Lovers’ Loop Retreat’s Weblog

 Wow - hard to believe we’re so close to summer. The summer solstice arrives on June 21, according to our calendar here at Lovers’ Loop Retreat in Asheville, N.C. There’s no better place to be on the solstice, the longest day of the year, than fabulous Asheville, where you can watch the sun set slowly over the mountains; dance, sway and be mesmerized at the weekly Friday night drum circle downtown (bring your own drum, and pound away); look for wildflowers on trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway; devour the assortment of eye candy at the many art galleries; sample homegrown beers at breweries; and many other activities, many that are free.

Whatever you choose to do, our Lovers’ Loop Retreat, an Asheville vacation rental, is a roomy, comfortable place to hang your hat while you hang out. Visit our Web site at www.loversloopretreat.com to see a list of events we update regularly. We’ve posted events all the way to December, so you can see what’s going on whenever you plan your trip to Asheville and Lovers’ Loop Retreat. 

One of our favorite seasonal happenings will start soon, and you can watch the free show right here at our Asheville bed and breakfast alternative. It’s the return of the fireflies, which light up our large lot with their silent fireworks. It goes on most evenings for a month or more. Watch and be enchanted.

Warmer weather in Asheville also brings street musicians, who entertain passersby downtown. Guitars, banjos, accordions, violins, saxophones. And there are random, wordless performers, mimes of a sort, who stand like statues in costumes and come alive only when someone throws them a coin. They always draw intrigued crowds.

Nature lovers will appreciate that access to Mount Mitchell, about 30 miles north of Lovers’ Loop Retreat on the Blue Ridge Parkway (which is just around the corner from our guest suite) is back to normal. A road construction project – which has just ended –  had closed part of the parkway, which meant a lengthy detour to Mount Mitchell State Park. Now, you can zip up the parkway easily from Lovers’ Loop Retreat again. It’s worth a trip. Mount Mitchell is the highest point in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.

We’re looking forward to attending a performance at the Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre downtown in early June. The theater is known for its experimental, funky productions, and their works emphasize diversity. Their Physics of Happy Hour event runs June 4-7, with a reduced rate for a choice of performances.

On June 5, there’s the Asheville art walk, a stroll through downtown galleries, which stay open longer and offer refreshments. Sometimes artists are on hand to talk.

The Montford Park Players, North Carolina’s oldest Shakespeare company, starts its season June 5. All performances are free at the park’s amphitheater just outside downtown Asheville. This makes for a relaxing evening under the stars.

June 13-14 brings the River Arts District Studio Stroll, a self-guided tour of artists’ studios just outside downtown.

And June 19 is Downtown After Five, a hopping block party with live music and food.

And, of course, the mother of block parties is Bele Chere, the biggest street festival in the Southeast, July 24-26 in downtown Asheville. Live music, great food and art for sale. It’s quite a scene.

Another July note: the annual Shindig on the Green, a free outdoor concert series, kicks off near downtown on July 4. Bluegrass and folk music with clogging. Pretty cool. All of these events and more are listed on our Web site. Please pass along our muse-letter to your friends. And join us at Lovers’ Loop Retreat! See you in Asheville!