Nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains is one of Western North Carolina’s most popular towns for living and visiting – Hendersonville. Most people come in the summer and fall seasons, but out-of-state license plates can be found parked on Main Street all different times of the year. The busiest time of year is definitely when the leaves start changing and mother nature puts on a spectacular show of color for as far as the eye can see.
It’s impossible to list all of the things that Hendersonville, N.C. is known for, especially when so many different people come here to do so many different things that are important to them. Known as the “City Of Four Seasons” Hendersonville is best known for a variety of things including being one of the top apple-growing areas in the nation, having close proximity to world-class hiking and mountain bike trails, a family-friendly downtown with shopping and dining, and an ever-growing craft brewery scene. Hendersonville also became a Bee City in 2015, a Tree City in 2022, and was recently named ‘Best Retirement Town’ in 2023.
Having been both a longtime admirer of Hendersonville throughout our lives and now as a family residing here, we have grown fond of many different parts of the area. Below are 6 different things that we feel Hendersonville is best known for.
(1.) CLOSE ACCESS TO NEARBY HIKING TRAILS
Just a short drive from downtown Hendersonville is access to the DuPont National Forest, the Pisgah National Forest, and the famous Blue Ridge Parkway. The Pisgah Forest alone has over 250 waterfalls you can see and the DuPont has nearly 13,000 acres to explore. Our personal favorites include the hike the John Rock in the Pisgah Forest and the awesome swimming hole at Wintergreen Falls in DuPont. Skinny Dip Falls used to be one of our favorites before a tropical storm vastly changed the landscape of the area.
(2.) A BUSHEL OF APPLE…..FARMS
There are 19 apple orchards in and around Hendersonville, North Carolina and many of them offer the chance to pick them yourself, along with a variety of other fun attractions. If you’ve never had an apple donut and an apple slushie while shooting apples from the apple cannon, you haven’t truly experienced what life in the mountains here is really about. Some of our favorite orchards to visit include Stepp’s, Jeter Mountain, Grandad’s, and Justus.
(3.) FAST GROWING BREWERY & CIDERY SCENE
While Asheville may get its share of the accolades about its craft beer scene, Hendersonville cannot be counted out! From Mills River Brewery, to Oklawaha, D9, Southern Appalachian, Guidon, and more on the list, Hendersonville is quickly catching up to its rival. If you count the breweries in nearby Mills River (Sierra Nevada, Bold Rock, Appalachian Mountain Brewery to name a few) there are more than you can handle in a weekend.
(4.) EVENTS DOWNTOWN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
The hub of Hendersonville, North Carolina is definitely the downtown Main Street area and the city does a phenomenal job creating events for the whole family to enjoy. Some of our favorites include the 4th of July Fireworks celebration, Thursday night Rhythm & Brews Concerts, Friday afternoon classic car shows, and of course, The Apple Festival. On any given evening though you can find families strolling down Main, enjoy some Kilwin’s ice cream and kids playing in the square of the old courthouse.
(5.) ALL FOUR SEASONS
Every fall is a surprise as to exactly when the leaves will begin to change and how vibrant they might be. The “Leafers” begin to arrive in October, a term of endearment given to all of the visitors that come to Hendersonville to watch the leaves change color. When there is ample sunshine and cool evenings, the colors are accentuated and put on an incredible display of reds, oranges, and yellows.
(6.) BEARFOOTIN’ BEARS
The Bearfootin’ Bears are one of Hendersonville’s most widely known attractions downtown and it’s not unusual to see people stop and taking pictures with them. Since 2003, the Bearfootin’ Art Walk has raised funds for downtown and a variety of other non-profit organizations. The bears are newly designed each year and then auctioned off at a charity event. Most years raise well over $100,000 for city programs!
There really are a number of wonderful attractions and events in and around Hendersonville throughout the year. Some of the things not listed here include gem mining, the up-and-coming food scene here locally, some incredible biking opportunities, antique festivals, and so much more. Keep watching HendoLife on Facebook and Instagram for a first-hand look and some of the great reasons to live in Hendersonville!
If you decide that you would like to learn more about buying a house for sale in Hendersonville, N.C., or have one you wish to sell, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (828) 423-1401 or by email at HendoLifeNC@Gmail.com.
Written By: Rob Bowman
About The Author
Rob Bowman of Bowman Marketing has 20 years of experience in advertising luxury items in the boating and yachting industry. He’s been an expert in the marine industry space in search engine optimization, content creation, social media, and overall marketing strategies. He has a client list that includes United Yacht Sales, SI Yachts, Seattle Yachts, Fleming Yachts, Absolute Yachts, and others. Rob now also manages the marketing for HendoLife and all of Ashley’s real estate clientele. Find out more about Rob Bowman professionally on his LinkedIn page.