Enjoy the drone views of North Carolina from high above some familiar places in the state. North Carolina has a lot of beautiful scenery including the mountains to the west and the beaches to the east. Plus all the attractions like Biltmore Estate, Wright Brothers National Memorial, coastal sunrises and sunsets, marshlands, racetracks and our big cities. Here is a youtube video I found that shows just how beautiful North Carolina really is. The pictures are from a drone high in the sky.
Annual National Gingerbread House Competition at Grove Park Inn Asheville
The National Gingerbread House Competition display for this holiday season takes place at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville from November 18, 2015 through January 3, 2016. Judging for the annual competition takes place on November 16, 2015 and the awards ceremony is open and free to the public. This year is the 23rd Annual National Gingerbread House Competition. The gingerbread houses from this year’s competition will be placed on display to the general public Sunday through Thursday 9:00am till 9:00pm. They are on display for resort guests at any time.
Gingerbread House Competition Omni Grove Park Inn Asheville
The bakers must make their elaborate gingerbread houses all edible except for the base. Every part of the gingerbread house must be able to be eaten. Bakers from all over the United States enter the competition. Some drive or fly from many hours away with their gingerbread houses, hoping their houses survive the trip with little or no damage.
It is so much fun to stroll through the rows of magical gingerbread houses baked and decorated by bakers young and old from all over the United States. This is a favorite holiday event for many. Enjoy the intricate candy-decorated gingerbread creations. It will be hard not to get into the spirit of Christmas while walking through the displays of gingerbread houses too pretty to eat. You may even become inspired to make your own holiday gingerbread house!
The gingerbread houses are on display in the main lobby floor in both wings of the resort. A map can be obtained from the information desk of the Omni Grove Park Inn. While at the Omni Grove Park Inn you can also do some shopping at the gift shop, warm up and enjoy the fire in the fireplace in the lobby, and see the display of more than 80 decorated Christmas trees. The Omni Grove Park Inn is a magical place during the holiday season with Christmas trees, garlands, lights, wreaths and decorations to impress us all. There is no charge to enter the resort and view the gingerbread houses but there is a $10 parking fee per car.
Christmas at Biltmore
While in Asheville you can also visit Biltmore Estate. Christmas at Biltmore this year is November 6, 2015 – January 10, 2016. Biltmore Estate is beautiful any time of year but during the Christmas holiday season, the huge estate is magical. Biltmore during the festive Christmas season is decorated with strands of garland, huge bows, dozens of themed Christmas trees, thousands of glittering ornaments, and millions of twinkling lights.
The National Gingerbread House Competition at Omi Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC
Finch Pottery Open House is on Sunday November 8, 2015 this year. It starts at 10:00am and last till 5:00pm. The yearly open house is a popular event when Dan opens his pottery workshops for all to visit and enjoy. This year he will have over 60 potters at his open house event. It’s a fun-filled event with shopping, pottery demonstrations, music, fun and food. There are pottery demonstrations, live music, shopping and food. Even kid’s activities like face painting and Santa’s Workshop. It’s a great place to buy functional pottery for the home or kitchen as well as pottery for home or garden decor. More shopping items includes jewelry, wall hangings and sculpture. And this year there will be music by the Southern Star Band. Free admission and parking!
Finch Pottery Open House Nov. 8, 2015
Dan Finch is a well-known potter that works in stoneware, porcelain, wood-fired, salt-glazed, and raku pottery. Finch Pottery and Nursery is located near Bailey, NC. He was Director of the North Carolina Pottery Center and a former President of the Village of Yesteryear at the North Carolina State Fair. He also runs a pottery school at his studio. He also has Finch Homes for Bluebirds and has a blueberry farm.
Finch Pottery Open House in Bailey is a great way to spend a cold November Sunday afternoon sipping hot chocolate and shopping with family and friends for those unique holiday gifts while exploring a famous potters workshop.
NC fall foliage reports and updates at Travel NC. The trees remain mostly green in the mountains of NC as expected for late September. The weather has been rather warm with little chance of an early frost in the forecast. There is some color starting to show in the dogwood trees with a hint of red. Some maples trees have started to turn a little gold. This early color change is more than likely related to the dry weather and not from the true fall foliage color change related to colder temperatures.
NC Fall Foliage Reports and Updates
Typically the start of the fall foliage color change in Western NC will start to take place in about a week or so in the highest elevations – those mountain areas north of Asheville and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In about a week to 10 days look for the color show to begin in the elevations above 5,000 ft such as Clingmans Dome, Mt. LeConte, Cataloochee and Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains. Grandfather Mountain and the Boone area will start to show color in the highest elevations as well as Mount Mitchell, Craggy Gardens, and Rough Ridge along the Blue Ridge Parkway in about a week to 10 days.
See Travel NC Fall Colors for all the information about when and where to see the fall colors throughout the state including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Asheville, Boone, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Chimney Rock, Cashiers and more. Depending on the elevation when and where is the key to viewing the fall colors at their peak. The mountains of NC vary in elevation. Find out the best places to go at the best times during October at Travel NC Fall Colors. Its time now to make those travel plans!
Predictions are in for this year’s fall foliage 2015. Kathy Mathews is a Western North Carolina associate professor of biology and her annual prediction for this season is out. She predicts for this year the fall foliage show to be full of color as a result of the very dry summer. She predicts the fall color show this year may be the best the North Carolina mountains has had in years. Rain in late spring kept the trees healthy but the summer months have been unusually dry. Dry conditions result in more red colors Mathews stated in her prediction. More red and orange colors make the fall foliage especially pretty along with the yellows and golds.
The key to the start of the fall colors is when the first frost occurs. Peak colors happened just days after the first frost in any given elevation. Lowest temperatures/frost occur in the highest elevations first and then progresses down to the lower elevations. So peak color happens in the highest elevations (over 4000ft) first and then work down to the lower elevations. Color changes usually start in late September and continue into early November depending on the elevation and the weather.In North Carolina there is usually a 4-6 weeks window of opportunity to few the fall colors due to the varied elevations in the NC mountains.
The fall foliage predictions, forecast and fall colors weekly reports by Travel NC will be coming in September of 2015 for this year’s fall foliage season in the North Carolina mountains. Check back often!
A recent video taken by a man vacationing in Henderson County, North Carolina may show Bigfoot walking/running in a field trying to get away from the man’s dog! Rumors and sightings of Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) has been around for years. Late night fireside camping stories about the creature have scared many of children and adults too. But does this latest video really show Bigfoot running across a field heading for cover in the trees?
Bigfoot In NC Video
The man who recorded the video is from Boone, NC. He was on vacation in Henderson County and was apparently out walking his little dog when they spotted the upright all black figure across the road in a field making its way into a nearby grove of trees. The man’s little dog Zippy started barking at the figure as it makes its way across the field. It’s hard to tell looking at the video just what the figure might be-Bigfoot or a person dressed all in black playing a hoax. But the video sure has made the news bigtime!
Bigfoot is usually described as very tall and hairy with an animal like gait that walks in an upright position-that is on two feet. There have been numerous sightings, stories, pictures and myths of the creature. The Legend of Bigfoot is well-known in American culture. And who knows he may just really exist and be living in Henderson County, North Carolina, or just passing through!
Take a look and you decide if it is really Bigfoot…
