In 2007, Michele Azan and Elisabeth Perez made their first visit to Hendersonville for a four-day weekend with friends. The New York City residents were so charmed by Hendersonville’s warm and friendly people, they called a real estate agent on a whim and wound up putting an offer on a house during their vacation.

Not able to replicate their NYC careers here, they opted for a new take on something they dabbled in years earlier in Florida – vacation rentals. They knew how to renovate and decorate properties. Now the digital age made it easier to reach customers. With keen eyes and a love of history, they came across a group of cottages and cabins surrounding an old stone guesthouse in an area known as Brightwaters.

And Brightwaters Vacation Rentals were born.

When they bought the property, Michele and Elizabeth immersed themselves in its interesting history. Both are history buffs and were intrigued to learn about the property.

In the early 1920s, a former shoe salesman from Pennsylvania named Samuel Childs purchased 400 acres west of Hendersonville from which he carved a 100-acre resort. He named it Brightwaters after an area near Tampa and promoted the resort to Floridians seeking to vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The resort consisted of 25 cabins, an eight-bedroom hotel, plus lodge and dining hall.

Today, the two-story, 1938 former hotel is the centerpiece of the property.

Michele and Elisabeth found it important to connect with the descendants of Mr. Childs, so they had their new neighbors connect them with Martha Pryor, Samuel Childs’ granddaughter, and were thrilled to hear Martha’s stories and pore over old photos and brochures of Brightwaters Resort.

“We’re forever grateful for her generosity in sharing so much info,” said Michele. “It’s important to us to be good stewards of the legacy created by Samuel Childs and maintain the stories of this key part of Hendersonville history.”

Michele and Elisabeth are often complimented on the interior design of their properties. “Our philosophy is that each home has its own personality, designed to be warm, comfortable and inviting,” said Michele. “Our style has several components: thoughtful attention to detail; uncluttered spaces; texture and layering that delight the senses; decorative accents and large-scale artwork to add flair and drama; and mixing high/low, modern and vintage furniture to create interest and make the spaces feel like home.”

People also love that some of the Brightwaters properties are dog-friendly, a big part of what makes Hendersonville a unique place to visit. 

Over the years, Michele and Elisabeth have welcomed guests from across the globe. Some of their notable mentions include: Alaska, Canada, Venezuela, Germany, Sweden, Ecuador, Argentina, Australia and China.

“We love meeting new people and offering help where we can,” says Elisabeth. “Over the years, many guests have become Hendersonville residents and we’ve helped them get settled. We support and share advice with local business owners, and partner with them to provide memorable visitor experiences.”

Our guests frequently tell us they come here for the plethora of outdoor activities our area offers – from pristine lakes, rivers and waterfalls to forests that welcome hikers, bikers and nature lovers. In particular, they also choose Hendersonville for U-pick apple orchards, and charming, family-friendly downtown Hendersonville, which is full of art galleries, unique boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops and breweries.

If there was one “secret” we could let potential visitors “in on,” it would be that September is one of the best times to visit. In September, it still feels like summer, but with a hint of fall. Plus, it’s easier to get reservations at popular destinations in our area.

One thing that really makes Brightwaters stand out is that it offers 9 properties that neighbor one another and can accommodate up to 46 people. The property also offers a shared public, outdoor space, making this a great option for family reunions, bridal parties or small, destination weddings, as well as for other smaller sized groups and clubs visiting the region.

Each home comes with the amenities you would expect, like TVs and Wi-Fi, but also offers some extras, such as fully equipped kitchens, locked storage for outdoor gear, gas grills, and top-notch personalized, concierge-like services from Michele and Elisabeth — as much or as little as you would like. 

Cold Spring Basecamp is a family-owned business spearheaded by partners Steve Waggoner and Hartwell Carson. Steve knows the basecamp like the back of his hand, as he grew up camping on this property as a kid. His father, Bill Waggoner, was the owner of Camp Windy Wood on Lake Summit, and the Cold Spring property was used for overnight camping and adventures. Bill and Steve built some of the original cabins by hand.

Steve Waggoner: A native of the area, Steve’s upbringing was steeped in the wonders of camping and adventure as he spent his days exploring every nook and cranny of this pristine property, starting with his time as a camp counselor and over the next three decades, through his career as a land surveyor. His journey of discovery has made Steve intimately familiar with the lay of the land. Today, he serves as the “President of heavy equipment, surveying, and rock hauling” at Cold Spring Basecamp.

Hartwell Carson: Hartwell has worked for almost 20 years to clean up and protect the waterways in Western North Carolina as the French Broad Riverkeeper for MountainTrue. This work involves monitoring our waterways, pulling tires and trash from the river, and building the French Broad River paddle trail, a series of campsites connecting over 150 miles of the river. Hartwell is also the founder of Clean Water for Africa, which support African Riverkeepers with drinking water wells, water tanks and water filters. At Camp, Hartwell heads up the cleaning up messes division, among other duties.

Teela Waggoner: A true local, spent her childhood camping on these grounds. She brings her expertise as one of the area’s finest mortgage brokers to the table, along with a knack for style and invaluable advice.

Wilder Carson: In charge of excavators and skilled in “shredding the gnar,” adds an adventurous spark to the team.

Evan Carson: The vice president of plant relocation, step building, and entertaining his little brother, rounds out this dynamic group.

After a health scare a few years ago Hartwell and Teela decided they wanted to build something together that would stand the test of time. They both love camping and biking, so a campground with trails was a natural fit. 

For Steve, this land had been in the family for decades and had been a huge part of his upbringing. He wanted to keep the property, which once served as a youth summer camp and later, a local hangout spot for teens and young adults, in the family, but loved the idea of again sharing it with others. They beauty of the property helped make it an easy decision to partner.

The property offers rustic camp sites for tent camping, three rustic 3-sided cabins, miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a beautiful waterfall, trickling creeks, cold plunge tubs, and an overwhelming feeling of peace and stillness throughout the 38 acres. They have plans to add treehouse camping in the near future.

Cold Spring Basecamp makes a great central place to stay because they are located so close to the many outdoor recreation opportunities that the Green River area (nestled between Hendersonville and Saluda) has to offer, as well as the many other things that make the region a draw, like apple picking and leaf peeping in the fall, the craft beverage scene, Hendersonville’s quaint downtown and so much more. See Hartwell’s top local picks below!

The filters used for the drinking water at Cold Spring Basecamp — which comes straight from the property’s creek — are the same filters used for clean water projects in Uganda, Kenya and Togo and a portion of the proceeds from each booking will go to support Clean Water for Africa.

The rustic and historic cabins that were rehabbed by Steve and Hartwell managed to keep all their old charm, with their wooden walls and furniture. They offer the feeling of being out in the open wilderness, but with a roof over your head. The cabins have a kitchen, eating area, and bunk beds (with queen on the bottom and twin up top). Cook over the stone fire pit or on cast iron pots and pan on the propane stove in the fully-equipped kitchen, which includes a French press, teapot, utensils and more. Relax under the solar lights and charge your devices using the solar-powered charging station — allowing you to be connected to the outside world as much or as little as you want.

Spacious, private Campsites are all nestled in the woods, next to the creek. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring with grill for cooking, and a water filter is provided for purifying drinking water from the creek.

Cold Spring Basecamp is also dog-friendly, meaning you can launch any adventure, whether you are visiting with 2 or 4-legged friends, or both.

Hi, I’m Evie, a native North Carolinian – a Tar Heel, through and through. When I was a young wire fox terrier/boxer mix pup, my parents adopted me and took me to spend my puppy-hood in another state, but after 10 long dog years of sad puppy eyes and sitting pretty, I finally convinced them to move us back to my home state, and my tail hasn’t stopped wagging since. There’s nothing like a homecoming.

Growing up, we spent a lot of time outside, which was where I developed a deep love for all things outdoors – running, jumping, fetching, digging, swimming, hiking, even gardening!

When we first moved to Hendersonville, my parents and I made a du-claw-promise to only hike new trails for the first year, so we really got to see some sights.

Nowadays, I also have two human siblings who are fun but are a little loud sometimes, so I’ve continued to relish any time I have outdoors. As a mature woman (I’m planning my 56th birthday celebration at the time of transcribing this article), I don’t get into as much mischief as I used to, and I’ve found a good nap in a sunny spot has become something of a ritual for me.

But when we do get out to explore Hendersonville, there is so much to sniff, it can be hard to decide what to do. On a hot day, I can’t resist going for a swim, so I will typically just check out one of the rivers in the area, but if there’s time for a hike and a swim, my top choice is always Lake Julia at DuPont State Forest. Speaking of hiking, in my younger days, one of my all-time favorite hikes was Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest, the views were amazing, but it was a grueling 6-mile trek.

These days, my old bones crave something a little easier, like Bearwallow Mountain, where cows graze at the summit and the smells are amazing, or the Perry N Rudnick Nature Trails at the Kellogg Center, where there are plenty of creeks to splash in. For an easier walk at a park, my people love The Park at Flat Rock because of its paved and fine gravel, stroller-friendly trails, and I love it for all the dogs I get to meet. There are a few dog parks nearby too, but paws-down, my favorite has got to be the one at Mills River Park – the other dogs there just can’t keep up with me when I get a case of the zoomies, but they sure do try!

 Sometimes, on very special occasions, I get a 1-on-1 day with my mom, and we go for a nice drive to visit Wag! A Unique Pet Boutique in Downtown Hendersonville, where I get to pick out a whole bag full of treats, a fun new toy, and sometimes even a new collar or leash. Downtown is also a really great place to dog-watch, you should see some of the harnesses some dogs will wear when going out to lunch at one of the many restaurants with outdoor patios! Un-bark-leaveable!

I really do love Hendersonville, and I think you will too.

As an eight-year-old in Boulder, Colorado, John French would go after school to his father’s electronics company. He found it too boring to sit around and do homework, so he befriended the women who built circuit boards and they taught him the trade.

It didn’t take long for young John to become a wizard with circuit boards. Then, at age 13 while hanging out in a Boulder arcade, he was bothered by how many machines were out of order, so he asked the owner if he could repair them.

The owner skeptically agreed to let John attempt to fix one machine. The youngster whipped a soldering iron out of his backpack and wound up repairing everything in sight.

“By the end of the week, I had the keys to the arcade,” John says.

That ability to fix circuit boards and electronics eventually led to a job in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. On the side, he would restore vintage pinball games until his wife complained that their house was full of the machines. That provided the impetus to partner with a friend to start a pinball museum in Asheville before launching his own endeavor, the Appalachian Pinball Museum in Hendersonville.

The Appalachian Pinball Museum encourages visitors to touch (and play!) the exhibits. At any given time, there are more than 80 pinball and electronic arcade games on the floor. Patrons pay an admission fee and can play all the machines as many times as they want that day.

There’s also a snack bar with sodas and snacks for kids, and the owner recently added craft beers for adult kids.

“My philosophy is you can’t play pinball without beer,” John says with a laugh. “It has added to the camaraderie of the place because adults can come in and relax a little bit and have a beer while they’re playing.”

John French also has a philosophy for how his business is supposed to make you feel.

“When people come in here, they’re not coming to talk to somebody about their taxes, they’re coming in to have fun and have a good time,” he says. “They are smiling when they come in and I want to make sure they are smiling when they leave.”

Because he can fix almost any pinball machine, he rescues them from people’s garages and basements, applies his magic touch, and puts them on the museum floor. Among the 50-plus pinball machines are several classics.

“We have a good old-fashioned Theater of Magic from 1995, and it’s everybody’s favorite,” John says. “We’ve got Addams Family and Twilight Zone from 1993 or 1994. We have an Incredible Hulk from 1979, Police Force from 1989, Harlem Globetrotters from 1978, and a lot of electro-mechanical games from the 1970s.”

In the arcade section, there are legendary games like Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger and Galaga.

Next time you’re in Hendersonville, stop by the Appalachian Pinball Museum at 538 North Main Street. There’s no charge to walk around and check out the vintage games. If you want to play ’em, just pay the admission fee and you can play all day – even leave and come back later.

Oh yeah, if you would like to meet the Pinball Wizard, aka John French, he’s usually there. Just look for the man in the APM t-shirt with a smile on his face.