Asheville Fall Color Report for October 28

Soaring through fall color
with Navitat Canopy
Adventures - photo by
Mike Belleme

Peak Fall Color in

Downtown Asheville
The weather forecast calls for sunshine and temperatures in the 60s through the weekend and Asheville’s fall color could not be more vibrant! Most of the maples, dogwoods, sourwoods and birches have transformed into a brilliant spectrum of orange, red and yellow. A handful of oaks are still holding onto their green color but for them it’s only a matter of time. Fall color is at its peak here in downtown Asheville, so visit soon to catch the foliage while you still can.

While you’re here, find great photo opportunities for fall color at Biltmore, the NC Arboretum or Pack Square Park downtown. Leaf color in the lower elevations near Asheville such as Hickory Nut Gorge and Chimney Rock Park will peak sometime next week.

Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway
Cindy Carpenter from the U.S. Forest Service reports that along the Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway (NC 276) “the black birches pop bright gold in the sun. Many maples are as pretty as they'll be in shades of orange to bright red, colors mixed on most trees, some individuals stunning. Scarlet oaks lining the Byway by the Cradle of Forestry are brilliant scarlet true to their name. The buckberry understory in the area is lovely with also shades of orange to red.” Other species showing a spectacular autumn display include bright red sourwood trees, yellow sweet shrub and sweet pepperbush, sassafras and bright gold hickories.

Continue reading this fall color report...

For up to the minute fall foliage information don't forget to bookmark FallintheMountains.com and follow @FallColorHunter on Twitter.

More Moogfest Lineup Additions

DJ Sets to Satisfy Your Late Night Cravings

With just under one weeks to go until Moogfest 2010, it’s time to start preparing your costumes - extra treats for Moog-inspired disguises! And as the, ahem, Moog-ster Mash draws near, they continue to round up the ultimate lineup, including many special late night performances to be held at Stella Blue and the Moogaplex (46 Haywood St.). It’s going to be a scream!

The latest Moogfest additions include Javelin, Star Mountain, Lorn and Paper Tiger, plus the Moogfest exclusive, Dan Deacon’s Ambient Analog Moog Set. Saturday welcomes Alex B, The Volt Per Octaves with Special Guest Bernie Worrell, Nosaj Thing, Projek Moog with Brian Kehew, Pnuma Trio, Strut & Friends Perform “Check Your Head”, RBTS Win, Virtual Boy and DJ Bowie. And Sunday will now feature Dark Party, Shout Out Out Out Out, Headtronics, MartyParty, Mindelixir, THUMP, Dâm-Funk DJ Set, Gramatik and Michal Menert. Late Nights at the Moogaplex are being presented by Resident Advisor; DJ Times will be presenting the “Last Gasp” at Stella Blue featuring MartyParty. Think you can you handle all that?

Get the full scoop on Moogfest 2010.

November Pain, Nov 6

The Blue Ridge Rollergirls take on the Molly Rogers Rollergirls (Melbourne, FL) at the Asheville Civic Center with halftime entertainment provided by Forty Fingers And A Missing Tooth Jugglers. Doors open at 6pm, bout starts at 7pm. Tickets are $10/advance and $12/door. Kids 12 and under FREE! Tickets are available at the Asheville Civic Center Box Office.

About the Blue Ridge Roller Girls
Founded in June of 2006, the Blue Ridge Rollergirls make up Asheville, NC's first all-female, flat track roller derby league. The league's mission is to actively create, promote, and sustain an environment that fosters strength, courage, vitality, and the empowerment of women in the roller derby sport. Each member of the league shall be challenged and supported in her pursuit of personal growth in and through the sport. The league itself shall remain deeply rooted in the spirit of good sportswomanship so as to bring honor and distinction to the league, women in the sport, and roller derby as a whole.

Click here for more fun ideas in Asheville.

Asheville International Children’s Film Festival

The largest children’s film festival in the Southeast, Asheville International Children’s Film Festival celebrates the best and brightest in international children’s cinema with a 14-day extravaganza of over 100 films from more than 30 countries. This year’s festival has a blend of programs including animation, features, shorts, historical films, and fantastic hands-on, interactive workshops for the filmmakers of tomorrow. There are also three very special events, the kick-off gala, costume pancake breakfast, and closing awards ceremony.

The Asheville International Children’s Film Festival includes gentle programs for tiny first-time movie-goers, chills and thrills for older children, and films that will inspire young people to get involved and make a difference.

AICFF Mission
The Asheville International Children’s Film Festival provides culturally diverse, value affirming cinema for ages 3 to adult. By using media as a tool, the goal is to stimulate critical thinking and to promote intelligent dialogue, through the introduction of passionate and provocative cinematic works.

More upcoming events in Asheville.

AIR Unveil a New Flavor at Taste of Asheville

Asheville Independent Restaurants (AIR) will celebrate a big evening of what makes Asheville a culinary destination beginning at 7 p.m. November 18 at The Venue. Not only will 30 talented chefs dazzle attendees at AIR's Taste of Asheville event, but it will also launch a new look, direction and focus for the organization.

Entry to the event is a bargain. Attendees will simply purchase AIR's new Taste of Asheville Passport, a coupon booklet representing over $600 in dining savings at AIR restaurants. Cost of the Passport is $50 per person and serves as a ticket to the Taste of Asheville. Couples will receive one Passport (and admission for two to the Taste of Asheville event) for $75.

Fans of Asheville's many independent restaurants will want to purchase a Taste of Asheville Passport, regardless of their ability to attend the November 18 event since the $600 in savings - a tremendous value - is good for one year. Passports are available at www.airasheville.org and at The Asheville Store in the Convention and Visitors Bureau at 36 Montford Avenue.

A portion of the proceeds from the evening ticket sales, as well as all proceeds from the silent auction will benefit AIR's Chefs of Tomorrow Scholarships for culinary students at AB-Tech.

"We have a lot to be excited about with the event this year," said AIR President Kevin Schwartz, "and we're eager to share our new direction and initiatives as an organization. I think our community will embrace our renewed commitment to Asheville as one of the nation's top culinary destinations."

Participating restaurants for the 2010 Taste of Asheville event are Bistro 1896, City Bakery, The Green Sage, Bouchon, Bouchon Street Food, Vinnie's Italian, Corner Kitchen, Gianni Panini, Mela, Frankie Bones, Laughing Seed, Tupelo Honey Cafe, Vincenzo's, Curras Nuevo Cuisine, French Broad Chocolate Lounge, Pomodoros, Blue Ridge Dining Room at Grove Park Inn, Sunset Terrace at Grove Park Inn, Horizons at Grove Park Inn, Jack of the Wood, Laurey's, Blue Water Seafood, Zambra, The Market Place, Pack's Tavern, Burgermeister's, Luella's Barbecue, Tingles Cafe, Sazerac, Mela and Lexington Avenue Brewery. The event features wines and beer from AIR industry partners.

For tickets, go to www.airasheville.org or visit the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau at 36 Montford Avenue.

Learn more about Asheville vibrant Foodtopian Society and dining scene...

Halloween in Asheville

If you are looking for something to do in for Halloween, Asheville is filled with spooky fun for all ages. Along with a wide variety of fall themed activities, Asheville also has some interesting Halloween inspired events and festivities. Some highlights include the Ghost Train Halloween Festival, Asheville Historic Trolley Ghost Tour, Haunted Pub Crawl, LaZoom's Haunted Comedy Tour, Howl-o-Ween at the WNC Nature Center, and much more.

Visit our Halloweed events page for all the fun fall activities.

New Gingerbread Workshops and Behind the Scenes Tours

The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa invites you to make it a true gingerbread day when visiting the 18th annual National Gingerbread House Competition™ this year. No holiday season would be complete without a trip to The Grove Park Inn to see the festive display. New for 2010, guests may now spend a full day of gingerbread fun with new on-site activities, topped off with a visit to Grove Park's award-winning holiday brunch buffet at The Blue Ridge Dining Room.

New for 2010 will be gingerbread cookie workshops called “Baking Memories.” Participants will be able to create their own gingerbread cookie masterpieces with the help of The Grove Park Inn’s chefs and staff. The “Baking Memories” workshops will be available Wednesdays through Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The cost is just $10 per participant and includes a sweet take-home treat.

“Stories of Gingerbread” guided tours will allow guests to go behind the scenes and get details about the construction of unusual entries as well as the workings of the judging, competition and display itself. The hour-long tours will be available Wednesdays through Saturdays at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. beginning November 19. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 & under.

For reservations or more information about the tours or the cookie workshops, please contact The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa at 800.438.5800 or 828.252.2711.

About The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa
The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa is a four-diamond resort overlooking Asheville's skyline and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Built in 1913, the Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places and a member of Historic Hotels of America and among Travel + Leisure’s Top five Spa Resorts in the United States. Amenities include a world-class spa, Club Floor, award winning fine dining, Donald Ross golf course, tennis, swimming, sports complex, retail shops, nightly entertainment and children's programs. The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa is proud to be the home of The National Gingerbread House Competition™.

Fall Color Report for October 14

It's been cooling off in Western North Carolina, which is why color change has accelerated so rapidly this week. A cold front coming in this weekend will continue to spur things right along.

Peak Color at Highest Elevations
Fall is in full swing up at the highest elevations above 5,500 feet, while elevations above 3500 feet are rapidly approaching peak color. A drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway will ensure stunning fall color, as the road winds up and down through different ranges of elevation.

You’ll find peak fall color at the highest elevations such as Grandfather Mountainand Mount Mitchell. Closer scenic areas such as Craggy Gardens and Mount Pisgah will also be full of vibrant leaf color, nearly peaking but not quite there yet.Graveyard Fields is just about peaking, while Devil's Courthouse and Richland Balsam are at about 50%.

Autumn Experiences in Asheville
Here in downtown Asheville the leaves are at about 20%, with new trees turning every day. Now is a great time to experience the gardens of Biltmore. Dogwoods, Sourwoods, Sumacs and Black Gums are showing a nice crimson red color, while Sugar Maples and Birches display orange and yellow. Check out fall color on a different scale at the NC Arboretum's bonsai garden, or harness into a zipline canopy tour.

Continue reading this fall color report...

For up to the minute fall foliage information don't forget to bookmark FallintheMountains.com and follow @FallColorHunter on Twitter.

HardLox Jewish Food and Heritage Festival

This weekend, Sunday, October 17, Asheville will host the eighth annual HardLox Jewish Food and Heritage Festival. This year the festival will be at the new Pack Square Park in historic downtown Asheville, North Carolina from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm.. We invite you to come and celebrate Asheville's Jewish food and Jewish culture.

For more information visit our event listing for HardLox Jewish Food and Heritage Festival.

Fall Color at Navitat Canopy Adventures

Fall color is really starting to ramp up in the Asheville area! Here is a report from Navitat Canopy Adventures, offering zip line canopy tours of the fall foliage.

Bird Watching Near Asheville, NC

Surrounded by mountainous national forests, the Asheville area is an excellent place to observe different species of birds, especially during migration season.

Some top birding spots include:

• Beaver Lake
• Big Ivy
• Chimney Rock
• Craven Gap
• Max Patch
• Mount Mitchell
• Mount Pisgah
• The North Carolina Arboretum

Learn more about these featured bird watching spots.

Native Bird Species of WNC
The north-south orientation of the Appalachians makes this mountain chain a superhighway for migratory species, especially the feathered kind. It’s easy to hear their song, but even more exhilarating to catch a glimpse of wild birds in the mountains. Fortunately for bird-watching enthusiasts, the varied ecosystems of the Asheville area host a myriad of beautiful winged creatures who remind us of nature’s delicate balance.

A Sampling of Bird Species Includes:

• Finches
• Herons
• Kingfishers
• Loons
• Nuthatchers
• Osprey
• Rails
• Swallows
• Swifts
• Waxlings
• Wrens

See a full list of bird specials native to the Asheville area.

Fall Color Report for October 7

Changing Weather, Changing Leaves
Although summer’s warmth lingered in Western North Carolina a bit longer than usual this year, the weather has quickly changed to ideal color-inducing conditions. The days are still warm and mostly sunny, but nighttime temperatures have been dipping into the 30s. Leaves stop producing green chlorophyll when they feel such cold, revealing their stunning fall spectrum. Mt. Mitchell Ranger and Park Naturalist James Michael Sanders expects fall color to rapidly accelerate over the next week.

Fall foliage is just getting started at the highest elevations above 4,500 feet such as Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain, where leaf expert Landis Wofford reports 10% fall color. Cindy Carpenter of the U.S. Forest Service observes “lots of shades of red, maroon, and orange in dogwoods, sourwoods, black gums and sassafras at the mid elevation around the Cradle of Forestry,” located in waterfall country on Highway 276 near Brevard. Many of the same species, especially dogwoods and sourwoods, are starting to turn in downtown Asheville as well.

Continue reading this fall color report...

For up to the minute fall foliage information don't forget to bookmark FallintheMountains.com and follow @FallColorHunter on Twitter.

Two Great Events Upcoming at the NC Arboretum

The NC Arboretum is hosting two great events in the coming weeks:

Carolina Bonsai Expo
The NC Arboretum Gets Small During the 15th Carolina Bonsai Expo

The city of Asheville, NC, transforms into the bonsai capital of the Southeast the second weekend every October when The NC Arboretum hosts the Carolina Bonsai Expo. Visitors to the show will find an abundance of miniature trees and landscapes, creatively displayed at the Arboretum’s Education Center.

This two-day horticultural extravaganza on October 9 and 10, situated in the midst of the colorful mountains during fall foliage season, features a juried display of bonsai by clubs from across a six-state region, a renowned bonsai marketplace, workshops, free demonstrations, and a popular Ikebana exhibit.

The expo is also a perfect occasion to explore the Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden, which offers a world-class display that innovatively establishes bonsai in the context of the Southern Appalachians.

Now in its 15th successful year, the Carolina Bonsai Expo includes an expanded bonsai and ikebana exhibit and a live auction of bonsai plants and related materials.

Learn more here...

Kaleidoscope of Color Brightens The North Carolina
Arboretum During the National Annual Chrysanthemum Show

"Mountains of Mums” Features Exceptional Blooms from Nearly 200 National Exhibitors

The North Carolina Arboretum is ablaze with color in fall, and the North Carolina Chrysanthemum Society’s Annual Show, held October 16 and 17, is a perfect occasion to celebrate the fall foliage season.

This year will be very special, as the local chapter hosts the National Chrysanthemum Society Annual Show. Some 200 exhibitors from all over the country are expected to exhibit exceptional blooms and displays in addition to the normal excellent presentation made by the local chapter. Expect to see tree and cascade exhibits as well as displays of chrysanthemums, bonsai, educational exhibits, and a special section on Photography.

The popular annual show showcases hundreds of chrysanthemum blooms in vibrant and varied colors. The exhibits will be judged by National Standards by expert Accredited National Chrysanthemum judges from all over the United States and Canada, by strict NCS standards and highlights the exceptional variety in size, shape and color of these popular fall flowers.

Learn more here...

Asheville Selected as the #1 Fall Foliage Destination by TripAdvisor®

TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, recently announced the top ten fall foliage destinations in the U.S., according to a TripAdvisor survey of more than 2,300 travelers.

Asheville, North Carolina claimed the top spot in the list of fall color spots. Here is what TripAdvisor® had to say about Asheville:

1. "Asheville, North Carolina
Nestled in the foothills region of western North Carolina, Asheville is a spectacular location for leaf-peeping. Travelers can enjoy the beautiful views by peddling through the Appalachian Mountains on one of many biking trails, or hop in the car for a scenic drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. One TripAdvisor traveler said, “We stopped multiple times for the breathtaking views. We will be going there again.” Peak foliage-viewing is from mid to late October."

Learn more about Asheville’s wonderful fall experience at FallintheMountains.com.

See the other top fall foliage destinations from TripAdvisor®.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, July 2010.

Lake Eden Arts Festival

LEAF, One of the Many Highlights of Asheville’s Leaf Season
The Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) is a perfect microcosm of fall in Western North Carolina. This three-day festival has it all: multiple music stages, performing arts, visual arts and crafts, food, and outdoor activities.

Highlights from October's 31st LEAF include The Indigo Girls, the global music of Playing for Change, and traditional Caribbean artists Boukman Eksperyman and Bonga & Vodou Drums of Haiti.

When and Where
October 14 – 17
Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain, NC.
Get the event details here…

So Much More to See and Do in the Fall
LEAF is just one of many exciting fall activities and events in Asheville and the surrounding areas. For more fun ideas check out our recent unique fall adventures article, or check out FallintheMountains.com updates on fall activities and fall color reports.