A few outstanding annual events are listed below. Web sites that provide more detailed listings are Mountain Times, Blue Ridge Digest, High Country Host, and those in the excursions section of this web site under item 29 ( Asheville).
| Birders’ Day at Grandfather Mountain |
| Wildflower Day at Grandfather Mountain |
| Geology Day at Grandfather Mountain |
| Assault
on Mt. Mitchell and Assault on Marion: Bicycling event with 4,500 feet of climbing. |
| Festival of Flowers at Biltmore Estate |
| Annual Grandfather Mountain Nature Photography Weekend |
| Programs and performances at Wild Acres. |
| "Unto These Hills" is an outdoor drama about the life and history of the Cherokee people from the 1540’s through 1838 and the forced removal to Oklahoma in 1838 of almost all of the Cherokees from the area. The story about the infamous "Trail of Tears" includes the colorful Eagle Dance. Performances are in Cherokee. |
| Since 1952, the outdoor drama Horn in the West has portrayed the settlers' struggles in the 1700's. The musical production is in Boone. |
| Singing on the Mountain: the oldest on-going all day gospel sing left in the southern Appalachians, church bazaar, and dinner on the grounds. |
| Rhododendron bloom peaks in late June. |
| Appalachian Summer: Artists’ performing in Boone at Appalachian State University call 1-800-841-ARTS. |
| Public concerts at Warren Wilson College in connection with the Swannanoa Gatherings' one week workshops on topics such as guitar, the dulcimer, contemporary folk, and Celtic music. |
| Traditional Music in the Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Performances at Flat Rock Playhouse -- "The State Theater of NC"- and one of the top ten summer theaters in the country. It is located near Carl Sandburg's home on the west side of Hendersonville. |
| Highland Games at MacRae Meadows are the largest games outside Edinburgh. The nearby Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, held for the past 52 years and second in size only to those in Edinburgh, are scheduled each July. |
| The Craftsman's Fair of the Southern Highlands, held since 1948 under auspices of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild at the Asheville Convention Center in Asheville, is a good place to meet the artisans, some of whose work is available only at the Fair. |
| Bele Chere Music and Arts Festival in Asheville is the largest street festival in the Southeast. |
| The North Carolina Mineral and Gem Festival, which has been held for 50 years, in nearby Spruce Pine is among the top 5 in the nation. International rock hounds set up in a field, and gemstone and jewelry specialists fill a huge gymnasium. |
| The Annual Grandfather Mountain Amateur and Professional Camera Clinic attracts amateurs and top professionals. |
| Monarch and Hawk Migrations occur in the late summer and fall. |
| Leaf change typically peaks in mid to late October. |
| Michaelmas--An English Harvest Fair at Biltmore Estate |
| Candlelight Christmas Evenings & Daytime Holiday Celebrations at Biltmore House. |