Western North Carolina, showplace of the Southern Appalachians, the Great Smoky Mountains and the venerable Black Mountains is a favorite destination for autumn leaf-lookers far and wide. The crisp mountain air – still warm in the day and jacket-cool at night – combines with cobalt skies and flame colored trees to provide a feast for the eyes and seasonal connections between the earth and the soul. Put that together with our many fine restaurants, local festivals and attractions, and fine accommodations, and pretty soon you’re talking about some of the best vacation getaway experiences the world has to offer.

The spectacular colors of autumn arise in hardwood tree leaves, which contain several different color pigments that appear as chlorophyll production shuts down and the tree prepares for winter by pulling the remaining chlorophyll/sugar energy out of the leaves. Brilliant reds, yellows and flame-bright oranges blanket the hills and valleys. Frost, which has already hit the high country, serves to break down the chlorophyll all at once, resulting longer lasting fall foliage. The result is a feast for the eyes and the heart that keeps visitors coming back year after year.

There are well-planned drives, whether you’re traveling by car, motorcycle or bicycle, well-worn hiking trails and fall festivals all over the region. Western North Carolina’s many beautiful resorts and golf courses beckon as well, with rest and recreational exercise in the clear mountain air. Check out some of the links below to find just what you’re looking for, and take some time off from the rat race to enjoy our natural beauty, talented artisans and musicians, fun family festivals and activities, and fine Southern hospitality. You won’t believe what our leaves can do!

Links:

MSNBC: Autumn is in the NC air
Leaf-Lookers Guide: Perfect Drives
High Country Outdoors
GolfNorthCarolina: Best Courses
High Country Reservations
High Country Attractions
Carolina BalloonFest 35
Crossroads Pumpkin Fest
Explore Asheville

If your family is wondering where to go and what to do to celebrate Independence Day this year, consider some of the great events North Carolina has on offer, from the mountains to the piedmont to the coast, and everywhere in between!

For instance, Fort Bragg near Fayetteville is hosting Operation Celebrate Freedom VI on the Main Post Parade Field on base. Wynonna Judd and Dakota Rain, the Golden Knights Parachute Team and other musical guests will entertain the crowd. There will be plenty of food and drinks, and camping is allowed. The fireworks are spectacular every year at this event, almost as great as I remember on the Potomac in DC in my youth! The event is free and open to the public, the contact number is 910-396-9126.

If you’re on the coast near Southport/Oak Island in the Cape Fear area you’ll want to make plans to spend the day and evening in Southport, where there will be a car show on Bay Street in front of the Garrison House and all-day arts and crafts shows at Franklin Square Park and in the Franklin Square Gallery. Concessions, water stations and comfort stations will be along Howe Street, and on the Waterfront Stage there will be all-day stage entertainment even as the Decorated Boat Flotilla sails past the Southport Waterfront. Stay on your blanket for the wonderful fireworks at 9 pm!

Out west in Asheville there will be events free to the public all day for the Ingles 4th of July Celebration, starting at 1 pm at Pack Square and along the length of College Street downtown. The Sons of the American Revolution will offer a patriotic tribute, there will be music from some of Asheville’s hottest bands, free craft projects and family games for everyone. There will be food vendors and rides for the kiddies, and the fireworks begin at 10 pm.

In the Charlotte area your family can celebrate twice! First, NASCAR’s home at Lowe’s Motor Speedway is hosting a fireworks extravaganza & CRASHcars Trailer Race Destruction derby on Tuesday, July 1st on the quarter-mile oval for just $7 adult, $3 for children 6-12, under six free. Now, THAT is some good ol’ North Carolina summertime fun at the racetrack!

On the 4th proper, North Carolina’s Carowinds Theme and Water Park offers its Night of Fire Spectacular. Boasting more than 1,000 fireworks shells to fire off, ticket-buyers can opt for the All-You-Can-Eat Picnic too.

In Raleigh there will be things going all day, including free events on the State Capital grounds and the NC State Fairgrounds. Music at the Koka Booth Amphitheater, and the many offerings of First Fridays downtown.

So for visitors and residents alike, there are some great 4th of July events on the calendar. Come on in, set a spell, take your shoes off! There is something wonderful going on near your favorite spot in North Carolina!

On both sides of the state the last weekend in July offers some great events that are family-friendly and musically rich. Out west, Asheville’s Bele Chere celebrates its 30th year this July, when the festival kicks off on Friday, July 25 and runs through Sunday, July 27. So far the lineup of musical entertainment includes Travis Tritt, The Wailers, The Grascals, Cowboy Mouth, Doyle Lawson, Edwin McCain and more, all seven stages will be offering constant music and fun. The Purina Ultimate Air Dogs will be there, as will the many great artists and craftsmen of Western North Carolina with their wares.

The South’s Largest Street Festival is free and offers a large children’s area, shuttles from area parking lots, plenty of food and drinks.

Down East, the Cape Fear Blues Festival is scheduled for the same weekend, hosted by the Cape Fear Blues Society. It begins with a Blues Cruise on a riverboat and ends with an all-day jam session you won’t want to miss. There’s a blues workshop on Saturday open to musicians and fans, a festival concert in the park, and live blues at The Rusty Nail late into the night. This festival is not free, but the events are reasonably priced and any true blues fan won’t want to miss it.

It’s not too late to get your tickets for the 2008 spring Lake Eden Arts Festival, at beautiful Lake Eden in Black Mountain. Word has it that vehicle camping permits are all sold out, but there are still tent permits available as well as weekend and day tickets for those who don’t mind staying at one of the many great hotels and motels in the Black Mountain and Asheville environs.

LEAF holds its festivals every spring and fall (this year the autumn festival will be October 17-19) to showcase the LEAF in Schools and Streets arts mentoring projects for youth, its LEAF International music collaborations from Panama, Guatemala, Rwanda, Bequia and Mexico, and dozens of great, culturally significant musical groups, individuals and artists from everywhere.

This year there will be more than 40 Healing Arts Workshops during the day, featuring Yoga and Tai Chi, Folk Art, Juried Handicrafts, a national $1,000 Poetry SLAM, a children’s village with clowns, jugglers, puppeteers, games, stories and art projects. There are joyful parades, jam sessions, circus arts and zipline fun out over the lake.

This spring’s musical lineup on LEAF’s four stages includes Arrested Development, Javier Garcia, Nanci Griffith, David Wilcox, Corey Harris & the 5×5 Band, Latter Day Lizards, Steep Canyon Rangers, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas among many others, including international players including Rahim AlHaj, Vincent Nsengiyumva of Rwanda and many, many more. There will be Zulu stilt dancing, an interactive electronic music experience via the Bob Moog Foundation… check out the lineup of performers for yourself and see what’s in store.

There will also be a Jam Tent with old time, bluegrass and Celtic jams ongoing, mountain trail runs and hikes, an old time fiddle and banjo contest, plus the usual parades and visiting artists’ booths, great food and drink, and thousands of wonderful people.

Tickets: (828) 686-8742 or www.LakeEdenArtsFestival.org

“LEAF is more than just a festival: It is a bond that links music, the arts and education into one package. The eclectic assortment of sounds found at the festival had traveled widely, bring music from across the globe.”
- Relix Magazine, December 2007

It began innocently enough. The French ambassador Vicompte Bertrand Fenelon de Saint Julen had arrived at the Lord Mayor’s manor just ahead of the Spanish ambassador, Count Bernadino de Mendoza. A day ahead of Good Queen Bess’ scheduled arrival. The two had been shown their lavish quarters, and having unloaded personal possessions, strode together along the South Wing’s stained glass lined hall seeking the privy. They were not friends, exactly, but they both took their positions with utmost seriousness. Thus what they overheard in the privy – a conversation abruptly cut short when their presence was noted – set them upon a quest to discover the plot and earn the favor of the Queen…

The 14th Annual North Carolina Renaissance Faire begins this year with a tale of intrigue among the nobles on the very eve of the Queen’s spring visit. The Faire runs for three weekends – March 29th and 30th, April 5th and 6th, and April 12th and 13th at the North Carolina Fair Grounds in Raleigh. The weekend of April 5-6 will host Tartan Day celebrations, so wear your clan’s tartan and join in the highland games!

Enjoying the Duke University Medieval and Renaissance Studies Department’s involvement and support, the North Carolina Faire is one of the premier Ren-Faires in the nation, as well as one of the earliest. So dig out those Elizabethan costumes, that treasured sword as well as all the crown jewels, and make plans to attend the North Carolina Renaissance Faire this year!

14th Annual North Carolina Renaissance Faire

Moving toward the east, there are more great reasons to consider North Carolina’s abundant offerings for family fun when planning getaways and vacations.

11. Mountains to Sea Trail

From the very top of Clingman’s Dome near the Tennessee border to the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the strand of the Outer Banks, North Carolina’s 925-mile long Mountains-to-Sea Trail offers an adventurous way to explore the state’s natural treasures and human wonders. This is an adventure a visitor can embrace in small chunks or in an extended all at once while experiencing the best of NC’s towns and cities, rural agritourism initiatives and natural preserves.

12. Waldensian Valdese

The rich history of the Waldensian sect is preserved in beautiful Valdese, NC in the foothills between Morganton and Hickory. With a world famous winery, a summer festival and outdoor drama, the finest Bocce Ball clay court anywhere and one of the best regional musical venues anywhere, Valdese is a fun and educational stop along the way for anyone wanting to experience some of the best of North Carolina’s homespun heritage.

13. NC’s Arts and Agriculture Trails

In a unique alliance between the North Carolina Arts Council and the NC Cooperative Extension Service, a total of 16 different, well-planned “Arts and Agriculture Trails” have been mapped out for a project called Homegrown Handmade. These trails meander through foothills, across the piedmont and around the coastal regions, allowing visitors to visit wineries, organic farms and dairies, art studios and sidewalk cafes in charming little towns.

14. Cosmopolitan Charlotte and the Sporting Life

From bustling Lake Norman and its posh golf courses and sailboat regattas through the home of NASCAR in “Race City USA” Mooresville, tothe Bank of America Stadium uptown to see NC’s Panthers play professional football, the Charlotte area boasts some of the finest sports tourism opportunities available anywhere. And while you’re there, do check out the busy Charlotte nightlife at famous regional brewhouses and musical venues offering a variety of musicians and styles.

15. Pinehurst – Home of American Golf

Farther to the east between Charlotte and Fayetteville in the rolling Sandhill region, Pinehurst offers golfers the largest collection of Donald Ross golf courses anywhere, and enjoys the distinction of being the “Home of American Golf.” In addition to 10 of the top 20 NC golf courses, the area’s resorts also offer world class tennis courts, spa facilities, exquisite dining and luxurious accommodations. While golf is a regular way of life here, there are also arts, history, botanical gardens, festivals and unique shopping on the smorgasbord of offerings.

Posts to This Series:
Part 1: Reasons 1 – 5
Part 2: Reasons 6 – 10
Part 3: Reasons 11 – 15
Part 4: Reasons 16 – 25

6. Ski Resorts and Summer Fun

North Carolina’s western mountains are home to a number of world-class ski resorts, most of whom offer summer fun as well. The chalets and cabins are as comfortable in summer as in winter, with easy access to Western North Carolina’s favorite recreational areas.


7. Mayberry, RFD

Just off the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, right in the heart of the Yadkin Valley wine region, off the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway lies the little city of Mount Airy – birthplace of Andy Griffith and bearing a strong resemblance to Griffith’s fictional Mayberry. There is a “Mayberry Days” festival, a quaint downtown with great antique shops and galleries, and traditional bluegrass music at venues in and outside of town.


8. Wine Country

North Carolina’s wineries offer some tours and tastings most times of year. Home to the nation’s first cultivated wine grape, NC still ranks 12th in the nation for wine production. It seems like wherever you are in the mountains, foothills or piedmont, there’s a winery close by that your family will not want to miss.


9. Fine Furniture Capital of the U.S.

Hickory’s famous furniture markets showcase the fine wordworking craftsmanship of furniture manufacturers who have been turning out some of the world’s finest furnishings for generations. With names like Drexel, Thomasville, Ethan Allen, Lane, Broyhill and more, decorators and collectors will find a variety of styles from antique reproductions to the most modern designs available in Hickory.


10. Traditional Music Trail

Old time bluegrass music, Irish reels, gospel singing and traditional blues all have their homes in the countryside, hills and hollows of North Carolina. the Blue Ridge Music Trails organization offers a searchable database of traditional music and dance for music-lovers who visit the state.


Posts to This Series:
Part 1: Reasons 1 – 5
Part 2: Reasons 6 – 10
Part 3: Reasons 11 – 15
Part 4: Reasons 16 – 25

Way back in the middle ages – 1174 to be exact – a French businessman from Lyons caught the radical gist of Jesus’ teachings in the gospels and committed himself to a life of voluntary poverty and itinerant preaching. His name was Valdes. He renounced his previous business practices, threw all his money into the street, and started a soup kitchen during the famine of 1176. He traveled the countryside preaching the gospel of Jesus and eventually creating a rift with the dominant Catholic Church.

Valdes inspired other wandering preachers including Peter Waldo, who established the Poor Men of Lyons sect that preached apostolic poverty as the way to perfection. They traveled to Rome around 1177 and received the blessing of Pope Alexander III, who at the same time forbade their preaching without authorization from local clergy. The Waldensias (as they became known) of course disobeyed the papal edict, and were formally declared heretics by Pope Lucius III in 1184 and by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215.

More than 80 Waldensians were burned at the stake as heretics in Strasbourg in 1211, an act that signaled the beginning of centuries of persecution that very nearly destroyed the pious sect. The sect was granted refuge in Piedmont by the Count of Savoy, even though the House of Savoy remained staunchly Catholic. Persecutions continued through the 1400s until the only refuge left was in the Cottian Alps southwest of Turin. When news of the Protestant Reformation reached the Waldensians, the Tavola Valdese decided to seek fellowship with the Protestants. Their acceptance by German and Swiss Protestants put them firmly in the Calvinist camp rather than on a fringe of Catholicism, even though Calvin’s beliefs did not follow Peter Waldo’s original sectarian beliefs. Later Waldensians aligned with the Presbyterian Church.

While finally granted freedom of worship after the French Revolution, a group of Waldensians emigrated to North Carolina in the late-1800s to establish the town of Valdese in the western piedmont region. And there the Waldensians remain to this day, with a rich history, a great winery, and even an outdoor drama to depict their flight from persecution. They have a Waldensian Museum and a Waldensian Trail of Faith open to visitors, as is the Waldensian Heritage Winery which offers tours and wine-tastings to small groups during operating hours all year long.

There is a Waldensian Festival held every August, where a Bocce Ball tournament is held on the Waldensian packed-clay Bocce Court, and the Trail of Faith and Visitor’s Center offer historic information. The outdoor drama, “From This Day Forward” is staged every Friday and Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. during July and August every year at the outdoor amphitheater.

Check out some of the links below for further detailed information, and be sure to include a visit to Valdese on your North Carolina travel itinerary this year!

Links:

Visit Valdese: Tourism Site

Waldensian Heritage Wines

Anabaptist Network: The Waldensians

Proudly presented first is the January schedule of events for our wonderful, world-class North Carolina symphony, based in Raleigh.

• Jan. 10, 2008 – Moore County Series: Berlioz, Liszt and Tchaikovsky at the Pinecrest High School Auditorium in Southern Pines. Andrew von Oeyen on piano with Emmanuel Villaume as guest conductor.

• January 11-12, 2008 – Duke Medicine Classical Raleigh Series: Berlioz, Liszt and Tchaikovsky at the Meymandi Concert Hall, Raleigh. Pianist Andrew von Oeyen with Emmanuel Villaume guest conducting.

• January 18-20, 2008 – Fidelity Investments Pops Series: A Tribute to Nat King Cole and Paul Robeson at the Meymandi Concert Hall. Jubilant Sykes, baritone with William Henry Curry conducting.

• January 24, 2008 – Duke Medicine Classical chapel Hill Series: Rameau and Rachmaninoff at Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill. Featuring Yevgeny Sudbin on piano with music director Grant Llewellyn conducting.

Check the NC Symphony Website for further schedules, ticket information and directions to all the venues.

For more populist fare on the NC coast, check out the Down East FolkArts Society series, featuring award winning guitarist, singer, songwriter and storyteller Little Toby Walker and his eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary blues, folk, ragtime and country music. Performances are scheduled for January 11 at the Trent River Coffee Company in New Bern, and January 12 at Clawson’s in Beaufort. Click on the link for ticket and contact information.

Farther west in beautiful Charlotte there are some great musical events scheduled. Chris Brown & Bow Wow will be performing at Cricket Arena on January 19, and Matchbox Twenty will be there on January 29. For some blue collar hilarity, get your tickets now for Ron White at Ovens Auditorium in charlotte on February 15. Tickets may be purchased for all these events (and more!) through Charlotte Ticket Brokers.

Barry Manilow will be appearing at the RBC Center end state in Raleigh on January 20, and I know there are fans who won’t want to miss that! Anita Baker will be at RBC on January 27. Tickets for RBC events are available through TicketWood.

Even farther to the mountainous west, Asheville’s Grove Park Inn will be hosting the “All That Jazz” weekend on January 25-27. Jazz artists include the reunion of Joe Sample & The Crusaders plus Manhattan Transfer, jazz guitarists Bucky and John Pizzarelli with the John Pizzarelli Quartet. Also appearing will be guitarist Vince Lewis, trombonist Rick Simerly, saxophonists Todd Wright and Phil Thomson, vocalist Maddy Winer, and many other regional jazz musicians. This is one jazz festival you won’t want to miss, so get your weekend packages from the Inn right away!

For those with children to entertain, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be in Charlotte on February 2 and 3, moving on to Raleigh on February 9 and 10.

Links:

North Carolina symphony

Down East FolkArts Society

Charlotte Ticket Brokers

TicketWood

Grove Park Inn

First come the wannabe Leaf-Lookers. They start arriving in late September, inevitably disappointed by the lack of fall foliage anywhere but atop the highest portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but happy there are so many side excursions to engage, festivals to attend, and adventures to embark upon.

Then, about mid-October the real Leaf-Lookers arrive in droves. They can start at either end of North Carolina’s section of the Parkway, timing their stops along the way to the many events going on. Starting in the north, the Yadkin Valley Grape Festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 20 in downtown Yadkinville.

Food, live music, children’s events and a wine-tasting of exceptional vintages from Yadkin Valley wineries are the main events, along with the Ginny B. Motorcycle Ride to benefit Hospice. If you’re a motorcycle enthusiast this is a spectacular ride through the scenic countryside and vineyards of Yadkin.

Continuing down the Parkway south to catch the show as well as the expansive views, the crisp autumn air and deep blue skies set off the colorful display of leaves. The first to turn are dogwoods, sourwood and blackgum – turning deep red. The tulip poplars and birches then follow with their sunshine yellows, the sassafras and red maples donning a range of crimson to the most impossible flame orange you can’t believe unless you see it. Finally, the oaks turn russet and hold that pose well into November.

Along the way south, there are plenty of events just off the Parkway in towns like the Mountain Glory Festival in Marion, Old Fort Octoberfest and Mountain Music, and the Maggie Valley Fall Arts & Crafts Festival.

As you’re passing through Asheville on the Parkway, don’t neglect to drop in at the Folk Art Center, where there are crafts on display and usually some artisans present to demonstrate how it’s done. And for a really special treat, there is the famous Biltmore Estate and Winery, where descendants of the castle’s original owner George W. Vanderbilt still host guests touring the estate and the most-visited winery in the U.S.

Biltmore’s award winning wines can be purchased at the winery, and there are events every weekend through the fall. Biltmore Living offers some great wine suggestions for pairing with foods, some ideas on gracious entertaining even if you don’t live in a castle, and some wonderful recipes from famous chefs that will have your mouth watering well before dinner is served!

Plan to end the southward drive at Cherokee and Maggie Valley, turning off the Parkway at the south end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are events going in both towns all the way through October, offering music, dancing, displays of cider making and mountain crafts, award-winning BBQ, fresh rainbow trout, guided nature hikes and even canoe trips on the river.

By November, the tourists still coming into the mountains but missing the peak of fall color are known locally as Limb-Lookers. Not to worry, there are still plenty of things to do and see. Check out the links above and below for more information on events and recommendations, get planning!

Links:

Blue Ridge Parkway Calendar of Events

NC Arboretum Asheville

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

Old Fort Mountain Music

Headwaters Outfitters