If you are a fan of Thomas Wolfe's, "Look Homeward Angel", the angel in the novel is located at the…read moreOakdale Cemetery in Hendersonville, NC. The Italian marble piece was the inspiration for the novel. It is protected by a fence and they are working on a preservation project. The fence was needed because in the 1970s, it was knocked over and a hand and wing were damaged by Thomas Wolfe fans. That damage was repaired so I am not sure what they are working on now. The monument is easy to spot with the fence, and is closer to the road in the cemetery. The cemetery was easy to navigate and I could park fairly close to the angel. The statue was hand-carved in Italy, and Wolfe's father, W.O. Wolfe, purchased it to display outside his Asheville shop to sell gravestones. Although he didn't carve the marble angel himself, he did carve the granite base that it sits upon. Wolfe sold many angels over his career, but this specific one is the closest to the one described in the novel, featuring one hand pointing to the sky while the angel stands on one foot. The angel is at the grave of Margaret Bates Johnson and was sold to the family in 1906.

Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson Co: My family and…read moreI decided to embark on a weekend getaway to one of our favorite counties, Hendersonville North Carolina. Instead of hiking and enjoying outdoor activities. We decided to explore Hendersonville, a quaint little town. While walking along the streets, close to the courthouse, we stumbled upon the Mineral lapidary Museum of Henderson Co. The museum is non-profit-volunteer based, with no admission but donations are appreciative. From the outside the museum looked interesting so my family decided to go inside. I was not disappointed and can't believe there is no admission fee. The museum is located on the second floor, so you will have to go up some stairs, not sure if there was an elevator for those unable to climb the stairs. We were greeted with friendly staff members, who were eager to answer our questions. I have never been in a mineral and lapidary museum before. The museum had a wide range of minerals and artifacts, as far as I could remember there was: raw and faceted specimens, Fluorescent minerals, North Carolina minerals, diamonds (they were so pretty), geode, and fossils. My favorite fossil is the giant dinosaur. I would say the museum is an average size, not too big or small. There is enough space to walk around without feeling claustrophobic. If you are spending the day with your family or friends, I would check out the museum-all ages will enjoy it. Just to make a note of, there are limited parking spaces, since you are in the town, but you should be able to find a spot within a short walking distance. In addition, as of what I saw, there is no restroom inside the museum, but I might have missed it though. If you are in the Hendersonville area, I would recommend spending a day in the town, because there are so many things to do, shopping, museums, and cafes. Make sure to stop by the Mineral and Lapidary Museum of Henderson Co and will definitely be back with the family.

The Mineral & Lapidary Museum of Henderson County is located in Downtown Hendersonville. Admission…read moreis free but they accept donations. Paid parking is available on the street. The museum is located in the basement so stairs are required to access the museum. The museum is on the smaller side but I was quite impressed with the collection and variety. The fluorescent exhibit is near the entrance, so make sure you check that out as it is a great educational demonstration. There are gems and minerals from the area and the world. There is a gift shop as well. It is a great place to visit and explore.

Very nice place. You'll see chickens, goats, and even friendly cat here. Friendly and polite staff…read more Definitely worth taking a tour of the house. Very interesting!

Nice historic property, informative self tour of the property. Chickens and goats! You can go visit…read morethe lady goats and brush and pet them. Pretty nice place with friendly volunteers to give you the details of the historic property. All the lovely goats are descendants of Mrs Sandbergs Goats!!!

My family and I spent the weekend in Hendersonville NC and decided to explore Carl's Sandburg Home…read more Carl Sandburg Home-located in Flat Rock North Carolina-offeres an educational lessons for all ages. My family decided to take a tour of the house, to our surprise there was no charge for the tour. Our tour guide, a sweet elderly lady, was fantastic, it was like I was a part of Carl Sandburg's family. The house is well preserved bringing you back to the 1800s. I gained an abundant amount of knowledge during the tour, it was roughly two hours. After the guided tour was over we stamped our Passport book, because the site is a national park. Don't forget your passport books! If you have younger children, don't be cautious about bringing them. You can also go on the actual site of Carl Sandburg's wife's goat farm. I had so much fun petting and brushing the goats. They were so friendly and calm. After our day filled with history and playful goats, my family decided to walk some of the trails, located on the property. The trails are well mapped out and easy to follow, which my family enjoyed. Also, your pets are welcome to join you on the trails. During our visits we were greeted with friendly staff members, who were eager to answer your questions. The grounds and bathroom were clean, and you could tell the grounds had regular maintenance. To my surprise Carl Sandburg's Home and surrounding grounds are accessible to all: youth, adults, and elderly. Offering ample parking including Handicap spots. In addition, the grounds were mostly flat, and there is a shuttle that runs if you are unable to walk through the grounds. If you have a free day during the week or on the weekend, I would recommend checking out Carl Sandburg's Home.

How in the world have I not reviewed the Carl Sandburg Home National Historical Park yet. I've come…read moreto just go to the park and typically head over there before performance at the Flat Rock Playhouse. I even leave a note on my windshield as parking for the national Park isn't allowed there on show days. Tours of the home can be done through reservations but the number on a tour are limited. You can still enjoy the park without a reservation though. The park is a good place to walk especially if you like hills. It is a a hike to get to the house but being in nature and enjoying the scenery is part of the experience. If you didn't get a reservation to tour the house you can view it on the outside as well as wander through the grounds and see the goats and chickens. Make sure to enjoy the beautiful views.

Quaint town. Expensive boutique shops. Very faith based community…read more It has a very Main Street USA feel to it. In my opinion, not a lot of great restaurants, so they need to work on that. However McFarlane's bakery is amazing! Asheville is not far, so you can always enjoy the Biltmore and the other attractions in that area. There are better restaurants in that area, but they are usually more crowded and can be expensive also.

Downtown Hendersonville is a great downtown to spend some time in. Paid parking lots are available…read morein different area, and there are some free places to park. The first thing you will notice downtown is the bears. They are all over the place and each is so unique. The bears are auctioned off each fall to provide money to charities. It is an easy downtown to walk around with plenty of crosswalks and benches to rest and watch your surroundings. Downtown has numerous restaurants; shops; museums; art galleries to keep you busy. Festivals appear to be held throughout the year as well. An antique show was occurring while I was downtown. I liked the setup that Main Street was closed but the side streets were still open to traffic.

WONDERFUL collection of airplanes, a helicopter, books, magazines, photos, and stories. FANTASTIC…read morevolunteers, Robert and Paul, shared so many stories and facts. I loved every second.

My family and I decided to take a weekend trip up to Hendersonville North Carolina. While doing…read moresome research, I stumbled upon the WNC Air Museum located right in Hendersonville North Carolina. At first I was slightly skeptical walking into the building because we were the only family there, but to my surprise, the Air Museum was huge with an array of vintage and new aircrafts that had plaques explaining where they were built and what they were used in. The staff were extremely friendly. One of the staff members, an older gentleman, actually walked around with my family and explained further in depth what each aircraft was used for. I felt like I was stepping back into time, which I loved. Although the aircrafts were quite large the museum was spacious and extremely clean. It is so nice that WNC Air Museum is free for families to enjoy, but donations are welcomed and accepted if you would like to give back to the air community. If you are in the Hendersonville area and are looking for a Museum to visit, I would definitely recommend WNC Air Museum.

This is a short diversion of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the windy road down to Brevard. Having…read morepassed through the area many times, it was not on my radar; my knowledge of forestry is slightly greater than zero, but it is certainly not my forte. This place is federally owned, and they do charge admission. A national parks pass resulted in a discount down to $4 a person for me. I did receive a warm welcome. The well-produced introductory movie tells a story of the Biltmore mansion that I did not get a sense of when I actually visited Biltmore. It emphasizes a group of people who pioneered a form of stewardship of the surrounding forests well before the modern environmental movement. It sounds hagiographic at times and I'm sure there's more to the story, but when the film concludes, one can't help but notice that the surrounding forest, which was apparently logged extensively at one point, looks awfully good today. Several paved trails lead one through various exhibitions, including a tunnel under the road that I didn't even notice driving in. The plant life is diverse, and the terrain is easier to cover here than elsewhere making it a good choice for travelers with mild mobility limitations. I couldn't help but find it a uniquely interesting aesthetic experience.

Great place for kids and adults alike. Good for a family outing. All trails are loops and…read moreapproximately one mile long so do as many as you like. Historical forestry buildings with descriptive signage are located along the various trails. Take the Forest Discovery Trail less traveled. I suggest taking it down from the old locomotive, as up from the visitor center has a longer uphill trek.

We go to this theater a lot. The shows are very diverse. Something for everyone. It's a super small…read moretheater so even the back row is able to see and hear everything. I also like to support the town. These actors are not paid, they do it because they enjoy it. Yes, there is a "bucket" for tips to split between the actors. We are going to see Much Ado About Nothing tomorrow. I'm going to look into buying a season pass. Lots of good shows coming up!

Their play, "Lend me a Soprano" is a pure zero. I truly regret going to this theatre. I have twice…read morebeen to the outdoor play in Bardstown, Kentucky "My Old Kentucky Home" where tickets costs less, the size of the cast is at least five times as large, the talent so much better, and the plot great. The bitter experience of Hendersonville Theatre is such I never plan to return there.