Ultimate Family Summer Adventure: Your Last Hurrah Before School Begins

As you’re squeezing the best of Hendersonville into just three days, prepare for a fun-filled and busy trip. Don’t forget to pack a bathing suit and towels, hiking clothes, reusable water bottles, lots of snacks, your camera, and a sense of adventure. We’ve got the quintessential “Hendersonville” experience planned for you. Enjoy your visit!

You will want to arrive to town as early as possible. While you may not be able to check into your hotel until the afternoon, this is the perfect time to explore Downtown Hendersonville. Check out the shops, grab some souvenirs, and stock up on snacks at Mast General Store, known for its nostalgic and North Carolina-based treats, including giant barrels of candy.

Be sure to visit McFarlan Bakery, a from-scratch bakery with recipes that have been unchanged for nearly 100 years. Known for their cinnamon rolls and glazed donuts, McFarlan’s is closed on Sundays and Mondays, so plan accordingly.

For lunch, Downtown offers more than 25 locally-owned restaurants. Poll the family for their preferences: burgers from Brook’s Tavern, sandwiches from Mountain Deli, Pad Thai from Thai Spice, or authentic Philly cheesesteaks from from Tartans Sports Bar.

Just up the mountain from your hotel, go to Jump Off Rock, a scenic overlook that might just turn into a playground for the kiddos, with its hiking trails and big boulders to climb on. After snapping a family photo, meander halfway back down the mountain to Echo Mountain Inn, where you’ll stay for the next few days. The pool will tempt the kids, while the quiet porches with mountain views will appeal to the parents.

By late summer, many of the area’s apple orchards are open. Visit Grandad’s Apples N Such to get some apples, play in the corn maze, and enjoy dessert before dinner with a slice of apple pie a la mode or an apple cider donut.

For dinner, stop at Binion’s Roadhouse, a Hendersonville staple since the 1970s. Kids will get a kick out of throwing peanut shells on the floor, and parents will appreciate not having to clean up the mess. Known for their steaks, the fried mushroom appetizer serves as a welcome surprise and the yeast rolls are simply unforgettable.

Start the day early with breakfast at the Inn before hitting the trails. Western North Carolina offers endless outdoor adventures, and first up for today is mountain biking. Rent bikes from Epic Cycles (reservations recommended) then go out to DuPont State Recreational Forest. Younger riders will find their best options include the Ridgeline Trail (park at Lake Imaging Access Area) or the Kids Bike Loop (park at Guion Farms Access Area). For new, less experienced trail riders, the pump track at The Riveter is a great alternative (rentals available).

Return your bikes and head to Hot Dog World for lunch. This local favorite has been serving up hot dogs since the 1980s, with the “slaw dog” being the most popular choice. One taste and you will understand how they manage to sell 6,000-7,000 dogs per week!

Save room for dessert because up next is a stop on Hendersonville’s Ice Cream Trail. The trail has 13 different ice cream shops serving up cool treats, each location offering something a little different. It can be hard to choose just one ice cream shop, but today, we recommend swinging by Karolina Kremes, located right on Route 64 in Etowah. They offer a great selection of milkshakes, soft serve and hand dipped ice cream.

From one cool treat to another: up next is a dip in the waters at Looking Glass Falls, located in Pisgah National Forest. One of the largest and best-known waterfalls in the area, Looking Glass Falls is right on the side of the road, and after just a quick walk down a set of stairs, you can swim in the cool waters below the falls. As always, please practice waterfall safety, and pack out your trash with you to help preserve our scenic outdoors and pristine waters.

Stop back at Echo Mountain Inn to clean up prior to dinner.

A trip to Western North Carolina could not be complete without partaking in the local beer or wine scene. (Did you know Hendersonville has its own AVA or nationally certified wine region?)

Finish up your evening at the best-known brewery in the region, Sierra Nevada. Most days, they offer brewery tours — reservations are required for a small fee, and the last tour begins at 5:30pm, however, children under age 13 are not permitted.

If a tour doesn’t fit your family and your timeline, you can still explore parts of the brewing process on your own, everything from the brew kettles to the canning line are visible.

For dinner, Sierra Nevada has its own restaurant with 2 different dining options: you can either eat from the full menu with table service (indoor and outdoor seating options) or there is a walk-up window on the back patio that sell snacks and sandwiches, and offers a more relaxed, outdoor setting, which includes lots of tables and chairs, a small playground, gardens, and open spaces.

First up, you’re off to the Carl Sandburg Home. The hike up to the highest elevation at this National Historic Site, Big Glassy Mountain, is approximately 3.5 miles round trip, and offers a scenic view of the farms, forests and historic homes below. On the way down, you’ll want to stop by the goat barn, which in its hey-day housed the award-winning herd of more than 200 goats that were tended to by author Carl Sandburg’s wife, Lillian. These days, the barn is home to around 15 of the original herd’s descendants. If you have time, the home, which remains exactly as it was when the “Poet of the People” lived there in the 1940s through 1960s, is available to tour, but advance reservations are required.

After exploring the Carl Sandburg Home, grab some lunch at nearby Hubba Hubba Smokehouse. Opened in 2007, Hubba Hubba is the real deal. They smoke their choice cuts low and slow, in a wood-fired pit, using the best native hardwoods.

Next, it’s back on the trail – the Ice Cream Trail! Drive over to McConnell Farms for some creamy, dreamy gelato-style confections. What started as a farm growing tobacco, corn and wheat, McConnell Farms, like most of the farms in the area, eventually transitioned to apples, and then when current-day farmer, Danny McConnell, took over the family business, a new idea emerged: a farm that grows all sorts of fruits and veggies in order to support its ice cream business.

You may not be able to take McConnell Farms’ ice cream home with you, but you will want to stock up on the fruits, veggies and persevered items at the farm stand before you head safely home.