Things to Do in Spartanburg

Since 1976, area merchants and knowledgeable experts from around the country have gathered to swap ideas, inspiration, and advice at the Western North Carolina Home Show. Throughout the Asheville Civic Center, hundreds of local businesses and experts set up booths where they explain the nuts and bolts of their industry, whether landscaping, interior decoration, window installation, or furniture crafting. Meanwhile, speakers present seminars on a wide variety of topics throughout the weekend-long extravaganza, from hyperpractical subjects, such as setting a budget, to more abstract topics, such as the definition and history of green building. Visitors to the show depart with rekindled enthusiasm for projects, as well as an arsenal of facts that give them an edge when vetting contractors or performing standup at interior-design conferences.

Every day from dawn to dusk, adventure seekers climb aboard Asheville 4 Wheeler Rentals' stable of two-person ATVs and skirt Pisgah National Forest's wooded wonderland—more than 180 acres of privately owned unpaved roads and pristine land. Hardwood trees whip past the sturdy buggies as drivers staunchly traverse the bumps and jumps of a wilderness ride in search of the area's numerous waterfalls and gnome villages hidden behind waterfalls. The company's guide and cart-keeper will gladly accompany guests on their endeavors into his property and also offers expeditions into the depths of the national forest itself.

When Tom Jackson designed the golf course at High Vista Country Club in 1976, he made sure that the 540-acre parcel would complement the soon-to-be clubhouse, a stone-hunting lodge constructed on the site in 1928 that overlooked the dramatic surroundings. From its lofty perch, visitors can survey the valley below and the Chestnut Mountain Ridge in the distance. The founding "fore" fathers appropriated the magnificent old structure as the first clubhouse, a suitable starting place for the 18-hole championship golf course.

Referred to as the “Old Club House” today, the building still watches over the 6,831-yard championship course, which features frequent elevation changes and mountain-fed ponds that come into play on at least six holes. Towering oak and pine trees frame the course's fairways, and bright azaleas punctuate the grounds to lend the greenery a dose of vibrant color, especially if the surrounding leaves go on strike and stay green during autumn.

Aside from the championship golf course, High Vista Country Club also features a private dining hall, an outdoor pool, tennis courts, and social clubs. The club offers holiday party packages for up to 125 that include a cash bar, buffet or plated dinner, cleanup and setup, linens, tables, chairs, silverware, centerpieces, and use of the dance floor.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Total length of 6,831 yards from the back tees

• Course rating of 73.7 from the back tees

• Course slope of 739 from the back tees

• Five sets of tees per hole

Thousands of sheep have Friends & Fiberworks to thank for their cool, breezy summers. The shop's 4,000-square-foot show room is packed with the dyed, spun remnants of their winter coats, inspiring shoppers to fashion art for the home and body. Wooden display panels show off sample projects above shelves stuffed with skeins of all kinds, including yarns spun by local fiber artists such as Rowan and Debbie Bliss. Amid the rainbow of pillowy packages, cushy armchairs await practicing knitters and spiders-in-training.

More than just a supply shop, Friends & Fiberworks cultivates its own flock of knitters and craftspeople through ongoing classes and twice-yearly retreats. The talented instructors delve into everything from weaving on a loom to spinning wool into yarn and straw into gold, eliminating the need to wager firstborn children away to nameless imps.

In 2003, underwater overachiever Robbie Bogan embarked on a new endeavor would have him regularly shifting back and forth between the thrill of exploring shipwrecks to the gravity of teaching CPR and marine rescue techniques. The experienced cofounder of Upstate Scuba had created a scuba school that teaches both recreational scuba diving and tactical and emergency diving. As a result, the people who frequent the Upstate facility comprise a diverse student body.

First-timers arrive and are soon dunked into the pool during Try Scuba courses; search-and-rescue personnel often show up for instruction on the latest underwater navigation or night diving. The curriculum includes opportunities to gain certification, which can be used to participate in Upstate Scuba's open-water trips to nearby lakes. As dealers of top-notch equipment, Robbie also teachs divers safe use of breathing apparatuses and how to scare away sharks by impersonating Steven Spielberg.