FALL COLOR UPDATE - October 2, 2019

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

Valle Crucis/Boone – So, did you watch any of the App State football game over the weekend? There was a two-hour weather delay for lightning. Some parts of the county received a deluge, while at the stadium (or in our cars as we waited), there might have been a sprinkle. There is no doubt that we need some rain AND maybe a little bit more fall-like weather. This coming weekend looks like we will have temperatures more fitting the calendar. According to Ray, the highs will be in the 60s and 70s with lows in the 40s and 50s. Wow! What a change. Of course, all of that could change, so check the updated forecast HERE. 

While the colors here are still mostly green, there are a few more yellows, reds, and oranges appearing. It’s still difficult to tell what is going to happen with the colors because it is so dry. Check the vines creeping up tree trunks for color – poison ivy (remember, leaves of three, leave them be) and Virginia Creeper provide lovely splashes of red, yellow, orange, and even purple. Flowers this week include goldenrod and asters.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, check out First Friday in Downtown Boone. The galleries have new showings and many of the restaurants will have live music (and food!!) to enjoy. The fun starts at 5 p.m.

On Saturday, head over to Downtown Blowing Rock to enjoy this year’s final installment of Art in the Park. Some of the finest and most imaginative jewelers, painters, weavers, and glassblowers from up and down the eastern seaboard come out to this event. You can learn more HERE. 

On Saturday evening, you might give the Carolina Native Songster Trio a try. Singer-songwriter David Childers is performing at the Harvest House in Boone. He’s played on the Mountain Stage and World Café radio shows and has toured Europe and hasn’t lost his down-home self. He has recorded 15 albums (country, rock, and folk music), painted, and written poetry, as well as practicing law with a focus on helping the poor. Here’s where you can find out MORE. 

I’m hoping that the cooler temperatures early next week may result in a frost…which will make the colors really show themselves. I’ll be back next week with more.  

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Waynesville - Is it October already?! We’ve had another warm week here in Waynesville, NC, but it looks like we are finally going to get this show on the road and cool down this weekend with highs projected to be in the 70s and lows in the 50s. You can find an updated forecast HERE. Fall is on its way! Hopefully, this much-anticipated arrival will bring with it the expected pockets of color we are awaiting. It never gets old. Whether you’re a local or visitor, there is just something that reminds us that there is good in the world when fall arrives. It brings us together to gaze at the ridgelines and enjoy Mother Nature’s splendor. The color is not quite here yet, but we are still having a good time here in Waynesville.

The Pumpkin Patch is full over at the First United Methodist Church! Go get first pick on over 3000+ pumpkins! They have many types of big and small pumpkins to choose from! They are waiting to help you from 8 a.m. -5 p.m. during the fall season. 

This Friday we are looking forward to another evening of Art after Dark. This is where local musicians busk on the streets and the many galleries of Main Street stay open late to do demonstrations and share their stories with folks that may come by.

Another way to enjoy this decrease in temperature is to join the Friends of the Smoky Mountains this Tuesday, October 8th on one of there many guided hikes into the backcountry of some of the oldest mountains in the world. 

Lastly, our shops here on Main Street and all the way down to Frog Level are in full bloom with fall merchandise. We are in the process of saving some energy for the upcoming weeks to come, but I’ll save that for the next post. Hope to see you real soon! Safe Travels!

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Asheville - As hard as it is to believe, we’ve reached October at last, and with October comes a temporary reprieve from our current high temperatures. By the end of this week, temperatures should change from the upper 80s to a more comfortable 70s range with lows in the mid 50s. We’ve had a little much-needed rain already this week, but the rest of the week looks to be dry, with only a little bit of cloud cover, so sights in the higher elevations should be clear. For more on Asheville’s weather check out this LINK.

Here in the city, we are still mostly green with hints of red and yellow slowly spreading. However, if you drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway just a short distance like I did, you’ll start to see more color. Taking the Parkway south toward the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is always ideal not only because of the fall color but because of the unique mixture of deciduous and Spruce pine trees that exist within just twenty miles of Asheville. These trees are cool to see any time of the year, but now, with the deciduous trees beginning to change, the pines add just a touch of green to the reds and oranges around them. It is a really beautiful contrast if you can catch it at the right time. This week was sadly still a little early for color, but in certain areas, mostly near the road and around tunnels, you can start to see a full range of colors. For more info on the Pisgah Mountains Area of the Parkway, click HERE.

Another thing I love about this part of the Parkway during the autumn months is its position along the path of the Monarch Butterfly migration as they make their way to Mexico. I saw a number of them feeding on Goldenrods in front of the Pisgah Inn at Parkway Milepost 408.6, but any overlook in this southern portion of Parkway is ideal for butterfly watching. If you want somewhere to start, Cherry Cove Overlook just south of Mount Pisgah at Milepost 415.7 is a good place. You can also check out the Balsam Gap area on the Parkway, or Chimney Rock State Park for alternate viewing locations. For more info on monarchs in the Blue Ridge mountains go HERE.

The biggest thing happening this weekend is Asheville’s 11th annual Oktoberfest, held on Saturday, October 5th in downtown’s Pack Square Park. The festival will host a number of Asheville’s local breweries as well as a costume contest and other activities. If you enjoy local beer and want a fun day on the town, come downtown this weekend. For more information on Oktoberfest, follow this LINK.  

The Asheville Outlet mall is also hosting the Venardos Circus, a unique show defined as a broadway/circus musical. This circus replaces animal acts with acrobatics, aerialists, and clowns in a retro-modern style show. If you are wanting to avoid the crowds in downtown or just want to try something different, check out this Circus.  

As we head further into October, I hope to find more areas of beauty to share with you, and as the weather finally turns from this never-ending summer heat into an autumn chill, I hope that you can find some beauty for yourselves as well. 

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Hendersonville - Although we are all rooting for Fall to arrive, it seems we will have to wait till the end of the week for cooler weather to help turn the leaves to crimson, marmalade, and gold. We are still seeing splashes of color here and there, but nothing consistent. The dogwoods are dressed in deep red and maples are tinged with reds and oranges, and occasionally we see a burning bush lighting up the landscape. But, it is going to be a few more weeks before the best leaf color will come parading out.

Unseasonably warm days give way to cooler temps by the end of the week- just in time for Farm City Day on Saturday, October 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This free event is a family-friendly festival located in Jackson Park, less than half a mile from historic downtown. There will be a petting zoo, children's games, antique farm equipment, tractor pulls, a fishing hole, and live music. Vendors will be selling food, arts and crafts, and concessions. Finish off your day with a hay ride through the park. Plenty of parking will be available. You can learn more HERE.

There are only a few more weeks left to enjoy our bears on Main Street before the auction on October 19th. The Bearfootin’ Public Art Walk & Auction consists of fiberglass outdoor bear sculptures painted by various local artists. They have been on display all summer, and when they are auctioned off, the proceeds go to support local non-profit organizations in our community. So, take a leisurely stroll up and down Main Street to admire the bears, see our beautiful planters and visit our many interesting shops - including Mast General Store!

The Henderson County Curb Market at 221 North Church Street is open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. It is a great place to pick up some fresh veggies or apples, homemade jams and jellies, and handmade items from our local farmers. Check it out!

Numerous haunted trails, haunted farms, haunted cornfields, and haunted woods are up and running this week and daring you to come and see what they offer. If you are a fan of scary things that go bump in the night then check it out HERE. 

Time to give it a rest until next week. See you soon!

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Greenville - The Table Rock Webcam is starting to show a bit of color with the emphasis on “a bit.”  Keep watching – it will be worth the wait! Our weather looks warm headed into the weekend where it looks like we might get a little break from summertime temperatures. There might even be a little rain the first part of next week. Be sure to check the FORECAST before your visit. 

But if you would like more immediate fun, one sure way of getting into the spirit of the Fall Season is a visit to a pumpkin patch.  One of the highest-rated patches in the Greenville area is Stewart Farms, where pumpkins, sunflowers, fall plants, and other seasonal items are showcased. Take a wagon ride, fill up a wheelbarrow with pumpkins, and get lost in a Maize, and then picnic. The Farm is open on weekends now through mid to late November – check their website for more details and make plans to bring the whole family!

The 8th Annual Art on the Trail art and craft show is October 5 on Main Street in Traveler’s Rest, just a few minutes from Downtown Greenville. One of the most eclectic art shows in the Upstate, you’ll find something for everyone as you start to think about what to get Uncle Joe and Aunt Nina for Christmas – the relatives who have everything!

Fall For Greenville! happens the weekend of October 11-13 when over 40 restaurants feature over 200 menu items and combine with multiple stages featuring musical talent from all over the region, so we hope this big event is on your calendar.

See you next week!

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Knoxville - September has finally reached its end, but summer heat still maintains its stranglehold on the city. This past weekend saw temperatures well into the mid-90s. There have been some hints that cooler weather will eventually come; an occasional chill in the air at early dawn, or the odd early morning fog settling over the mountains. It’s just enough to keep us hopeful. 

There is still very little color appearing on the leaves. Occasionally, we’ll spot a peppering of yellows or reds in a grove along the highway, but brown still seems to be the dominant hue. More alarming is its spread to the local evergreens. We really need rain.

This week we kept our activities close to the city; having brunch with friends or taking in one of the many outdoor festivals going on in Downtown Knoxville (occasionally darting into a local air-conditioned business when the heat got to be too much).

A stop at the weekly local farmer’s market at New Harvest Park yielded some fresh autumn crops like these pumpkins and ornamental squashes courtesy of Thompson Farms or apples from Mountain Meadows Farm. It’s enough to keep us dreaming of eventually sitting by a fire pit with friends eating squash soups.

The first weekend of October promises to give a slight break in the heat with temperatures dropping down to the low 80s. Friday promises to give almost perfect weather with some rain coming up on Sunday. Check the forecast HERE to plan your visit. 

This weekend we plan on getting our colors through some of the many arts and crafts events going on throughout the city. The biggest of these is the Knoxville First Friday Art Walk happening on October 4th. This monthly event opens up all of Downtown Knoxville’s art galleries to several exhibits by Knoxville’s diverse selection of artists, photographers, and sculptors. All of the galleries are within an easy walk of each other.

On October 5th, the small neighboring town of Maynardville, TN will host its annual Union County Heritage Festival with an abundant serving of country music, local crafts, food, and an amateur fiddling contest.

Ijams Nature Center will have its 4th Annual Art In The Valley Festival on October 6th. This event showcases several local artisans who work in the fields of glass, metalsmithing, ceramics, and woodturning.

And now that it’s officially October, we can’t possibly miss the last few nights of Oktoberfest at Schulz Braü, Knoxville’s own authentic German brewery and Biergarten. They will have events going on every night this week with music, contests and more. Don’t forget to wear your lederhosen and definitely try the schnitzels, they’re delicious!

See you next week!
 

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