We at Mast General Store feel so lucky that many of our stores are located right in the middle of vibrant urban settings.  There’s so much to do and see outside the doors of our stores. We’re excited to share a small selection of our favorites with you! This year, we’re offering a series that features a day’s worth of places to enjoy within walking distance of each of our urban Mast Store locations. Over the past few months, we’ve taken a stroll through Greenville, SC HERE and Waynesville, NC HERE. This week, we’re exploring Hendersonville, North Carolina. Won’t you join us?

The heart of downtown Hendersonville, North Carolina is more than just a business district. It’s the heart of a culturally vibrant mountain community bustling with activity. Here’s a selection of just a few of our many favorite events and places to enjoy and they’re all within walking distance of our store at 527 N. Main Street:

Music on Main Street
Music on Main Street has been a favorite event for locals and visitors alike each summer. Every Friday evening from early June through mid-August, a diverse lineup of artists perform from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. on the permanent stage at the corner of Main and Barnwell Streets. Bring a chair or blanket, find a spot to sit, and enjoy classic rock, oldies, pop, and beach music as the sun sinks low over beautiful downtown Hendersonville. Tuxedo Junction is kicking off the season with their toe-tapping folk rock tunes. For the full calendar of events and more information, click HERE. (Please note that no alcoholic beverages, backpacks or coolers allowed.)

Music on North Main
If you are in town on Saturday evenings, many of the merchants on North Main Street extend their hours and are presenting another round of music for your enjoyment from June 4 through September 24. You'll find the performances on the patio in front of the Green Room Cafe at 536 North Main Street. Performance times are 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Go to this website to learn about the bands.

Monday Night Street Dances
If music is up your alley, be sure not to miss the popular Street Dances on Main Street each Monday evening from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. from July 11th through August 15th. Cloggers and square dancers shimmy the night away to live bluegrass music. If you're new to partner dancing, a professional caller announces the steps, so even beginning dancers can join in the fun. There's more information HERE.

Black Bear Coffee Company
Just a couple of blocks down from Mast Store, fuel up for your 24-hour tour through Hendersonville by grabbing a delicious cup of hot or iced coffee at Black Bear Coffee Company located at 318 N. Main Street, #5. This cheerful spot has been the go-to spot for a variety of beverages (not just the caffeinated ones), baked treats, breakfast, and lunch items for nearly 20 years.

When the weather is nice, choose a table outside and enjoy some fantastic people watching or, when it's chilly, cozy up on a couch inside next to one of their two fireplaces. Black Bear Coffee Company is open 7 days a week. Directions and information is HERE.

Bearfootin' Public Art Walk
In keeping with the Hendersonville bear theme, a beloved tradition in downtown is the annual public art display, “Bearfootin’ in Hendersonville,” featuring the return of the popular bear statues. New bears, featuring original artwork, are unveiled each spring and are placed in a variety of downtown locations until they're auctioned off to benefit regional non-profit organizations each fall. Folks return year after year to hunt for the bears, enjoy the new themes and artwork, and strike a pose in front of their favorite bears, creating one-of-a-kind photo memories.

Mast General Store is a proud sponsor of this event and proceeds for the 2016 bear in front of the store will go to the Ecusta Trail. This proposed trail will be a multi-use 19-mile greenway for cyclists and hikers alike along the railway corridor between Hendersonville and Brevard. In keeping with that theme, the Mast bear features a colorful mountain landscape and cyclists enjoying the outdoors along the future Ecusta Trail.

To find out more about the 14th annual Bearfootin' Public Art Walk, click HERE.

Henderson County Heritage Museum
If you're a history buff, the Henderson County Heritage Museum, inside the Henderson County Courthouse, is absolutely worth a visit. The Museum offers guests a chance to learn about the people, their contributions, and milestones that help shape the legacy of Henderson County.

Educational programs, colorful exhibits, collections, and dioramas reveal the rich history of this area. Current exhibits feature a never-before-seen collection from the Civil War, a diorama of the former Saluda Grade Railroad, as well as exhibits highlighting treasured places from the Golden Age: Laurel Park and The Wheeler Hotel. Information about this fascinating museum can be found HERE.

Hands On! - A Child's Gallery
Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., Hands On! offers fun, affordable, and educational ways to enjoy the day with students, children, and grandchildren from ages 1 to 10. This year, Hands On! is hosting an action-packed summer events program called "Summer STEAM." From a dinosaur dig and creating a royal tea party to making art with felt and learning about owls and their prey, there's so many fun things to explore for every budding scientist and artist in your family.

For more details about Summer STEAM and to register you and your child for special events, click HERE. Conveniently located at 318 North Main Street (right next to Black Bear Coffee Company), visiting Hand's On! is a great way to get children in on the action during your 24-hour visit in Hendersonville.

Looking ahead, be sure not to miss the North Carolina Apple Festival held over Labor Day weekend. Featuring all things apple and Americana, the Apple Festival has been Western North Carolina’s premiere family festival for over 60 years. Hendersonville is a vibrant city to visit every season of the year. For a full calendar of events, check HERE.