There is a chill in the air in Asheville, and this weekend rain is in the forecast! As the weather continues its turn from Summer to Fall in the mountains of Western North Carolina, there are a couple things we are excited about! 1. The leaves, and 2. Ciderfest NC!! It is the time of year where cravings of apple cider start to take over thoughts of summer cocktails, and in its third year, CiderFest NC is something we all look forward to!

This year’s event is packed with new opportunities to taste and experience Cider.  With over twenty Cider makers serving up tasty varieties of hard cider, and a new addition of two local mead makers Bee & Bramble & Fox Hill Meadery, this festival will not disappoint!   To compliment your cider we have added a new Chef’s Station where apples and hard cider will be the featured ingredients for small plates, and food trucks will be serving up food as well.  Back again by popular demand, the WNC Cheese Trail will be there to offer samples from local creamerie, and if that was not enought, Postre Caramels will be offering samples of caramel on apples!

On the music front,  the festival will feature local bands and buskers from the Asheville area sprinkled throughout the festival, unplugged, allowing attendees to enjoy live music as they are in line for a sample of cider or mead!  You will enjoy music by Goldie & The Screamers, Shifty Drifters (Abby the Spoon Lady), and more great bands.

True to its roots, this year’s event will also feature something for the home cider makers.  A Home Cider Making Booth sponsored by Asheville Brewers Supply will offer cider making kits, educational demonstrations, and a casual area for home cider makers to share their cider as well as lessons they have learned.

The family friendly event has had great fun painting pumpkins and doing fall crafts in previous years but this year will offer anInteractive Children’s Area focused on green living.  This area will have hands on fun educational activities and demo’s for both the children and adults to learn.

For more information or to purchase your tickets, visit www.ciderfestnc.com.

The buzzword “green” is everywhere! Go green can mean so many things, however this post is all about recycling. The cans and the cant’s. We’ve got a list for all the items in your household, so you know where to place the item! For example, did you know that pet food bags are not recyclable? Search below for what you can and cannot [...]

Are you ready to buy your first Asheville home? What you need to know before you buy.

A Financial Review - Do you have your budget in order and know where your monthly mortgage payments need to be? Keep in mind additional home ownership costs, such as property taxes, insurance, and [...]

. 

With sightings of red and yellow leaves adorning downtown trees, fall is on the way here in Asheville, North Carolina. September and October are some of the most beautiful months in Western North Carolina. With the intoxicating weather and many outdoor festivals to enjoy, we often forget to do some fall home maintenance heading into [...]

Buying a home will probably be the single largest purchase you will ever make. Having a trusted Asheville real estate agent to negotiate on your behalf is important. The Asheville housing market is in high demand, and having someone on your side to get you from searching to offer to closing is to your [...]

Lexington Avenue Arts Festival will be September 6, 2015 in downtown Asheville. This community-focused street festival brings Southern Appalachia's finest musicians, artists, craftspeople, and every other type of performer [...]

Enter for a chance to win this home. The sweepstakes entries for the HGTV Urban Oasis 2015 in Asheville will open up Thursday, August 6th at 9am EST.  You may enter enter twice online per day at HGTV.com for your chance to win the HGTV Urban Oasis 2015, an approximately 1,300-square-foot bungalow dressed with furnishings from Overstock.com and located in one of the hottest neighborhoods in Asheville, NC, plus a 2016 Acura TLX and $50,000 provided by national mortgage lender Quicken Loans. The grand-prize package is valued at over $500,000.

No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the U.S., age 21 or older.Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends at 5 p.m. ET on 9/24/15. Odds ofwinning depend on number of entries received.  For full official rules, visithgtv.com or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: "HGTV Urban OasisGiveaway" - RR, P.O. Box 52916, Knoxville, TN 37950. Main Sponsor: ScrippsNetworks, LLC d/b/a Home & Garden Television.!

Sign up for reminders or enter online at HGTV - http://www.hgtv.com/design/hgtv-urban-oasis/sweepstakes/enter

Condé Nast has named Asheville number seven in a list of the top ten friendliest U.S. cities. It is no secret that Asheville is gaining more national attention than ever before. Movies are being filmed here, restaurants are inspiring the nation, and more hotels are moving in. Asheville is growing by popular demand. The desirable local [...]

Photos © 2015 Scripps Networks, LLC. Used with permission; all rights reserved.