Fall Color Update - November 2, 2016

Choose your report:
Valle Crucis/Boone • Asheville • Waynesville • Hendersonville • Greenville

Valle Crucis/Boone, NC – I have to say that this is the latest that I can remember this much color being around…and still being able to wear shorts or skirts without leggings. The color is getting a little thinner now. The oaks with their deep russets and tans are beginning to take center stage from the maples, poplars, and hickories, but there are still enough of the high-color trees to surprise you when you come around a corner or look up on a hillside.

The weather continues to be unseasonal to seasonal with lots of warm temperatures. Ray says that it’s going to be in the upper 50s and low 60s for highs for at least a little while longer and the lows will be in the 30s and 40s. Those temperatures are a little more “normal” for this time of year. Fall is very changeable, so be sure to check the FORECAST before heading out. 

Our calendar is beginning to lighten up a bit before the long list of holiday events. If you’re in town on Thursday night, you might want to drop by the Jones House for a community jam session. After the Junior Appalachian Musicians finish their lessons, their instructors and others gather in the parlor to play a few licks of their own. Bring your instrument and join in or just hang out and listen for a while. 

With the weather being so nice, it’s a great opportunity to stroll through campus and see the Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. Each year, ten sculptures are chosen for installation around campus. HERE’s a guide to this year’s selections. Stop in at the Cascades Café in the Student Union for a treat as you wander around campus.

This Saturday the App State Mountaineers play host to the Bob Cats from Texas State. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. at Kidd Brewer Stadium. It is an important Sun Belt Conference game. If you’d like to go, there are some general admission tickets still available. It should be a great afternoon for football. Here’s a LINK for game day information and tickets. 

That’s a wrap for this week. Come on up and see the color – you’ll be just as amazed as I am – I look forward to our visit next week.

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Asheville, NC - Happy November, leaf-loving friends! Boy, oh boy, I cannot believe the last two months of 2016 have already arrived, can you? We’re enjoying a continued stretch of unseasonably warm weather in Asheville. If you haven’t already, now is the time to get outside and enjoy the last of the beautiful fall leaves in the lower elevations and around town. It’s gorgeous outside!

I hope you and yours had a spooktacular Halloween! Our family enjoyed trick-or-treating in nearly 80-degree weather. We also headed over to the Zebulon Vance Birthplace in Weaverville (10 minutes north of Asheville) this past Saturday. This National Historic Site hosted their annual Appalachian Heritage Festival under picture-perfect Carolina blue skies. We enjoyed wood carving, pottery, and candle making demonstrations. We also tried panning for gold, tasted johnnycakes, and listened to stories around the campfire. This year’s National Park Centennial inspired us to spend more time at the national and historic sites near our home. Find out about upcoming holiday and winter events in the National Parks nearest you by clicking HERE.

A brief trip north on the Parkway this past weekend revealed that fall color is past peak in the highest elevations and many of the middle elevations, but peak color in the valleys is still underway. Now is the best time to head to low-lying areas like Chimney Rock and Lake Lure to take in the last of the fall color. Lake Lure offers hour-long boat tours. It’s awe-inspiring to see the fall color cascading down the mountains and reflected off the lake’s surface. The boat tour guide provides history of the lake and famous movies filmed there like Dirty Dancing and The Last of the Mohicans. It’s the perfect way to spend a late fall afternoon in the mountains. This is the busiest time of year for tours, so be sure to call ahead for reservations. There’s more information HERE.

Ray is calling for more picture perfect weather in the week ahead, save a few clouds and light rain showers forecasted for late Thursday. There’s a 10-degree dip in the weather Friday and heading into the weekend, but the highs will still be balmier than usual in the 60s. We’re hoping the evenings will be cool enough to build a fire the first weekend in November.

Consider making a little time in the week ahead to explore new places in your own neighborhood. This season, I’ve found that some of the most beautiful places to enjoy fall color is usually right outside my front door. Several months ago, we discovered a farm only less than a mile from our house by simply taking a different route from our usual walking path. The friendly farmer invited us to share carrots with his donkeys, quarter and draft horses, and hilarious goats. We also got to meet his prized variety of doves, chickens, and roosters. Since meeting our farm friends, we save extra apples and pears from our trees and take them to our furry neighbors. You never know where a new road from the usual routine may lead you.

I hope the week ahead is all treats and no tricks for you and your family. May your first week of November be a wonderful one!

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Hendersonville, NC - Everything good is worth waiting for and we have been waiting! I believe, this week, the autumn colors are at their peak here in Hendersonville. Finally we are seeing all the russets, gold and oranges we have been longing for, and they are stunning. It was well worth the wait.

The weather has surprised us again by giving us very warm days with cool nights. Not a sign of frost anywhere and here it is, already November. This week the weather is predicted to have highs in the mid 70s and lows in the 50s. This weekend may be a little cooler with highs about 65 to 70 and lows in the 40s. HERE's where you can find a local forecast. 

I highly recommend a drive to Jump Off Rock in Laurel Park. From Main Street follow 4th Avenue West until it turns into Laurel Park Highway. About five miles up the road it ends at Jump Off Rock, where there is plenty of parking. Not only are the leaves absolutely beautiful as you cruise around the curves and hills, but sometimes you can spot deer and wild turkey strutting along the road side! Once at the rock the view is amazing and at 3,100 feet you get a panoramic view of all the mountains and the valleys below. On a clear day it is possible to see Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, all at the same time.

Another incredible drive is following Kanuga Road all the way to Dupont Forest. As you wind through forest and wood the leaf color is great and the surprise of streams and lakes is wonderful. As you near Dupont there are several horse farms along the way where it is possible to take a horseback ride into Dupont Forest. A really lovely way to enjoy the turning leaves, the forest and the fun of a horseback ride, too.

There are two crafty events happening this weekend. The First Methodist Church will be sponsoring a juried craft fair offering seasonal crafts by 50 of the areas artisans and crafters. There will be ornaments, appliqués, hand-carved wooden items, and more. It will take place Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at 204 6th Avenue West.

The Gifts of Hope Holiday Fair will treat shoppers to unique items from around the world. There will be fair-trade artisan gifts, jewelry, and home décor. Find the fair at 766 N. Main Street on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The 5th Annual Tryon Beer Fest will take place on Saturday, November 5th from noon until 6:00 p.m. in the Tryon Depot Plaza. An array of craft beers, German food and an oyster roast will be available. Check out their WEBSITE for more information and tickets.

Well, as you wander through the mountains this weekend, watching the leaves gently flutter to the ground and admiring the winter pansies popping up in gardens remember to appreciate all that Mother Nature has given us in this beautiful autumn season.

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Waynesville, NC - This week was an enjoyable one, with cool mornings and warm afternoons. 

The leaves look beautiful all around us, and some have fallen on the ground, in a particular way that surrounds the tree, almost as if someone had placed them that way. Kids are playing in the piles of leaves their parents have raked, throwing them and enjoying the crunch sound they make as they step on them. As I drive down my road, I enjoy seeing the leaves fall, one by one, effortlessly flowing down to the road and covering it, It makes the gravel road look so colorful with all of the reds, yellows and oranges. As I look out from the porch (or even some spots on the Parkway) I can see more of the views, now that some leaves have fallen. It's a beautiful time of the year because so many splendid colors surround us, the weather is pleasant, the trails are ready for us and the views are always breathtaking. We live in such a magnificent place!

The weather this week is predicted to be mostly sunny with highs in the mid 70s and the lows will be in the upper 40s. We will continue having dry, warm weather with some rainfall (very light) at night. Another front will come through late Thursday, but probably won't make an impact on the weather. Hopefully, we will see some changes soon and some rainfall! You can check the local forecast HERE. 

Since it's the first Friday of the month, Downtown Waynesville is celebrating Art After Dark. Many of the studios and art galleries, along with some stores, stay open a little later so you can enjoy the downtown at dusk. You'll find new art openings, dramatic readings, music, and more. Don't forget to check out some of the great supper opportunities, too.

Mast Stores are sharing their favorite employee benefit with you this Sunday and Monday. It's the Employee for a Day event where anyone can enjoy using the Mast Store employee discount of 25% off on up to four items. Follow this LINK to learn more.

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Greenville, SC - Hello everyone! This past week in Greenville the main distraction, apart from all the beautiful leaves, has been the temperatures. They have been running in the upper 70s to low 80s, which seems kind of odd for this time of year. Usually Halloween for us in the last couple of years has been fairly chilly, but this year the temperature was comfortable. Though it has been pretty warm for us lately, the forecast shows we are expected to drop down into the mid to low 70s in the later part of the week. We have all been anxiously awaiting the change in temperature. I don’t know about you guys, but we are ready to bring out our scarfs, boots, jackets and hot cocoa. To keep up with our weather this week you can find our 10 day forecast HERE.

We have tons of leaves on the ground at this point. This is mainly from the trees that started turning very early on. We are seeing a lot of oranges and reds from our maples. The color change in them seem to be my favorite this year. My grandmother's Ginkgo is turning yellow now, but the ones closer to town are still lagging behind. The closer you get to the mountains the higher quantity of trees you will find fully engulfed in color. My dad's Japanese Maple has made it to almost completely red at this point; I love this tree mainly for its appearance this time of year. NOW is the time to visit if you are on the lookout for some color.

If you don’t want to visit just for the color, we have a few more things going on to help bring you to Greenville. If you love art this one is for you. This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we have Greenville Open Studios. Within 15 miles of Downtown Greenville there are 131 artist waiting to open their studios up to you. This is a unique chance to get to communicate with the artists and to see them create in their own environments. This is a self-guided tour. You can download an app to help you navigate or pick up a paper copy of the maps at the Metropolitan Arts Council. You can access a list of the artists and their locations along with the times the studios open all HERE. 

Also this week featuring another form of art is the Reedy Reels Film Festival. The event is two days, Friday and Saturday. It is hosted by The Peace Center located in Downtown Greenville. You can purchase tickets for a single viewing, a day pass or a 2-day pass. Tickets range from $10-$50. This Independent Film Festival is a great way to view some underground directors' work and to help support the talent in the Upstate. If you aren’t familiar with indie films, then now is a good time to see what it’s all about. You can access the trailers for the the features and shorts, purchase tickets, and learn more about the festival click HERE. 

If you are looking for a nice place to hang out this weekend, you can visit Jones Gap State Park. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. The Park features some great spots for picnics, as well as some after-lunch hiking options. The Middle Saluda River runs through Jones Gap and is said to be a good place to do some trout fishing. The weather this week should complement this spot perfectly. Pack a lunch for the family and load up the car, you won’t be disappointed. For more details about the park you can click HERE or call at (864)836-3647. 

Don’t forget, on November 6th Daylight Saving time ends. I’ll see you back here a hour later next week. 

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