Blue Ridge Explorer
Parkway, Great Smokies - The NC Mountains and Foothills Are Open for the Season
- Western North Carolina National Parks annouce opening schedules.
Here's to Beer - Join the Celebration of North Carolina's Brewing Tradition
- April has been named North Carolina Beer Month, which gives us a reason to celebrate everything beer!
Fiddlers, Frescoes and Food - Mixing it Up in March in the North Carolina Mountains
- For centuries, literally, folks have been following the French Broad River into Madison County to hear the finest in traditional music.
Did You Know There Are Over 100 Museums in WNC?
- Travelers to this region who enjoy museums will find a wealth of opportunity to visit sites large and small, places that feature everything from local history and fine art to moonshine and motorcycles.
Winter Fun in the North Carolina Mountains
- Looking for some fun during the "holiday week?" Check out these one-of-kind events and activities happening in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area between December 26th and December 31st.
Visit One of America's Prettiest Winter Towns
- Holiday enchantment lies around every bend this year in the mountains and foothills of North Carolina. Here are just a few events to tickle your fancy.
Getting Ready for the Holidays--WNC Traditions
- The arrival of the holiday season provides an opportunity to enjoy many long-standing traditions in our region, including "choosing and cutting" the perfect Christmas tree for your home.
Lenoir's Outdoor Sculpture Respected Nationwide
- Lenoir, NC, a small town in the foothills of Western North Carolina, carries the distinction of having amassed the largest collection of public outdoor sculpture of any community its size in the U.S
Fall in Love with the North Carolina Mountains
- Festivals abound in October throughout the mountains and foothills of North Carolina. Here are just a few to choose from this weekend and later in the month. Check our events pages for more!
Classic Summer Happenings in the NC Blue Ridge Mountains
- One of the region's oldest and most beloved summertime music events, Shindig on the Green, has its roots in a festival organized in 1928 by well-known musician and folk historian, Bascom Lamar Lunsford. Lunsford gathered performers to present traditional mountain music and dance to the public in what evolved into the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival which continues today every August.
Free Family Fun Events in or Near Asheville
- Free Family Fun Events In or Near Asheville in June- Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Day! Bring your whole family (and chairs) for a day of FREE fun at the Vance Birthplace State Historic Site on Saturday, June 9, from 11 am to 4 pm.
469 Miles of Pure Scenic Beauty Now Open for Viewing!
- The Blue Ridge Parkway, affectionately known as "America's Favorite Drive" and the "Main Street" of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, is now open the entire length of the roadway! Also -Quilt Stories, Music; Craft and Food Event at Vance Birthplace; Spending time outdoors; plus many FESTIVALS!
So Much Springtime Fun--How Do I Choose?
- Tailgate Markets Bloom - Springtime Festivals - Pottery - River Cane Basket Weaving - Music - Day Trip to Small Towns and Wineries!
Learn Civil War History of Asheville and More!
- The Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) is hosting a second bus tour in April which will visit the historic site of the Battle of Asheville on April 28, 2012, the 146th anniversary of the battle.
There's Something Fishy Going on in the NC Mountains
- We Love Our Trout! The 4,000 miles of cool, clear mountain streams and the many lakes in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina offer anglers more fishing opportunities than can be found in any other state in the Southeast.
Chase Away the Winter Blues
- In a benefit concert for their Arts in Education program, the Tryon Fine Arts Center is bringing together blues musicians living in the area who have a following from coast to coast to play a nonstop night of music from 4:30 – 10:30 pm in the lobby and on stage at TFAC.
Wintertime Fun in the NC
- Also, plan Ahead for Springtime Fun May 17 & 18! "Wine-ing" Our Way Through the Yadkin Valley. Join us for our first trip! Four vineyards. Two museums. Two narrated small town tours. Great food. No driving. No cooking. No worries.
Discover Holiday Delights at Historic Sites
- There's something extra special about celebrating the holidays in a place of historical significance, a site where families and friends from long ago have gathered to share in wintertime traditions. The mountains and foothills of Western North Carolina have many such places and events that bring the holidays of yesteryear alive.
Early Bird Holiday Happenings in the North Carolina Mountains
- Get ready for the holiday season by training your taste buds at the 5th annual Highlands Culinary Weekend, Nov. 10-13 in beautiful Highlands, NC.
Early Bird Holiday Happenings in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains
- Get ready for the holiday season by training your taste buds at the 5th annual Highlands Culinary Weekend, Nov. 10-13 in beautiful Highlands, NC.
October is Knock-Your-Socks-Off Beautiful in the NC Mountains
- A great reason to celebrate the fall season is the opening of the beautiful new Blowing Rock Art and History Museum, Saturday, October 1. Ribbon cutting will be at 10 am, with activities scheduled throughout the day.
October is Knock-Your-Socks-Off Beautiful in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
- On Saturday, October 1, the public is invited to celebrate the arrival of the 2011 fall color season with a hike through the crisp autumn woods led by a National Park Service Ranger, followed by two musical performances by traditional artists at the Parkway Visitor Center. This FREE event is sponsored by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership.
September's a Perfect Time to Visit the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.
- Incredible Sculpture Celebration in Lenoir- On Saturday, September 10, from 9am-4pm, a most unique party and celebration will take place at the beautiful T. H. Broyhll Walking Park.
Dogs Days and Drama in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
- Dogs love the North Carolina mountains and foothills, and there are many dog-friendly places and activities for your canine friends, as well as your human ones. Here are just a few:
Discover July Cool in North Carolina's Mountains and Foothills
- Discover the wonderful wines of Western North Carolina in this summer’s Yadkin River Wine Trail Festivals, a series of wine festivals showcasing the wines of the five Yadkin River Wine Trail vineyards.
Reach New Heights in Summer Vacation Fun
- A relaxing pace; cool, clean, mountain air; refreshing activities; unsurpassed scenic beauty and hospitality that can't be beat--that's summer at Sugar Mountain, in the High Country of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. Read about this and many more summertime activities in the mountains and foothills of North Carolina.
Spring into the Season!
- Fire On the Mountain returns to Downtown Spruce Pine, NC, with regionally and nationally renowned blacksmiths demonstrating their skills from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, April 30th.
Celebrations Everywhere in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
- Transylvania County Celebrates 150 Years--In 1861, Transylvania County, known as the "Land of the Waterfalls," was formed from Henderson and Jackson Counties, and this year, will celebrate its sesquicentennial with special events throughout the year.
Spring Is Just Around the Corner...We Hope
- Getting Ready for Fly Fishing Season- The cold creeks and streams crisscrossing the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina offer some of the best trout fishing on the East Coast, and now there’s a special trail to help fly fishing enthusiasts find it.
Warm Up Winter with Special Heritage Events
- Skiing, ice skating, snowboarding, sledding, winter hiking...the cold season offers much for those who enjoy being outdoors in winter. Six resorts in Western North Carolina offer some of the best winter sports east of the Rockies.
Lighting Up the Mountains for the Holidays
- Holiday lights create a special festive glow in villages, towns and cities throughout the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. Brighten your holiday with a visit to one of these sparkling communities:
Top Stops for Cultural Tourism
- If you're looking for something a little different to do with your family this fall, something authentic, meaningful and memorable, head to Western North Carolina, where the rich heritage of the Southern Appalachians comes alive at every bend in the road.
Discover October Gold in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
- Western North Carolina is known for its rich craft heritage, traditions which will be celebrated throughout the region during American Craft Week, October 1-10.
Labor Day Fun in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
- How much string would it take to fly a kite a mile high? Well, lots, actually, at least 5,280 feet. But you can do it with a much shorter line by flying your kite a mile above sea level, high up on Beech Mountain at the Eighth Annual Mile High Kite Festival on Labor Day Weekend.
Crafty Experiences in the Blue Ridge
- The thriving craft industry in Western North Carolina has its roots in both Native American and European immigrant traditions and is one of the reasons the region was designated as a National Heritage Area.
Free Fun Stuff to do in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
- If there's one thing folks in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area know and love, it's music and dancing. In the summer, free concerts, dances, and festivals abound throughout the region.
Magic Comes to the Forest
- Few people may know that modern forest conservation got its start right here in Western North Carolina, at a forestry school started by Dr. Carl Schenck, forest manager for George Vanderbilt's estate. In 1898 Schenk started Biltmore Forest School, the nation’s first school of forestry. It is now known as the Cradle of Forestry in America.
Flowers, Festivals and Fun: It's May in the Mountains
- Great news for travelers! Just in time to see springtime's flowery show, the stretch of Interstate 40 in Western North Carolina near the Tennessee border that has been closed by a rockslide since October reopened this week.
Hats and Horses and Springtime Fun!
- Springtime is particularly beautiful in mid-April in the Western North Carolina mountains and foothills. Dogwoods are just beginning to show their shy faces, red bud trees blush along roadsides, and showy azaleas greet travelers with waves of vivid purples, pinks, reds and whites.
Spring is in the Air!
- Looking for a place for your family to celebrate spring and our mountain heritage? Take them to the 20th Annual Johnson Farm Festival in Hendersonville on Saturday, April 24, where over 20 old-time crafts and living history skills will be exhibited, and live music and entertainment will be on the main stage and boarding house porch throughout the day.
Music in the Mountains Warms Up Winter!
- The weather outside may be frosty and snow-laced, but inside the many music venues in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, music heats up the night.
Winter's Magical Beauty in Western North Carolina
- As stunning as the scenery is in warm weather in the North Carolina mountains, winter has its own special beauty.
Holiday Greetings from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area!
- Take advantage of cozy winter nights by the fireside, the perfect time to plan your next visit to the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area! We encompass 11,000 square miles of the mountains and foothills of Western North Carolina, with scenery unsurpassed anywhere.
Enjoy a Truly Authentic Blue Ridge Holiday!
- Throughout the mountains and foothills of North Carolina, small communities celebrate the season in a style reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting or the movie It's a Wonderful Life.
Come Celebrate a Special Anniversary!
- America's Favorite Drive Turns 75! Few visitors to the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area miss the opportunity to travel at least a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, “America’s Favorite Drive.” The 469-mile-long Parkway stretches from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Shenandoah National Park and is the most popular unit of the National Park Service.
Blue Ridge Explorer Visitor E-Newsletter Oct. 2009
- Discover October gold in the North Carolina mountains as fall colors blaze from the highest mountain peaks to the deep river valleys!
