Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.” Celebrate the holiday season with the entire family at Winter Lights.
Calendar of Events
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.
Saturday, September
26, 2020
Fun Videos From Cliburn Kids
History at Home – Craft Corner: Reserve a Weaving and Dyeing Kit
How to Make Kombucha Video
Inclusion Matters: Wheelchair Swings at Parks
LEAF’s Global Arts Center Open
The 28th National Gingerbread House Competition Virtual Format Gingerbread Toolkit Released
The Bird Who Sang Beethoven Brevard Music Center
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum Tickets on Sale Sept. 1
Grandfather Mountain
Guest Appreciation Festival Nantahala Outdoor Center NOW ON LINE ONLY
Nature Connects®: Art with LEGO® Bricks
Animal Habitats VIP Tours
Eliada’s 2020 Annual Corn Maze
Local Apples and Cider Have Arrived! Hickory Nut Gap Farm
Reserve Your Pasture-Raised Turkey Now Hickory Nut Gap Farm
West Village Market NOW OPEN limited hours, pick up + delivery
12th Annual Flock to the Rock
12th Annual Flock to the Rock
Library News Libraries Offer Passport Around the World
We Are Open! Swannanoa Valley Museum
Yoga on the Plaza With Asheville Art Museum
2020 Spartanburg Soaring! International Kite Festival
50th Annual Girl Scout Day
Complimentary Meals and Music for People in Need
Dobra Tea W. Asheville Zen Patio Open
Drive-Thru Asheville Greek Festival
Rocky Cove Railroad Exhibit
The Salvage Station is Now Open!
Check out Archetype on the Cover of Beer Connoisseur “Best in Beer”
Asheville Wine Market Saturday Afternoon Tastings
Staff Picks From Around the Web
Fun Videos From
Cliburn Kids
Explore a collection of entertaining videos designed to introduce children to the fun of classical music.
This activity can be done using common materials found in your home. But we’ve also constructed kits that are available for pick-up at the Smith-McDowell House Museum at 283 Victoria Road. Fill out the form below to reserve a kit. First come, first served.
The first in our series of videos empowering you to make your own endless kombucha from scratch- follow along as we use a bottle of live, active Buchi kombucha to grow our own SCOBY for fermenting kombucha! Questions? Check out our FAQ: http://www.drinkbuchi.com/blog/make-y… Follow us on insta! http://instagram.com/drinkbuchi
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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 Trust, Sand Hill Lions Club, and the citizens of Buncombe County, wheelchair swings can be found at Buncombe County Sports Park, Charles 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.
Celebrating 25 Years! LEAF is on a Mission:
To cultivate a thriving global community generated by the power of cultural curiosity, connection, and preservation through global music and arts education and experiences.
During your visit, you’ll follow a one-way path through the space and will have access to most engagement stations. Select features will be closed, while others will be modified.
- C.A.V.E–All guests who wish to use the VR in the C.A.V.E. must wear a disposable face shield and be prepared to give 15 min between users to ensure proper cleaning protocols can be followed.
| The Omni Grove Park Inn is revolutionizing the National Gingerbread House Competition – the largest in the world! – for the 2020 holiday season to ensure that the competition’s legacy built on design, innovation and tradition continues safely for future generations.
The competition will continue virtually without a public display of Gingerbread Houses at the historic hotel due to social distancing requirements surrounding COVID-19. Considering this, the hotel is generating engaging experiences in place of a physical display, including socially distanced alternatives for hotel guests and fans at-home to view the Gingerbread finalists, to be announced in the coming weeks. Gingerbread lovers of all ages and skillsets are encouraged to enter the competition beginning August 26, 2020 and dream up the ultimate confectionary creation for the chance to win cash and prizes. A renowned group of food, arts and media professionals – including Food Network star Carla Hall – will formally judge the Gingerbread designs both virtually and in-person. Additionally, in lieu of an in-person August Gingerbread Workshop, the hotel will release a Digital Gingerbread Tool Kit including tips and tricks on how to digitally showcase their creations as well as the rules for entry in the new competition format. |
| Please visit The Omni Grove Park Inn’s website for competition updates:
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The Bird Who Sang Beethoven is a children’s book in rhyme about a baby bird born in the concert hall at the Brevard Music Center just as Beethoven’s Fifth is being played and he thinks that is what birds sing! His offspring continue the tune for generations and spread it far and wide!
About the Author: Harper Howze is a freshman at Sumner Academy in Kansas City, Kansas, and an aspiring writer. This is his first published work. Lucille Chaveas, his co-author and “Grand” (mother), is a Brevard resident and avid supporter of the Brevard Music Center.
Price: $12.00
Authors: Harper Howze, Lucille Chaveas
Illustrator: Megan Robertson
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum
November 20, 2020 – January 10, 2021
5:30 – 10:30 p.m. Nightly
Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. This year, guests are invited to take a dreamy ride through the Arboretum’s enchanted forest and attend Winter Lights safely within their own vehicles. In light of COVID-19, the Arboretum has converted its popular event into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights. As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.
***Tickets go on sale September 1***
To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), Grandfather Mountain is only selling tickets online.
Only a select number of tickets will be sold per day for certain time-slots to limit the number of guests in the park at one time, in accordance with the state of North Carolina’s phased “reopening” plan and social gathering guidelines.
Please check back closer to your visit for ticket availability. As of now, reservations are only available through June 21.
Each guest entering the park must have a ticket, which includes a time-slot. Prices are as follows:
Adult: $22
Senior (age 60+): $20
Child (ages 4-12): $9
AAA Adult: $20 (must present valid AAA card)
AAA Child: $8 (must present valid AAA card)
NOC’s Guest Appreciation Festival has been a staple in Western North Carolina since 1982. Bringing together families, friends and the community to celebrate another season of outdoor adventure. In light of the challenges presented by COVID-19, we have made the decision to change up GAF for the 2020 season — with a focus on a virtual appreciation event throughout the month of September and no in-person festival the weekend of September 25th – 27th. The recreational releases on the Cascades and Upper Nantahala are still scheduled as normal.
In 2020 the festival format might change — but the spirit is stronger than ever. Let’s celebrate another summer of (socially distanced) adventure with a month full of deals on new and used gear, apparel from the big brands, and last minute savings on fall adventures in the mountains.
It has been a challenging year, but one that has reminded us that outdoor adventure plays a critical role in a healthy lifestyle. As we “space out” what is normally an action-packed weekend in the gorge, we plan to bring offers throughout the month of September that will keep you outfitted for the next adventure, big or small.
Want to be on the inside track? Sign up below to be added to our #GAF2020 list. We’ll be sharing additional updates soon and subscribers will be the first to know when the big deals hit.
Please note: Nature Connects®: Art with LEGO® Bricks has been postponed until July; however, the exhibit will have an extended schedule and will be open until November 1. We look forward to seeing you!
The Arboretum is excited to welcome back the widely popular traveling exhibit, Nature Connects®: Art with LEGO® Bricks by Sean Kenney. Featuring 14 larger-than-life-size sculptures place created with nearly 500,000 LEGO Bricks, this family-friendly exhibit draws inspiration from the living world and combines art, play and science to create an inspiring intersection of education, entertainment and the environment. New sculptures include a 5-foot tall colorful peacock, giant dragonfly, bonsai tree and more!
See where the cougars and otters sleep overnight, meet black bears that are not commonly on display, learn the ins and outs of what it takes to care for the animals year-round, observe a training session and find out why the animals call Grandfather Mountain home.
Offered on weekends, April – October.
Each day, you can pre-purchase tickets during for a specific time slot, allowing us to maintain safety and limit the number of people at the maze at once.
Time slots to choose from:
- 9-11am
- 11:30am-1:30pm
- 2-4pm
- 4:30-6:30pm
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General Safety Guidelines
- Masks must be worn at all times, except for children under the age of four years old.
- Maintain social distancing with those outside your family.
- There will be a maximum number of attendees at the event at a time. Attendees will register and pre-purchase tickets. You will be able to select the 2-hour block of time you want to attend with your family. Time slots will automatically close once the max limit is reached.
- Please promptly leave the corn maze when your 2 hour time slot is up, so we can do a cleaning before the next group arrives.
- Minimize time indoors. You may use the indoor restrooms, and check-in indoors. We will give you a map for the maze and offer pumpkins, t-shirts, and other fun merchandise. But we won’t let you linger! Time to get outside, stay safe, and have fun!
- Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the event.
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| Our first apples have arrived for the fall season. Check out our online store to shop crisp local apples and fresh cider. |
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We raise all of our turkeys from baby chicks to adulthood directly on Hickory Nut Gap Farmland in Fairview, NC. They spend their entire lives rotationally grazing on pasture, free from antibiotics and added hormones. We offer a limited supply each year and a deposit must be paid in advance to secure your bird.
Price: $6 / lb
Range: 14 – 25 lbs
Please choose an approximate weight and we will tag a turkey with your name and send an invoice for the remaining balance.
Pick ups will start November 19th and run through November 25th.
We are open, with reduced hours!
Delivery and curbside pick-up are encouraged.
Take a tour, and place an order!
Market hours:
Every day: 9am – 1pm and 4pm – 8pm (closed daily from 1-4)
Sunflower Diner:
Call in a pick-up order:
Tuesday thru Sunday 10am – 3pm
Diner is closed on Mondays
Flock to the Rock was originally created to help folks understand why Hickory Nut Gorge is such a premier birding location, this event has grown in size and popularity every year. You don’t have to be an avid birder to find something of interest at this event, but it may just be the reason you become one. Guided bird walks, raptor flight shows, live bird demos, and workshops are a few of the ways you’ll discover that Chimney Rock isn’t just for the birds! This event has something for everyone in the family.
Join us for one of Western North Carolina’s most popular annual events, Flock to the Rock. This event will have fun, family-friendly birding activities. Check back for more details to come!
Ready for a change of scene, but not ready to travel in the age of COVID-19? The library has just what you need. Check out Passport Around the World. Call BCPL’s Ask a Librarian line (828) 250-4700, email [email protected], or call or email your local library, and tell us where you would like to virtually visit. Your librarian will select 5-10 items about your destination of choice, anything from documentaries, folktales, and cookbooks to travel guides, poetry, and children’s books. We will notify you when your items are ready. Pick up your Passport bundle at the curbside pickup location of your choice. Bon Voyage!
It is with great excitement that we announce our opening schedule for 2020. We have not been able to reopen since March, when the Covid -19 pandemic hit and North Carolina shut down. Now the State of North Carolina is transitioning into Phase 2.5 of Governor Cooper’s phased reopening plan. Phase 2.5 allows museums to open at 50% capacity. This means the Swannanoa Valley Museum will be open starting Labor Day weekend. We will allow 10 visitors in the museum per hour. Opening hours are Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm. Visitors can sign up on our website for a self-guided tour time or sign up at the museum. We are looking forward to seeing our visitors once more! To book a self-guided tour time click on this link. SVM Self-Guided Tour Reservation
COVID-19 Visiting Policy
Masks are required when entering the museum. This is for the safety of our visitors and our docents. Exceptions will be made according to ADA instructions. Visitors must make a reservation to visit the museum. Self Guided tour reservations are available Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm. To make a reservation you can call (828) 669- 9566, register at the front desk, or click here.
ACCESSIBILITY
The first floor houses our traveling exhibit gallery and our second floor houses “Our Pathways” exhibit. The first and second floor are accessible by ADA standards. A lift is available to take visitors to the second floor.
Join us outside on the Museum’s plaza for a socially-distanced, 45-minute gentle yoga and mindfulness meditation inspired by the vibrancy of downtown Asheville. Click here to view all dates and register. Registration deadline: September 24, 5pm
In spring 2014, Chapman Cultural Center launched a community-wide initiative called Spartanburg Soaring! to encourage creativity, promote healthy outdoor activity, and to build civic pride. Using kites as a common theme, Spartanburg Soaring! engaged cultural curiosity and promoted active play through activities and events all across the city. The kite festival takes place in Barnet Park and around the Chapman Cultural Center each spring when hundreds of colorful kites fill the skies above Spartanburg. Every year, the festival grows, so be sure to attend this year and make Spartanburg Soaring! International Kite Festival the highest-flying event yet!
The festival is free and open to all, including the many international kite flyers who have come from Europe, Asia, Canada, and across the United States to join the fun. Kites will be available for purchase or you can bring a kite from home.
RAIN DATE: September 27 2020 1pm-5pm.
NOW ACCEPTING CRAFT MARKET APPLICATIONS: https://forms.gle/oV15Q5eQTzGGVGK67
September 26 brings scouts, sashes and badges to Grandfather Mountain, as Girl Scouts are invited to join the park’s naturalists for a fun-filled learning adventure on Grandfather Mountain. Participants can enjoy special scout activities, presentations and a closing ceremony. Plus, all Girl Scouts and troop leaders are admitted free with proof of membership, and family members will receive discounted admission.
For more information, email [email protected], or call 828-733-4326. This event will be held rain or shine.
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| On Saturday, Sept.19 Food Connection will be partnering up with the folks from Groovin’ on Grovemont to bring free meals to Swannanoa Valley residents who are in need. This is a curbside drive-thru where you’ll have your choice of venison penne pasta with cheese, or veggie pasta both served with country-style green beans, garlic bread, and a cookie. There will also be live music provided by Asheville’s amazing singer-songwriter duo, The Paper Crowns! |
Dobra Tea will help you kick back, social distance style, with their new and beautiful outdoor patio at their West AVL location. Enjoy a little break from reality right off Haywood Road.
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.
We are open with new rules and safety measures!
Founded in 2016, Salvage Station is Asheville, NC’s favorite riverfront bar, restaurant, concert hall, and special events venue located in the historic River Arts District along the French Broad River. From music shows and festivals, to community and private events, Salvage Station is an excellent place to hang out and have a truly great Asheville experience.
Less than one half mile from downtown, you can find the most spacious and safe place to social distance outside while enjoying refreshing adult beverages and delicious Creole and Southern soul food from Root Down Kitchen.
In an effort to keep our beloved patrons safe (and our doors open), our staff will have their temperatures checked before each shift, they will wear face masks at all times while at work, and will sanitize their hands and work areas often. You can also feel safe knowing that all employees have completed their Count On Me certification.
We also have new rules in place that we require our patrons to adhere to.
*Face masks required at all times unless seated at your table.
*Parties of 6 or fewer only.
*Ages 21+ only (this is temporary and we hope to allow all ages in again very soon).
*Social Distance! Stay 6 feet apart while standing in line and use our hand sanitizing stations often.
*Do not move any furniture under any circumstances. We have strategically placed our tables in a way that we can safely social distance our guests.
Let’s have fun and stay safe!
Taste 3 for Free when you join us in the shop for weekly Saturday Afternoon Tastings.
