Outrageously Cool Summer Events in Asheville, North Carolina

If you've never used the term, "Awesomeness" it's obvious you have never visited Asheville . Our non-traditional mountain town is famous for its off-the-chart social events and festivals. Asheville offers a variety of Summer entertainment, some of which is free to visitors and local residents. From Asheville's Annual Iditarod to the Biltmore Festival of Flowers our mountain town offers something for everyone. However there is nothing like summer in Asheville to get you off your chair and dancing in the street.

Friday Night Drum Circle: Todd Rundgren's "I don't want to work, I want to bang on the drum all day!" could be Asheville's unofficial summer anthem. From Spring through Fall anyone with a drum can join the drum circle every Friday evening in Pritchard Park. If you don't have drums come anyway. It's loads of fun and it's free. Tired of drumming? Take a food or beverage break. There are plenty of great cafés, microbreweries and restaurants within walking distance.

Asheville 5k Idiotarod: Join our unconventional group of mountain athletes' race through Asheville in their bizarre home-made costumes and decorated shopping carts. The Asheville 5k Idiotarod is an annual event to help keep Asheville's MANNA food banks filled. Registration is only $20 per person and $100 per team. In case you don't know what an Idiotarod is - in general it involves a person with a team of dogs competing with others who traverse 1150 miles of Alaska's roughest and toughest terrain. But don't worry; Asheville's race is only 5k and shopping carts are pulled by people, not dogs. However, if your pooch wants to participate it's okay. They can ride in the cart or run along with you. Asheville is a pet friendly town.

The Bele Chere Festival: Pronounced "Bell Cher" it's an annual 3-day festival held the last weekend of July on the streets of Downtown Asheville featuring live music all day and night for 200,000 festival-goers. Bele Chere means "beautiful living" and comes from an ancient Scottish dialect. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains, this is one of the Southeast's largest free outdoor street festivals. Bele Chere offers the unique opportunity to see, taste and hear some of the region's finest art, cuisine and music. You can drive to the festival however I would suggest using the Bele Chere Shuttle. It starts one hour before the festival and travels within a 3-mile radius approximately every 20 minutes at a minimal cost of $3.00, round trip.

If you want to have a "banging" awesome summer vacation full of festivals and fun, "cart" your family to Asheville, North Carolina and enjoy "beautiful living." Would you like to meet some of our weird and wonderful Asheville residents? You really should check out our " Freaks of Asheville " calendar. If you're lucky you might see our cross-dressing nun riding his tall two-wheeler bicycle.

Source(s):
http://www.romanticasheville.com/drumming_circle.htm
http://www.idiotarod.com
http://www.romanticasheville.com/belechere.htm
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=2242469