Attend a lively musical performance, go dancing at one of the many street festivals planned throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains, explore regional gem mines, sample your way across a food and wine festival, or explore a new art exhibit. There’s no shortage of cool things to do here in Western North Carolina. Here’s a list of some of the best events taking place this month.
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Woolly Worm Festival
October 19, 2019 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
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Since 1978, this quirky, world-famous festival has been used to predict the upcoming winter weather for the North Carolina High Country.
According to legend, the 13 bands on the woolly worm (woolly bear caterpillar) represent the 13 weeks of winter. Brown bands indicate a mild week, black bands indicate a cold, snowy week. Since every woolly worm has different colors, the Woolly Worm festival holds races to determine which worm is used to make the forecast.
Saturday’s winning worm receives $1,000 and the honor of predicting the upcoming winter. Races continue on Sunday, with that day’s winner receiving $500.
In addition to the races, the Woolly Worm Festival includes food and craft vendors and live entertainment. This two-day family event annually draws more than 20,000 attendees and takes place during the traditional peak weekend for autumn leaf viewing in Banner Elk and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
