![\"Asheville](\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Open-Streets-1.jpg\")
<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nBy Teryn Worsham<\/p>\n
Spending too much time indoors this summer? On Sunday, September 18, Asheville will join the global Open Streets movement for re-imagining streets as places. Grab your walking shoes, roller skates, or bicycle and head to Pritchard Park for this free event from 1\u20135 p.m. that promotes physical activity and builds community. Sponsored by the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, MAHEC, and Asheville on Bikes, the one-and-a-half-mile car-free route will stretch along Patton Avenue, Wall Street, and Battery Park Avenue. Activities for the whole family include dancing, yoga, and urban plant tours, among others.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a unique opportunity for Asheville locals to rediscover old-fashioned community and the fun of physical activity as they play in the streets, and shop and dine at the businesses downtown,\u201d says Terri March, Health Improvement Specialist at MAHEC. \u201cA happier, healthier Asheville is good for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Games, art projects, and pop-up playgrounds will be provided by more than 35 local organizations. Shops and restaurants along the route invite participants to enjoy sidewalk entertainment, hands-on activities, and special promotions.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnthusiasm for our inaugural Open Streets has been wonderful,\u201d says Terri. \u201cWe expect Open Streets Asheville will become a regular, much-anticipated part of our community\u2019s culture\u2014as it has globally\u2014by promoting health and creating streets that meet the needs of all who live here.\u201d<\/p>\n