Experience wildlife up close with a family-friendly adventure to the WNC Nature Center, located just 10 minutes from downtown Asheville! Among the animals you’ll see are otters, black bears, wolves and a cougar! The 42-acre wildlife park features award-winning exhibits that are home to 60 species of wild and domestic animals and hundreds of species of plants. All the species
If you’re looking for things to do in Asheville, then consider this list your primer to the many activities available in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Whether you’re a first-time visitor, or perhaps well acquainted with the flair of this Southern Appalachian getaway, here are 50 ideas to help you see, do, and explore the best Asheville has to offer. Ver la versión en
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Has there ever been a creature so fearsome yet so adorable than the bear? If you spend enough time hiking or picnicking in the mountains near Asheville, you might see a bear. Fortunately, the black bear tends to be friendly and will not attack humans unless provoked. Of course, the best way to avoid run-ins with North Carolina's largest mammal is taking measures to prevent a bear encounter.
Meet Obi-Wan and Olive, two adorable North American river otters that call the WNC Nature Center home. These playful creatures are found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats and can tolerate a great range of temperature and elevations. A river otter's main requirements are a steady food supply and easy access to a body of water. Facts You Otter Know Life expectancy in zoos: 16 years Life
Shortly before fall in Asheville and the Great Smoky Mountains, thousands of Monarch butterflies pass through the Asheville area as they migrate south to Mexico. The butterflies travel more than 2,000 miles on their journey, and we're fortunate that Western North Carolina is right along their route! When to see Monarch butterflies in Asheville, NC From the middle of September and
Bring your binoculars to these birding havens Whether you’re a casual bird watcher or you’re collecting sightings for your Life List, Asheville is a birder’s paradise. Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Great Blue Herons and Pileated Woodpeckers are just a few of the 200 birds that make their home here year-round, while another 80 species migrate through the Southern
Honey Bees Make Life Sweeter in the Mountains Asheville goes by many names, including Land of the Sky, Paris of the South, Beer City USA and also Bee City USA. That's right—Bee City, as in honey bees. Honeybee (apis mellifera) by Eran Finkle (Flickr/finklez) The city became the inaugural Bee City USA in 2012, officially designating the community as one of the first in the nation to
Pack a Picnic for Cataloochee Valley A quick trip to the gorgeous Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains offers big rewards. The biggest is getting a close-up view of the majestic elk that weigh up to 900 pounds, making them the largest animals in the park. The large meadows by the roadside allow for easy watching as the elk roam, graze and interact. Elk roamed the Appalachian Mountains
Hawks Soar Over Asheville in Annual Migration Fall is a favorite time here in Western North Carolina, when the cooling weather provides ideal conditions for exploring all this area offers. The changing leaves along the Blue Ridge Parkway present a feast for the eyes, and the migration sightings can provide memories to last a lifetime, particularly for hawk enthusiasts. Each year in the fall,
Outings to Satisfy Your Inner Bird Nerd Flashes of red plumage in the forest canopy and a familiar song - “what-cheer, what-cheer, what-cheer” - signify the presence of a nearby Northern Cardinal. This is an easy bird to recognize, even for a novice bird watcher, but it is only one of nearly 300 bird species to call Asheville, and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, home. To sharpen
