Best Things to Do in Hendersonville, NC

While Asheville has a ton of fun things to do, there are also a handful of really fun small towns nearby. Weaverville and Black Mountain are two of our favorites. Keep reading to see another spot, also just a short drive from Asheville, that we enjoy visiting: Hendersonville!

Appalachian Pinball Museum | 538 North Main Street

This museum is free and is, in our opinion, one of the best things to do in Hendersonville, NC. While you can take a peek at some vintage pinball machines without paying anything, for a flat fee you can play unlimited games all day. It’s a great thing to do when it’s raining or to get out of the summer heat. They also serve alcohol on the premises.

Carl Sandburg Home | 1800 Little River Road, Flat Rock, NC

Writer Carl Sandburg and his wife Lilian’s home, which in 1968 became part of the National Park Service, is just a short drive, less than 5 miles, from downtown Hendersonville. Sandburg was the recipient of 3 Pulitzer Prizes. Both of the Sandburgs were notable people in the Asheville/Hendersonville area and you can now visit their former residence. Admission is free though if you want to take a tour you’ll need to make a reservation online. If you aren’t able to get on a tour you can still walk the trails on the property and also visit the goats!

Explore Historic Downtown Hendersonville

The downtown area of Hendersonville has shops that line either side of the gently curving Main Street. We recommend parking your bike or your vehicle at one and then making your way down Main Street, stopping in when something catches your eye. (Or smells too good to resist.) There are all kinds of shops, restaurants, galleries to visit. And depending on when you visit, you may just be able to attend one of the festivals and events that happen throughout the year. Examples are the Main Street Antique Sidewalk Show which takes place in June and the Music on Main concerts which happen every Friday night from May to September. Apple lovers be sure to mark your calendar for the North Carolina Apple Festival (Labor Day weekend).

Hendersonville Theater | 229 South Washington Street

Looking for some fun weekend plans? Check out the shows at the Hendersonville Theater. Shows are almost always held on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday unless it’s a special event. You can see everything from a drag (the theater hosts a drag night during June) to a spelling bee to a holiday show to a musical. And if you’d prefer to be on stage rather than in the seats, you can audition to be a part of a production as they are always looking for new people to get involved.

Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson County | 400 North Main Street

Gemstone lovers and crystal enthusiasts put the Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson County on your list as one of the best things to do in Hendersonville, NC! This place has everything from ‘glow in the dark rocks’ to the Hendersonville meteorite, to fossils that include a wooly mammoth leg bone and a cast of a T-rex skull. Admission is free though a donation or gift shop purchase is greatly appreciated.

Oklahawa Greenway | Parking locations vary

Caroline Whatley walks a grey dog on a leash along the paved Oklahawa Greenway. There is a yellow stripe in the middle of the path that snakes into the distance. Caroline and the dog are about to go under an overpass. The dog has its tongue out and is walking in the grass. — Make time to walk, bike, or run on the Oklahawa Greenway in Hendersonville, NC.

Bring your bike, your dog, your walking shoes, or even your scooter, the Oklahawa Greenway in Hendersonville is waiting for you! There are 3.5 miles of mostly flat and paved path that links up four area parks. It’s well marked and there are even three bike repair stations along the route. Occasionally there are events held on the greenway so keep an eye on their website and you may get to partake in things like the Invasive Species Plant Walk and Talk.

Patton Park | 1730 Asheville Highway

an informative sign about the Patton Park Stormater Stroll sits on a black pedestal in front of an outdoor, cement path. the season is summer and the trees and bushes in the background are leafed out and green.

Just north of downtown Hendersonville is a free park that has a fenced-in skatepark, paved walking paths, a basketball court, two tennis courts, two pavilions with picnic tables and grills, and even a pool. The pool is run by the Hendersonville Family YMCA and is only open during the summer. Click here for pool hours. We’ve come here often to just walk around and spend some time outdoors. It’s one of our favorite and best things to do in Hendersonville. Bonus: The Oklahawa Greenway runs right near the park.

Pollinator Tour | Various Locations

The corner of a grey brick building has a mural of a bunch of bees on a dripping honeycomb surrounding a queen bee. There are also butterflies and larvae on the walls, a few of which are interacting with flowers. — The pollinator mural on the side of the Hands On! Children’s Museum in downtown Hendersonville, NC.

Y’all our pollinators play such a huge role in our ecosystem. Did you know that of the roughly 1400 crops that are planted each year, over 80% require pollination? You can learn more about these extremely important creatures along the pollinator trail, part of which runs through Hendersonville, NC. If you visit the museum and see the mural, keep your eyes open for the sidewalk art as well!

Rhododendron Lake Nature Park | 321 Primrose Lane

This 10-acre park, though technically not in Hendersonville but Laurel Park, is the perfect little spot for a walk. There’s a path that’s about a mile long that has fitness stations along it as well as picnic tables and a grill. You can also fish in this lake (catch and release only).

Tour the Hendersonville Cheers! Trail | Locations Vary

Nope, that exclamation point isn’t a typo. That’s just how excited Hendersonville is about its alcohol trail. If you’re not sick of breweries (is that even possible?) hop on the Cheers! Trail that takes visitors to 23 different spots that include four different kinds of craft beverages. (There are 10 breweries on this list, some of which we’ve included as well, 7 different wineries, 3 hard cideries and one meadery.) This is a choose your own adventure kind of trail and if you choose to partake please be sure to have a designated driver or go with a tour company – we recommend the Van in Black. There’s a ‘passport’ involved and when you earn 12 stamps you get some free swag.

Visit Sycamore Cycles | 743 Locust Street

The inside of a bike shop shows lots of bikes on the shop floor and random bike parts on the walls. There are some wheels hanging from the ceiling and a small green child's bike on the left side of the photo. In the distance is a wooden counter with a computer on it

We’ve brought our bikes to Sycamore Cycles a few times for a tune up and the staff are are super friendly and helpful. Sycamore Cycles sells all kinds of bikes – road bikes, hybrid bikes, mountain bikes, electric bikes and even kids bikes. They’ve also got a nice selection of gear and apparel. If you’re visiting Hendersonville for the day and want to go riding but didn’t bring you own you can also rent a bike from them.

Hendersonville NC Pride

Hendersonville has several Pride events during the month of June. We highly recommend checking out the Hendersonville NC Pride website to see which businesses sponsor the events and to find out more information about safe spaces in town.