AVL LIFE

BLURP White Party Kicks Off Summer, After Party to Follow
The 2014 White Party, sponsored by Blue Ridge Pride, is this Friday at the Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Asheville. Proceeds benefit Loving Food Resources and the host organization, Blue Ridge Pride.

Why It’s Cheaper to Travel Than Stay in Asheville!
Whenever I’m about to set out on an exotic trip somewhere, I frequently get comments like: “How can you afford to travel so much?”

Commit to Your Cosmic Destiny
Do one little thing every day to infuse the bare room of your being with creation until a wild arena explodes in your sweet heart.

Festival Dream Team: Three Asheville Powerhouses Team Up to Plan New Event
Three Asheville women with extensive community connections and experience planning and executing festvials are teaming up to create what they hope will be a new signature event for Asheville.

Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Fest
Asheville's 8th annual ABSfest was a sexy event, to say the least. "Over 2000 people have reveled in the company of our suede, satin, and sparkle, our chicken feathered starlets and our fish-eyed zombie boys."

Thunderheads and Grilled Romaine
Once the clouds broke, it was time for a celebratory grill fire. And once the coals are hot and the meat has been adequately seared and infused with smoke, why not add the salad too?

Architect Brandon Pass on Asheville Modern Architecture
My good friends, architect Brandon Pass and his wife Libby, are two of my favorite people to sit and discuss regional craft and design with over beer and wine. Not only are they both talented - they are just good people who are both passionate about their individual craft.

Downtown After 5 Returns Friday with Drivin' N Cryin' and American Aquarium
Downtown's free summer concert series is back Friday, June 20 with Drivin' N Cryin' and American Aquarium.

Get Thee to Market
As I grind the beans for my morning elixir and feed my pups, I make a mental note of the meal I want to serve in the evening.

Five Point's The Blue House up for NC Modernist Award
The Blue House in Five Points is up for the George Matsumoto Prize from North Carolina Modernist Houses.

20 Ways To Not Be An A**hole In Town
It's easy to complain. It can be even easier to just not be an ass. Here are 20 tip so you can try and avoid being one.

What #avl Was Tweeting About This Week
The Obamas are moving here?! Possible whiskey shortage?! I can be in the next Galifianakis movie?!

A Girl and Her Fairy Tale
I think there’s a dizziness that can happen when life gets busy. A trickery in the monotonous. The luxury of self-exploration is allotted to those who seek it, but, also those who have time for it. Which, many of us don’t.

Training Your Deputy. Or Maybe Bribing. Same Thing.
We train The Deputy to help with chores or build skills by offering a toy. We’ve done this since he was a toddler. Potty training earned him a car from a Matchbox set.

OGB's Favorite Summer Hotspots
Some of the Outdoor Gear Builders of Western North Carolina's favorite Summer destinations and activities in and around Asheville, NC. Plus, how to get there!

I Love You When You're Fat
As a kid, I remember waiting for my dad to get home from work every afternoon. This was back when people used to get home from work at 5:30 like clockwork.

Lessons From Lucinda
The other night I did something that I rarely do...I went out after nine. Go ahead and make fun of me all you hipsters, but I am old, I could break a hip!

Serviceberry Skillet Cake (A.K.A Asheville-Grit Cake)
If you can beat the birds to them, serviceberries are a handsome match for all things pastry...

What I Learned From Jury Duty
You can buy $12 of cat treats with your reward for a day’s inefficient jury service.

Solo African Dance Piece "Without A Shadow" To Make Asheville Premier
On June 5 at The Orange Peel, Barakissa Coulibaly will be premiering her solo dance piece "Without A Shadow".

The Shape of Things (Okay, Me)
If, like me, you spent your entire winter and spring inside and stationary, you are, also like me, resembling a Shmoo.

Alopecia Areata + My Mom
My mother is a strong, lighthearted woman. She is often mischievous and likes to not take life too seriously. Although, she can worry about her children something fierce, she never dwells too long on the negative.

Hanging out with Katie
Every Tuesday for the past 15 years I have had a standing date with my girl Katie. She is the best kind of friend...

Wine on a Dime
In a town where beer reigns supreme, those who prefer wine can end up with parched wallets when going out.

I Can't Stop Saying This Band Name
It's a bold move for a band to line the front of the stage with four guitarists, but what do you expect from a band named Diarrhea Planet?

Local Influences for Asheville Beer Week
It’s the third annual Asheville Beer Week, a weeklong celebration of all things beer, and the Fonta Flora guys have brought 10 of their brews to town for the first time.

Shy Girl at the Party: Reflecting on the Launch of Asheville Grit
Mostly, I'm not a shy person. I'm boisterous and full of life and well, loud. But certain social situations tug at the shy part of me.

Rumor Control: Is Ingles on the Block?
Over the past couple of months, I've heard consistent chatter that something is going on with Ingles...

What a Warm Welcome.
Last evening, Asheville Grit went live and had its launch party on the rooftop deck of downtown Asheville's Social Lounge, and it truly could not have been a lovelier night.

New Barbecue Joint Coming to Asheville's South Slope
Two of Asheville's most well-known restauranteurs are teaming up for a new venture on the South Slope.

Things about Asheville That Make Me Shed Tears
As rad as Asheville is, no place is perfect. Here’s a list of some of the things that make me shed a tear for my beloved city

Downtown After 5 For the Rest of the Summer!
The Asheville Downtown Association today announced the lineup for the 26th season of Downtown After 5, presented by Harmony Motors.

Summers of Slurpees - A Short Story
The wind across my skin cools me as I pedal faster on my huffy. I’m in a race against my friends to the turn at the back-alley where we park our bikes before counting our change.

Community, Home and Toast: This is the Good Life
Happy Wednesday y’all! I’m thinking it is right about time for me to send out a little appreciation for the good things in my world! Which brings me to another edition of “This is the Good Life.”

South Asheville, a.k.a. Emerging Asheville
South Asheville is one of the most quickly emerging parts of town. Downtown and West Asheville are marvelous...

Which Ashevillian Are You?
Whatever you are, Asheville is happy to have you! Take our quiz and find out what kind of Ashevillian you are today, and share the results with your friends!

An Introduction to Asheville Fashion
These days, it's hard to meet anyone outside of our fair city who hasn't at least heard of or (more likely) visited Asheville.

Things I Said To My Kids Today
One of the best aspects of being a stay at home dad, is that there’s plenty of time to have really deep conversations with my children

Downtown After Five - May 14, 2014
Two and a half minute timelapse video of Downtown After Five, May 16, 2014. Every second of video is approximately 6 minutes of real time. Music by St. Paul and the Broken Bones.

What's so Bohemian About a Bohemian Pilsner?
This is a style that many craft brewers overlook when designing beers. A simple beer as far as recipes are considered with generally with one malt and one hop (Saaz) with a lager yeast

Welcome To Asheville Synthpop
As Stereospread, we have been working to consolidate a listenership for synthpop and electropop in the Asheville area.

Harvest Records Celebrates 10-year Anniversary
A three-day music festival in August will help mark the record West Asheville record store mark its milestone.

Client Feature: Scot Quaranda! Working with Dogwood Alliance to help save our forests
In past years, Adorn has had the opportunity to help Dogwood Alliance in their efforts to preserve our forests by involving our proactive clients

What I’m Digging
Happy Friday, friends! I’m back in flannel and warm slippers today, but am still able to write this outdoors, from our porch

9 Essentials for Summertime in the Mountains
Summertime in Asheville is a wonderland for most of us. Local beers flow from the taps, feet and paws alike run through the river banks, and our forests fill up with happy hikers seeking a quiet moment with nature and a starry sky.

Machines + Forests. Wires + Waters. Moogfest Meets Asheville's Wilds.
Yeah, let's have a little fun...Spring has sprung, the earth is warming and it's time to get outside, you lazy bones! Here in Asheville, we are surrounded by a million and a half acres of National Forest, wild waterfalls and streams, furry, feathery, scaly and slimy wildlife- including homo sapiens - and some of the greatest places and people you'll ever see.