Archive for the ‘Festivals’ Category
Oh cool, it’s that time of the year AND they are back again this year. Downtown after Five is possibly the coolest neatest thing I’ve ever heard of in any city. It’s free! You get to hear some really great bands and music concerts and it’s free! Just bring some money for food, drinks, shopping, etc. Where you find it is at Lexington Avenue at the Interstate 240 overpass. There’s a city lot to park in right at the corner of Woodfin and Lexington. It’s the third Friday of each month from 5-9, still early enough so you can just go bar hopping and dancing when the music is done.
When you go from your Asheville Vacation Cabin Rental, go to 240 from Patton Ave and get off at Merrimon Ave. At the end of the ramp, turn left. Turn right at the first light onto Woodfin. You will see the parking lot to your right. (The music is happening right there under the ramp. If there are no spaces there, go through the light which goes into a sharp bend. At the end of the bend before you go into the civic center area, turn left and go into the parking lots along there.
Oh boy, it’s going to be sunny and happy around here today. Up to the 80′s for goodness sakes. Can’t figure what the weather will be from day to day. But today, today is the day to drive through Biltmore Estate with the family to see the flowers in bloom. Well it is for us today. The Flower Festival will actually be going on all the way til May 25th. Of course the Estate is always gorgeous, even in the drudge of Winter, but this time of the year is spectacular. Azaleas blooming, tulips, trees, bushes, all blooming, gorgeous.
The flowers are blooming all over Asheville and all over the property at the Asheville Pet Friendly Vacation Cabin , Cabin Cove Farm. Flowers here, flowers there, awesome, one can really feel the approach of Spring.
It’s time for Fletcher to have their Christmas parade this Saturday. Lots of bands, floats, and just fun. Thurs night is Waynesville’s. They put on a show no matter what they do so I would think this one would be good to go to. You can check out all the neat lights put up on the highway on the way to Waynesville from Asheville.
When you leave your Asheville rental cabin you would go a shorter route than going through Asheville itself. Simply leave the cabin and turn left on Goughes Branch road taking it to Newfound Road. Turn right on Newfound Road and take it all the way to 40. Get onto 40 going towards Tenn. Get off at ext 27, then take 74 to Waynesville. Get off at 276, Waynesville exit, go right at the end of the ramp and veer right at the fork in the road at McDonalds. That road will take you right to Downtown Waynesville.
There are many venues in Asheville to explore any number of Crafts produced by some of the best craftspeople in the country. The DryGoods Shop has just opened and is another one of those places that rent booths to craftspeople to sell their wares. The DryGoods Shop and all the other artists and makers with studios in the building at 474 Haywood Road will hold an open house 3-8PM on Dec 11 with special events and sales, refreshments, a tree-trimming and lessons on how to make paper ornaments.
It takes just a meer 15 minutes to get there from your Asheville vacation cabin. Simply go to Patton Ave, left on Patton Ave. Take the first right at the first light which is Louisiana. Take Louisiana to the end and turn left onto Haywood Rd. Sunnypoint Restaurant will be on your right at the next light. Great restaurant. Go down Haywood Road until you almost get to 240. DryGoods will be on your right right before the entrance to 240.
Every town in these mountains has a Christmas parade. These are the ol’ fashioned small town parades. Everybody knows everybody. The floats are everything from Miss Peach Picker to the Mayor with High School bands marching between each float. It’s so great to be an observer as everyone seems to be connected to someone in the parade and are energetic to say the least. They’re not your bigtown big deal parades where you just get entertained. They’re a chance for everybody in town to get together and celebrate Christmas.
If you missed the Christmas Parade in Asheville last week, no worry, there are lots more every weekend now until Christmas. Take a little trip from your Asheville Pet Friendly Cabin and check out the Christmas parades all over the place. Tuesday is Maggie Valley’s, Sylva’s is not yet posted, this weekend there are parades in Hendersonville and Black Mountain, located right around Asheville. Those towns are just minutes away.
As every year this time at Christmas, the historic birthplace of Civil War Gov. Zebulon Vance will be open today from 4-7 demonstrating not only what the home may have or could have looked like, but included will be folks staging a Christmas in the style of the 1830′s. It will be decorated in the style of that day giving a glimpse of Christmas as it may have been celebrated in the southern Appalachian mountains. The pic shows Anne Allison peeling potatoes in the kitchen during the 2009 Christmas at the Vance Birthplace event. Live acoustic Christmas music will be in the Visitor Center.
Another great Christmas activity for the family as the admission is free. You will leave your Asheville vacation cabin traveling to 19-23-26 towards Weaverville. Get off at Reems Creek. Turn right at the light. Travel a couple of miles on Reems Creek and you will see the Vance Home on the right. And if you go you will find out what that monument is all about in the middle of downtown!
Once it was decided that it wasn’t economically feasible to set up fireworks as a free downtown Christmas event again this year, the downtown folks immediately starting putting together something else as exciting. This year downtown Asheville NC has organized an event called JingleFest. The event is free again and open to the public. The first half will be geared toward children with caroling, dancing and a visit by Santa Claus. After dark, adults will head up to Pack’s Tavern for hot toddies and a performance by Mark Keller and other musicians in a preview of the Holiday Jam benefit for Mission Hospital.
Jinglefest will start at 3 PM on Sunday Dec 5th at Reuter Terrace in Pack Square Park. That’s about 15 minutes from your Asheville vacation cabin. Attendees are encouraged to bring donations such a blankets or clothes to be given to Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry or non-perishable food for MANNA FoodBank.
It’s quite an impressive sight to see, every street and every shop in a small town like Dillsboro lit all along the streets and rock walls lining properties. Dillsboro puts on its 27th annual Luminary Festival show this Friday – the 3rd of December. If you miss that night, it will be once again on Dec 10 and 11.
From your Asheville pet friendly cabin, you can load up the pets and the kids and take a little ride out to Dillsboro. Simply take Newfound Road to 40 and get on 40 towards Waynesville. Off at exit 27, then move onto 74. It will take you to exit 441 to Franklin and Dillsboro is right at that exit.
Asheville’s Downtown Market has just finished it’s first year in operation. It is a 42,000 square foot space that includes booths of every kind of everything you could want from food to antique leggings. More than a dozen popular Asheville bands and musicians are performing at the One Bazaar Holiday Music Festival. The Festival starts on November 26th and runs every weekend through December 18th. Shop, eat, and listen to music for your Christmas shopping experience. It’s like going to a festival but it’s indoors! where it’s warm! and you can drink a hot toddy!
The Downtown Market is only 15 minutes from your Asheville Pet Friendly cabin. Grab your dinner at the new Fusion restaurant and bring it back to the cabin and eat in front of the fireplace relaxing after your big shopping experience.
Have you ever been to a storytelling performance. I went once and got addicted right away. We have some of the best storytellers from anywhere right here in Asheville. Maybe it’s the Cherokee tradition that continues to dominate. The Cherokees are great storytellers. Everything in their history is a story. Once the teller starts to weave his story, you become mezmerized.
This Sunday everyone has a story to tell and the world will be listening. Asheville will join towns and cities around the globe participating in Tellabration, an event celebrating the art of storytelling. Our local festivities will happen Sunday the 22nd at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Leave your Asheville rental cabin in time to get there by 3 PM. I’d leave a little early to get a good seat. Tickets are $5 at the door.