“Mother Strong Tail” is a new resident of Raleigh’s Dix Park. | Photo by RALtoday
On Saturday, Nov. 15, Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s world-famous trolls will stomp their way into the forest of the NC Arboretum. “Trolls: A Field Study,” will debut with 12 seven- to nine-foot sculptures made from recycled natural materials. And Asheville isn’t the only NC city welcoming the creatures.
In fact, NC will soon be home to the largest US installation to Dambo’s trolls. Fans that track down the massive statues are called “troll hunters” — and to take advantage of the statewide sculpture boom, we’re giving you the troll hunters’ guide to the Tar Heel State’s new friends.
Here’s where the permanent trolls will pop up across the piedmont:
Raleigh’s Dix Park | A family of five trolls, a large mother and father and three smaller child trolls, are already tucked in the trees across the 308-acre park.
Charlotte + High Point | Each city will get one troll in early November, but their location remains a bit of a mystery in an effort to encourage exploration. “The trolls are shy creatures. They like to be found, not announced,” Dambo said.
The spiced winter ale hits grocery stores on Monday, Nov. 10, but you can get first sips during Cold Mountain release weekend, Friday Nov.7-Sunday, Nov. 9.
Bring the whole family on Sunday for kid-centric music from Grammy-winning artist Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, plus a special performance by Matt Smith and All Stars from his Well-Crafted Music Series.
The 15th annual Asheville Butoh Festival begins this Thursday, Oct. 30, showcasing the experimental Japanese dance form with shows and workshops running through Sunday, Nov. 2. Buy tickets per performance.
Community
The Asheville-Buncombe County Continuum of Care will expand winter shelter options beyond traditional Code Purple operations. Starting Saturday, Nov. 1, nightly beds will be offered for 150 days. New sites like the Salvation Army’s former thrift store and Homeward Bound’s AHOPE Day Center will participate. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Number
443,000. That’s how many out of town visitors downtown has seen so far this month according to figures from the Asheville Downtown Association using Placer AI. The numbers show that leaf season tourism is getting closer to pre-Helene levels. (WLOS)
Outdoors
Sow True Seed’s 2026 Seed Catalog looks like it could be a cover of The New Yorker. The local, employee-owned seed store commissioned the artwork by Shanghi artist Handowin HE through its annual Art Call. See the artwork and order a free copy.
Eat
You can go ahead and make a reservation for dinner at XICO, the new upscale, wood-fired Mexican restaurant, opening Saturday, Nov. 15 on the South Slope next to Daddy Mac’s Down Home Dive.
Show
Costumes aren’t just for Halloween. This Saturday, Nov. 1, WNC Comic Con returns to the Ag Center in Fletcher for the area’s longest-running celebration of pop culture, comics, and collectibles. Get the deets on the costume contest.
We crunched the numbers and compiled your official AVLtoday’s Best nominees. Now comes the fun part: voting. Now through Friday, Nov. 28, you can vote for your favorites in each category. Winners will be announced Monday, Dec. 8.
Read
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Meet BB, the newest member of the WNC Nature Center fam. The eight-year-old red panda just arrived by way of Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo.
Stop by the nature center soon to see her form a new friendship with her equally adorable roommate, Phoenix.
Fun fact:WNC was once home to the red panda’s ancient cousin, Pristinailurus bristoli. Plus, WNC’s climate closely mirrors the lower mountain forests of Central Asia, the red panda’s native habitat.
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
Speaking of Cold Mountain, you can sip on something new for the weekend. Presenting, the Cold Fashioned. Highland Brewing and Cultivated Cocktails Distillery collaborated on the cocktail, creating special Cold Mountain bitters for a new riff on the classic drink. You can pick up a Cold Fashioned kit during release weekend.
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