Day Tripping in Hendersonville
By Dan Gibbs
We started out the day by going for breakfast at the Fireside Inn and Pancake Restaurant. It is one of the few true breakfast restaurants open in Hendersonville during these times of the pandemic. The food was good as was the service.
The next stop we made was at McFarlan Bake Shop on Main Street in Hendersonville. McFarlan Bake Shop has been a fixture in Hendersonville since 1930 and it is one of those iconic landmarks that I take all of my visiting friends to whenever they come to town. After getting a box filled with donuts, turnovers, and cookies we were ready to take a walk down Main Street in Hendersonville.
Main Street has such a fascinating a history with stories to match. Looking across the street from McFarlan Bake Shop you can see what was the Skyland Hotel where F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed in the mid-1930’s, Renzo’s Ristorante where the second floor was a Speakeasy in the 1920’s, and on the other end you can see the golden dome of the Historic Henderson County Courthouse.
The next stop we made was at an antique mall called Needful Things out on Hwy 64 and Francis Road. I had never been there before and I was looking forward to poking around and seeing what they had to offer. They had an eclectic offering of antiques from a 10-foot mahogany sculpture of Michael Jordan to a 1956 Ford Thunderbird. I found an antique mahogany desk that I would have looked great sitting behind. I don’t know if it would make my writing any better but as comedian Billy Crystal once said, “it’s not how you feel, it’s how you look.” Alas, the desk would not fit in my car so I had to leave it for the next Stephen King.
Out last stop of our day trip in Hendersonville was the Appalachian Ridge Artisan Cidery. It was the first time I had ever been there as well. The cidery is located just a short distance down Chestnut Gap Road in the Edneyville community. The cidery is located in an antique barn across the street from St. Paul’s Vineyards and I loved the setting. They also have an outdoor seating area that overlooks the orchards. We did a tasting and they were all good. We picked out our favorite and brought a bottle home with us. I look forward to our next day trip in Hendersonville.
