Carolina Mountain Ribfest July 9-11

Put your bibs on and come on in!! For the fourth year, the Carolina Mountain Ribfest will be held at the WNC Agricultural Fairgrounds July 9 through July 11. Barbecue chefs nationwide gather here to share their delicious barbecue treats, as well as tasty side dishes and desserts. Besides lots of fabulous food, you will also find music, carnival rides, an arts and crafts show, and more! Grab the family and bibs for each of you and head on over to the Ag Center for a tasty good time!

The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands July 15-18

One of the favorites of the locals here is the bi-annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, coming up the weekend of July 15- 18, 2010. Running since 1948, the fair exhibits over 200 local and southern artists that are members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Here you will be surrounded by beauty through the workings of these artists, as well as demonstrators and musicians of the area. Taking place in the Asheville Civic Center, you can then peruse the beauty of downtown Asheville and all it has to offer.

Father's Day in Asheville, NC

Father's Day is fast approaching and a trip to Asheville is in order! Here are a few great ideas on how to share the day with Dad and tell him how much you appreciate him...

-Take a hike, Dad- and I'll go with you! Asheville has soooo many beautiful places to go for a day hike, or a weeklong hike, whatever your fancy. The views are spectacular pretty much anywhere you go, and there are plenty of options for hiking to a waterhole.

-The Urban Trail, complete with beer! Asheville did make Beer City USA 2010, and the breweries here are not to be missed! Just in the downtown area, you have Greenman, LAB, Wedge, Craggie, and ABC; then there is Pisgah in Black Mountain, and Highland in the outskirts...

-Speaking of brew, I had already covered the Brew- Off event on June 19, a great Father's Day idea.

-I had also already covered the Asheville Tourists season, and the weekend is full of home games.

-If your Dad is into this kind of thing, a wonderful event that makes its way through Asheville every summer is The Gathering of the Peacemakers, a weekend long gathering celebrating and connecting with conscious awareness.

There are plenty of other great things going on in the Asheville area to celebrate with and honor Dad; why not give him a full weekend of it??!

Asheville Art in the Park

Asheville Art in the Park is back this June for three Saturdays in the new Pack Square Park: June 12, 19 and 26, from 10am-5pm each day. Here you can visit booths from some of our talented local artists; in October the market housed more than 80 of the multitudes of creative spirits who reside here. Art in the Park is a great market to visit for those who want to take a bit of Asheville home with them, literally. The market is a perfect place to get a taste of
Asheville and our culture, while also supporting some of our non- profits: 10% of the proceeds from sales go to various local non- profits. Gather the family and enjoy a beautiful summer day in a beautiful new park in a cool town!!

Baseball in Asheville, NC

Yes, Asheville does have a baseball team! The Asheville Tourists are our Minor League Baseball team, and there are still many home games left in the season to enjoy at historic McCormick Field (read all about McCormick Field's history)! Check out the 2010 schedule, complete with the 13 home games that are considered Thirsty Thursdays ($1 beer!!)- any Thursday home game is a Thirsty Thursday, and there are still quite a few left in the season. There are also many other promotional events, where not only do you enjoy the fun of a baseball game with (or without) the family, you get free or super- cheap cool stuff! And, there are two home games scheduled for July 2 and 3- what a great place to enjoy the fireworks!!
Baseball has been said to be America's Favorite Pastime, so why not load up the family and head on downtown- enjoy a game, peruse the great Asheville scene, drink cheap beer... what could be better??!

Summer camps in the Asheville, NC area

Remember summer camp? If you didn't get to go to camp as a kid, remember how cool it sounded when the other kids talked about it?? Either way, why not let your kids experience summer camp, here in the Appalachian Mountains? We are surrounded by a never-ending list of great things to do in the summer, and many of the camps touch on these summer activities.
Terra Summer: Perfect for the Asheville area where growing our own food is a part of our tradition, Terra Summer focuses on having fun with children while teaching them to sustain themselves and feed themselves as was intended. This area is chock full of farms and people who are passionate about caring for their land, their animals, and their bodies. According to the website, "Terra Summer is an experiential, interdisciplinary summer camp for children ages 11-14 (rising 6th graders through rising 9th graders) that revolves around the magical world of food, its cooking and farming."
Mountain Adventure Guides: We are also surrounded by tons of great things to do in the wilderness, and Mountain Adventure Guides has two different camps, one for ages 12- 14 and the other for ages 14- 17. As their website suggests, teens will "explore a cave, climb a mountain, raft a wild river, cook a delicious dinner over a camp-fire and then sleep under the stars!"

Camps by gender: If you want your child to experience the fun of camp while making friendships with those of the same gender, consider a couple of the following camps.
Camp Rockmont: A camp for boys in Black Mountain located on Lake Eden in a beautiful retreat center.
Camp Ton-A-Wandah: A camp for girls in Hendersonville in the mountains of western North Carolina.

We have sooo many other camps in the area; click here for a listing of a few.

Why not take a few days (or the whole week!) for yourself at one of our relaxing mountain vacation cabins?? You surely deserve summer camp, too!!

Asheville, NC Fanaticon!!

So many things go on here in Asheville, most having to do with music, beer, crafts, and outdoors. Once in awhile we get glimpses into the world outside our unique little town... one such glimpse is taking place Saturday, May 15 from 10- 5 at the Asheville Art Museum: this event is known as Fanaticon. It seems that fanatics of comic books everywhere can join together at the art museum and celebrate comics, and being fanatics! And, other non- fanatics are invited to join in on the fun!! The schedule of events ranges from a pre-party on Friday night to a community theatre showing of Little Shop of Horrors to a costume parade to serious talks/ discussions on becoming a comic booker to the after- party... the day is chock full of events, and if entertainment is what you are after, then you are sure to get it here!!

US Whitewater Open near Asheville, NC

I have always been fascinated with certain "extreme" sports, one of which is whitewater rafting. The closest I ever came to actual rafting was paddling in something called a "ducky," or an inflatable kayak- looking boat. Needless to say, I almost drowned. But, I think it is great when people know what they are doing and do a fantastic job, both with the sport and their own safety. On March 27 -28 the Bank of America US Whitewater Open takes place in Bryson City, NC at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. This easy day trip (Bryson City is about 1 hour from Asheville) could prove to be a lot of fun for the family; it is the first race of the season, and features some pretty serious paddlers. The Nantahala River is known all over the country as a great place to paddle, and the beauty of the area is incredible as well.
This is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of our NC vacation packages at Carolina Mornings. We specialize in beautiful mountain retreats for couples or the whole family (including your furry members- check out our pet- friendly rentals). Hurry- our winter specials end March 31st!!

Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville

photo courtesy of The Nature Center website photo contest, Ollie the Otter

My family and I just became members at The WNC Nature Center here in Asheville, and I couldn't be more excited! They adopt creatures from around the area (creatures that are to be rehabilitated and can't be returned to the wild), and even partake in such important and wonderful projects as the Red Wolf re-introduction program (one of only 32 centers in the U.S.!!). Their mission statement is as follows:

The WNC Nature Center is a living museum of plants and animals native to the southern Appalachian region. Our purpose is to increase public awareness and understanding of all aspects of the natural environment of Western North Carolina through hands-on and sensory experiences.

The history of the Center is pretty cool, and my favorite thing so far is that they are changing the idea of "zoos"- they say that they are free of bars! We are going to visit for the first time tomorrow (YAY!!), so I will learn all of these things for myself. There are so many great creatures to visit, and it seems that the Nature Center offers many educational programs and hands-on fun for the family; I'm really excited for my little fella to wake up from his first nap so that we can go!
Add this to the great list of things to do with the kids in Asheville when you come for a visit. March is still a great time to take advantage of the winter specials at Carolina Mornings, so get in touch! Load up the family (and Fido too- we have awesome pet- friendly properties!) and take a long weekend trip to the mountains!!

Properties for family gatherings in Asheville NC

(photo is of our property name Hidden Pond, which sleeps eight)

I want to share with you some of the properties that Carolina Mornings offers that are great for family gatherings, say for parties of eight or more, that are also close to Asheville! There are other properties available that are further out if your family is looking for a more secluded retreat, away from it all. Check out our property search where you can choose from many different options to find the property perfect for your getaway.
Elkhorn Cabin is only five miles outside of Asheville, but so close to hiking within the Blue Ridge Parkway that you will feel further out. This property sleeps nine, and it is full of amenities for your retreat.
Blue Moon Lodge offers a setting like no other, complete with the latest of technological amenities. Sleeping 14, this truly is a lodge, and the eco- friendly elegance is unbeatable. You will find such a feeling of peace and serenity in this retreat that you may find it hard to leave! If you do get out and about, you are basically equidistant to the excitement of downtown or the beauty of the western North Carolina mountains.
Eagle's Landing has the best of all worlds: close enough to Asheville (15 minutes away) but on 7 secluded acres! Sleeping eight, this property offers a hot tub, a fireplace, and incredible views! And let the whole family enjoy a vacation- this property also allows your pets to visit with you!!

No matter what you are looking for in a family gathering place, Carolina Mornings has the right property for you! Give us a call and we can help point you in the direction you are looking for!