, and actively unlearning the everyday, built-in mechanisms of systemic racism is an ongoing effort that must be made by every single one of us. It can be difficult to navigate issues, origins, and solutions surrounding systemic racism, especially with so many different angles portrayed by the media.
There are countless truthful resources to help us find our way to social justice and equity. Here are just a few educational resources and ways to help our Black communities:
Educational reading:
The above photo has an excellent list of books!
Community:
Media:
Follow Black activists and voices on social media! Please reach out to us if you’d like suggestions on whom to follow.
Shop + Dine Henderson County
Aug 9 all-day
Online

COC Shop and Dine

What is Shop & Dine HC?

Shop & Dine HC is a collaborative movement designed to remind the public of the benefits and importance of spending their dollars with our local businesses. Local businesses lay the framework for a strong community and we want Henderson County to shop local, spend local, save local.

Why does shopping locally matter?

When you shop locally:

  • $0.02 of every $1 stays in the community through the Sales Tax. These dollars support county and municipal budgets for schools, law enforcement, infrastructure, and more.
  • you help create and retain jobs for existing businesses as they succeed and grow, and create a successful business community that attracts other businesses and entrepreneurs.
  • those same businesses you are supporting will give back to our community through donations to non-profits, civic clubs, youth programs, and more.

Simply put – our local businesses make our community better.

Want to get involved?

Be part of the conversation!

Join the Shop & Dine Facebook Group

 

Shop to Win!

When shopping in Henderson County:

  • take a selfie, post it to Facebook or Instagram
  • use the #ShopandDineHC
  • tag the Chamber @hendersoncochamber and business visited
  • be entered to win bi-monthly contests.

Contests begin July 1, 2020.

Bluegrass Brunch
Aug 9 @ 10:30 am – 3:00 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Image

Bluegrass Brunch
hosted by Aaron Woody Wood & The Sufi Brothers

Pickin’ on the Porch w/ Chicken Coop Willaye 1030AM
Bald Mountain Boys 11AM – 12:30PM
Sufi Brothers 12:45PM – 3PM

Be sure to check out our Bloody Mary Bar, the BEST selection of pickled products and other additions in Asheville. The MOJO Kitchen will be serving a special Brunch menu until 3PM as well.

Food & music start at 10:30am
ADULT beverages at Noon.

Storytimes Online with Buncombe Librarians
Aug 9 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Online

Join us a for a fun, socially distanced story time!

A brand new story time video will be posted every day. Keep checking back!

Shakedown Sundays
Aug 9 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall

Image

Every Sunday Except First of Month.

Monday, August 10, 2020
Storytimes Online with Buncombe Librarians
Aug 10 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Online

Join us a for a fun, socially distanced story time!

A brand new story time video will be posted every day. Keep checking back!

Book Club: Blackberries, Blackberries
Aug 10 @ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center

From the publisher: An enchanting, haunting collection of stories by Crystal Wilkinson, a self-described Black, country girl and poet from rural Kentucky. The stories explore the joys and pain of the women of “Affrilachia”, and will touch the reader profoundly.

From the author: “I grew up on a farm in Indian Creek, Kentucky during the seventies. I swam in creeks and roamed the knobs and hills. We had an outhouse and no inside running water. Our house was heated by coal and wood-burning stoves and we lived so far back in the woods that we could get only one television station. But it was a place of beauty – trees, green grass and blue sky as far as you could see. I am country. Being country is as much a part of me as my full lips, wide hips, dreadlocks and high cheek bones. There are many Black country folks who have lived and are living in small towns, up hollers and across knobs. They are all over the South—scattered like milk thistle seeds in the wind. The stories in this book are centered in these places

Mystery Book Club
Aug 10 @ 7:00 pm
Online

The club will meet virtually during the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are interested in attending, please email [email protected] for instructions about how to attend the club event.  

Join host Tena Frank for Malaprop’s Mystery Book Club! Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets at Malaprop’s on the second Monday of every month at 7:00pm.

Event date:
Monday, August 10, 2020 – 7:00pm
Monday, September 14, 2020 – 7:00pm
Monday, October 12, 2020 – 7:00pm
Monday, November 9, 2020 – 7:00pm
Event address:
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Storytimes Online with Buncombe Librarians
Aug 11 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Online

Join us a for a fun, socially distanced story time!

A brand new story time video will be posted every day. Keep checking back!