Fall is a great time to visit Hendersonville, NC and the surrounding area. On our recent Fall family trip to Hendersonville, NC, which is just a short drive from the artsy city of Asheville, we discovered a number of fun and exciting activities that the whole family could enjoy.
To start off our trip and get right into the Fall mood, we headed to Grandad’s Apple Farm in Hendersonville and had a blast participating in all the activities they had to offer. From shooting apples out of a cannon to getting lost in the corn maze to riding the cow train around the farm, there was something for everyone. The line to get in was long, but it moved quickly and was worth the wait. The food and drink options were also a highlight, our favorites were the delicious apple cider donuts, apple turnovers and picking out a peck of apples. We even found a new favorite apple strain for the kids and the whole family – Jonagold apples!
After the apple orchard, we took a quick 1.6 miles drive to one of our favorite local wineries – Burntshirt Vineyards. The winery boasts beautiful views of their vineyard, and we enjoyed relaxing by their large circular fireplace. However, the most fun part of the winery, and the one that the kids absolutely loved, was stomping grapes. The squishiness you feel of the purple grapes breaking in between your feet was quite relaxing and made you think of the old days when they would make wine this way. After you are done stomping grapes you step on a paper that provides a purple grape outline of your feet and let you keep it as a souvenir. We also met their friendly vineyard cat during our visit.
For lunch, we headed to Arden, NC (which is on the way to Asheville) to visit White Duck Taco Shop. We love this taco shop and usually try to make it must stop when we visit the mountains. This location had a nice outside spot with benches that the whole family could enjoy. The steak and cheese tacos were a hit with the whole family.
With full stomachs, we headed to Asheville and walked around the Arts District, while visiting some of the unique art shops, drinking delicious coffee and watch people tube down the river.
After that, we visited The Adventure Center of Asheville, which has an incredible ziplining spot where the kids could test their courage. This place is awesome, with multiple zip lines to challenge the kid’s bravery. It was so much fun to watch their confidence grow throughout the day.
All in all, it was a perfect Fall family day in Hendersonville and Asheville, NC. With so much to do and see, there’s something for everyone in these charming, unique and artsy towns.