12.05.2023

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Today’s Forecast

55º | Mostly sunny | 8% chance of precipitation | Sunrise 7:24 a.m. | Sunset 5:16 p.m.

Consider us your tour guides

Your ultimate guide to tours of Asheville

Gather round for a tour of Asheville’s street art. | Photo via Mountain Mural Tours

Whether you’re a lifelong Ashevillian longing to embrace your inner tourist or you have a limited amount of time in the Land of the Sky, here are 20+ tours guaranteed to show you the sights you want to see.

Note: Price estimates are based on individual adult rates available at the time of publishing. Check each company’s website to see current pricing.

Top Tours

Citizen Vinyl | Free | Every Wednesday through Saturday at noon and 1 p.m. and on Sunday at 12:30 and 1:30 p.m., you can learn more about the record-pressing facility and immerse yourself in the history of the Citizen-Times building.

Hood Huggers International Tours | $30-$55 | Dive into the past, learn about the present, and explore the future of the African American community in Asheville on one of the walking or driving tours.

Eat and Drink

Asheville Food Tours | $85 | Choose from four different tour experiences to get a taste of some of the best bites our culinary scene has to offer.

No Taste Like Home | $42-$77 | Embark on the expert-led foraging tour to find wild foods like mushrooms, berries, and edible plants, followed by a cooking demo and tasting.

mushrooms on a blanket at a foraging tour in asheville — A glimpse of the spoils you may gather on a No Taste Like Home tour.
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Photo by AVLtoday

Art is all around

Asheville Art Experience | $55 | Dive into the rich and energetic spirit of the River Arts District, walking through artist studios and appreciating works of various mediums.

Mountain Mural Tours | $25-$40 | Hop on the bus or lace up your walking shoes to explore the murals, graffiti, and sculptures that make Asheville’s urban art scene so unique.

Get outdoors

Asheville Jeep Tours | $75-$99 | Let your guide take the wheel and show you the biodiversity of the region from paved or gravel roads.

WNC Photo Tours | Prices vary with group size | Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned photographer, J. Smilanic and Matt Williams will teach you the best practices to capture gorgeous landscape photography.

City Guides are presented by Laura Dahl, Broker City Home Realty.

10+ more ways to explore

Asked

If you could design your dream city tour, which of the following features would you include?

A. Historic landmarks and iconic buildings
B. Local cuisine tastings
C. Street art and vibrant murals
D. Other

Let us know

Events

Tuesday, Dec. 5

3rd Annual Wizards of Mixology - Themed Cocktail & Culinary Competition | Tuesday, Dec. 5 | 6:30-9:30 p.m. | Cultivated Cocktails Distillery & Tavern, 161 Charlotte Hwy., Asheville | $50 | Four local restaurants + bars will represent each house from your favorite magical school, providing a special food and drink pairing.
Tarot Club | Tuesday, Dec. 5 | 7-9 p.m. | The Well at Mountain Magic, 3 Louisiana Ave., Asheville | $20 suggested donation | Tarot practitioner, author, deck creator, and artist Rebecca leads this monthly meet up, where folks of all tarot reading levels are invited to study new methods and practices.

Wednesday, Dec. 6

Santa Paws | Wednesday, Dec. 6 | 5-8 p.m. | Taproom At Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Ste. 200, Asheville | $25 for photo package | Your four-legged friend can get some one-on-one time with the big man, along with digital photos + a Polaroid, all while raising money for Asheville Humane Society.
Meditation & Movement Power Hour | Wednesday, Dec. 6 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Center for Craft, 67 Broadway St., Asheville | Free | Michele Ashley will guide you through a mid week movement class to rejuvenate your mind + body.

Thursday, Dec. 7

Holiday Card Class | Thursday, Dec. 7 | 4-6 p.m. | Ginger’s Revenge Riverside Tasting Room, 829 Riverside Dr., Ste. 100, Asheville | $40 | Erika of FernQueen Art will teach you how to make unique holiday cards with relief printmaking techniques.
Miracle at Marquee | Thursday, Dec. 7 | 6-9 p.m. | Marquee, 36 Foundy St., Asheville | Free | Come dressed in your ugly holiday sweaters to sip on cocktails from Saint Brighid’s, bust a move to tracks from DJ Ganymede, and get mischievous with Bad Santa.

Friday, Dec. 8

Ho Ho Ho Down XII | Friday, Dec. 8 | 7 p.m. | The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville | $20 | This annual traveling charity concert is making its first stop in Asheville this year, with performances from Jaime Wyatt, SUSTO String Band, and more — proceeds benefit BeLoved Asheville.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Arts

Try This: See “Lee Alexander McQueen & Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous” at the CMA

Presented by an AVLtoday Partner

Three fashion pieces by Lee Alexander McQueen on display in front of black background

The opportunity to see pieces designed by renowned fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen — up close, in person, right here in South Carolina — is not to be missed. | Photo by the COLAtoday team

In case you missed it, the Columbia Museum of Art is currently home to two highly anticipated high-fashion exhibitions: “Lee Alexander McQueen & Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous” and “Sergio Hudson: Focused on the Fit.”

We’ll feature a behind-the-scenes look at the Sergio Hudson exhibition soon, so keep an eye out — in the meantime, we’re sashaying into your inbox to share our experience with McQueen.

What we tried:

We toured “Rendez-Vous,” organized and produced by Barrett Barrera Projects, on a sunny Saturday morning after a stroll through Soda City Market. After talking with Jackie Adams, the CMA’s director of art and learning, we couldn’t wait to see the exhibition for ourselves — and it didn’t disappoint.

Here's what not to miss

News Notes

Civic

At its meeting tonight, Tuesday, Dec. 5, the Buncombe County Commissioners will discuss two options for a potential short-term rental conversion incentive to increase the availability of affordable housing for rent. A program proposal will be created if the Board chooses to bring this forward. You can watch the meeting online at 5 p.m.

Cause

There are still spots left to sign up to help Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity raise the first wall of the 2023 Christmas Jam House at its annual Before the Jam, Lend a Hand event. If you need any more incentive to do some good, you’ll be joined by Warren Haynes himself + enjoy food from Gemelli, Luella’s BBQ, and Mellow Mushroom.

Open

The Local Barber and Tap will have West Asheville looking so fresh and so clean at its new second location, 315 Haywood Rd., Unit 115 — appointments are available now. The shop will celebrate its grand opening Thursday, Dec. 7 at the holiday party hosted by its neighbors at Garden Party + Playdate.

Opening

This Saturday, Dec. 9 from 6 to 9 p.m., Foundation Studios will celebrate the grand opening of its beer + wine bar. Come in your best holiday ‘fits to get 5% off your art purchase and ring in the new space with a white elephant-style art exchange at 7 p.m. — find the details to participate.

Biz

New year, new name. Trade and Lore has rebranded under a new name, Rite Rite — and come 2024, its sister shop, Hatchett Goods, will also take the name, which is Old English for “ritual.”

Arts

It’s the end of an era for Tiffany, the seven-foot-tall creature from artist Wade Asa that’s been on display at Little Jumbo for the past several years. But fear not because she’s up for sale — message Asa on Instagram to talk pricing. Tiffany’s space won’t be vacant long because Asa is working on a new creature to take the spot next year.

Shop

We’re excited to introduce you to our newest small business partner, The RunnerBox & The RiderBox. This Asheville-based, women-founded company is made of a team of athletes with an obsession to empower other athletes through better nutrition and gear with its subscription boxes. Shop for the perfect box now.

Holiday

Well shoot, this is a great idea. Get holiday shopping done and support the Asheville community in a unique way by shopping the UNC Asheville Alumni Gift Guide, featuring alumni-owned local businesses that bring us artisan coffee, yoga retreats, creative eats + more. Peep the guide.*

Shop

Have an active loved one on your shopping list? Upway delivers rigorously inspected, certified, and 99% pre-assembled e-bikes from top brands (think: Specialized, Aventon, and Super73) directly to your doorstep — with free express shipping when you use code TREE.*

Biz

Poppy Popcorn hits Ingles shelves

Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn now available at Ingles Markets

Poppy handcrafted popcorn on shelves at Ingles Markets

Look forward to seeing these bags on the shelves. | Photo by AVLtoday

Starting out with just a single popcorn machine, CEO of Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn Ginger Frank has transformed the brand into a successful startup, with exciting plans for growth in its future. Butter yet, the brand has just announced a new accomplishment — the gourmet popcorn is now available in Ingles stores.

The stores’ local makers section will have four flavors available: Salted Caramel, Pimento Cheese, Parmesan & Black Pepper, and Poppy Mix. Plus, select stores will feature dedicated displays.

“As Poppy continues to grow in the premium grocery category, launching in Ingles Markets was an important step for us, aligned with our commitment to the local community,” Frank shared in a press release.

Poppy Popcorn is currently available in several Ingles locations and will soon be sold in 90 stores. All that to say, your next grocery run just got a lot more exciting.

The Buy

The Buy 12.05.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

The ultimate gift for the year of Barbie: the Barbie Dreamhouse 2023. Can we get one of those spiral pool slides for our house?

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Grace

From the editor

If stopping by Ingles isn’t enough to satisfy your Poppy cravings, you can head to its Holiday Pop-Up Shop, located at 8 Town Square Blvd.

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