we had been making our rounds through the area mountains staying in a nice holiday inn in a central…read morelocation and proximity to the mountain state fair so we decided to book hotel again and take a weekend fair trip it was pretty cool i bought some nice pottery pieces and enjoyed the vendors but the food prices were out of this world like one turkey leg and one corn on the cob was $26 like whattt but any way the fair rides looked pretty cool but we dont do rides so arts and crafts and animals was nice too so i may go back next year with grands will see

Overall, my experience was amazing. The food was overwhelming fried but absolutely delicious, and…read morethere were plenty of things to do other than just riding rides. I had first arrived with my younger brother and my older sister around when the fair had just opened. We first hit the caterpillar kiddy-coaster, and it was absolutely thrilling and ran much smoother than the model they had at the Youth Fair in Miami-Dade. We then went on this odd barn ride that would elevate and slowly swirl you around. We then waited in line to go on the absolute fair classic; the bumper cars. I was a bit dissapointed, as the steering wheels on several of the cars did not work. They would steer in random directions, and it was pretty difficult. Next me and my older sister went on the Cyclops ride. If you enjoy that type of ride, good for you! I do NOT, so I was pretty scared, but it eventually ended. After that we explored the little sponsor stands they had and it was pretty cool. The rest of the day was amazing, if you plan on going, I recommend going on the Surfer and Auto Bahn (if you have the stomach)!

This festival was a blast! If you love Bluegrass you must…read moreattend this next year. The festival runs from a Friday to sunday. Friday evening you check in at the main stage tent. For 5.00 you get a bidding paddle for live and silent auction. All the food you can eat, this year provided by Bourbon Street. Shimp, cornbread, deserts. Fab! All the wine you can drink. Yes you read that correctly! Plus you can purchase your Bear on the square tshirt! Bid on wonderful items! Listen to live music. I got to meet Ugly Cousin! Definitely go to the festival on Sunday. This is when the gospel music is until around 1pm Then, this year headlining the event was Becky Buller. Amazing song writer, singer and fiddle player. I got to meet her also and she signed all my stuff! Food, food, and more food. Everything you want. I got a gyro. It was awesome. A bit pricy but it's a festival. Basically if you enjoy Bluegrass go to this festival. You will get to meet some amazing artist that are very willing to speak with you and appreciate that you are a fan. Definitely going back next year.

WHERE IS THAT BEAR?…read more This is the twentieth year for the "Bear on the Square" Festival and I thought that it would be interesting because of the emphasis on Appalachian music and culture. We love all genres of music and enjoy being able to hear something different and speak with the various artists. Storytelling, workshops and demonstrations were also featured. This festival is a huge favorite of the locals and the highlight on a Sunday morning is the gospel jam which is held in a tent overflowing with attendees. This jam should have been held in the local park because of its size and the interest that it generates. During the Gold Rush Festival, the Sunday service is held in the park and it is wonderful and accessible to all. As a rule, we always attend the festivals on opening day (Saturday), because it has a fuller and more varied schedule. On this day, many of the acts were not scheduled to perform until later in the day around 1pm but since we were there at 9 am, we would love to have seen musical acts performing at that hour. The cool aspect of this festival was being able to talk to artists such as the resident weaver who were working this very sophisticated weaving machine that was making cotton wash cloths. She had been weaving since the age of seven and had definitely discovered her passion. I also enjoyed talking to the dulcimer artist who carefully constructed custom dulcimers one or two at a time. The craftsmanship was impeccable and it usually takes a minimum of three months to create one from beginning to end. You get to totally customize your own design and whatever you want, he will make an effort to execute it. There were plenty of vendors who were showcasing personal wares such as jewelry, pottery, leather, wood products, instruments, clothing, food items and more. This was just a beautiful day to walk around, explore and mingle with vendors and visitors. It was also a great way to cap off the weekend after spending all of Saturday working in the yard. Next year we will be sure to arrive on Saturday so that we can take advantage of the full schedule.

I think it will show off the Main Street businesses plus alot of vendors. You can buy crafts eat…read morein one of the local restaurants or grab something from food vendors. You find fresh apples , apple pies , apple ice cream and apple drinks . On Monday will be parade. Alot to look at plus an area to buy tickets for kids to ride on kiddie rides bounce houses around Wells Fargo Bank . Mostly likely you need to pay to park I say look up First Church of Nazerene or Facebook Hendersonville First Nazarene. They offer free bottle water and allow you to use their church clean restrooms. It fund raising for church children. They are on Washington Street behind curb market and only 2 blocks from Historic Courthouse where they hold music at .

We arrived at the 2024 Festival on Saturday around noon and there was plenty of parking lots and it…read moreseemed like they were prepared for the crowds. We stopped at HenDough (which was only a few minutes from the actual festival) to grab doughnuts before getting started. Since the Apple festival was the main reason for our trip to Hendersonville we were prepared to try all types of Apple products. There were farm stands selling fresh apples, Apple Cider and a few stands with Apple Slushies; BUT HONESTLY THIS COULD'VE JUST BEEN CALLED [The Hendersonville Festival]. On one end there was festival type foods (corndogs, funnel cakes, turkey legs) and a few carnival rides for kids age 7-12. Not really for toddlers. The other end is plenty of arts & crafts, t-shirts and other vendors to spend money on. The Apple product stands were far few in between: one stand selling fried apple pies/baked apple frittata but they only accepted cash. Overall, this was a good way to spend time as a family but I expected way more apples goodness.

The weather was not kind to the festival Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. Winds and rain…read moreyesterday grounded balloons, and wind this morning kept balloons from flying high. Risk was too great to go up. But last night the balloonists fired up their rigs in a ring & it was a sight to see! They could control the rigs on the ground even though they couldn't control the weather. This morning volunteers dried tables and chairs that were soaked by Saturday night rains. Vendors and food trucks prepared for the public opening at noon. The portable bathrooms were cleaned and stocked for use today. The sun is shining, and if Mother Nature cooperates, balloons should rise at dusk. We could not stay for the entertainment, but at least four acts were scheduled Sunday afternoon. A static antique tractor display was by the food trucks. If you want to eat good food and are looking for something fun for the whole family to do on a Sunday afternoon, this is the place to be!

We went last year and it was amazing! So many different kinds and shapes of the balloons! They have…read moretethered rides or unteatherd rides with the latter being more expensive than the tethered one was $20 last year! I have walking problems and they have golf carts for older people and they came right to our truck and when we got ready to leave they brought us back to our vehicle! There was a wide array of different food trucks and vendors selling crafts and wares! We loved it and are planning on going back this year! The "Glow" is a beautiful sight to see at dusk!

The apple pies and apple fritters are amazing. Definitely recommend. The lines are long but worth…read morethe wait. Goes without saying that their apples are delicious. Friendly people as well.

Nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains this place is awesome. They have multiple…read moretypes of apples to sell that come from the trees there locally at their orchard. They all looked fresh and taste totally delicious. They was my 5th time to this orchard. If you choose you can pick your own apples. There were entire of canned items to choose from as well as multiple choices of fresh vegetables. For my family, a trip to the mountains must contain a trip to Bryson's Orchard. They also have a small quaint little restaurant there but I haven't eaten there although they fried pies are unbelievable and they have a homemade candy store there including sugar free selections for the diabetic in the family. Everyone that works there went above c and beyond tomato our visit special!

I have been both a customer and vendor at the Henderson county tailgate market…read more It was established in the 70's and still going strong ! I was surprised to see this hidden gem wasn't already on yelp ...Check it out you won't be disappointed! And wer'e having our annual tomato festival Saturday Aug. 4th 8-12 stop by for a free tomato sandwich ! Tj Misty Mountain Berries & Beans

From the owner: New this season at the market is the capability to offer SNAP/EBT recipients a chance to use their…read morebenefits to purchase Henderson County grown goods. The Duke Endowment grant "Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas" is helping purchase equipment for the transactions and in return will also allow vendors to accept tokens purchased with debit and credit cards at the market's information booth. "Buying local helps build community and this year we are pleased to provide the opportunity for everyone to participate," said Karen Blaedow, agent of the NC Cooperative Extension. Themed weekends, live music and non-profit spotlights are also planned from April through October. The month of April will highlight the planting season.

THE TOCCOA HARVEST FESTIVAL!…read more The Toccoa Harvest Festival takes place in downtown Toccoa in Stephens County during the last week of October. It is now in its 40th year. We decided to visit for the first time this year. We headed out before dawn and as the sun came up, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and change of colors. As per usual, we had planned to get there at least an hour before the start of the actual event which was scheduled to start at 10 am. We actually arrived around 8:30 am and was surprised to see several vendors already set up as well as volunteers providing directions. These small town people don't play! After eating breakfast we set out to view the vendors' wares and to see what was "poppin". My first stop was at the classic car show where I met Kent and his classic blue Chevy truck, (see the photo). `I absolutely love classic vehicles, (especially trucks), so I always have to get the "back story". This truck was purchased approximately four years ago when it was seen on someone's property. Kent had asked about the truck but the man had said that his son was planning on purchasing it. Approximately one month later, Kent saw the truck and stopped by again. At that time he was told that someone else was interested in the car and had stopped by earlier in the day. Kent offered the man cash on the spot and sealed the deal. He then spent the next four years stripping the truck and rebuilding it. All of the work was done in his garage or yard, including the paint. I was blown away to know that he had completed all of the work, (except the welding) himself. He did a phenomenal job because he showed me his book that documented the process. Collectors always have a book to document their restoration process so just ask if you are curious. I really enjoyed talking to this guy! We met another guy who had this sick 1935 International "flower wagon" that was once used to transport flowers to funerals. It too had been totally stripped and restored with a beautiful red interior and custom additions. Incredible! I could have spent hours here but I needed to explore more. There were a variety of vendors selling a variety of items such as candles, holiday décor, homemade soaps, jewelry, toys, hair accessories, art leather goods and more. I ran into my favorite jewelry vendor who I tend to purchase sets from exclusively. She didn't have anything that I don't already own so I ordered a custom piece that I will pick up at the next festival, because we just tend to run in the same circles. I must confess that I am getting a great deal because I am a repeat customer and she wants a pound cake! She is one of the few vendors who actually uses sterling silver and genuine stones while the others will just tell you that those materials are too expensive. I also like her because she does the larger adjustable statements pieces with matching earrings. Enough about my favorites! They had a Christian choir singing in the square, an activity area for children, full service restrooms that didn't include a porta-potty, great food options including Lobster, Mongolian Beef and Thai, carriage rides, baked goods, and probably some things that I just did not get to see. It was a beautiful day for the festival and it all started with a beautiful drive up from Alpharetta and ended with a visit to see the falls. When you visit the festivals, take time to see the landmarks visit the local vendors and spend time in the community. Your visit is always appreciated! By the way, if you like the frequent sound of trains running through a small town, Toccoa is your kind of town!

Growing up in Knoxville i always experienced the Dogwood Arts Festival in Market Square Mall. I…read morehave been extracted from Knoxville for 14+ years. Needless to say I (as well as my Mom) was surprised that the Festival shifted to World's Fair Park. It is much BIGGER than I remember. I guess Market Square wasn't big enough to handle all these cool booths. Honestly it is much less "Fair Like" then the Washington County Fair in Hillsboro. No rides and unnecessary fried food. Mostly cool art, tons of crafts, and I was able to grab a cool shady spot to chill and write my review. I was really hoping to spot one of my old(er) friends from Knoxville while I was walking around. I don't usually last long at these festivals...my interest seems to wain fairly quickly, but people watching is fun too. Kinda reminds me of sitting on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Yup it always comes back to New York. Y'all come back now, ya hear?

What an incredible event for our community! Everyone looks forward to coming together downtown to…read morecelebrate art, warmer weather, and our typical Knoxville awesomeness. There are differing categories of chalk art with winners are chosen at the end of the day (and labeled as such). There are food trucks and other vendors selling goods and often activities for the littles, and live music to enjoy. Just note that it gets crowded on the Sat. of the event and if you want to avoid that (and it hasn't rained, go the day after to enjoy the art walk without the heavy crowds.