Earthshine offers many different summer adventures that are open to the general public and included with an overnight stay at Earthshine Lodge. We do ask that reservations be made ahead of time and can be made by phone or on the website (www.EarthshineNC.com) Wilderness Skills Program Ever wonder what to do if you’re lost in the wild? Join one of Earthshine’s experienced instructors for a fun and adventurous jaunt through the wilderness where you’ll learn to build a debris shelter, collect and treat water, build a fire, and discuss the essentials to make sure you’re prepared any time you are headed out on a hike in the woods. This is a fun activity for kids of all...
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The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a collection of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest. The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in late Spring, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County. You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 9:00pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts, or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30 pm. Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. Actual tickets are not provided. Your ticket purchase receipt serves as your ticket/date confirmation. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event! In order to maximize our participant experience while minimizing our impact on the resource, we limit each night to 125 participants. Due to the uniqueness of the insects in the natural habitat, it is very difficult to capture photos. Very specific camera equipment is needed and it is almost impossible to capture a photo with...
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Enjoy a one-of-a-kind hike in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains with our friendly llamas! Hikers will learn about our famous llamas’ interesting histories and how to safely handle the animals before heading out on a hike with gorgeous mountaintop views on our private trails. Each family/group gets 1 to 3 lovable llamas to share and there’s plenty of time for llama cuddles and, of course, llama selfies! This moderate hike is around 1 mile long and requires walking uphill on rocky and sometimes slippery terrain. This experience lasts approximately an hour and a half. We welcome all ages on our llama hikes, and children 5 and under are...
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Enjoy a one-of-a-kind hike in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains with our friendly llamas! Hikers will learn about our famous llamas’ interesting histories and how to safely handle the animals before heading out on a hike with gorgeous mountaintop views on our private trails. Each family/group gets 1 to 3 lovable llamas to share and there’s plenty of time for llama cuddles and, of course, llama selfies! This moderate hike is around 1 mile long and requires walking uphill on rocky and sometimes slippery terrain. This experience lasts approximately an hour and a half. We welcome all ages on our llama hikes, and children 5 and under are...
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Enjoy a one-of-a-kind hike in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains with our friendly llamas! Hikers will learn about our famous llamas’ interesting histories and how to safely handle the animals before heading out on a hike with gorgeous mountaintop views on our private trails. Each family/group gets 1 to 3 lovable llamas to share and there’s plenty of time for llama cuddles and, of course, llama selfies! This moderate hike is around 1 mile long and requires walking uphill on rocky and sometimes slippery terrain. This experience lasts approximately an hour and a half. We welcome all ages on our llama hikes, and children 5 and under are...
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Celebrate Independence Day with Patriotic Pops at Brevard Music Center. Hear the Brevard Symphonic Winds joined by members of the Janiec Opera Company, as they perform inspirational American music, traditional Sousa marches, and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture complete with the sounds of live...
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The Ultimate Guide to Water Activities in Brevard & Transylvania County, NC Summer approaching means warmer temperatures and a corresponding urge to cool off. Luckily, there’s no shortage of ways to do just that in the Land of Waterfalls. The Adventurist invites you to discover the many ways you can paddle, fish, swim, tube, slide, and generally have the time of your life in our refreshing rivers, stocked streams, and alluring lakes. Read on to learn what it takes to go with the flow. Waterfall Hunting Waterfalls abound throughout the county thanks to numerous tributaries that flow down from some of the highest peaks east of the Rocky Mountains. Consider Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Recreational Forest, and Gorges State Park as sensible starting points. For an overview of the most popular falls in each public land, click here. You can also pick up a copy of our Adventure Guide and Waterfall Map at the Visitor Center on 175 East Main Street in downtown Brevard, or access it here. And please remember while our waterfalls are beautiful, the areas around them can be dangerous. Protect yourself and your loved ones by learning how to Be Waterfall Wise. Paddling & Paddleboarding The French Broad, the third oldest river in the world, offers multiple ways to travel as far as your heart and paddle will take you and is the ideal place to build your paddling skills. Its consistent current and gentle rapids make for an ideal day on the water, whether you’re a...
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The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a collection of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest. The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in late Spring, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County. You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 9:00pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts, or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30 pm. Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. Actual tickets are not provided. Your ticket purchase receipt serves as your ticket/date confirmation. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event! In order to maximize our participant experience while minimizing our impact on the resource, we limit each night to 125 participants. Due to the uniqueness of the insects in the natural habitat, it is very difficult to capture photos. Very specific camera equipment is needed and it is almost impossible to capture a photo with...
Read More
The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a collection of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest. The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in late Spring, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County. You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 9:00pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts, or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30 pm. Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. Actual tickets are not provided. Your ticket purchase receipt serves as your ticket/date confirmation. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event! In order to maximize our participant experience while minimizing our impact on the resource, we limit each night to 125 participants. Due to the uniqueness of the insects in the natural habitat, it is very difficult to capture photos. Very specific camera equipment is needed and it is almost impossible to capture a photo with...
Read More
The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a collection of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest. The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in late Spring, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County. You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 9:00pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts, or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30 pm. Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. Actual tickets are not provided. Your ticket purchase receipt serves as your ticket/date confirmation. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event! In order to maximize our participant experience while minimizing our impact on the resource, we limit each night to 125 participants. Due to the uniqueness of the insects in the natural habitat, it is very difficult to capture photos. Very specific camera equipment is needed and it is almost impossible to capture a photo with...
Read More
The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a collection of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest. The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in late Spring, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County. You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 9:00pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts, or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30 pm. Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. Actual tickets are not provided. Your ticket purchase receipt serves as your ticket/date confirmation. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event! In order to maximize our participant experience while minimizing our impact on the resource, we limit each night to 125 participants. Due to the uniqueness of the insects in the natural habitat, it is very difficult to capture photos. Very specific camera equipment is needed and it is almost impossible to capture a photo with...
Read More
The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to a very unique creature that some say resembles a collection of fairies carrying blue candles through the forest. The Blue Ghost Firefly (Phausis reticulata) is a secretive, hard-to-find native insect that calls our area home, and for a very short amount of time in late Spring, they inhabit our surrounding woodlands of Transylvania County. You’ll experience an educational presentation at our outdoor amphitheater starting at 9:00pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest. Team members will be stationed at key locations around the trail to provide further information about this amazing natural phenomenon. Please feel free to congregate near these areas with your fellow firefly enthusiasts, or go explore on your own! We require everyone to stay on the trail to prevent habitat damage, and team members will clear the trail and require everyone to depart by 10:30 pm. Ticket Purchase/Pre-registration is required. Actual tickets are not provided. Your ticket purchase receipt serves as your ticket/date confirmation. This is a light rain or shine, family-friendly event! In order to maximize our participant experience while minimizing our impact on the resource, we limit each night to 125 participants. Due to the uniqueness of the insects in the natural habitat, it is very difficult to capture photos. Very specific camera equipment is needed and it is almost impossible to capture a photo with...
Read More