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.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Get Free Books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Apr 15 all-day
Imagination Library Online

Children under 5 years old can receive free, age-appropriate books each month until their 5th birthday! Read more and sign up here.
How to Buy Local While Social Distancing: On-Farm Pickups and More
Apr 15 all-day
NC and SC Farms

Many farms across North and South Carolina have added on-farm pickups, home delivery & online pre-orders to accommodate for social distancing in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Please see the listings below for more information, and check out our interactive Google Map for farm locations near you!

Are you a farmer interested in being listed? Email [email protected]

Please:

  • DO NOT show up at farms without prior permission.
  • Follow specific instructions provided by each farm.
  • Stay home if you are feeling ill.
Kids ecoExplore BioBlitz with The North Carolina Arboretum
Apr 15 all-day
The North Carolina Arboretum On Line

Get to know the nature near you! This year, as part of the City Nature Challenge, the Arboretum’s ecoEXPLORE program has launched a special BioBlitz Bonus Badge. Children in grades K-8 who complete six “challenges” will earn the BioBlitz Bonus Badge and their adult helpers will also receive a North Carolina BioBlitz patch. ecoEXPLORE is an initiative of The North Carolina Arboretum and is free to all North Carolina residents due to the generous support from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation and the Duke Energy Foundation.

Be an ecoEXPLORER!

Are you a group or classroom? Choose the “Group” option on the signup form.

How it works:

  1. Sign up to be an ecoEXPLORER using the form on this page. Then have your parent check their email for an email where they can click a link to give permission for your participation.
  2. Go outside in your own backyard or at a designated ecoEXPLORE HotSpot to find wildlife species, including plants, reptiles, amphibians, insects and birds.
  3. Use your own device — or check out an iPod Touch at any LoanSpot location — and photograph your wildlife observation, noting the data, location, time, size, and species observed.
  4. Login to your ecoEXPLORE profile online and submit your observation.
  5. Arboretum staff will then review your observation and submit all approved submissions to the iNaturalist Network , which is used by real scientists!
NEW! North Carolina BioBlitz Patch for Adults
Apr 15 all-day
The North Carolina Arboretum

NEW! North Carolina BioBlitz Patch

For adults looking for an extra challenge this spring, the Arboretum has created the North Carolina BioBlitz patch in conjunction with the 2020 City Nature Challenge (April 24 – 27). To earn the patch, participants will need to create a free iNaturalist account; attend the “Intro to iNaturalist” class on April 9 (or watch the recorded version later); make 50 nature observations during the City Nature Challenge; and help identify 50 species during the Challenge’s “identifying” stage (April 28 – May 3). Students in the Arboretum’s Blue Ridge Naturalist and Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener certificate programs can earn three elective credits if they complete the North Carolina BioBlitz program and one credit if they only take the “Into to iNaturalist” class.

Online Gardening School Wild Abundance
Apr 15 all-day
Wild Abundance

closeup of shovel digging into garden

Online Gardening School

Are you ready to grow some serious food? This six-month online video course will give you the skills and tools you need to be able to grow a garden for yourself, from the ground up. Begins EARTH DAY April 22, 2020!

SAHC Education Videos Spiders and Snakes! Oh My! Myth Buster
Apr 15 all-day
Online Videos

We’ve turned some of our youth conservation education programs into videos to share online. Earlier this year, we asked elementary and middle school students what might prevent them from enjoying time outdoors – and many responded “snakes” or “spiders.” So, we developed fun lessons to help dispel myths and fears about snakes and spiders. These video adaptations of our youth education programs include short 5-minute lessons and step-by-step craft activities. Enjoy!

SPIDERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRWaw6jPeN8&utm_source=SAHC+Default+MC+List&utm_campaign=6b1835d2ec-February_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4717684d09-6b1835d2ec-144635353&ct=t%28February_2018_COPY_01%29&mc_cid=6b1835d2ec&mc_eid=cccced3ffd

 

SNAKES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpFcByki9xM&utm_source=SAHC+Default+MC+List&utm_campaign=6b1835d2ec-February_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4717684d09-6b1835d2ec-144635353&ct=t%28February_2018_COPY_01%29&mc_cid=6b1835d2ec&mc_eid=cccced3ffd

Take a virtual tour of our gardens and see what’s beautiful today at The North Carolina Arboretum
Apr 15 all-day
The North Carolina Arboretum On Line

Visit Us Virtually

Spring has sprung and we are excited to share with you all the wonderful blooms and plants that are awakening right now. Take a virtual tour of our gardens and see what’s beautiful today at The North Carolina Arboretum.

The Garden Helpline Is OPEN Extension Master Gardeners
Apr 15 all-day
Extension Master Gardeners Online

Many of us will be spending more time in our gardens as we shelter in place during the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our gardens will continue to grow and we will continue to have gardening questions.

To answer those questions, Extension Master Gardener℠  Volunteers of Buncombe County will be working from home to keep the Garden Helpline open to the public. We are available to respond to your phone calls and emails. Send an email or leave a voice message at any time and a Master Gardener will respond during the Helpline hours listed below.

The information we provide is consistent with NC State University horticultural research and an integrated pest management approach which includes cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods.

MONDAY & WEDNESDAY: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
FRIDAY: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Open March through October.


2 Ways to Reach Them:

Where to Purchase Plant Starts Asheville Area
Apr 15 all-day
Organic Growers School

With the Asheville Spring Herb Festival and many other such events being cancelled, you may be wondering where to buy starts.
Many farmers are sharing their products through
Asheville Online Farmers Market Facebook Group
Red Wing Farm is offering delivery in Buncombe County
and has several drop off locations in other areas.
Natural Impressions: Prints from the Asheville Printmakers CANCELLED
Apr 15 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.

Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching. 

Parking Fees

  • Members: Free
  • Personal Vehicles: $14
  • Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
  • Buses: $100

There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.

North Carolina in the Great War Exhibit
Apr 15 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Smith-McDowell House

The exhibit is on loan from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and has been supplemented with artifacts from the Smith-McDowell House collection. Entrance to the exhibit is included with Smith-McDowell House admission – and is always free for members – and runs through May 16, 2020.

The exhibit seeks to put the local men and women who served in context with the larger events happening in North Carolina, the United States, and the world. In the exhibit, visitors will find displays and interactive elements telling the stories of just a few of our hometown heroes.

Digital Info Session – The Franklin School of Innovation
Apr 15 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
The Franklin School of Innovation Online

Image may contain: sky, tree, outdoor and nature

Limited Capacity21 Spots Left
Reserve a spot and confirm details to attend

Prospective parents and students: we are so excited to give you a glimpse of how Franklin is different!

Hosting an information session during our current global situation is not easy, but we also know how important making the decision about next year is for your child too. We hope that we make the process as simple as possible, and we are providing multiple different ways for you to get to know us.

1. You can visit our YouTube channel we have created specifically for prospective families to check out: https://bit.ly/GetToKnowFranklin

2. You can attend a Google Meet digital info session! During our info session, we will meet digitally to give a brief overview of the school and to answer any questions you may have. This will go live at 5:30 this Thursday, April 16. Here is the link to attend: https://bit.ly/FranklinInfoSession

3. You can email [email protected] to set up a one on one information session to get a detailed look at how Franklin is different from area schools.

4. You can visit our website: www.franklinschoolofinnovation.org

Thursday, April 16, 2020
Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener Certificate of Merit
Apr 16 all-day
NC Arboretum On Line

Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener Certificate of Merit

Ecological gardening is a way of thinking about gardens and landscapes in which gardens are no longer seen as a collection of plants, but a community with complex interdependencies between plants, animals, soils and the environment. This certificate program explores ecological principles for creating and managing a healthy, self-sustaining garden and landscape in a changing climate. Students enrolling in the Certificate of Merit program will work to complete 120 hours in core classes on topics including principles of ecological gardening, seasonal plants and tasks and sustainable landscape design along with electives on hardscape, edibles, seed saving and other subjects of interest to participants. View current class offerings for credit in the Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener program here.

To begin your program, complete an application and return it to the Education Center along with a one-time, non-refundable $55 application fee.

Blue Ridge Naturalist Certificate of Merit
Apr 16 all-day
The North Carolina Arboretum

Join over one hundred students on a quest to deepen understanding of the natural sciences through the Blue Ridge Naturalist Certificate of Merit. The program offers adult learners a comprehensive curriculum of study about the natural world of Western North Carolina. Classes meet year round and students work to complete 240 hours in core courses on ecology, botany, geology and plant identification as well as electives on animals, lichens, insects and more. View current class offerings for credit in the Blue Ridge Naturalist program here. All students must complete and present a final project prior to graduation.

To begin your program complete an application and return it to the Education Center along with a a one-time, non-refundable $55 application fee.

Dragonflies: Activities and Videos with River Link
Apr 16 all-day
River Link On Line

The Otherworldly Mouths of Dragonflies

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHo_9wnnUTE&eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=191b64e9-75b2-483f-909b-c345ee2dc5f9

For some people Dragonflies are one of the most beautiful looking insects on the river. However, before they develop their vibrant colors and delicate wings they start their life in the water as a nymph. In this stage Dragonfly Nymphs act as one of the most effective predators in the river. In order to fill this role they’ve developed certain adaptations to give them an edge over their competition. Their mouths in particular, are straight out of your favorite 80’s sci-fi movie with Sigourney Weaver. PBS’s Closer Look series can tell you more about the incredible hunting methods of these creatures.

 

FREE Video Course by Wild Abundance: 10 Spring Wild Foods
Apr 16 all-day
Wild Abundance Online

FREE Video Course by Wild Abundance

Discover delicacies growing right outside your door.

Your guide through this course is seasoned Wild Abundance instructor Luke Cannon, who has practiced wild food foraging for over two decades. More than a botanist, Luke is a long-time pursuer and teacher of the magic and medicine of plants. An avid naturalist, Luke draws from a diverse pool of knowledge, combining his natural history studies with his life experience in organic farming, natural building, permaculture, nature-based mentoring, and rural homesteading.

FREE Video Course by Wild Abundance: 10 Vegetables that will Really Feed You
Apr 16 all-day
Wild Abundance

Getting started gardening can be exciting, and it can feel daunting.

Your teachers, Natalie Bogwalker and Chloe Lieberman share experience-based, practical instruction for growing their top ten vegetables to really fill your plate, belly, and larder. We put together this class so that you can begin with the crops that are most likely to be successful and rewarding. Or, if you’ve got some experience gardening but want to expand your repertoire, this course will help you do so in a way that makes sense and yields abundantly.

Kids ecoExplore BioBlitz with The North Carolina Arboretum
Apr 16 all-day
The North Carolina Arboretum On Line

Get to know the nature near you! This year, as part of the City Nature Challenge, the Arboretum’s ecoEXPLORE program has launched a special BioBlitz Bonus Badge. Children in grades K-8 who complete six “challenges” will earn the BioBlitz Bonus Badge and their adult helpers will also receive a North Carolina BioBlitz patch. ecoEXPLORE is an initiative of The North Carolina Arboretum and is free to all North Carolina residents due to the generous support from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation and the Duke Energy Foundation.

Be an ecoEXPLORER!

Are you a group or classroom? Choose the “Group” option on the signup form.

How it works:

  1. Sign up to be an ecoEXPLORER using the form on this page. Then have your parent check their email for an email where they can click a link to give permission for your participation.
  2. Go outside in your own backyard or at a designated ecoEXPLORE HotSpot to find wildlife species, including plants, reptiles, amphibians, insects and birds.
  3. Use your own device — or check out an iPod Touch at any LoanSpot location — and photograph your wildlife observation, noting the data, location, time, size, and species observed.
  4. Login to your ecoEXPLORE profile online and submit your observation.
  5. Arboretum staff will then review your observation and submit all approved submissions to the iNaturalist Network , which is used by real scientists!
NEW! North Carolina BioBlitz Patch for Adults
Apr 16 all-day
The North Carolina Arboretum

NEW! North Carolina BioBlitz Patch

For adults looking for an extra challenge this spring, the Arboretum has created the North Carolina BioBlitz patch in conjunction with the 2020 City Nature Challenge (April 24 – 27). To earn the patch, participants will need to create a free iNaturalist account; attend the “Intro to iNaturalist” class on April 9 (or watch the recorded version later); make 50 nature observations during the City Nature Challenge; and help identify 50 species during the Challenge’s “identifying” stage (April 28 – May 3). Students in the Arboretum’s Blue Ridge Naturalist and Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener certificate programs can earn three elective credits if they complete the North Carolina BioBlitz program and one credit if they only take the “Into to iNaturalist” class.

Online Gardening School Wild Abundance
Apr 16 all-day
Wild Abundance

closeup of shovel digging into garden

Online Gardening School

Are you ready to grow some serious food? This six-month online video course will give you the skills and tools you need to be able to grow a garden for yourself, from the ground up. Begins EARTH DAY April 22, 2020!

Online Hide Tanning Course Return to Ancestral Ways
Apr 16 all-day
Wild Abundance

A video-based program that guides aspiring hide tanners through every step of tanning a deer hide.

Natalie Bogwalker

Natalie is a hide tanner, craftswoman, builder, teacher, mom, and gardener. She founded Wild Abundance 10 years ago because of her passion for sharing real, practical skills that get people closer to the Earth. Hide tanning was one of the first earthskills that she learned, and it changed her life profoundly. That was over 15 years ago! Since then she’s tanned uncountable hides, but more importantly, she’s taught hide tanning to hundreds of students.

Natalie knows what usually trips people up who are new to hide tanning. In this online course she shares a thorough, step-by-step guide to hide tanning, including numerous tips and tricks that will help you succeed.

 

Organic Growers School Videos: How to Grow Potatoes
Apr 16 all-day
Organic Growers School Online
It’s time to plant potatoes! Learn some simple tricks to ensure a good harvest.
Organic Growers School Videos: Seed Starting
Apr 16 all-day
Organic Growers School Online

Learn the best vegetables to direct seed and the best vegetables to transplant.

Organic Growers School Videos: To Seed or Not to Seed?
Apr 16 all-day
Organic Growers School Online
Listen to the pros and cons of selecting seed and growing your own plants from seed as opposed to buying starts.
SAHC Education Videos Spiders and Snakes! Oh My! Myth Buster
Apr 16 all-day
Online Videos

We’ve turned some of our youth conservation education programs into videos to share online. Earlier this year, we asked elementary and middle school students what might prevent them from enjoying time outdoors – and many responded “snakes” or “spiders.” So, we developed fun lessons to help dispel myths and fears about snakes and spiders. These video adaptations of our youth education programs include short 5-minute lessons and step-by-step craft activities. Enjoy!

SPIDERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRWaw6jPeN8&utm_source=SAHC+Default+MC+List&utm_campaign=6b1835d2ec-February_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4717684d09-6b1835d2ec-144635353&ct=t%28February_2018_COPY_01%29&mc_cid=6b1835d2ec&mc_eid=cccced3ffd

 

SNAKES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpFcByki9xM&utm_source=SAHC+Default+MC+List&utm_campaign=6b1835d2ec-February_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4717684d09-6b1835d2ec-144635353&ct=t%28February_2018_COPY_01%29&mc_cid=6b1835d2ec&mc_eid=cccced3ffd

The Garden Helpline Is OPEN Extension Master Gardeners
Apr 16 all-day
Extension Master Gardeners Online

Many of us will be spending more time in our gardens as we shelter in place during the evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our gardens will continue to grow and we will continue to have gardening questions.

To answer those questions, Extension Master Gardener℠  Volunteers of Buncombe County will be working from home to keep the Garden Helpline open to the public. We are available to respond to your phone calls and emails. Send an email or leave a voice message at any time and a Master Gardener will respond during the Helpline hours listed below.

The information we provide is consistent with NC State University horticultural research and an integrated pest management approach which includes cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods.

MONDAY & WEDNESDAY: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
FRIDAY: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Open March through October.


2 Ways to Reach Them:

Where to Purchase Plant Starts Asheville Area
Apr 16 all-day
Organic Growers School

With the Asheville Spring Herb Festival and many other such events being cancelled, you may be wondering where to buy starts.
Many farmers are sharing their products through
Asheville Online Farmers Market Facebook Group
Red Wing Farm is offering delivery in Buncombe County
and has several drop off locations in other areas.
Natural Impressions: Prints from the Asheville Printmakers CANCELLED
Apr 16 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
The North Carolina Arboretum

On display daily January 18 – April 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the Education Center, the Asheville Printmakers’ newest exhibit, Natural Impressions, will feature a variety of two- and three-dimensional print pieces utilizing numerous printmaking processes. Works will inspire visitors to think about the beauty and fragility of plants and the natural world through various perspectives and printmaking techniques. All pieces are available for purchase and a portion of the sales will benefit The North Carolina Arboretum Society.

Founded in 2013, the Asheville Printmakers is an energetic group of artists dedicated to expressing ideas and imagery through the medium of print. The group encompasses a wide range of processes and content, including traditional methods, such as lithography, woodcut and screen printing, and contemporary photographic printing processes, such as carbon printing, platinum-palladium and photopolymer etching. 

Parking Fees

  • Members: Free
  • Personal Vehicles: $14
  • Motorhomes / Vehicles (21’ or larger): $50
  • Buses: $100

There are no other admission charges required for visitors to access the Arboretum’s grounds and facilities during the day beyond the standard parking fees listed above.

North Carolina in the Great War Exhibit
Apr 16 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Smith-McDowell House

The exhibit is on loan from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and has been supplemented with artifacts from the Smith-McDowell House collection. Entrance to the exhibit is included with Smith-McDowell House admission – and is always free for members – and runs through May 16, 2020.

The exhibit seeks to put the local men and women who served in context with the larger events happening in North Carolina, the United States, and the world. In the exhibit, visitors will find displays and interactive elements telling the stories of just a few of our hometown heroes.

Online Grant Writing Workshop
Apr 16 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Bountiful Cities on line

No photo description available.

The Community Garden Network’s Grantwriting 101 workshop is coming back for a 3rd round due to popular demand on Wednesday April 22nd from 1-4pm. We will offer this workshop online through the Google Meet virtual meeting platform. In order to ensure that everyone who wants to participate is able to receive the link, please RSVP for this workshop no later than Monday April 20th. Participants will need access to a computer for this workshop for optimal participation, as the workshop will be utilizing visual slides. This free workshop will offer tools for beginners, and even intermediate grant writers will learn some helpful tips.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ru1hZnbFLTpaotPrmFYlaO2aNijV_gFZxUbyaLCIQB0/