It’s hard to believe that we’re rounding the corner on summer and moving towards back-to-school and fall. Just a few months ago, I was wondering whether it might be possible to convince my social media followers to meet up in person for “field trips”. And here we are, four amazing field trips behind us (Swannanoa, Canton, Black Mountain, and Old Fort) and two to go!
Swannanoa, NC
For the first community field trip, we started at my home base – Swannanoa. A rainstorm blew through early morning, and most of downtown had no electricity until just before we started the trip. A group of folks from as far as South Carolina and Blowing Rock met me under the awning of the funeral home as rain poured down. Lucky for us, it didn’t last long. We filed into the warmth of Roots and Branches to sample their homemade crackers and local cheese and then over next door to Ovenbird for incredible scones and cookies and other baked goods.
Swannanoa doesn’t have many sidewalks (yet) so we carefully walked behind the building to a very cool spot that I didn’t discover for years – Cherry Tree Beads. Floor-to-ceiling beads of every shape and color greeted the group. I’ve got a North Carolina charm and marbled pink and black beads still in my closet ready for when I finally make a bracelet. Next was a quick coffee from Short Sleeves and one of our participants had a bag of quarters that she passed out so that we could get a temporary tattoo or mini-art from her vending machine in the store (check out VESSELS).
The last stop before lunch was the Swannanoa Market. This is the second year the market has been going, and it’s even bigger with live music and a variety of food, art, and craft vendors. The initial plan was to meet up at Good Company Pizza for lunch but their oven was out, then we moved to La Bamba but they were closed for unexpected maintenance, and we finally landed at Okie Dokie’s BBQ. All great options and despite every little challenge, the field trip was a wonderful success. The trip ended at Grovemont Park where the field trip kids burned off the last of their energy while us adults kept chatting like old friends.
This field trip taught me that this idea of gathering folks together with a loose and flexible agenda wasn’t dumb. Not only would folks show up, but they were all the way in – sharing what they hoped to get out of the field trip, talking to each other, laughing together, sharing phone numbers, taking pictures, making memories, and feeling joy.
Canton, NC
I chose Canton as the location for the next field trip because a few months prior, I had a rare day where I was off from work but the kids had school. I decided to spend the day in Canton and had such a wonderful day walking along the Pigeon River and popping into shops on Main Street. Why not do it again with my neighbors?
The group started our day at Canton Rec Park where I had to interrupt the pre-conversations to get us started. This has been my favorite part about the trips so far, folks arriving early and jumping right into getting to know each other. It’s beautiful to witness. I gave folks a little time to explore the park and then we met up in front of Papertown Coffee. The conversations continued and different groups formed and then switched up throughout the day. On this trip, we had a visitor from Georgia whose friend had been on the Swannanoa trip. It was the first time someone joined by word of mouth and the first time having a repeat field-tripper!
We walked on and explored Blue Moon Books, Bumble Holler, and Geek Mountain before making our way to the Grateful Table for lunch. I’ve been structuring my field trip in a way that there are “parts” to make it more accessible to various schedules. It has been working – sometimes people leave at midday or arrive at midday. This field trip had a special guest – Zeb Smathers, the Mayor of Canton, joined us for a few minutes during lunchtime to share about Canton and why he loves his town.
Finally, those of us with little kids finished out the day with some vegan ice cream from Papertown Scoops (inside Papertown Records) and playtime at the splash pad until the kids were totally wiped out. There were great car naps on the way home!
Black Mountain, NC
For the Black Mountain field trip, I experimented with having a midday field trip rather than a Saturday. It was harder to turn out folks but our small and mighty group still had a great day. We met up at Peri Social House, a boutique hotel and coffee shop, and I brought biscuits and jam from one of my favorite WNC restaurants and markets – Beradu. For the morning connection time, I invited Allie from White Horse Black Mountain to visit and share about their new hub and the free community events they are hosting.
Next, we drove down the road and parked in downtown to start our day with a quick look at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts Gallery and then a guided tour of the Swannanoa Valley Museum. The museum has been on my list for a long time and it was a new experience for me and everybody else in our group. I didn’t realize how big the museum was – two floors! We learned a lot about the history of the Swannanoa Valley and I can’t wait to go back again for a solo tour and time reading all of the placards.
For this tour, the original plan was for folks to explore on their own (rather than the usual walking tour – too many options!) and then to close out at Lake Tomahawk. Due to heat, we axed the lake meet up and split into three groups to walk around Black Mountain and have lunch. My kids and I checked out nutmeg., a new bakery, and then had lunch at My Father’s Pizza. Two other folks headed over to Trailhead to get to know each other better over lunch and then did some shopping. And the last group went to a guitar shop, Sassafrass on Sutton, and had their lunch at Veranda.
This field trip was in some ways more structured than the others (guided museum tour) and also less structured (no walking tour), but it was perfect for the size of the group and met the interests of all of the participants. I’m still hoping to do a future brunch bunch over at Beradu, it’s that good!
Old Fort, NC
Last week, I did my first field trip in collaboration with another group – Artemis Rising Collective. We structured the day so that I would lead the morning exploration of downtown, we’d meet up for lunch, and then they would take over to lead the Catawba Falls Hike. We had a lot of fun planning together, making videos, and pulling in folks from our different social media audiences. Brittany and Meredith at Artemis Rising, “create retreats that invite adventure and ease—blending fitness, yoga, time in nature, creative play, and meaningful connection.”
This was the biggest group yet, about 26 people altogether from all over Western North Carolina. The morning group met up at Seeker Coffee for connection time and then walked over to the McDowell Visitor Center. We had intended to go over to Arrowhead Gallery but they weren’t quite open yet. Instead, we walked across downtown and checked out the new (and bigger) location of b side books and bakery and then The Common Pine. Before lunch, we also managed to check out the booths at Davis Country Store and The Roxy. It was my first time at both of these spots – they’re packed with vintage, eclectic wares, art, clothes, and more!
We chose Foothills Watershed as the lunch meet before the hike. This spot is a massive bike park with a food trailer. There’s plenty of space indoors and out for a crowd. One of the participants opted out of the hike, but had a whole list of places I had recommended in my videos that she planned to visit on her way back home to Hendersonville. Just as we were finishing lunch thunder started to rumble but we figured we’d get to the trailhead before making any final calls.
Catawba Falls Trailhead parking is often busy, but this day was particularly bad. We all did manage to park on the road, but it meant a bit of a pre-hike before the hike. Everybody was in good spirits and down to try the hike and to turn around if it felt dangerous. Meredith gave us a great safety training before we got started. And again, the rain held off and we had a beautiful hike! At the bottom of the falls, the field trip kids swam in their clothes and had a blast. When we all got back to our cars the field trip but officially over, but a few of us headed over to The Thirsty Peanuts shack for fresh lemonade and back into downtown Old Fort for an ice cream cone at The Scream. It was a big, fun day and more affirmation that sometimes folks just need to be invited and the agenda can be simple: walk, talk, and eat.
Upcoming Summer Field Trips – August 1 to Marion, August 9 to Asheville Salt Cave/Botanical Gardens
Don’t miss out on the last two trips of the summer! On August 1st, we are spending the day in downtown Marion – think sidewalk sale, books, markets, art, and more. On August 9th, spend a relaxing session at the Asheville Salt Cave, followed by a walk in the Asheville Botanical Gardens. Find the full itineraries and register here.
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