Downtown Hendersonville
Enjoy the hospitality of the Hendersonville, traditionally known for its gentle climate, beautiful scenery, richness in culture and history, ample recreational facilities, and friendly people. Hendersonville is located in Western North Carolina, 22 miles south of Asheville, North Carolina, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains on a plateau with an altitude of 2200 feet above sea level.
Hendersonville is ideally located for exploring town and country with varied attractions, festivals, cultural and recreational activities, historical sites, golf courses, family activities, a historic downtown with unique shops, excellent restaurants and quality antique stores.
Henderson County offers many diverse attractions, all within an easy walk or quick drive from downtown, including the Henderson County Farmers Curb Market, Jump Off Rock scenic overlook, Historic Johnson Farm, Holmes Educational State Forest, the waterfalls in DuPont State Recreational Forest, the Western North Carolina Air Museum and the Historic Hendersonville Train Depot.
The nearby village of Flat Rock began when families from South Carolina’s Low Country came to Flat Rock to escape the sweltering heat and the epidemic of yellow fever and malaria. South Carolina’s Low Country gentry affectionately called Flat Rock “The Little Charleston of the Mountains.”
The entire district of Flat Rock is included in the National Register of Historic Places. Flat Rock is built around a tremendous outcrop of granite, which is said to have been the site of Cherokee gatherings. Their trails met at the “great flat rock,” which can be found on the grounds of the Flat Rock Playhouse.
Historic Flat Rock is home to several attractions such as: The Flat Rock Playhouse, State Theatre of North Carolina; the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site; and St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church. Spend your leisure time enjoying quaint Little Rainbow Row, studios, galleries, inns and restaurants.
The Garden Jubilee Festival is a two-day festival, held on Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend in Downtown Hendersonville. This is a great opportunity for gardeners to speak with the experts at the garden clinics and gather tips and advice. Garden Jubilee stretches eight blocks of Main Street with over 250 vendors selling handmade arts and crafts, plants and items to enhance your outdoor living area. Local and regional nurseries offer thousands of annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs and hard-to-find plants on every block of the festival.
Jump off Rock
Summer evening concerts showcase traditional mountain music, square dancing, folk, blues and country Monday nights and oldies rock and dancing Friday nights.
The three concerts are held under the stars at the Visitor Center, located on Main Street in Downtown Hendersonville. Music On Main Street showcases musical talents from rock to beach music. Monday Night Live features a diverse line-up of folk, country and blues. The sounds of fiddles and banjos playing at the Street Dance have been a part of Henderson County’s heritage for 97 years. The concerts are held early-June through mid-August.
The Visitor Center carries a Trail Series to make sight seeing in Hendersonville a breeze. The brochures include: the Heritage Trail, a tour of Henderson County’s most popular historic sites; the Art Gallery Trail, travels through Hendersonville and Flat Rock to 15 galleries and studios; the Cheers! Trail directs you to Henderson County wineries, cideries and breweries. They provide tours and tasting rooms to sample mountain grown selections. Henderson County is home to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s east coast brewing operation. The Trail Guides may be downloaded online at visithendersonvillenc.org
Hendersonville is small town America at its classic best. Experience this charming historic mountain city.