Help the Gulf Coast with Just a Click

Wondering how to reach out and make a difference to the Gulf Coast communities affected by the oil spill? Simply visit AshevilleTourismCares.com and click.

Each Click Equals a Donation

Asheville’s tourism partners have pledged to donate 10 cents per web site visit between now and July 2 up to $10,000. Funds will be given to the National Audubon Society to assist in the short-term and long-term challenges of restoring the Gulf Coast ecosystem.

Cool off with Asheville Savings

Summer heat can be a zinger, which is why everyone’s looking for the ultimate cool getaway. Locals and die-hard fans know Asheville’s mountain elevations, cool creeks, and icy swimming holes provide a respite from the heat. But now the word’s out officially. AOL.com named Asheville one of the “Coolest Cities in the States” when it came to escaping summer’s heat.

Chill Out and Save on Asheville Getaways

Escaping to Asheville is easy this summer with getaway packages that fit every budget and coupons that showcase local restaurants and attractions. Get started by booking your getaway and printing your coupons today!

Test Your Asheville Knowledge and Win!

Think you're smart? Prove it and win! Show off your Asheville knowledge, and win a pair of Go Blue Ridge Cards.

Answer this little bit of trivia: Name one of the local swimming holes in the Asheville-area.

Find the answer and enter to win by visiting this web page on ExploreAsheville.com.

Update as of June 25: Congratulations to Susan Budnick. She answered the question correctly and was our randomly chosen winner. Your Go Blue Ridge Cards are in the mail.

Win a Pair of Go Blue Ridge Cards

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Play our trivia challenge and win a pair of Go Blue Ridge Cards.

Just answer this question for your chance to win: What year was Asheville founded as a frontier outpost?

Find the answer and enter to win by visiting this web page on ExploreAsheville.com.

Update as of June 24: Congratulations to Caitlin Ryan. She answered the question correctly and was our randomly chosen winner. Your Go Blue Ridge Cards are in the mail.

Design Biltmore’s Next Wine Label

Want to show off your creative chops? Take a shot at Biltmore’s wine label contest by submitting your design for the next Christmas at Biltmore wine label. Submit your original design for consideration online at biltmore.com/contest.

The winning design will appear on Christmas at Biltmore wine bottles, plus the winners receive these great prizes:

First Place

Christmas at Biltmore Experience (valued at $700.00)

• Winning artwork featured as the design on the 2010

Christmas at Biltmore wine label

• One case (12 bottles) of Christmas at Biltmore wine

signed by our Biltmore Winemakers

• Two Candlelight Christmas Evenings tickets

• Private carriage ride

• Dinner for two at the Bistro

Semifinalists

A Year of Biltmore (valued at $105.00)

• A Twelve–Month Pass (or pass renewal) to Biltmore

How to Enter

Submit your best original design, photo or piece of artwork online at biltmore.com/contest. Include a three-sentence summary telling us why your entry embodies “Christmas at Biltmore.” Deadline for submission is June 30, 2010.

Kick off the Week by Winning an Asheville Prize

Forget the Monday blues. Enter for your chance to win a pair of Go Blue Ridge Cards!

Just answer this question for your chance to win: What free musical tradition is offered every Friday night in downtown Asheville?

Find the answer and enter to win by visiting this web page on ExploreAsheville.com

Update as of June 23: Congratulations to Ashley Shiflet. She answered the question correctly and was our randomly chosen winner. Your Go Blue Ridge Cards are in the mail.

Visit ExploreAsheville.com and Win!

Win a fun weekend in Asheville! Answer this question: Name one of the healthy getaways you can enjoy in Asheville.

Find the answer and enter to win by visiting this page.

A winner will be chosen randomly and win a pair of Go Blue Ridge Cards.

Update as of June 21: Congratulations to Cyndi Hall! She answered the question correctly and was our randomly chosen winner. Your Go Blue Ridge Cards are in the mail.

Meet Your Local Farmers at the Family Farm Tour This Weekend

Get up close and personal with local farms during the Family Farm Tour hosted by Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture (ASAP) on June 26 and 27. The two-day event provides an exclusive opportunity to visit 37 farms throughout Western North Carolina. Destinations on the tour range from century-old farms cultivated by the same family for generations to certified organic farms to urban gardens.

Ginger Murphy Frank, who went on the tour last year, calls it “one of my favorite things all year.”

The variety of farms participating in this year’s tour means you can customize a tour to suit your interests. Observe livestock, spinning, cheese making and cooking demonstrations. Make your own pizza in a wood fired oven, pick blueberries and raspberries and eat a meal on a farm. Learn about practices such as rotational grazing, cover cropping, biodynamic methods and seed saving.

Reserve your spot on the tour by purchasing a farm tour map and button online at www.familyfarmtour.org. Buttons cost $25 plus $2 shipping. One button admits everyone in your car, plus you can visit as many farms as you like during Saturday and Sunday.

Win President Obama’s Vacation to Asheville

Feel the need to get away this summer? Do it first class, by entering to win President Obama’s vacation to Asheville.

This fabulous getaway wraps up all the fun the President and First Lady experienced during their recent spring break to Asheville. The prize includes:

• Ten President’s Vacation Package from The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa: Two nights of accommodations at The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa; breakfast daily per adult--choice of the lavish buffet at Blue Ridge Dining Room or in-room dining; $25 Grove Park Inn gift card; audio guided history tour of historic Grove Park Inn; copy of the book “Built for the Ages: A History of the Grove Park Inn.”
• Go Blue Ridge Cards: Two multi-day, multi-attraction passes that offer access to more than 30 attractions in Western North Carolina including America’s largest home, Biltmore House, toured by the Obamas' on vacation.
• Farm-to-table Dining: A Main Course Dining card from the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association. This buy-one, get-one card offers more than $600 in dining savings at Asheville’s farm-to-table restaurants like Corner Kitchen and Sunset Terrace at The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa where the Obamas' dined on vacation.
• Presidential Gift Basket: Win the actual welcome basket put together specifically for the First Couple, but not sent due to presidential gift restrictions. The basket includes: President’s Spring Break Ale from Asheville Brewing, 12 Bones Blueberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce, Asheville Grown Buy Local t-shirt and several pieces from local artists.

Enter to win now.

Get at Taste of BeerCity USA at Beer City Festival

Sample Asheville’s rocking microbrew scene tomorrow at the Beer City Festival at Roger McQuire Park in downtown Asheville. The fun begins at 12 noon and continues until 6 p.m.

Tickets Still Available

Tickets to the event are still available! Purchase tickets today at Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria. Any remaining tickets will be available at the gate beginning at 10 a.m.

Live Music

Like any good Asheville festival, live music will get the party started. Tomorrow’s line-up includes:

Brewers Jam Band, 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The Blues Dragons, 1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Do it to Julia, 2:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Josh Phillips Folk Festival, 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

The Legendary JC's, 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Asheville Named Southern Conference Host

College basketball fans, get ready! Yesterday, officials named Asheville the new home of the Southern Conference men’s and women’s basket tournament for the next three years beginning in 2012.

The men’s games will be played at the Asheville Civic Center. The women’s tournament will begin at the new Kimmel Arena at U.N.C. Asheville, with the semifinal and championship games being held at the Civic Center.

Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy made the announcement yesterday at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. “The Southern Conference has a great history in Asheville,” Mayor Terry Bellamy noted referring to the tournaments' nine-year run in Asheville from 1984-1995. “They’re coming back home.”