Acadia is a great neighborhood for man’s best friend.  With 4 miles of walking trails, there is plenty of room for our dogs to roam around. Of course, we do have leash laws to keep our pets safe. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to let the family dog have a little more freedom. We will soon have just the place for that freedom, at the end of Cassie’s run, our pet trail right on the edge of the Saluda River. We are building a true pet park surrounded by a 4 foot tall wooden fence with a large 8 foot entrance gate. With all of the events that Acadians get to enjoy throughout the year, it is only fair that our dogs have a place to congregate as well.

For more information about the Cassie’s run dog park and for everything new that is coming to Acadia, visit our website here.

This weekend, Anderson County will be hosting their 7th Annual Saluda River Rally. With a starting line located at Dolly Cooper Park, this rally provides everyone, from all walks of life, the opportunity to kayak and tube down the refreshing Saluda River. While the event itself is free, the Area 14 Special Olympics athletes will gladly be accepting donations at their booth on-site.

The two-day event schedule is pictured above, and has information about the different paddling or tubing options. Whether you bring your own kayak, or rent one for free from Grady’s Great Outdoors and Sunrift Adventures, you’ll be sure to have an amazing time down the 2.5 mile course. With music, food and games, and outdoor exhibitors, this free festival is a must go for the outdoor enthusiast.

To learn more details about the vendors and performers at the rally, or just to see more information about this wonderful event, visit the Saluda River Rally website here.

Barcelona, Spain is a truly wonderful city to visit. Not only offering a taste of Spanish culture at large, it is also the center of Catalan culture found in the Basque region of eastern Spain. It is an ancient city whose roots trace all the way back to the Barca family of Carthage; you may have heard about the exploits of a certain Hannibal Barca involving elephants and the Alps. Barcelona is right on the Mediterranean coast, so you can easily sunbathe or cool off in the clear blue sea. Of course, the city itself has even more to offer.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Barcelona is the food. Tapas style restaurants are ubiquitous and extremely delicious. Tapas involves a wide range of small, easy to share dishes, so you can taste a wide variety of flavors. While they often capitalize on the Mediterranean for fantastic seafood dishes, you can find plenty of other fair; keep your eyes peeled for any ox tail soup. Of course, you’ll need a place to stay. Take a look at the hotel Casa Camper located near Las Ramblas, one of the main boulevards through the middle of the city. In addition to its great service, it has a great view from its top balcony and a beautiful vertical garden in a central courtyard.

Be sure to keep an eye out for anything bearing the name and distinctive style of Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona’s most famous architect. You can tour his villa and the beautiful gardens surrounding it in the Park Güell overlooking the city from Carmel Hill. The premier Gaudi attraction, though, is the Basilica Sagrada Familia, a stunning church in the middle of the city. Standing at 558 feet tall, there is certainly plenty of the Basilica to see, so be sure to give yourself several hours to take it all in.

Once you have seen all of the wonderful things that Barcelona has to offer, visit the Acadia Travel Concierge and let them set up your own personal getaway to this beautiful modern city.

Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service.

For 100 years now, Acadia National Park has been a showcase for the great abundance of wildlife that the Northeastern United States has to offer. On July 8th Acadia National Park will be celebrating it’s 100th anniversary. In commemoration of this milestone, 2016 will be a year of community-based, world welcoming celebrations. From arts and music, to quiet reflection and internal questing, 2016 will be a year of discovery for many wishing to explore Acadia National Park.

To find out about all of the wonderful activities that will be happening this year, or just to see the wonder on a day to day basis, visit the Acadia National Park’s “About the Centennial” page here.

Once you have seen all of the festivities for 2016, visit the Acadia Travel Concierge and let them set up your own personal adventure.

“Fine art, music, food & fun” are just a few of the descriptors that are attributed to this annual Greenville exclusive event. Artisphere is one of the largest festivals held in Greenville, attracting artists from all over the United States.  From May 13 through May 15, you can explore downtown Greenville and enjoy the works of artists from both upstate South Carolina and the world at large.  The visual arts are showcased at an open-air Artist Row in the West End, while Main Street boasts several stages to enjoy a wide variety of performing artists.  Of course, none of this should be undertaken on an empty stomach.  Artisphere’s Culinary Arts Cafe is centrally located on E. Broad Street and offers a smorgasbord of delicious fare, including mediterranean, barbeque, mexican, japanese, and more.

To find out more about this wonderful event or to check out the artists that will be featured, visit the Artisphere site here. Be sure to head downtown this weekend to enjoy the array of artists and all they have to offer.

The season has come for warming up in the sun and cooling off with a nice, refreshing dip in the pool. Luckily for Acadians, the time for waiting has passed and the opening of the Acadia Pool is this Saturday, May 14th. The pool hours are sun-up to sun-down every day from Saturday through October 2nd. If you have any questions about the pool opening, please feel free to call the AOA office at (864)269-1430 and speak with Gail Fortner or Caleb Freeman. The pool rules and regulations for the 2016 Season are below:

Poolhouse Rules and Regulations 2016

Remember to keep cool this summer and enjoy this wonderful amenity.

Last Saturday was a special day to remember! April 30, 2016 marked the 10th anniversary of the Dragon Boat Upstate Festival at Portman Marina, a festive day of fun and competitive paddling, driven by a desire to remember loved ones who have lost their fight with cancer, to give hope to those in the fight, and to honor their caregivers. Upstate businesses, families, cancer survivors, patients & caregivers all come together to paddle, party and raise money for Greenville Health System, funding their innovative cancer care & research programs led by Drs. Larry Gluck, Jeff Edenfield, Julie Martin and many other GHS heroes at http://www.itor-ghs.org.

Always a special occasion, this year’s 10th anniversary Dragon Boat festival was truly exceptional. Together, we set the world record for dragon boat charity events, raising over $580,000 for our fight against cancer. Over $2.2 million has been donated directly to GHS since the Dragon Boat Upstate Festival was begun by Acadia’s own Freeman family in 2006. This wonderful achievement has been propelled by incredible organizing partners: special shout outs to Jim Kaltenbach and his team at GHS’s office of Philanthropy, the SC Ovarian Cancer Foundation, and WINN the Fight Foundation, and many others. Dr. Larry Brotherton, his wife Carmen and their company Ortec Inc. deserve special thanks — for many years they have led the charge as sponsors, along with CountyBank, Sani-King, and all the other businesses, teams and individuals who made this year such a big success. As always, thanks to David Freeman and Portman Marina for graciously hosting the festival and giving us all a place to race.

Congratulations to everyone who paddled against cancer this year! Acadians should be especially proud, as we were part of all three of the top finishing teams. Our neighborhood team, the Ragin’ Cajuns, took home silver for the second year running (and we plan on winning back our gold medals earned in 2013 & 2014). In first place was Fox Fitness / Pure Barre, led by our fellow Acadians Michael & Andrea Fox. Third place was taken by the Fabri-Kal Cancer Containers, who have raced with us since the very beginning thanks to Teresa Cleveland, the wife of Acadia’s Site Manager, Scott Cleveland. Some would say “Home Field Advantage”, but I say it’s just hard work & training combined with desire to win the fight against cancer.

Come join us at next year’s Dragon Boat Upstate Festival. Let’s break more records on and off the water! Go Acadians!

The evolution of Greenville has provided a diverse mix of activities, and many of us have come to enjoy the rich cultural experiences that it offers. Greenville Little Theatre is just one of the many places in town where these can be showcased. Coming this weekend, Greenville Little Theatre will star our very own Mary Freeman, among others, as they put on “Celebrate 90 Years”.

The show is a musical celebration of Greenville Little Theatre’s 90th Anniversary, highlighting Greenville’s favorite performers. The show will feature pieces from Les Miserables, My Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls, Man of La Mancha, Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma, and more. To find out more about this wonderful celebration, visit the performance page here.

The show will run from May 6th through May 8th. The three showings will be May 6th and 7th at 8 pm and May 8th at 3 pm. To order your tickets now, visit the ticketing page here.

Along with beautiful natural and man-made amenities, Acadia is renowned for it’s sense of community; a place where the door is always open and gatherings are a full affair. It’s no surprise then that one of the greatest summer treats for Acadians, is Downtown Alive. Full of music and an array of food and drink options, Downtown Alive truly is a community party. It features live bands, who play sets at 5:50 and 7:20 every Thursday night in NOMA (North Main) Square. Downtown Alive provides Greenvillians and visitors the chance to gather and meet new people in a fun and relaxed outdoor setting.

With over 45,000 annual visitors, Downtown Alive is the single largest fundraiser for the Metropolitan Arts Council. Sponsored by Piedmont Natural Gas and presented by Clemson MBA, Downtown Alive runs every Thursday from March 17 to August 18 and features a variety of bands. Admission to this weekly event is of course always free. To find out which bands are playing, and have any questions answered, visit their site here.