8 Awesome Activities for Toddlers in Asheville

As it is still the very fresh beginning of a new year, it still seems appropriate to begin the year with another “best of 2013” list. For me and this little family of mine, 2013 has been the year of new activities to entertain and teach my ever explorative toddler. This year has seen me spend countless hours researching where to take my little one on new, fun and hopefully affordable activities. Below, is my summery of my top toddler activities in the Asheville area (that we’ve had the chance to experience):

1. Buncombe County library toddler times (http://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library/Storytimes.aspx): We frequent the pack library on Thursdays and we adore Ms. Patty and all her fun fuzzy friends.
2. Asheville Community Movement classes (http://ashevillecommunitymovement.com/gymnasticsprogram.html#Classes): We try to make it twice a week, but if not you’ll almost always find us at the Wild Things class on Mondays.
3. Asheville Art Museum (http://www.ashevilleart.org/education/childrens programs/): We’ve only been once, but once a month the museum holds an art time for tots where, toddlers can listen to stories, make simple art projects and play in the newly renovated section especially designed to teach kids art basics.
4. The Park (http://www.buncombecounty.org/Governing/Depts/Parks/Maps.aspx): Any day it’s sunny, the first place we head to is the park. We have a few that are very easy walks to get to.
5. Asheville Pizza and Brewery game room on Tuesday nights (http://ashevillebrewing.com/movies.html): Asheville Pizza and Brewing on Merrimon Ave. has an incredible game room that is loud and rowdy, filled with old school video games and rides perfect for a dash of entertainment for kiddos while having a slice. Tuesday nights, they hold a kids craft night and have a balloon artist.
6. The Hop on Merrimon on Tuesday nights (http://thehopicecreamcafe.com/): Tuesday nights, this deliciously local ice cream shop holds kid­friendly events in the evening at their Merrimon Ave. location.
7. The WNC Nature Center (http://www.wncnaturecenter.com/): Another favorite thing to do on a sunny day is to go to the Nature Center, where they have many native animals to learn about, as well as a petting area for the more docile farm animals.
8. LEAF (http://www.theleaf.com/index.php/thefestival): Although my husband and I have been to previous LEAF festivals, taking a toddler a festival is a completely different experience. LEAF is a very kid friendly festival. The first area you step into is the kids area, complete with a tennis court filled with games, doggies you can adpot, kids craft area, the kids’ stage, yummy stands and, maybe the parents’ favorite part, a childcare center, that is really very cheap, so that parents can go check out the sights they want to while the little ones are happily engaged in an endless amount of activities. While we stayed only a day, we had an exhausting but great time and was even more excited by the idea of taking her back again when she was a little bit older and little bit more ready to experience everything.

In this new year, we are looking forward to exploring more activities that become more appropriate as the little one gets older. The movies, martial arts classes, music and ballet classes are all on the roster for us for 2014.