Hendersonville is a cute little mountain town south of Asheville, NC. It is a popular area for retirees and has a classic “main street” to bop around. HVL is a great spot for a weekend getaway with more small town vibes and less crowds. The surrounding small towns also offer great eats, drinks and hikes. Check out my recommendations below!

See my Asheville guide here.

Downtown Hendersonville

Pro-Tip: Most of the main streets of downtown Hendersonville have paid parking requirements, but if you go over just a block or two to the side streets the parking is free.

Beer + food recommendations—in ranking order:

The Blue Door Bottle Shop and Beer Hall: A great spot with 20 taps and a wide selection of cans and bottles. My favorite spot I visited in HVL.
Blue Ridge Beer Garden: A cute spot with a turf patio, string lights and picnic tables. They have 25 taps with a good variety of options. There is often a food truck parked out front and the vibes are great.
Oklawaha Brewing Company: A solid brewery with a wide offering of beers. They have a kitchen and frequent live music.
HenDough: A delicious spot for donuts, breakfast biscuits, and chicken biscuits.
West First Wood-Fired: A cute spot for pizza and pasta in a cozy environment. Tasty!
The 2nd Act: A coffee shop and bar with a small food menu and frequent live music and events. A great place to start or end your day!
Arabella: A cute spot for breakfast and brunch! The food is tasty and they have a small patio out front that is open seasonally.
Dry Falls Brewing Co.: A nice little brewery with a wide variety of beers on tap. They have a small patio and average beers.
White Duck Taco Shop: A Carolinas chain for great tacos! They have a large patio out front and delicious eats—don’t skip the queso.
Trailside Brewing Co: A solid brewery in a renovated factory space. They have a large patio and they are dog friendly inside and out.
Mikes on Main: An old school diner offering breakfast and lunch on Main Street.
Postero: A solid spot for lunch and dinner downtown.
Southern Appalachian Brewery: Hendersonville’s first brewery! They have frequent live music and a patio space. The beer here is mediocre.
Guidon Brewing: A German brewery with a German-inspired beer list and kitchen. Located directly next door to Southern Appalachian Brewing. The beer here is below average.
Skip Boodas Brewing Company: They don’t have any of their own beers available and the guest tap selection is mediocre.

Surrounding Towns:

Burning Blush Brewery: A stellar spot in Mills River. The Lagers are great and the space is unique. There is usually a food truck outside if you are hungry.
Whistle Hop Brewing Company: A great brewery located in Fairview, NC. They have a huge outdoor space with a ton of yard games. They are housed in a literal train car which is unique and fun. Highly recommend!
12 Bones South: A great BBQ restaurant and brewery located in Arden. They have another location in the River Arts District of Asheville as well. They have both indoor and outdoor seating with cute murals and little mason jar glasses for flights. The beers are tasty and the food is delicious. The “damn good corn pudding” is in fact damn good.
Sierra Nevada Mills River: This is a huge outpost of the California-based brewery with a private drive, full kitchen and taproom, and concert space. The outdoor space is great, with a firepit, game space, dog space, kid space, and all nestled in the forest. The staff here is also super friendly and great! Located in Mills River near the airport.
Mills River Brewing Company: A spacious brewery in Mills River with a fantastic outdoor space. They are located near the airport and offer cocktails, wine and beer. They have a permanent food truck onsite with a large menu and frequent live music.
Sideways Farm and Brewery: This farm brewery is located in Etowah. The beers can be great but they have only 4 taps so it’s a bit unreliable.
Turgua Brewing: An average brewery on the creek with a nice outdoor space. They are advertised as a farmhouse brewery but they have a large variety of beers. They are located 3 minutes from Whistle Hop Brewing in Fairview.
Blue Ghost Brewing Company: A mediocre brewery located in Fletcher near the airport. They also have an onsite food truck but the hours are limited.
Skip Joey’s New York Bagels: A bagel shop with two locations in the area—Hendersonville and Fletcher. 0/10 experience here twice.

Get Into Nature:

Rainbow Falls Trail: This is a great hike that is 5.4 miles long with 1,181ft of elevation gain and takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete. It is located in Jones Gap State Park in Marietta, SC, just across the border. Reservations are required on holidays and weekends, the park closes by 5, and there is a $6 entrance fee. It is a very nice trail that is steep at times but the falls at the end are fantastic.
High Falls and Triple Falls Tour: A popular trail in DuPont State Recreational Forest. This is 20 minutes from downtown Hendersonville and overall 3.7 miles long with 511ft of elevation gain. Both sets of waterfalls are very cool and there is also a fun old covered bridge.
Bearwallow Mountain Trail: This trail is directly across the road from Trombatore. It is a quick 1 hour trail that is about 2.5 miles long with 587ft of elevation gain. Skip walking up the fire tower road, the views are nothing.
Trombatore Trail: A solid hike up to a pasture-style view of the surrounding mountains. AllTrails listed it at 4.7 miles but it is actually more like 6 as a heads up.
Explore Green River Game Lands: This nature area is just 20 minutes from downtown and has a few different trails to explore.
- Little Bradley Falls Trail which is 2.2 miles long with 164ft of elevation gain and takes about 50 minutes to complete. There are 3 river crossings but it is worth it to get to a very cool waterfall at the end. There is a little swimming hole as well.
- Across the street is the Big Bradley Falls Overlook Trail which has some threatening signage and a very high and wide river to cross so I opted to turnback, but would try again in the summer months.
- Lower Big Hungry Falls is another good option that is short at .8 mile with 170ft of elevation gain and takes 20 minutes. It leads to a nice waterfall with a beach area.