Today’s Forecast

42º | Cloudy | 0% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 7:40 a.m. | Sunset 5:30 p.m.

Make a splash with the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail

Explore WNC’s new Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail

Find out what lies beneath those waters with the new Blue Ridge Snorkeling Trail. | Photo via @justintclark

Ever wanted to get up close and personal with crayfishes, mussels, aquatic snails, and salamanders?

Get your chance this spring with the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail, which offers folks a distinctive and illuminating wildlife recreation opportunity via a series of publicly accessible river snorkel sites.

A collaboration between the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and partners Mainspring Conservation Trust and MountainTrue, the trail will span 10 pilot sites throughout WNC, encompassing the Catawba, French Broad, Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, and Yadkin river basins. The sites are expected to open in late spring.

Each site on the trail will be marked by signage featuring water safety information and aquatic species folks may encounter on each site.

The 10 pilot sites are:

Joseph McDowell Historical Catawba Greenway, Town of Marion
Canton Recreation Park Boat Ramp, Town of Canton, Haywood Waterways Association, Inc.
Mills River Park, Town of Mills River, Mills River Partnership
Black Mountain Veterans Park, Town of Black Mountain
Valley River Heritage Park, Town of Andrews
Bryson City Island Park, Town of Bryson City
East LaPorte River Access Park, Jackson County
Joyce Kilmer Bridge Fishing Access, United States Forest Service
Queen Branch Nature Preserve, Mainspring Conservation Trust
Stone Mountain State Park, NC Division of Parks and Recreation

Want more info? Get additional details on the Trail’s website before its launch later this spring.

Events

Thursday, March 23

Stone Ashe Local Wine Dinner | Thursday, Mar. 23 | 6-8 p.m. | Buxton Hall Barbecue, 32 Banks Ave., Asheville | $150 | Gorge on a special menu designed by Buxton Hall’s Executive Chef Nick Barr, featuring the bounty of North Carolina and six terroir-driven wines.
Old School Line Dancing | Thursday, March 23 | 6:15-7:15 p.m. | Stephens-Lee Community Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave., Asheville | Free | Bust a move to all your favorite old school dances from back in the day.
Swipes Right: An Incomplete Guide to the Ultimate Date Night | Thursday, Mar. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr., Cullowhee | $5-$25 | The Second City will perform an improv set about about love, dating, relationships, and everything else in-between the sheets.

Friday, March 24

Queer Studies Conference | Friday, Mar. 24-Sunday, Mar. 26 | 8 a.m.-5 p.m. | UNC Asheville Campus, 1 University Hts., Asheville | Free | UNC Asheville’s biennial Queer Studies Conference brings together scholars, artists, and activists for workshops and presentations focusing on the theme “Blooming: Metamorphoses and Seasons of Queerness.”
Women’s History Month Movie: A League of Their Own | Friday, Mar. 24 | 6-8 p.m. | Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St., Asheville | Free | Celebrate Women’s History Month with a free viewing of the beloved film, A League of Their Own — drinks and popcorn included.

Saturday, Mar. 25

Southside Community Clean Up | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St., Asheville | Free | Each volunteer will be provided gloves, masks, and trash bags or recycle bags to help pick up trash and recyclables — free refreshments will be provided at the Grant Southside Center afterwards.
AVL Clothing Swap | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 1-4 p.m. | Hi-Wire Brewing RAD, 284 Lyman St., Asheville | $25-$50 | Purchase a ticket ahead of time and bring up to 20 pieces of adult clothing to swap with your neighbors.
Groove at the Grove | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 3-6 p.m. | Grove Street Community Center, 36 Grove St., Asheville | Free | Choose from ten tables of games, including cards, board games + billiards.
All Bodies Movement and Wellness New Studio Grand Opening | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 6-8 p.m. | All Bodies Movement and Wellness, 211 Merrimon Ave., Asheville | Free | Celebrate this studio’s brand new gym space over mocktails and appetizers.
Spring Equinox Dance Party | Saturday, Mar. 25-Sunday, Mar. 26 | Times vary | Galaxy Room, 175 Biltmore Ave., Asheville | Free | Celebrate the arrival of spring with a substance-free night including games, activities, food, and an epic dance party.
Blue Ridge Jamboree: Doc at 100 | Saturday, Mar. 25 | Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave., Asheville | $40-$95 | Celebrate the iconic Doc Watson’s 100th birthday with a fundraising event featuring music from artists that performed, recorded, and toured with Doc.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

Click here to have your event featured.

100+ MORE EVENTS

News Notes

Weather

77º | Partly cloudy | 8% chance of rain

Coming Soon

California-based eatery ZenBurger is slated to launch its first food truck at 227 South Liberty St. on Saturday, April 1. The menu features a variety of plant and nut-based burgers, tacos, lettuce wraps, sandwiches, and bowls. Check the truck out daily from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

Community

Looking for work? The WNC Career Expo takes place today from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the WNC Agricultural Center (761 Boylston Hwy., Fletcher). The event will feature more than 120 employers from a variety of industries paying $19 or more an hour. See the participating employers.

Closing

Kitsbow Cycling Apparel is closing. The employee-owned business, based in nearby Old Fort, has announced it will close its doors after failing to raise enough capital during a community financing round. Its last day of operation is expected to be Friday, April 7.

Eat

Posana is launching a series of four-course wine and food experiences. The Posana Wine & Food Series kicks off on Sunday, April 16 at 6 p.m. with “Garden and Grapes,” featuring French country wines paired with Spring-forward dishes. Get tickets.
Spruce up your Sunday evening with upgraded dinner plans. Take your pick of local eats, farm-to-table experiences, and panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains at The Omni Grove Park Inn’s iconic restaurants. We’re having the Carolina Gold Braised Short Rib from Vue 1913, thank you. 🍷*

Ranked

No. 4. That’s the ranking Asheville received from a new migration report from company MoveBuddha, which tracks online searches for moves to and from cities and states. According to the report, for every person that moves out of Asheville, nearly three people move in. See the full report. (WYFF News)

Active

Green Built Alliance’s first annual Earth Day 5K will take place at Carrier Park on Saturday, April 22. A fundraiser for the nonprofit’s carbon offsetting Appalachian Offsets program, the event features a 5K and one-mile fun run. Register.

Festival

The Resilience Festival will take place Saturday, April 29 at The Outpost. The wellness fest will feature an array of area options for mental and physical health alongside live entertainment and artisan goods. All proceeds will benefit nonprofit Resilient Voices, which offers free therapy for survivors of sexual assault.

Today Is

National Puppy Day. This is your sign to support Brother Wolf Animal Project and maybe consider adopting a furry family member. If you already have a pup in your life, why not treat them to a new floofy bed?

Shop

It’s that time of year to freshen up your home’s aroma, and our online shop (Six & Main) has the perfect candles. Drift away to scents such as woods + berries by The Rustic House or ripe juniper in a reusable vessel by Plant Based Candles. That smells just about right.

Learn

Itching to try something new? Registration is now open for Warren Wilson College’s Mountain Term adult courses. Welcoming all experiential lifelong learners, the week-long courses include creative writing, blacksmithing, Appalachian studies, fine woodworking, and more. Priority registration ends Saturday, April 15, but many classes fill up sooner. See classes + register.*

Featured Home

St. Patrick’s Day is behind us, but we’ve got a way to celebrate green all month long — The Cedarcliff Residence by Altura Architects is an energy-efficient house that proves new construction + sustainable strategies can blend seamlessly into established neighborhoods. Take a photo tour of the stunning first LEED-certified house in Biltmore Forest.*

EAT

Berry interesting indeed

Fun fact about NC’s strawberry industry

That’s a flavor explosion for your mouth waiting to happen. | Photo via @wncfarmersmarket

Spring in the mountains means fresh produce for days. We’re pumped for strawberry season, especially since we learned some super cool facts about the strawberry industry here in the Tar Heel State.

NC strawberries are bona fide: the luscious red fruits are the NC’s official state berry.
When it comes to strawberry production, North Carolina ranks No. 3 in the country for most strawberries, bested only by California and Florida.
NC primarily produces three varieties of strawberries: Camarosa, Chandler, and Sweet Charlie.
Harvest season typically runs from mid-April to early June.
Coolest of all? Nearly all the fruit produced in NC is sold direct to consumers at farm stands, local supermarkets, and U-pick spots.

Want to get your hands on these scrumptious berries? Swing by the WNC Farmers Market or peep these area U-Pick spots.

Obermiller’s Strawberry Farm (621 Allstar Ln., Hendersonville)
New Castle Farm (2812 Clingman Rd., Ronda)

The Wrap

Todays Edition By:
Brook

From the Editor

Speaking of National Puppy Day: if you don’t want to adopt, check out our guide on how to support animal shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries.

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