'Home for the Holidays' in Hendersonville

Hendersonville, North Carolina, rolls out its Home for the Holidays festivities beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Visitors are invited to make merry in this Blue Ridge mountain town with more than 60 festive activities occurring between that Friday and the New Year.

The big kickoff takes place Nov. 29, with the downtown street lighting and Santa’s arrival. Attendees gather on the historic courthouse plaza and sing Christmas carols. Santa arrives at dusk and flips the switch to illuminate the tree and lights along Main Street. The next day, Nov. 30, shoppers can support Small Business Saturday by visiting Hendersonville’s locally owned retailers. Storefronts are decked out in holiday finery for the annual merchant decoration contest, with shoppers casting votes for their favorites.

Youngsters can enjoy the new Peppermint Bear Scavenger Hunt. Black bears, the unofficial Hendersonville mascot, are hidden inside downtown businesses. When a child locates a bear, the shopkeeper punches their card. Once participants collect 12 punches, they place their completed cards in a special mailbox at the visitor center for a chance to win one of several prizes.

“We try to make everything we do family focused,” said Beth Carden, executive director of the Henderson County TDA.

Flat Rock Playhouse closes out its season with “A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas,” Nov. 29-Dec. 22. The original musical revue changes slightly each year but always promises favorite Christmas tunes, new musical surprises, festive sets and costumes, and talented dancers.

The downtown holiday skating rink returns to the visitor center, December 18 - January 1. The iceless rink makes skating possible in any weather and provides a smooth surface for all levels of skaters. The entire visitor center parking lot becomes a winter wonderland with games, a fire pit for roasting marshmallows, and holiday-themed cutouts for photos. Dec. 20-22, you can board free tractor-drawn hayrides at the visitor center and circle downtown for a magical tour of the lights.

“Everyone in Hendersonville goes out of their way to be warm and welcoming to all of our visitors, especially during the holidays,” Carden said.

For a full list of Home for the Holidays events, go to www.VisitHendersonvilleNC.org/Home-for-the-Holidays or call (800) 828-4244.