Autumn has Arrived

(September, 24, 2008) — Autumn officially arrived this week and brought early signs of fall color to many mountainsides at higher elevations as well as crisp, cool nights which are a necessary ingredient for the perfect fall color recipe.

Berries and Seeds
Color changes remain subtle which Parker Andes, director of horticulture at Biltmore, describes as characteristic of early fall. While leaves have lost their summer green, most have yet to show their full color. Now, you will find bright red berries on dogwood trees and American hollies. Sumacs are producing seed heads of a deep burgundy hue, a slight variation from the staghorn sumac's dark red seed clusters.

The Changing Leaves
As far as leaves go, sumacs are just starting to turn red. Sweet gums and black gums now display a red-orange color, while virginia creeper vines are as red as can be. At 3,200 feet in Boone, NC, leaf peeper Mac Forehand shared dogwoods are showing a tinge of red and the decorative maples around the Appalachian State University campus are turning yellow.

Wildflowers in Bloom
For a good view of the changing leaves, Blue Ridge Parkway leaf peepers report early fall color near milepost 295 in the higher elevations of Western North Carolina. Surprisingly, the main attraction on the Parkway this week is not the leaves, but the multicolored wildflowers. In Blowing Rock – elevation 3,500 feet – chicory (lavender), goldenrod (yellow), tall ironweed (lavender), white snakeroot, angelica (greenish-white), and foxgloves (purple, pink, white, and yellow) still proudly display the last of the year's blooms. Queen Anne's lace (pink, white), black-eyed susans (yellow) and yellow wood sorrels continue to populate the Parkway's meadows and roadsides. Asters, goldenrods and lady's-tresses orchids (white) are still in bloom near Doughton Park at milepost 241. On I-26 by Exit 9, cosmos paint a meadow pink.

Weekly Updates
Make sure to check back each week for updates on where to find the best color in Western North Carolina. And as you’re out this fall in the Asheville area, share your fall photos with us.

Insider Tips
Fall Harvest Tailgate Flavors of the Week: Now is the perfect time to pick up a bushel of apples at area tailgate markets. Honey crisps, ginger golds, mutsus, fujis, and galas are just some of the local varieties you'll find here. Keep an eye out for some delicious and refreshing apple cider too. Market managers also note seeing a lot of sugar pumpkins lately too which are great for baking.

Budget Tip: Save time and money by letting the Asheville Visitor Center concierge hunt for your room. The concierge has access to room availability and discount information, even for last-minute bookings.

And so it begins...

Happy first day of fall! The calendar says it is officially autumn. So, once again, we turn to our trusty area foliage experts for their biological insight on fall color potential for our region.

Fall color fanatics will be glad to hear that the news is good! Late summer rains and cooling weather patterns (yes, we've been eyeing those warm sweaters in our closets) mean that fall 2008 could produce the most colorful leaf season in years in Western North Carolina.

Check out the first Weekly Color Report of the fall season at FallintheMountains.com. We'll be gathering tips from a team of foliage experts and color hunters across the region to provide weekly tips on where to locate the brightest fall color. Fall Prognostications from Academia

“I think it (fall) will be better than the past couple of years, but the next few weeks will be important. The cooling trend we are now experiencing is a good start. If this is followed by a light frost, we could be looking at some nice fall foliage this year,” said Dr. Gary Walker, a biology professor at Appalachian State University.

“Recent rains will help keep the leaves on the trees and extend the fall color season,” said Dr. Kathy Gould Mathews, assistant biology professor at Western Carolina University. “We should hope for a rapid cooling of temperatures in late September into October for the best fall color show. Normally, the peak color occurs within a week after the first frost.”

Simply the Best, And Here's Why

“I think fall color in WNC is among the best fall color shows anywhere in the world! There are very few places you can go to see better fall color than the Appalachian Mountains,” said Jesse Pope, lead naturalist at Grandfather Mountain. “The diversity of tree and shrub species here in WNC help make our fall color so varied.” “Year in and year out, the maples (neon red, orange, and yellow), oaks (red, yellow, rusty brown), sourwood (red), black gum (maroon), beech (gold), birches (yellow/gold), ashe (yellow), cottonwood (yellow), buckeye (yellow, rusty gold), among many other species really put on a show,” said Pope.

Release Your Inner Color Hunter

If you have a passion for fall color and are handy with a camera, we encourage you to share the love by submitting your color-filled photos to FallintheMountains.com. You can even share your favorite fall viewing spot. And, if you're familiar with Twitter, you can even follow and submit photos to the virtual color hunter (@fallcolorhunter).

First Signs of Fall Color

(September, 18, 2008) —The lights have dimmed and the curtain is just about to rise. Fall is just around the corner, and recent weather patterns indicate a long, colorful season.

In the Asheville area, fall foliage season lasts from late September to early November due to the region’s varied elevations as color begins at highest elevations and creeps down the mountainsides. One of the most diverse biological regions in the world, the Blue Ridge Mountains are home to hundreds of deciduous tree and shrub species that create a vibrant palette of colors in the landscape.

The Experts Say...
Fall is definitely in the air and the cool weather trend in recent days is a good recipe for fall color, according to Dr. Gary Walker, biology professor at Appalachian State University. If the region continues to see warm, sunny days and cool, crisp nights, visitors can expect to see nice fall foliage this year.

While it is still early in the season, some leaves have already begun to turn. Color hunter Lynn Collins from Maggie Valley reports just a tinge of orange at the tops of a few maple trees. Katherine Matthews, botany professor at Western Carolina University (WCU), has seen some trees with hints of red in her area near Great Smoky Mountain National Park including sourwoods, dogwoods, sumacs, and vines like the Virginia creeper.

Fall Color Isn't Just on the Trees
Although the leaves have yet to come out in full force, late summer wildflowers are still in bloom in the Southern Appalachians. You can find bellflowers, angelicas, witch hazel, and blazing stars near the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 364.6.

Elsewhere in the region you may find that love vines, Queen Anne’s lace, mountain ash, starry campions, goldenrods and asters continue to offer their splendid palettes.

Weekly Updates
Make sure to check back each week for updates on where to find the best color in Western North Carolina. And as you’re out this fall in the Asheville area, share your fall photos with us.

Insider Tips
Fall Harvest Tailgate Flavors of the Week: Late summer rains gave North Carolina, the seventh largest apple producing state in the country, a bountiful harvest of intensely sweet apples. Now is the perfect time to pick up a bushel of apples as well as native grapes, like Muscadine and Scuppernongs, at area tailgate markets.

Budget Tip: Now is the best time to plan your fall vacation. To get the best rates at area accommodations, consider coming in late September or early November. The color is still great and crowds tend to be less. Book your room online now. If you are looking to getaway early in the fall season, check out our Extend the Weekend packages to make trip-planning an ease.

Share Your Fall Video

What do you like to do while color hunting? Is it kayaking, hiking, gallery hopping? Show the world your version of color hunting, Asheville-style by submitting your Asheville fall video with our video streaming, sharing and viewing section. You can also see some of the videos posted in the new video gallery.

Little Trees, Big Fall Color

Due to differences in elevation in the Blue Ridge Mountains, you’re sure to find some colorful fall foliage no matter when you come to town from late September to early November. But did you know that it’s not just the trees in surrounding forests that change color? The bonsai collection at The North Carolina Arboretum features many indigenous tree species (in miniature form of course) that change color each fall.

October 11 and 12, the Annual Carolina Bonsai Expo features not only the Arboretum’s collection but vendors selling trees and special bonsai tools.

Best of all, you can check out the huge bonsai garden, exhibits at the Baker Exhibit Center and hit one of the nine trails all for a $7 parking fee. On Tuesdays, enjoy the Arboretum’s 434 acres for free as the parking fee is waived.

The Arboretum isn’t the only deal or free thing to do in the area this fall. Make sure to check out our weekly fall color report beginning next week which will not only highlight the area’s best color but ways to stretch your dollars this fall.

*Thanks to The North Carolina Arboretum for the image.

Flower Carpet Video from Biltmore

Want to see something really neat? Check out this time-lapse video of Biltmore's Flower Carpet being installed. You can see the flower carpet from now until Sept. 14.



There's always something going on at Biltmore. Sept. 19-28, kick off fall by sampling the Field to Table Festival featuring cooking demos, symposiums and much more. The event is included in your admission to the estate. Bon appétit!

Fall in Love on an Easy Weekend Getaway

You don’t have to take our word for it…

In the September issue of Travel + Leisure, the magazine’s travel aficionados recommend Asheville as a romantic autumn escape, ideal for a long weekend amidst the color-filled mountains.

“Imagine a place where the local paper advertises an “organic mechanic,” the streets teem with bandana-wearing banjo players, and tempeh is common on menus, and you have the crunchy Southern mountain retreat of Asheville. Encircled by the rolling Blue Ridge Mountains, and a five-minute drive from the bucolic Blue Ridge Parkway, the North Carolina town has been drawing travelers in search of a holistic holiday since the late 19th century.” -Travel + Leisure

With heavenly spa experiences, cozy bed and breakfast inns, and sumptuous local eateries, it really is easy to create those romantic vacation memories, like sharing a mug of organic hot chocolate or strolling hand-in-hand under canopies of fall color.

Ready to pop the big question? Check out our recommendations for inspiring places to propose. Better yet, ensure a “yes” with a romantic vacation package.

What’s your honey’s fall personality? Would they rather get an adrenaline rush from an extreme aerial view of fall color? Or are they more likely to enjoy a laid back harvest tasting? Get suggestions for fall activities from extreme to mellow at FallintheMountains.com.

Eco-Friendly Fall Adventures

Eco-conscious travelers looking for an earth-friendly fall getaway will find plenty of opportunities to minimize their footprint in the Asheville area.

Park your car in walkable downtown Asheville and spend the day exploring boutiques, galleries, restaurants and public markets where you can sample fresh, local cuisine. The Urban Trail is self-guided walking tour of Asheville’s history traced through art and statues in downtown Asheville. Pick up a guide for this and other tours at the Asheville Visitor Center, also located downtown.

You can even take a smart tour of the area. Step onto a Segway and tour downtown, Biltmore or even the trails at The North Carolina Arboretum. Or hop aboard LaZoom, a comedy tour of Asheville on a purple bus powered by biodiesel. Pedal-powered rickshaw carriages offer a street-side view of Asheville's Art Deco architecture.

If you have additional suggestions for ways to ‘green’ your fall travel, share your ideas by leaving us a comment.

Insider’s Tips: Fall is less than three weeks away making now the best time to book your fall getaway. Accommodations tend to fill up during the fall, so plan in advance. Check out FallintheMountains.com for travel packages, coupons and more insider tips.

And don't forget that our weekly fall color reports begin soon to help you find the best color in the area - stay tuned!