Biltmore is the largest privately-owned home in America situated on 8,000 acres. It was built by George Vanderbilt and was completed in 1895. Vanderbilt’s 250-room mansion is modeled after a French château. The Estate encompasses the house, landscaped gardens, walking trails, woodlands, restaurants, shops, inn, and an award-winning winery. Located 22 miles north of Hendersonville.
Reservations required to tour the house.
Outdoor Adventure Center – hiking, biking carriage rides, horse back riding, fly-fishing, river floats, sporting clays and more.
The Green River Game Lands includes more than 14,000 acres in Henderson and Polk Counties, located southeast of downtown Hendersonville. This area is home to steep, rugged terrain and dense forest land, as well as access to the Green River, which offers both gentle and extremely difficult sections with class IV & V rapids. The Game Lands are managed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and are used for hunting, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and tubing or kayaking. Due to the difficult terrain, all visitors are urged to use extreme caution in all parts of the forest. Much of the Green River Game Lands are recommended for advanced hikers and expert kayakers. Parking is available at many locations, but some of the closest designated parking to Hendersonville and hiking trails would be on Big Hungry Road at the Bishop Branch and Long Ridge Trailheads. Find a trail map at the Henderson County Visitor Center.
Lake Julian Park is a family recreational facility located on the banks of 300-acre Lake Julian in Arden, off of Long Shoals Road. Lake Julian Park offers fishing, picnic areas, disc golf, outdoor games, a playground, paddleboats, special event venue rentals, and water access along a picturesque 300-acre public lake.
Mills River Park is a 48-acre park located at 124 Town Center Dr. Its amenities include 1.25 miles of paved multi-use trail, access to Mills River for splashing and tubing, a dog park, large playground, 2 picnic shelters, many picnic tables and benches scattered throughout, tennis/pickleball courts, basketball courts, a baseball diamond, and more. Mills River Park opens at dawn and closes at dusk. Park Restrooms are open seven days per week, during daylight hours.
**Please note: Parts of Pisgah National Forest’s Pisgah Ranger District (the section closest to Hendersonville) have reopened, as of October 18th, after the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. There is still much work to be done, and some trails have not yet been touched. Please hike or bike at your own risk, and use extreme caution.**
The Pisgah National Forest’s more than 500,000 acres stretch across the eastern edge of Western North Carolina’s mountains. The closest section to Hendersonville is the Pisgah Ranger District, which includes attractions such as Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock, The Cradle of Forestry and the North Mills River Recreational Area.
Enjoy the Following Activities while you visit Pisgah National Forest:
Camping (roadside camping is first-come, first-served, you can also camp at various campgrounds)
Wai Mauna SUP Tours was founded in 2015 when the owner, Kyle, moved to the mountains of Western North Carolina from his childhood home in Maui. Seeking that connection with water in the mountains (the name, Wai Mauna, translates in Hawaiian as “river in the mountains”), he founded a company offering guided tours on the French Broad River by paddleboard. With two operations in Asheville and Brevard, visitors here in WNC can experience the beauty of standing on water while paddling on the third oldest river in the world. From sunrise tours to colorful floats through the fall October foliage, tours are led by experienced guides who not only teach you how to stand up and paddle (it’s way easier than you think!), but also serve as local guides for Asheville and surrounding towns. Choose from guided or self-guided options (where you paddle the river independently), and experiences range from urban floats through the heart of Asheville’s River Arts District, to paddling through a forested tunnel of trees on an uncrowded river near Brevard. Perfect for families, couples, groups, bachelorette parties, retreats, first-time paddlers, and anyone who loves the experience of spending a day on the water in the mountains.
This park offers access to the French Broad River with a floating boat ramp. This section of the river is a slow-moving, sometimes shallow section of the river that is more ideal for kayaks, canoes and stand up paddleboards, you might even see some wildlife! Nearby river put-ins are at Horse Shoe Bend River Access Park (11 miles upstream), Lazy Otter Outfitters (7 miles upstream) and Bent Creek River Park (8.5 miles downstream.)
The park also offers a few walking paths, picnic tables and an open field area. The boat ramp is a good spot to fish.
Suggested paddle trip: start at Westfeldt Park and paddle to Firefighter Island (7 miles downstream), which is a secluded-feeling island on the left side of the river. When the water is low, go around the left side of the island and access from the downstream end of the island. When water is higher, you can go around either side and access from the lower end of the island. Continue downstream to Bent Creek River Park to exit the river.
