Free Sledding Hill at Beech Mountain

Sledding conditions are great at Beech Mountain (elevation 5,506 feet) in the N.C. High Country. The best news: Kids 12  and under can sled FREE daily at the Beech sledding hill, located next to the Chamber of Commerce. Parents may ride with smaller children.

Plastic sleds are required. Folks are encouraged to bring their own sleds, or they may be purchased at stores on the mountain.

The sledding hill is operated by the Beech Mountain Parks and Recreation Department. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (weather permitting) with safety
personnel on duty. A loud speaker plays music and hot chocolate is available at nearby restaurants.

Parking and restrooms are provided by the chamber. People are encouraged to call the chamber at (800) 468-5506 to receive live updates on sledding conditions.

Additional info on the Beech Mountain sledding hill is available at: www.beechmtn.com.

National Alpaca Farm Days

Alpacas look similar to llamas, and have thick, luxurious coats. September 26th and 27th are National Alpaca Farm Days, during which Alpaca farms around the country are opening their gates to the public, so that everyone can meet these fascinating creatures. In Asheville, Venezia Dream Farm  is hosting the event. Come to this free event, either day, from 11AM to 3PM, and learn all about alpacas and their fiber.

276 Jones Cove Rd, Asheville, NC 28805. PH # 828-298-9166

FREE day at the WNC Nature Center

Asheville City residents will be admitted FREE of charge (with ID) to the WNC Nature Center on Saturday, July 25, 2009. For directions and other info, check the Nature Center’s website.

Gem Mining at Emerald Village

This morning my kids and I headed off on a rock hunting adventure. We had heard that the Crabtree Emerald Mine in Little Switzerland is open (for a fee) to anyone who wants to come in and dig around to see what they can find.

We headed to Emerald Village where I signed waiver forms for the three of us and paid the fee. It is $20 a day per person, BUT it’s FREE for kids 12 and under. Since my kids are 9 and 11, I was able to get a bargain! Of course, I didn’t think to bring tools, so I wound up renting a set for another $20. The set included a bucket, goggles, shovel, pick axe, hammer, two trowels, a hand rake and a pick.

The women at the counter cautioned about copperheads in the area and also advised me that the mine site, while only about 4 miles away, was truly out in nature — no bathroom facilites or food services out there.

We spent about 2 hours digging around the pit to no avail. A seasoned rock hound who was digging at the site showed us some emeralds he had found in order for us to see what we were looking for. The kids got hot and tired before we found any. I think their enthusiasm waned the longer we went without finding anything.

So, we headed back to Emerald Village and bought salted buckets of gemstones to sift and wash in the flume. Now, this was really fun! My kids found a wide range of gemstones in their bucket: amethyst, sodalite, rose quartz, smoky quartz, garnets, rubies, emeralds, tourmaline, adventurine, rainbow moonstone, jasper, sunstone, and others that I can’t recall at the moment.

My 9-year-old daughter wanted to find a tiger’s eye stone. And she did. It’s small, but it’s her prized possession of the trip.

I found the act of sifting through the stones truly relaxing and it put me into the “now.” I became focused on the act of searching for stones and any other thought (or worry about deadlines, etc.) simply dissolved.

The sky was an amazing lapis lazuli color. The weather can only be described as the ultimate summer day — not too hot, not cold, not humid, not buggy. Just bliss. Simply bliss.

I rank the day as one of our most fun ever, and it gave me a top ranking from my kids who said: “You’re the best mom in the world for bringing us here.”

Street Dances in Hendersonville, NC

In addition to the Friday night “Music on Main” concerts in Hendersonville, you can also kick up your heels in town on Monday nights.

The 91st Annual Street Dance kicks off July 6 and runs every Monday night through August 31. The dances will be held 7 to 9 p.m. at Visitors Information Center, 201 South Main Street.

The Street Dance comes alive with people square dancing and clogging to a band playing traditional bluegrass music. Special appearances by area clogging teams make for a entertaining, foot stomping evening.

Lively instructions are given to the dancers by a local caller. At 6:30 PM, caller Walt Puckett will teach audience members some basic square dancing, such as the Right Hand Across, Open the Garden Gate, and the Shoe Fly Swing moves mean in traditional Appalachian square dancing.

Bring a chair, but leave your pets and alcohol at home. FREE Event.

Free Music on Friday Nights in Hendersonville, N.C.

More FREE music this summer. The 11th Annual Music On Main Street presents a concert every Friday evening from June 5 through August 28 at the Visitors Information Center, located at 201 South Main Street in Hendersonville, NC.

Bring a chair, but leave your pets at home. Also, no alcohol. The music runs from 7 to 9 p.m.

Click here for the complete schedule.

UNCA Concerts on the Quad

One of my personal favorites for FREE summer music in the Asheville area takes place at UNCA. Get ready for the 27th Annual Concerts on the Quad June 15 - July 13. It’s a great family event — bring a blanket, chairs, picnic baskets, frisbees, and get ready to enjoy great music in a relaxed, family friendly atmosphere. No pets allowed, and if it rains the music will move indoors to Lipinsky Auditorium. Click here for the complete lineup.  The music begins at 7 p.m.

YWCA Offers Y Commute Pass

BOGO Tuesday Nights at Minor League Games

Thanks to a lead from Valerie at Columbus On The Cheap, you can get cheap seats to minor league baseball games this season.

If you bring a Kraft Singles wrapper to participating minor league ballparks, you can buy one ticket and get one free during the Tuesday Night Tickets promotion, which runs through September 1, 2009.

The Tuesday Night Tickets promotion is not available in Allentown, Dayton, Indianapolis, Lake Elsinore, Pasco, Portland OR, Reno, Spokane, Tacoma and Vancouver. Click here to find a ballpark near you.

Asheville Tourists Offer FREE Youth Clinic

The Asheville Tourists will host a FREE youth clinic on Saturday, May 30, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The clinic will be followed by the annual “Meet the Tourists” Luncheon. There is a $5 fee for lunch. All proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the Asheville Tourists Children’s Fund.

All kids attending the clinic will receive a free ticket to a future Tourists game. For additional information, contact the Tourists front office at (828) 258-0428.