Greetings Mortal Traveler:

Now is the very witching hour! The trees have begun to shed their leaves. The days are growing shorter. The nights are growing longer, thank goodness. It can be inconvenient for a creature such as myself to pick up some fresh cycling gear and try out a seasonal pale ale during daylight hours without bursting into flame. But never fear, I am out and about and wearing my cape. October in Transylvania County brings a spring to the step, and a song to my cold, undead heart. I’ve even thought about picking up the banjo!

As we near my favorite holiday, there are plenty of creepy, crawly, chilling and thrilling things a person might innocently wander into when not working on their costume. They tell me you don’t even have to be able turn into a bat to have a good time.  As for me, I’ll be lurking in the dark corners, trying to lure innocent, unsuspecting hikers to the castle for tricks, treats and perhaps a little old-time jam session with me and the Wolfman (he’s a real monster on the stand-up bass). Until then, I am as always

Eternally Yours, 
Count Adventurist

The banks of the French Broad River are thick with brilliant foliage this time of year.  And there is no better way to enjoy a glorious, sunny autumn morning than letting the guides at Headwaters take you on a gentle, four-hour paddling odyssey along a breathtaking stretch of riverside. Paddles provided. 

Usher in the grandeur of the season with a suitably spectacular soundtrack provided by the Brevard Philharmonic and new conductor James Fellenbaum. This matinee performance features a program brimming with grand themes and gorgeous melodies. The program features works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Sibelius, featuring violinist Bella Hristova. Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

You may have heard that fall can be a pretty splendid thing around Transylvania County. Now imagine the soaring, multi-colored views from Gorges State Park and you have an inkling of what an extraordinary setting that will make for this all-ages, free autumn festival featuring hay rides, games, smores, food and live music. 

Witches, ghouls, goblins, get all your pumpkins in a row.  The trickiest, treatiest, most creeptastic family-friendly street party will take over downtown Brevard with a costume contest, parade, pumpkin carving, games, live music, food, “Flight of the Vampire” 5K, 10K and fun runs and a very special appearance from Sesame Street’s The Count. 

A whole month passes between editions of The Adventurist. That’s about a year in white squirrel time. And because every month in Brevard and Transylvania County offers such a bevy of bewilderingly awesome things to see and do, we don’t get to cover everything or go into detail on the things we do. So, we came up with a new way to keep you up to date, in the loop and right on top of all the latest. Each month we’ll give you a little something extra — from local businesses to visit to exciting local news to tips and tricks to make your next trip to the Land of Waterfalls even more extraordinary. Look forward to our 2nd edition in two weeks which features new local businesses. 

Also of note in October: