Apple Festival
Apple Festival
The Apple Festival is held annually on Labor Day Weekend (the weekend preceding the first Monday in Sept.).
The Apple Festival is a 9 block street fair on Main Street in Hendersonville. Come enjoy the food, fun, crafts, apples and live entertainment. The King Apple Parade is held on Labor Day.
Asheville Community Theatre
Asheville Community Theatre
35 East Walnut Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 254-1320
Asheville Community Theatre is locally known as ACT and is located at 35 East Walton Street. ACT is the oldest continuously operating theatre in Asheville and one of the oldest community theatres in the nation.
In July of each year the Asheville Community Theatre presents a week of fund raising called Dramarama. One Dramarama event is Costume Drama - a fashion show where models show apparels made from unusual materials such as paper, flowers, and plastic. The costumes are modeled on stage and the audiences vote by ballot to select the best in each category and the best in show. The show was a sell-out in 2013.
Downtown Asheville NC
Asheville is 26 miles and 30 minutes from Hendersonville.
Asheville is a unique city, surrounded by beautiful mountains, and has many attractions. The Biltmore Estates, the largest home in the United States with 250 rooms and 178,900 square feet in living space, is very popular with visitors. Once 125,000 acres, there is 75 acres remaining that include a formal gardens, a conservatory, a winery, and a 213 room hotel. Hiking trails, biking trails, a lake, horseback riding, and several restaurants provide other attractions.
Another popular attraction in Asheville is the Grove Park Inn and Spa.
Asheville provides multiple accesses to the Blue Ridge Parkway. One convenient access that is 5.5 miles from in town Asheville is Tunnel Road (Hwy. 70) East about 0.5 miles pass the VA Hospital on the left.
Bat Cave
Bat Cave
Bat Cave is an unincorporated community in Henderson County. The community is located along Lake Lure Highway (US 64/US 74A/NC 9) and is 14.6 miles northeast of Hendersonville, along the banks of the Broad River.
Heading East from Brevard on Hwy. 64, you will drive through Bat Cave on your way to Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. The Bat Cave community was named after the nearby cave on Bluerock Mountain that is inhabited by several species of bats. Bluerock Mountain is also known as Bat Cave Mountain.
Bat Cave is located along the Broad River. Bat Cave NC is widely recognized because it is the largest known granite fissure cave in North America. The main chamber is a dark cathedral more than 300 feet long and approximately 85 feet high. Unfortunately, to protect the bats, the cave is currently closed to visitors.
Bat Cave has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Estate
Asheville, NC 28803
Monday - Sunday: 9:00a - 5:00p
The Biltmore House is a four-story French Renaissance manor which was built between 1889 and 1895. It is the largest privately owned house in the United States. The house has 178,926 square feet of floor space and 135,280 square feet of living area, which covers about 4 acres. The exterior walls are Indiana limestone. The steeply pitched roof has a copper roofline with Vanderbilt's initials repeatedly inscribed along the crest. The estate has 8,000 acres.
There is a total of 250 rooms. When bathrooms were unheard of, Biltmore House had 43. There are 65 fireplaces and three kitchens, along with 34 bedrooms, a grand Banquet Hall and a Library containing 10,000 volumes. The staircase is one of the more prominent features with its three-story winding balustrades with carved statures. There are 16 chimneys and are covered with slate tiles. 
The Banquet Hall is the largest room in the house, measuring 42 feet wide and 72 feet long, with a 70-foot-high barrel-vaulted ceiling. The table could seat 64 guests.
There is additional living space on the second floor with the more lavish guest bedrooms and suites. The third floor have additional guest rooms. The forth floor has 21 bedrooms for the housemaids, laundresses, and other female servants. Male servants were housed in rooms above the stable and complex.
Located in the basement level included an indoor 70,000 gallon heated swimming pool with underwater lighting, a bowling alley, and a gymnasium with once state-of-the-art fitness equipment. There was also a pastry kitchen, rotisserie kitchen, walk-in refrigerators, servants' dining hall, laundry rooms and additional bedrooms for staff.
Biltmore Estates hosts a musical festival each year. Visit their website at Biltmore Concert Series for a program and schedule.
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Blowing Rock
Blowing Rock
Blowing Rock is just off the Parkway near Milepost 294. Take the exit for Hwy. 221/321. Blowing Rock is also known as the "Crown of the Blue Ridge". and offers beautiful vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Blowing Rock is only 3 square miles yet is home to more than 100 shops, about two dozen restaurants, and nearly 20 hotels and inns. It is a neat little town to stroll and browse the many shops.
Don't forget to take a train ride on the
a park with a focus on children. Board the train for a scenic 3 mile ride packed with adventure.
Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway
There are many attractions to visit along the parkway:
| Folk Art Center | MP 328.0 |
| Pisgah Mountain | MP 408.6 |
| Graveyard Fields | MP 418.8 |
| Devil's Courthouse | MP 422.4 |
There are 26 tunnels on the parkway in North Carolina due to the elevation of the mountains. Driving the parkway is a relaxing and enjoyable drive. There are many areas to pull off and enjoy the beautiful mountain vistas. Discover scenic hiking trails, picnic areas, and scenic overlooks. There are also many towns that are a short drive off the Parkway.
The Parkway Visitor's Center is at Milepost 384 near Asheville, NC.
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Caesar's Head State Park
Caesar's Head State Park
8155 Geer Hwy
Cleveland, SC 29635
(864) 836-6115
While traveling down to Greenville, SC, stop and visit Caesar's Head State Park located in Cleveland, SC. Caesar's Head State Park is 24 miles and 40 minutes from Hendersonville.
Caesar's Head State Park is known for a massive isolated granite rock that protrudes over the valley. The granite rock resembles the profile of Julius Caesar, therefore its name. Caesar' Head has many hiking trails. One of the most popular trails at Caesars Head is the two-mile Raven Cliff Falls trail. This hiking trail leads to 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls, where a suspension bridge offers one of the two publicly accessible overlooks to the falls as they plunge deep into the mountain cove below. The park also has many camping grounds. There are breathe taking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains from atop of Caesar's Head.
Carl Sandburg's Home
Carl Sandburg's Home
1800 Little River Road
Flat Rock, NC
(828) 693-4178
Carl Sandburg who was recognized as the "People's Poet", was also an author, historian, Pulitzer-prize winner and biographer of Abraham Lincoln.
Carl Sandburg and his family moved to his home known as "Connemara Farms" in 1945 for peace and solitude for his writing. He lived at the estate for 22 years with his family.
Today you can take a tour of Carl Sandburg's home with a tour guide who will give you interesting information about Carl Sandburg and his wife and family. Also, don't forget to visit Mrs. Sandburg's world-renowned herd of dairy goats. You are permitted to walk among the goats, pet them and even have your picture taken with the goats by your friends. The 264 acre farm also includes rolling pastures, hiking trails, two small lakes, several ponds, flower and vegetable gardens, and an apple orchard.
Mr. Sandburg was a collector of books. There are about 10,000 books in the home, along with notes and papers. It took several railroad cars to move all the books from Elmhurst, MI.
There are five miles of hiking trails on the property. Most trails are rated easy to moderate.
Hours are 9:30a to 4:30p everyday except Christmas Day. For more information visit Carl Sandburg Home
Top of Chimney Rock
Chimney Rock
431 Main StreetChimney Rock, NC 28720
(800) 277-9611
Chimney Rock is a 535-million-year-old towering monolith. There are many things to do at Chimney Rock from hiking, rock climbing, trails for runners and bikers. Fun for the entire family.
You can explore on your own -- or take one of the guided hikes. Rock climbing instructions are offered for either half-day or full day sessions.
The movie The Last of the Mohicans was filmed at Chimney Rock and Dupont Forest.
Climb to the top and you can see for miles.