Tag Archives: Western North Carolina

A Glimpse of Asheville

Published in Asheville Live on July 17, 2015

DSC00004Located in the mountains of Western North Carolina, lays the beautiful city of Asheville. Whether you come here in the fall to see the leaves change color on the parkway, a spring visit to the Biltmore House to see the flowers bloom, or for a summer vacation to enjoy all the outdoor activities you can imagine, Asheville is the perfect place to visit any time of the year.  

This small city is a great place to be if you’re traveling here with your family, by yourself, or with your significant other. The adventure of Asheville begins as soon as you step foot in downtown. Here you will find some of the best restaurant and small shops. You will not want to miss a trip to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge! Call us here at Wilcox Travel and we would love to set you up a tour of downtown Asheville so that you can learn the history of the wonderful town. While you are downtown make a trip down to the River Arts District to enjoy multiple art studios and experience the culture of Asheville. If you are a fan of the night scene then you will love some of the bars there are, including Aloft hotel where you can go on the roof and see all of the city under the stars.

Just ten minutes from downtown Asheville located in Biltmore Forest sits The Biltmore Estate. The house is one of the biggest private homes in the US and the estate is one of the largest that is still privately owned. Don’t forget to get your tickets at the front gate because you will not want to miss out on the walk through tours they offer of the home. A visit to the Biltmore Estate can last all day and will still leave you wanting more. Surrounding the house are the estates gardens, a pond, and many walking trails, including one that line the French Broad River. Not to mention the many dining options they have from snacks to completely formal, which is great for celebrations and special occasions. You can enjoy a free tour of the winery and if you are of age, free wine testing when the tour is complete! The options at The Biltmore Estate are endless.

After you have enjoyed two of the most famous places in Asheville you will want to continue your adventure outdoors! Surrounding Asheville are many hiking trails, waterfalls, places to zip line, a tubing experience down the river, a drive down the parkway, and much more. The hiking trails range from very easy, something the whole family can do and then there are strenuous ones for the most adventure seeking outdoor lovers! While on your hike or outdoor adventure there will be plenty of opportunities to view the wildlife. There are also great places to horseback ride, or play golf in the valley of the mountains.

If you love to shop there is something for you too! Besides the many shops in downtown Asheville and Biltmore Forest, an outlet mall recently opened up fifteen minutes down the road with plenty of stores for all different tastes.

There are so many activities to do you will want to spend as much time in Asheville that you can! Enjoy your adventures and come see us here in these beautiful mountains we call home. Contact Wilcox Travel so we can help you plan the perfect trip to Asheville, NC.

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Wildlife spectacle lies just over Smokies

Published in Asheville Attractions, Asheville Local News on February 24, 2014

The four of us met in Asheville that morning bound for the wildlife spectacle along the Hiwassee River in southwestern Tennessee. Many of the local lakes were still frozen, so the largest concentration of sandhill cranes in the Southeastern United States (outside Florida) was not in the wildlife refuge but along the shores off the Hiwassee River.

The cranes, along with thousands of ducks, were standing around on the sand bars or feeding along the semi-frozen shoreline.

Hundreds were also feeding in the nearby fields among the cattle — a quite amazing sight really. Not quite the African savanna, but almost. Small flocks of American pipits also fed in the fields, and large flocks of red-winged blackbirds wheeled and landed amongst the unconcerned livestock.

A new visitor center had been built down on the end of Blyth’s Ferry Road honoring the Cherokee removal along the Trail of Tears, which was a peaceful site to spend a little time before heading to the new overlook high on a bluff over the Hiwassee River. The cranes were still distant, so we looked for a closer vantage point on the other side of the river (another part of Blyth’s Ferry Road).

The rest of the late afternoon

Article source: http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20140223/COLUMNISTS/402231002 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Employer registration Open- 2014 Homecoming Job Fair

Published in Asheville Local News on February 19, 2014

The Economic Development Coalition and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce partner annually with numerous workforce and industry allies to promote employment opportunities in advanced manufacturing, health care, and other growth industries in Western North Carolina. Residents, students, graduates and former residents are encouraged to attend this one-stop opportunity to meet directly with representatives from companies that will be hiring in 2014 or organizations promoting awareness to potential future employees.  The event will be held Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at the Davis Event Center within the WNC Ag Center.  Employers may register online at www.homecomingjobfair.com for Western North Carolina’s largest recruiting event!   No registration necessary for job seekers. 

Job seekers are cordially invited to a FREE JOB SEEKER CONFERENCE presented by WNC Human Resource Association and the Asheville Chamber of Commerce in conjunction on Tuesday, October 22, 2013 at AB Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium from 1- 5 PM. Free parking will be provided.

 

During the Job Seeker conference, attendees will learn the three R’s of finding a job: Research, Resumes and Relationships. Attendees will receive real time advice from HR experts regarding every piece of the job seeking process: from

Article source: http://www.ashevillechamber.org/economic-development/announcements-and-press-releases/employer-registration-open-2014-homecoming-job If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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JACOB HOLM INDUSTRIES TO EXPAND OPERATIONS

Published in Asheville Local News on February 19, 2014

In conjunction with the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County (EDC), Jacob Holm Industries, a global nonwoven manufacturer, today announced the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Candler with over $45.9 million investment in facilities and equipment. The total project could exceed $60 million when it is complete.  Jacob Holm’s investment in Buncombe County will bring 66 new positions to accommodate the addition of a new product line.  The project is contingent upon approval at public hearing.  The company, which originally located in Buncombe County in 2005, currently employs 82 workers at the Candler production facility.

 

 Jacob Holm Industries, founded in 1794, is headquartered globally in Basel, Switzerland.  The Buncombe County facility is the headquarters for its U.S. subsidiary. Jacob Holm Industries is one of the world’s leading nonwoven corporations, offering high-quality products for the personal care, home care, hygiene, packaging and industrial markets.This additional production line is planned to start commercial production in Q1, 2015.  

 “Jacob Holm Industries is pleased to announce this new technology investment at our existing operation in Candler,” said Jacob Holm President, Steve Landon.  “Since opening our doors in Western North Carolina back in 2005,

Article source: http://www.ashevillechamber.org/economic-development/announcements-and-press-releases/jacob-holm-industries-expand-operations If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Haywood revives film commission

Published in Asheville Attractions on February 5, 2014

Haywood County is no stranger to the silver screen. It was a star in the blockbuster movie “Cold Mountain,” and will be there again when “Serena” comes out later this year. But neither of these place-based novels set in Haywood were actually filmed here — the production companies went overseas instead.

But Haywood’s tourism leaders aren’t giving up on the idea of turning the county into a film hotspot — not just for movies, but TV shows, reality shows, commericals, even catalog shoots.

They have revived the idea of a Haywood Film Commission, something that was around in the 1980s but had fizzled over the years. 

“And we’re going to change that,” Seymour said.

 

Roll Camera

When a production company begins looking around for potential locations to film, whether it be a major motion picture, independent project, music video or commercial, there are three categories they address — location, support services and crew. 

Location could be a bustling city or backwoods farm, where support services can encompass catering, engineers and makeup artists, while crew can be those with editing and marketing backgrounds. The possibilities are as endless as the positions that need to be filled when the cameras

Article source: http://www.newsfeedmaker.com/article/188893884/7b2910f9 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Smokies, Blue Ridge tourism loss over funding-related closures expected to hurt Western Carolina

Published in Asheville Attractions, North Carolina News on March 28, 2013

ASHEVILLE — The usually much-anticipated spring and summer seasons in Western North Carolina’s national parks will come with fewer places to camp on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park; a disappearance of rangers and their familiar Stetson hats; and longer waits for restrooms, picnic areas and visitor centers to open.

The full effect of the so-called sequestration budget cuts on the National Park Service hit full force this week, when park administrators devised plans to meet the budget slashing.

All parks must cut their budgets by 5 percent, including the parkway, the most visited of all national park units, for the rest of the year. Parkway superintendent Phil Francis said the immediate effects will mean the loss of some 40 jobs and all seasonal interpretive programs for the remainder of the year to accommodate the $784,000 budget cut.

“We’re going to cut 21 seasonal interpretive jobs. There are four districts between North Carolina and Virginia — the cuts will be equally distributed,” Francis said. “We’ve got four maintenance seasonals we won’t be able to hire, a handful of seasonal rangers in the campgrounds we can’t hire.”

Continue reading at the Asheville Citizen-Times

http://www.newsfeedmaker.com/article/141717250/7b2910f9 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Spring blossoms bring color to WNC

Published in Asheville Attractions, North Carolina News on March 28, 2013

Plants expected to produce unusually vibrant colors, due to the mild winter and rainy weather

Springtime in Western North Carolina displays a beautiful illustration of color that lasts throughout the Summer.

The plants and trees are beginning to produce flowers which display vibrant colors such as pink, yellow, red, purple, blue, gold, and orange, which will exhibit more color than usual, due to weather conditions.

Fall in WNC is famous for its gorgeous display of multicolored foliage, but Spring delivers different types of colors from the wildflowers and blossoming plants, which are just as breathtaking as the fall foliage.

“Many travelers come to Haywood County to see the flowers throughout the year,” explains Lynn Collins, Director of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority. “The colors during the spring are truly breathtaking, much like the fall foliage.”

If you are planning to make a trip to Western North Carolina this year, below you will find a list of bloom times for various plants in the area, with many of them budding in the spring and blossoming throughout the summer:

March April

Over sixty different flowers and plants grow during the springtime. Here’s a few you can expect to see:

• Trout Lilly, Bloodroot , Jack In The Pulpit, Oconee

Article source: http://www.newsfeedmaker.com/article/141546377/7b2910f9 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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