Mills River

Outdoors, Agriculture & Business

The town of Mills River serves as the gateway to Henderson County’s access to Pisgah National Forest’s more than 500,000 acres. While it traditionally served as an agricultural community, it has grown to support the area’s popular outdoor recreation industry, and is now home to nationally known attractions, like Sierra Nevada’s east coast headquarters, Bold Rock Hard Cider, The Riveter bike park and climbing gym. Agriculture is still at the heart of Mills River, which is home to the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center, a division of NC State that conducts crop research and evaluates the cultural farming practices of the region.