Archive for the ‘Free things to do’ Category
It’s hard to think that a movie theatre in a mall turned into one of the coolest places to go in Asheville and it’s free! Starting July 5th, Cinnebarre is taking their movies outside, admission is free. Bring a blanket, a chair, a pillow, whatever makes you comfortable watching a movie. Seating begins @ 8pm. All shows start at dark. They are grilling burgers and hotdogs outside with a great beer and wine selection. Just another heads up, Mon thru Thurs all movies are $1.00 after 9PM.
From your Asheville pet friendly vacation cabin, take 240 to the Biltmore Mall on Brevard Road. At the first light turn left (McDonald’s is on the corner) into the Mall entrance. Turn left again and follow the road to go all the way around to the back. You will see Cinnebar in the back.
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.
Off the Blue Ridge Parkway, behind the Arboretum, is a great locally known forest called Bent Creek. Locals love to walk the trails, jump in the creeks or gathered pools of water, and walk their dogs with comfort. We love it there. It’s a little known secret to visitors of the area I am pleased to share with you in hushed tones. There are miles and miles of walking trails, also dirt bike trails. Just about any outdoor sport can be exercised there. It’s originally created as an experimental forest, the first one in the southeast actually, so it’s quite reverred and protected.
It’s only just minutes from the Asheville pet friendly cabin you will be staying in. From the cabin take 240 to I-26 going towards Spartanburg. Get off at the first exit and turn left on Brevard road. Follow the signs to the Arboretum. When you get to the front, go left onto the parkway and follow it til you are exactly behind the Arboretum. You’ll see lots of cars parked there.
One of the fun places to Contra Dance is at Warren Wilson College. There’s a weekly dance at Bryson Gym and anyone can go. One hundred or more people come together each Thursday for some old-time mountain music and the passes and twirls of the contra dance. You don’t even need a partner to go because the style of dance encourages you to dance with others. It’s a mere 30 minutes from your Asheville vacation cabin.
The gathering at the college started in the 1930′s as the Farmer’s Ball with square dancing. The dance hall closed in the 1950′s. The tradition started up again in 1982 and has been going strong ever since.
My neighbor takes her horses out to ride at Dupont State Forest. Another hikes there on a regular basis. There are so many activities one can do there, including mountain biking. There are miles of multiuse trails, waterfalls and lakes straddling Henderson and Transylvania counties. DuPont’s trails are used by hikers, bikers, horseback riders, fishermen. The scenery is spectacular and if you ever wanted to feel you were in the frontier, this is it. You can go for miles and not see another person, still have that all alone in nature appeal.
From your Asheville Pet Friendly Rental Cabin it’s about 30 minutes away. Take your pups with you and hike til you all drop. Prepare your picnic at the cabin and take off for the day. You can set it up anywhere. Just be sure to walk out with your garbage. Take poop bags with you too. You’d want to keep it pristine.
Vadim Bora, 56, died recently this month following complications from a massive stroke in December. He may have left this city in body form, but he remains with us in spirit as his artwork is found throughout the city. Leave your Asheville pet friendly cabin and take a Vadim tour around the city.
Look for the crucifix on St. Mary’s Episcopal Church off Charlotte Street. Then on Wall Street you will see a trio of cats named appropriately “cat walk” slinking down Wall St that he created for the Urban Trail. When you go to Biltmore, Cornelia Vanderbilt playing with her dog Cedric at the Biltmore Estate’s Antler Hill Village outside Cedric’s Tavern is Vadim’s creation. At Mission Hospital’s Reuters Children’s Outpatient Center you will see “On the Mend,” a 10 piece life-size figurative sculpture grouping. At the VA Medical Center Asheville there is a memorial stone sculpture, “The Wings of Freedom.” Another place to find one of his sculptures is at the Modesto restaurant in the Grove Arcade. There you will find medieval-style grotesques of synthetic stone.
All the National Parks across the country are honoring the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend by waiving admission fees Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Now amongst all the great places that you can go to for free, you will want to check out Carl Sandburg’s home. The home tour itself is usually $5 at other times than this. But there is never a charge to enter the grounds, hike the more than five miles of trail or visit the dairy goats at Mrs. Sandburg’s farm operation. Additional free dates are: April 16-24, June 21, September 24, November 11-13.
From your Asheville pet friendly cabin it is aproximately 35 minutes.