Comic Book Festival Arrives in Asheville

Love comic books, science fiction, fantasy and pop culture? Then Asheville’s FANATICON on May 15 is for you! Check it out at the Asheville Art Museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FANATICON boasts a full schedule, including panel discussions, costumes, games, live musical performances and more! Over 60 artists and vendors will be on hand, promising an amazing opportunity to interact with Asheville’s independent comic book creators, as well as shop for comics, graphic novels and collectibles.

Meet the Artist for Captain America

Headlining the event is acclaimed Marvel Comics artist Butch Guice. Guice, a native of Asheville, has worked for both comic book giants DC and Marvel and has taken on some of the world’s most recognizable comic book titles, including X-Factor, Birds of Prey and the biggest hero of them all, Superman. Most recently, Guice collaborated on Marvel’s major publishing event, Captain America Reborn. Guice is currently working on the monthly Captain America comic book.

Free Admission for the Entire Family

This family-friend event is free of charge. Plus, the the first 100 kids through the door will receive free comic books!

Spring Arrives in Asheville with Tailgate Markets

One of the first signs of spring in Asheville (a.k.a. the Foodtopian Society) is the opening of local tailgate markets. As numerous as spring flowers, Asheville-area tailgate markets are the social center of the community in the warmer months.

Booths are packed with the fruits and veggies from local farms, freshly made cheese, home-baked bread, homemade pickles and jams, locally-raised meats, flowers and herbs. It’s a cornucopia of fresh, fabulous and wonderful things accented with the warmth of neighbors doing business with neighbors.

Join the fun and check out one of these flourishing tailgate markets in the Asheville-area:
Asheville City Market
Where: Located downtown in the parking lot of the Public Works Building at 161 S. Charlotte Street.
When: Sat., 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Open: April 17

Asheville City Market—South
Where: At Biltmore Town Square in South Asheville. In the grassy area across from P.F. Chang's restaurant.
When: Wed., 2:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Open: May 5

Big Ivy Tailgate Market
Where: In the parking lot of the old Barnardsville fire station, across from the post office, on Highway 197.
When: Sat., 9:00 a.m.– 12:00 noon
Open: May 1

Black Mountain Tailgate Market
Where: 130 Montreat Rd. in Black Mountain
When: Sat., 9:00 a.m.– 12:00 noon
Open: May 5

Greenlife Sunday Market
Where: Greenlife Grocery, 70 Merrimon Ave., just north of the 1-240 Connector.
When: Sun., 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Open: May 5

Mission Hospital Tailgate Market
Where: At the back entrance to the Mission Hospital Heart Center on the Memorial Campus. When: Thu., 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Open: May 13

North Asheville Tailgate Market
Where: UNC-Asheville Campus in Commuter Lot #C.
When: Sat., 8:00 a.m.– 12:00 noon
Open: April 17

Riceville Tailgate Market
Where: Adjacent to the parking area of the Riceville Community Center, next door to the Riceville Volunteer Fire Department.
When: Sat., 9:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
Open: May 28

Victory Tailgate Market
Where: In the parking lot adjacent to ABCCM Veterans Restoration Quarters, on Tunnel Rd. past the Blue Ridge Parkway Entrance.
When: Wed., 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Open: June 2

Weaverville Tailgate Market
Where: On the hill overlooking Lake Louise, behind the yellow Community Center, on Weaverville Hwy.
When: Wed., 2:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Open: April 14

Wednesday Co-op Market
Where: 76 Biltmore Ave., in the parking lot next to the French Broad Food Co-op, across the street from Laurey's Catering.
When: Wed., 2:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Open: May 5

West Asheville Tailgate Market
Where: 718 Haywood Rd., in the parking area between the Grace Baptist Church and Sun Trust Bank.
When: Tue., 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Open: April 20

Update on Beer City Festival

Last week, we announced the Beer City Festival had been scheduled for June 5. Details were still in the works on event specifics, but we have fresh information to share today.

Location: The proposed location will be the Roger McGuire Green, but permits are not final. Nonetheless, the festival will be held downtown.

Tickets: Available at Asheville’s local breweries, Barley’s and Brusin’ Ales. Local nonprofit Big Brothers and Big Sisters will receive a portion of the proceeds. Only 3,500 tickets are available.

Entertainment: Live music will range from indie rock to funk to blues rock.

Join Asheville’s Art in the Park in June

Immerse yourself in Asheville’s creative art scene this summer! Art in the Park is taking over Pack Square Park on June 12, 19 and 26 at 10 a.m. Only regional artists are featured at this art market, so it’s a great chance to see Asheville’s best first-hand.

Offerings include glass, ceramics, woodworks, metal arts and fabric arts. Styles range from contemporary to traditional. Best of all, 10% off all proceeds go to a local art non-profit.

New Beer Festival Arrives in Asheville

Beer lovers rejoice! Another beer festival arrives in Asheville this summer. The Beer City Festival is scheduled for June 5. The location will be announced at a later date, but you can purchase tickets beginning March 29. The festival will feature 40 breweries from North and South Carolina.

Tickets are $35 and sold at all the breweries in Buncombe County, Barley’s and Bruisin’ Ales. More details will be available at a later date about the location and entertainment. Stay tuned to the Asheville Travel Blog for the inside scoop!

ActionFest Arrives in Asheville

Hold on to your hats movie fans, because ActionFest is rolling into Asheville for a four-day celebration of action films, April 15-18. ActionFest is the world’s first film festival devoted exclusively to the genre of action films and will showcase the best contemporary action films from around the globe.

Chuck Norris Appears in Asheville

Actor and action icon Chuck Norris will appear at the festival to accept the Lifetime Action Achievement Award on Sunday, April 18.

Buy Tickets in April

Tickets for ActionFest go on sale in early April; individual show tickets are $10, while festival badges purchased before April 1, 2010 will be $65. Tickets can be purchased at www.actionfest.com.

Asheville’s Gluten-Free Restaurant Gets Green Certification

Downtown Asheville’s Posana Café has already attracted attention for its extensive gluten-free and vegan menu, Fair Trade coffee and homemade Italian-style sodas. But now the restaurant can add another claim to fame to its title.

Last month, Posana Café was recognized as the only two-star Certified Green Restaurant in North Carolina. “We believe that we had to go beyond just ‘saying’ that we were committed to the environment, and really put ourselves to the test,” said Posana co-owner Martha Pollay. The certification is awarded by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a non-profit organization that specializes in helping restaurants become more environmentally sustainable through their Certification program and consulting services.

Posana Café’s earned the certification due to these green-friendly practices:

• eliminating bottled water by installing state-of-the-art water filters

• recycling waste grease into biodiesel

• installing energy efficient equipment and water-conserving faucet aerators

• selecting to-go utensils and cups from compostable materials

• installing carpeting made from recycled materials and flooring from rapidly-renewable resources.

New Zip Line Tours Arrive in WNC

Get ready to fly high on a mountain adventure during your next Asheville visit. Western North Carolina welcomes a second zip line canopy tour to the area this spring.

Fly Among the Trees
Navitat Canopy Adventures, located just 20 minutes outside of Asheville, will open their course in mid-May. The course consists of artfully constructed platforms nestled in trees connected by a series of sky-bridges, zip lines and rappels. Experienced guides lead you through the course, which ranges in height from two feet to more than 200 feet off the ground. Zip lines range from 50 feet to 1,100 feet in length!

Experience a Zip Line that Showcases Nature
John Walker, Navitat partner, says, “The course site is just awesome—its size and topography, the views it provides and just how pristine and peaceful it is.” The course is situated on a 240-tract of forestland that features 100 year-old hardwoods, native and rare plants, streams and mountain wildlife.

New Brew Rolls into Town

Beer lovers coming into town to explore Asheville’s amazing brew scene need to check out Thursday nights at Thirsty Monk. The downtown bar is serving up cask-conditioned ales every Thursday in March.

The Big Deal Behind Cask Brews
Never sipped a cask brew? You’re in for a treat! Cask ales are naturally carbonated and served at “cellar” temperatures. The primary differences are they are usually hand-pumped and served without the addition of carbon dioxide.

Explore More of Asheville’s Beer Scene
The fun at the Thirsty Monk is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to beer in Asheville. Check out Asheville’s microbrew scene on your own, or hop onboard a Brews Cruise for a guided tour.

Asheville Named a Top 24 Beer City

Like beer? Then you’re going to love Asheville, because gadling.com named our city one of the top 24 cities in the world for drinking beer!

The story gives Asheville high marks for its location and atmosphere. The writer states, “Along with a big city-worthy music scene, a drop-dead-gorgeous mountain backdrop and good old southern hospitality, Asheville has one brewery for every 10,000 of its citizens, including the rocking Highland Brewing Company. That puts it right at Portland's heels with the second most breweries per capita in the U.S.”

Experience Asheville’s Beer Scene Firsthand

Curious to see what all the fuss is about? Check out our tips for planning a brew-tastic getaway to Asheville.