Food, Food and More Food…
- Door Dash delivers to Lakewood with a nice variety of restaurants to pick from– download the Door Dash App – use your address on your check-in map
- There are three convenience stores at the Upward/I-26 Exit 53 (1/2 mile away) for water/ice/snacks/fuel
- Also, at the same intersection – A 5-star Waffle House (kinda funny), McDonalds, Bojangles and Cracker Barrel
- Ingles Grocery Store is 1.5 miles by taking a left on Ballenger at the Resort exit and right on Upward
- If you take a right at the stop light at Ingles and go another 1.5 miles onto Old Spartanburg Road you will find Harris Teeter, Publix and a newer Ingles store, The Fresh Market and PetSmart.
- From the Spartanburg Highway and Church intersection, you can take a right, go forward, and it turns into Main Street that will take you to Downtown Hendersonville – about 8 minutes from Lakewood (these directions are a bit confusing- it’s safest to just use your GPS on your phone!)
Restaurants… (in Downtown Hendersonville)
- Brandy’s on Main – 111 S Main St 828-513-1240. A great dinner spot with a buzzy vibe for American classics & notable wines that opens at 4 PM. Call for reservations- it’s worth the money for a lovely evening of food and atmosphere. www.brandysonmain.net
- Brooks Tavern – 142 3rd Ave W 828-595-9994. This is your burger and beer spot. Find them on Facebook!
- Mike’s on Main – 303 N Main 828-698-1616. Your old-time soda fountain lunch spot. They have great food and shakes. www.mikesonmain.com
- Mountain Deli – 343 N Main St 828-693-0093. Fantastic lunch sandwiches with sidewalk seating. www.mountaindelinc.com
- Postero – 401 N Main St 828-595-9676. Call for reservations and enjoy this special place that used to be an old bank. It will likely cost a Ben Franklin to wine & dine (with a tip), but it’s totally worth it! www.postero-hvl.com
- Renzo’s – 502 N Main 828-551-7766. Call for reservations for this Italian fine dining spot. Their speakeasy can be found by using the other entrance and heading upstairs. www.renzos.us
- Shine -202 N Main 828-692-0062. A great mid-priced restaurant with a casual atmosphere. Be adventurous with this fun menu… and don’t forget they have a rooftop bar! www.shinehvl.com
- Monte’s Sub Shop – 2024 Asheville Highway 828-693-3112. Subs and salads are just plain good – this is where the locals go! www.montessubshop.com/
- The Poe House- How often have you been to plain, boring restaurants? “Quoth the Raven- Nevermore!” This is an Edgar Allen Poe themed restaurant that offers great food, a vast wine and beer selection, and a unique and relaxed atmosphere. They do offer live music, so check their calendar before you head out www.thepoehousehvl.com/events
- West First Wood-Fired – 101 First Ave W 828-693-1080. This place is busy – good sign, right? It takes care of your Italian/Pizza craving. www.flatrockwoodfired.com
Restaurants… (not in Downtown Hendersonville)
- 131 Main Restaurant – 308 Thetford St 828-651-0131. This is in Biltmore Park Town Square (not Biltmore Estates) at I-26 and Exit 37 – right next to the Regal Biltmore Grande Movie Theatre. Reservations are recommended. This is a great steak and seafood restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere and excellent service. Walk the streets of Town Square for more eating and drinking spots, stores, and hunt for the speakeasy called Top of the Monk – have a delicious cocktail like you have never had before!
www.131-main.com - Boon Choo Thai Express – 576 Upward Road 828-435-9077. Don’t be fooled that the drive-up window makes this a fast food Thai place. The drive-up window is really just for pick-up orders, so call in and bring it back to your RV. They do have indoor seating as well. www.boonchoothai.com
- Flat Rock Wood Room – 1501 Greenville Hwy 828-435-1391. As Kansas Citians, trust us that you will love the BBQ and Neapolitan pizza here. Stop by the office and get a 10% off card. www.flatrockwoodroom.com
- Honey and Salt – 2730 Greenville Hwy 828-676-8322. Nope, not in Greenville — but don’t you dare miss this place for breakfast or brunch! You will likely have to wait, but we go every chance we get. First visit recommendation is to try one of their skillets! www.honeyandsaltnc.com
- Hot Dog World – 226 Kanuga Rd 828-697-0374. Guess what they are famous for? You shouldn’t miss this experience! www.hotdogworld.net
- Mills River Farmers Market – 94 School House Rd, Mills River, NC. Open Saturdays 8am -12pm. A great variety of local fresh food, so make it your first stop of the morning! Find them on Facebook!
- Papa’s & Beer – 1821 Asheville Rd 828-692-9915. Don’t get confused- it’s not in Asheville. Great Mexican food and some cold beer on the side.
Places To Go & Things To Do…
- America’s Fastest and Steepest Ziplining at the Gorge– Put on your big boy/big girl pants and call for a fun time 828-749-2500. Don’t forget to take your meds first -lol! www.thegorgezipline.com
- Asheville Balloon Company – 1572 Sand Hill Rd, Asheville 828-707-2992. Hot Air Balloon Rides – enough said here in the adventure category!
www.ashevilleballooncompany.com - Biltmore Estates – 1 Lodge St, Asheville 800-411-3812 for tickets. Allow at least 45 minutes to get there due to traffic. Please visit their website for all of the information. www.biltmore.com Note – wear your best walking shoes!!
- Chimney Rock Park – Hiking Trails, Animal Discovery Den, ride the elevator to the top of Chimney Rock or just take the steps (just a few hundred plus!). A small fee to enter the park. 828-625-9611 www.chimneyrockpark.com
- Downtown Brevard is another cute place for unique shops and restaurants – remember to stop in the White Squirrel Shop. www.explorebrevard.com
- Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway for breathtaking scenery. Google for places to get on the highway. It’s a popular drive so expect a slow go but you will want to stop at the scenic pull overs. Take your camera! www.blueridgeparkway.org
- Fishing, including guided fly fishing – call Davidson River Outfitters at 828-877-4181 www.davidsonflyfishing.com
- Fridays on Main in Downtown Hendersonville- From June 12th to August 14th, they have Free live music every Friday evening from 7Pm-9PM. Be sure to get there early and take your lawn chair to tap your toes.
- Golf – check the list on the bulletin board in the breezeway. Please list your name/number/departure date if you are interested in going with new friends. Just a few public courses include
- Crooked Creek Golf Club, Cummings Cove Golf, Broadmoor Golf Links and Links O’ Tryon.
- Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino – just 70 miles away in Cherokee, NC. If you win, who cares how long it takes to get there – good luck!
- Hiking is everywhere – Dupont State Recreation Forest, Pisgah Mountain, Carl Sandburg Home and too many others to list. Download the app called All Trails and start searching. You can’t go wrong if you want to find a waterfall or two…. or three.
- Jump Off Rock – a great view but be sure to use your GPS and take your time getting there on this winding road. A couple of tricky decisions of which road to take at the ‘Y’ (fair warning). www.laurelpark.org
- Kayaking/Canoeing/Tubing down the French Broad River. Call Lazy Otter Outfitters to get set up 828-756-1386 or Green River Adventures in Saluda 828-749-2800. www.lazyotteroutfitters.com www.greenriveradventurers.com
- Lake Lure – boat tours, restaurants, golf, swimming and a nice marina.
www.lake-lure.com - Museums include the Western North Carolina Air Museum, the Apple Valley Model Railroad Museum and Mineral & Lapidary Museum of Henderson County- there is also a Pin Ball Museum in DT Hendersonville.
- Rhythm and Brews- The Rhythm & Brews concerts series brings together live music, great food, and local beer, wine and cider! The concerts begin with an opener at 5:30 pm followed by the headlining performance at 7:30 pm, on the third Thursday of each month from May – September on Main Street between Allen & Caswell Streets in DT Hendersonville. Check online at https://www.visithendersonvillenc.org/rhythm-brews for more information.
- The East Flat Rock Community Park provides a great 1.5-mile stroll to enjoy in the morning sunrise or evening sunset.
- The Flat Rock Playhouse is full of talent. Check their schedule for upcoming plays and check the activity boards for groups heading to various plays. Box Office 828-693-0731 www.flatrockplayhouse.org
- The NC Apple Festival is always Labor Day Weekend. Go to www.ncapplefestival.org for details.
- Tour the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site and stop by to pet the goats (so cute!). 1800 Little River Road, Flat Rock. 828-693-4178. Website https://www.nps.gov/carl/index.htm
Hendersonville Breweries… (Also note that Asheville has 23 more local craft breweries – Drive Safe!)
- Dry Falls Brewing Co – 425 Kanuga Rd 828-696-0660. Live music and a food truck. www.dryfallsbrewing.com
- Guidion Brewing Company – 415 8th Ave East 828-595-7976. www.guidonbrewing.com
- Oklawaha Brewing Company – 147 1st Ave East 828-595-9956. Find them on Facebook!
- Sierra Nevada Brewery – 100 Sierra Nevada Way, Mills River. It’s impressive with beautiful grounds and scenery, but you most likely will have to wait to eat. Call for tour information 828-708-6176. www.sierranevada.com
- Southern Appalachian Brewery– 822 Locust St 828-684-1235. A bunch of events and a bunch of craft beer, check their website www.sabrewery.com
- Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery at Chimney Rock – 461 Main Street, Chimney Rock 828-436-7047. A great place to have a tasty brewski right on the Rocky Broad River! https://hickorynutbrewery.com/
Wineries… (Admittedly, our most fav spots!)
- Burntshirt Vineyards – 2695 Sugarloaf Rd 828-685-2402. A great place to chill out. www.burntshirtvineyards.com
- St. Paul Mountain Farms – two locations – check their new website at www.saintpaulfarms.com
- Point Lookout Vineyards – 408 Appleola Rd 828-808-8923. This is one to check out but we recommend not going on the weekends. They have many weddings and most of the area is reserved. Check their website for events and food trucks but don’t miss this glorious 30 mile view! www.pointlookoutvineyards.com.
- The 2nd Act – 101 East Allen St 828-513-0045. This is our newest fav – this is one unique place to not miss. Think about it – coffee, beer and wine!! The menu covers sandwiches, breakfast items and pastries (which are to die for). Then to top it off they have live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. This place makes you feel at home! www.the2ndacthendo.com
- Stone Ashe Vineyards – 736 Green Mountain Rd 828-551-5643. This vineyard has it figured out – no children allowed, adults only – now you can go and relax in a beautiful setting. www.stoneashevineyards.com
- Marked Tree Vineyard – 623 Deep Gap Road 828-513-3773. This is a must see as well – great wine, a lovely facility and best of all, just 7 minutes away. www.markedtreevineyard.com
