Hendersonville is a small town just south of Asheville, North Carolina.
Established in 1847, downtown Hendersonville is full of 19th and early 20th century architecture and has a friendly "Small Town, USA" feeling. You'll find a thriving Main Street complete with fine restaurants, homemade ice cream shops, antique stores, and lots of artists and art galleries. Downtown Hendersonville is a fantastic place to spend a day shopping with beautiful landscaping, wide sidewalks, comfortable benches, outdoor water fountains and plenty of parking, not to mention all of the wonderful and unique shops.
Understand
The population estimate for 2020 is 15,137 and it is 2,200 feet above sea level.
Get in
Hendersonville lies 40 miles north of Spartanburg, South Carolina and 22 miles south of Asheville, North Carolina at the southern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hendersonville can be accessed from three exits from Interstate 26.
The nearest airport served by commercial airlines is Asheville Regional Airport. For more options, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a major airport in Charlotte, is less than a two-hour drive away.
Hendersonville is also served by a privately owned, public use airport. The Hendersonville Airport has been in operation since 1932, and is located 2.5 miles southeast of the town.
Apple Country Public Transit Route 3 offers bus service to and from Asheville Regional Airport, where you can connect to buses to Asheville.
Get around
- Apple Country Public Transit - 526 Seventh Avenue East. +1 828 698-8571.
- Checker Cab Co. - 525 S Grove St. +1 828 692-2424.
See
- Historic Downtown (Main Street Historic District). Full of quaint shops, historic buildings, and art galleries. 2016-05-10
- Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, 1800 Little River Rd, Flat Rock, +1 828 693-4178. In Flat Rock. Daily 9AM-5PM. The famed poet and biographer spent his later years on this 263-acre estate called Connemara with his wife, who raised prize-winning goats.
- Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson County, 400 N. Main Street, +1 828 698-1977. Monday-Friday 1PM-5PM, Saturday 10AM-5PM. A geology and paleontology museum, including the opportunity to crack open and take home a geode. Free admission 2016-05-11
- Henderson County Heritage Museum, 1 Historic Courthouse Square #4, +1 828 694-1619. Located inside the Henderson County Courthouse, this museum features a gallery on North Carolina history. 2023-02-04
- Western North Carolina Air Museum, 1340 E Gilbert St (next to Hendersonville Airport), 35.3054964°, -82.4343424°, +1 828 698-2482. W, Sa-Su Noon-5PM. Great if you're into classic Cessnas and Pipers, crop dusters and things. 2023-02-04
- Historic Johnson Farm, 3346 Haywood Rd, 35.3584440°, -82.5095228°, +1 828 891-6585. Tobacco farm circa 1878 open for tours. 2023-02-04
- Jump Off Rock, 4433 Laurel Park Hwy, Laurel Park, 35.313676°, -82.527370°, +1 828 693-4840. Scenic lookout over Appalachian foothills. 2023-02-04
Do
- Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Greenville Highway, +1 828 693-0731. Flat Rock. Home to the Vagabond Players (1937) since 1953. Designated "State Theatre of North Carolina," its season runs from April through December.
- Apple Festival, Labor Day weekend
- Play golf.
- Art and Craft Community
Buy
- Main Street shopping district.
Eat
- 2 Guys Pizza Planet Friendly Food & Brews, 1307 7th Ave E, +1 828-693-6755. W-Sa 11AM-8PM. Vegan place, so delicious.
- West First Wood-Fired, 101b 1st Avenue West, +1 828 693-1080, westfirstwoodfired@yahoo.com. 2016-05-10
Drink
- Hannah Flanagan's Irish Pub, 300 N Main St (corner of 3rd and Main), +1 828 696-1665.
- The Black Rose, 222 N Main St, +1 828 698-2622. With billiard tables.
Sleep
- Highland Lake Inn, 86 Lily Pad Ln, Flat Rock, +1 828 693-6812. A country retreat as well as a romantic bed and breakfast. $129 (Feb 2023)
- The Henderson, 201 Third Ave W, +1 828 696-2001. This bed and breakfast occupies the historic former "Aloah Hotel" building in downtown Hendersonville.
- Elizabeth Leigh Inn, 908 5th Avenue West, +1 828 698-9707.
- Cascades Mountain Resort, Ascend Hotel Collection, 201 Sugar Loaf Rd (Exit 49A, right at light, .01m. on right), +1 828 595-8155. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Largest Hotel in Hendersonville with indoor heated swimming pool, hot tub, putt putt green, game room, exercise room, seasonal lounge, banquet rooms, 149 rooms including some suites, truck and bus parking, group packages available. $49 - $249
- The Waverly Inn, 783 N. Main St (Exit 49B, go 2 miles, turn right on Main Street, Inn on left), 35.32112°, -82.46149°, +1 828-693-9193, info@waverlyinn.com. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 11AM. Beautiful 100-year-old inn just north of downtown historic district. 14 rooms and one suite. Great breakfasts. Very friendly hosts. $129-285
- Econo Lodge, 206 Mitchelle Dr, +1 828 693-8800. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM.
- A Country Retreat at Clear Creek Cabins, Wyatt Lane (SE of Asheville, between Hendersonville and Chimney Rock/Lake Lure), reservations@clearcreekcabins.com. Four 1 bedroom log cabins on 20 partially wooded country acres. Each has a hot tub on the covered porch and a fireplace. The property features a hiking trail, fishing pond and creek, firepits, and picnic sheds.
Connect
Free outdoor wifi is provided downtown.
Go next
- Blue Ridge Parkway, nearest access is Asheville
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park, nearest gateway is Cherokee.
- Pisgah National Forest
- Chimney Rock State Park 18 miles from downtown Hendersonville on Hwy. 64 East.
- DuPont Forest (DuPont State Recreational Forest), 1300 Staton Rd, Cedar Mountain, NC, 35.18856°, -82.632936°, +1 828 877-6527. Full of trails, rivers, and waterfalls, and open to the public for hiking, fishing (with a license), and mountain biking. 2016-05-11