Tourism Tidbits October 9, 2019 A bi-weekly newsletter from HCTDA

The Last TDA Henderson County FAM (Familiarization) Tour of 2019 The Henderson County Tourism Development Authority is offering the third installment of the 2019 Henderson County Fam Tour series for local tourism related businesses and their employees! Each tour is designed to go to completely different stops! The November 7th guided tour will take you to a wide variety of family friendly destinations throughout Henderson County. Don’t’ miss the chance to experience The Gorge Zip Line, Camp Greystone, Timber Axe Throwing and Southern Appalachian Brewery! This fun and informative tour is a part of a continuous effort to raise the bar on hospitality and customer service. This is perfect for members of your frontline staff to learn more about Henderson County. The more your staff knows about what there is to see and do in this area, the better customer service they can provide your guests. The longer the visitor stays in town, the more they spend!

• Thursday, November 7, 2018 from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm • Meet at the Visitor Center at 201 South Main Street / Transportation/lunch and snacks included

Call ASAP – the seats are filling up quickly! (limited seating) To reserve a seat contact, Julie Hayes, TDA Outreach Coordinator, at outreach@visithendersonvillenc.org or call 828-693-9708.

2019 WNC Branding Conference Branding is key to communicating your company message to your target audience. Don't miss this exciting, FREE conference to help make the most of your marketing strategies & plans. This conference is designed to help pre-start, start-up, growth, and scale-up business with their branding. The conference will be held on November 21, 2019 in the Blue Ridge Community College Conference Hall from 8:30am – 4:30pm. The conference is hosted by the College’s Small Business Center.

For a schedule and to register online visit: https://www.ncsbc.net/reg.aspx?mode=event&event=50390095

If you have any questions contact the Small Business Center by calling 828-694-1658 or via email sbc@blueridge.edu.

Submit Your 2020 Events HCTDA is accepting listings for the 2020 Calendar. Events must fall between January 1- December 31, 2020. Dates, times, and location must be exact. Submissions should be as complete as possible, and include contact information and a high-resolution photo. Events must be open to the public and draw people from at least 25-50 miles away. HCTDA reserves the right to not approve an event that does meet the stated criteria. Additional criteria apply, a submission of an event does not guarantee a listing. Deadline is Thursday, November 1, 2019. You may submit your event online at: https://www.visithendersonvillenc.org/events/community/add For information or to submit an event, contact Melanie Black at 693-9708 or info@visithendersonvillenc.org.

Tourism Tidbits Page 2

Contact Us 201 S. Main St. Hendersonville, NC 28792

(828) 693-9708 tourism@visithendersonvillenc.org Fax (828) 697-4996 www.VisitHendersonvilleNC.org Facebook.com/VisitHendersonvilleNC

Holiday Dining Guide HCTDA compiles a list of restaurants that open during the holiday season. The guide is listed on the TDA web site, emailed to the Henderson County accommodations, and given out at the Visitor Center. The list is a helpful tool in assisting visitors to our area during the holidays, it has also become very popular with the residents in planning their holiday season. This is a free service of the TDA. Deadline is Thursday, November 1, 2019. Please send Melanie Black an email, info@visithendersonvillenc.org if you are open on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Year’s Day. Please, list ONLY the holiday(s) you are open in the email. z

HCTDA Upcoming Events • Tourism After 5 / October 10 / Pisgah Gem Mine • TDA Board Meeting / October 22 / 1pm / Visitor Center • Group Sales Forum / October 24 / 11am / Visitor Center • Henderson County FAM Tour / Part 3 / – November 7 • Henderson County Tourism Conference – January 16th

Business Update • Latin Flame Restaurant – opened at 3754 Brevard

Rd. in Horse Shoe

• Madame Roqué's Meat Emporium & Pickled Curiosités – open at 117 S. Main St., downtown

• The Inconceivable Café – opened in Sanctuary Brewing Co., 147 1st Ave. E.

• Circle B Ranch BBQ – closed on Airport Rd, Fletcher

• Sonic Drive-In – Closed on Hwy. 64 E.

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Media Stoplight Ø Times-News / HCTDA Monthly Column –

https://www.blueridgenow.com/news/20190929/tda-column-hendersonville-tourism-goes-global?fbclid=IwAR2R1yvjDloIWSHHstUf-Pho0fyqTzN--_icOJdsN9eK2o0ktd3YPRXnFMI Ø Chicago Tribune –

https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-trav-apple-picking-north-carolina-1013-20191007-zsrdx3ui3nbohoeqykviw7xnqa-story.html Ø Southern Living / 11 Mountain Girlfriend Getaways to Take this Fall – https://www.southernliving.com/travel/girls-weekend-mountain-getaways Ø 919 Magazine in Raleigh - https://issuu.com/919magazine/docs/092019-919-bc/22 Ø CharlotteFive.com - http://bit.ly/2mrLFRX Ø MyItchyTravelFeet.com - https://myitchytravelfeet.com/autumn-escape-to-hendersonville/ Ø Blue Ridge Motorcycling – featured the wineries and cideries in eastern Henderson County

Tourism After Five Make plans to come to the next Tourism After Five on Thursday, October 10th at the Pisgah Forest Gem Mine, located at 507 North Main Street in Downtown Hendersonville, from 5 - 7pm. Pisgah Forest Gem Mine offers gem mining and panning for gold. Buckets contain precious and semi-precious gems from local mines and mines from around the world. Gems you may find include amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, red jasper, clear quartz, moonstone, pyrite, desert jasper, smoky quartz, onyx and more! Enjoy the opportunity to unwind and gather with your peers in the Henderson County tourism industry. Tourism After Five is a friendly and relaxing way to meet new people to develop business partnerships. Bring a friend. Sponsored by the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority. Kindly RSVP to Julie Hayes at outreach@visithendersonvillenc.org or by 828-693-9708

Last Call for Holiday Events Just a few days remain to be included in the 2019 Home for the Holidays calendar of event brochure. The deadline for submission is Friday, October 11th. Email your event to Amy Boswell, events@visithendersonvillenc.org or submit it online, https://www.visithendersonvillenc.org/events/community/add

One Year Away from Real ID Deadline We are one year away from the Department of Homeland Security’s “Real ID” deadline. This means that you need to plan to get your Real ID by October 2020. A Real ID will be the only driver’s license that will be an acceptable form of identification for domestic air travel. You can make an appointment at the DMV, so your wait won’t be very long. Get that REAL ID today, and it’ll be smooth flying from there. For more info, https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/nc-real-id/Pages/default.aspx