Full of information. There was no one there on a Saturday afternoon, but it was open. Lots of maps…read moreand brochures.

This beautiful Classical Revival structure is the Henderson County Courthouse and it was completed…read morein 1905. It was designed by Richard Sharp Smith, the former resident of the Biltmore Estate. Smith is also responsible for the Madison County Courthouse (Marshall), the Jackson County Courthouse (Sylva) and the Swain County Courthouse (Bryson City) among others. The building is two stories of gray colored stone atop a marble staircase with six stunning columns that rise to a pediment. Henderson County was established in 1838 from the southern portion of Buncombe County and is named for Leonard Henderson who was Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (1839-1833). Hendersonville has been the county seat since 1847. There is street parking nearby and a parking lot adjacent. On a quiet weekend morning, there wasn't much going on so I had plenty of time to walk the grounds and peek through the front doorway. I'd love a tour but that was not available today. [Review 1144 of 2025 - 4373 in North Carolina - 24697 overall]

The Henderson County Courthouse was built in 1995 when the historic courthouse was condemned…read more Henderson County had also grown and outgrown the space the historic courthouse provided. Padgett and Freeman were the architects. The current courthouse was modernized and made ADA-compliant. It also meets the current fire codes and has a security system. If you are looking for the Historic Henderson County Courthouse, constructed with brick and the gold dome, that building is located at One Historic Courthouse Square, at the corner of 1st and Main streets. It was turned into a museum, so you can visit and tour the building when the Heritage Museum of Henderson County is open.

This is the friendliest post office I've ever been to! Every time I go, the employees are smiling,…read morechatting, and seem genuinely happy to be there. But they don't let that slow them down. I am in and out of there so fast. Even if there's a long line, it moves. This post office makes my day! They do close earlier than other posts offices at 4:30pm so just be aware. They have a nice drive-through lane to drop mail into the outdoor boxes. Inside, they have a great card selection in case you forgot to mail someone a card - so convenient! Parking is plentiful and easy.

Extremely well researched and compelling exhibits. The volunteers were very knowledgeable and…read morehelpful. I learned a lot about the human losses in constructing and running the railroad. A great balance of types of exhibits- a must for train enthusiast and history buffs.

This a beautifully renovated train depot, unfortunately on this day the museum was closed I didn't…read morelook into the daily operating hours being this was an unscheduled stop. I did walk around the building and peeked through the windows and missing the opportunity to tour this was a little disappointing but it was a cool place and fortunately the young lady staffing the visitor center had a wealth of knowledge and if you get a chance to visit this train depot during normal business hours a quick stop at the visitor center will likely enhance your experience and it only a short walk between the two. It's nice to see the community has invested in preserving this important piece of history and it's definitely a tribute to the community of volunteers that donate their time and knowledge to share such an important cause...

Big thanks to Richard R. for adding this one that did not come up in the usual searches and yet, it…read morewas the main reason I passed through the DuPont Forest. I love bridges and I love covered bridges even more! And wow, thanks for the amazing writeup of all the drama on this property that was an eye-opener. I parked the van at the High Falls Trailhead (there are restrooms and even a wifi here!) and made my way along the trail to the bridge. It's about 0.75 of a mile on a path through the woods. I am apparently not as delicious as usual as I earned zero mosquito bites despite sweating a lot in the humidity. I'd call this walk "easy plus." The bridge itself is impressive and quite modern. And I would suggest not missing the nearby Falls though I was simply too tired and it was getting too late for me. I'll need to plan better next time! The walk back was much easier as I opted to take the gravel road that is easy and smooth, but only open for emergency vehicles and the forest rangers. I would rate the hike as "easy" for 0.6 miles though not wheelchairable. You can ask the rangers for access by vehicle for handicapped but they're only open regular hours. [Review 20030 overall - 3463 in North Carolina - 1005 of 2023.]

High Falls Covered Bridge (also known as Buck Forest Covered Bridge) is one of my favorite bridges…read morein the Southern United States. It is a modern structure that has an interesting history. It is an example of the power of the people versus the dollar power of a developer. HISTORY In 1999, Sterling Diagnostic Imaging decided to sell their interest in the land that holds Triple Falls and High Falls, two of the most gorgeous waterfalls you will ever visit this side of the Mississippi. For reasons still unknown, the company decided to use an unusual bidding method by choosing to keep the bidding private and secretive. The State offered up a bid in efforts to save the land for public use, but Sterling announced a developer by the name of Jim Anthony won with a bid of 6.35 million. The developer initially announced in the Hendersonville Times News that he had no plans to develop the land, but instead wanted to use it as a private retreat. However, it soon became apparent Anthony was indeed planning a massive upscale gated community. The fact that the deed he purchased from Sterling Diagnostics stating the land could not be used for residential purposes at the Transylvania Courthouse did not seem to matter. It was later discovered the complex legal agreement between the two was unenforceable and the battle began between the state and Anthony. Anthony proceeded to begin building the roads and this gorgeous covered bridge as part of his planned community, but thankfully he was ultimately defeated. On October 23, 2000 Governor Jim Hunt and the Council of State unanimously voted to invoke eminent domain on the tract of land owned by developer Anthony. In many ways Anthony still won big, because the State paid him 24.5 million dollars in an out of court settlement. WOW! The Falls opened to the public on December 17, 2000. Since then, the entire 2200 acres has been integrated into Dupont State Forest. [History Reference: Romantic Asheville - "How Dupont State Forest was saved"] FINAL THOUGHTS Aside from being one of the most beautiful covered bridges you will ever see, it also is part of a trail system that includes arguably the most beautiful waterfalls in the South. If that is not enough of a reason to come here, let me give you movie fans one more reason. Many scenes from the 1st Hunger Games were filmed right here in this forest. The scene were Katniss finds Peeta camouflaged in the ground at the waterfall is located on the second tier of Triple Falls... just a half mile downstream of High Falls Covered Bridge. Movie scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvyMiwhJWw Year Built: 2000 Obvious materials: Wood, stone, concrete Spans over: Little River at the top of High Falls Location: Dupont State Forest @ Buck Forest Road

The Friends of the Library books store is an amazing second hand book store for a town that does…read morenot have a book store. If you are a quilter, there are hundreds of quilt books and other crafting books. The staff are very helpful. They are very organized...You can find what you're looking for easily. They have large print section too and jig saw puzzles, childrens' books, cookbooks, videos and DVDS. Don't show up if you have a time crunch, you'll want to poke around.

Truly a wonderful Library. Wow! It's big, well organized, Quiet areas to study & helpful staff…read more Thank you. I use the library all the time to simply catch up on my Email, make copies of items and to just relax and get caught up with life. The staff is very helpful and considerate. So thank you!

Early Saturday Morning, we stopped by the Pickens County Courthouse and found the town setting up…read morefor what looked like a pretty large street market. The kind where you can tell half the county is about to show up with produce, crafts and probably a few things involving boiled peanuts. Sadly, the coffee vendor hadn't finished setting up yet and the rest of the market was going to be a bit so it was just the courthouse and moving on. Even with the quiet streets and the vendors still unloading, the courthouse sits confidently at the center of town, a solid red-brick anchor that immediately says Pickens takes its civic history seriously. Pickens County itself dates back to 1826, carved out of the old Pendleton District and named for General Andrew Pickens, a Revolutionary War figure whose home, Hopefully, stood not far from here. The county seat moved to its present location in 1868 after the district was split, and the courthouse that stands today reflects that post-Civil War era of rebuilding and re-centering civil life. The building's proportions, brickwork and symmetry fit nearly into the late 19-th-century Southern courthouse tradition of dignity, practicality and projecting stability of the law. It's the kind of structure that looks like it has always been here, even though the county seat itself shifted locations over time. Standing here on a sleepy Saturday morning with the market slowly coming to life around it, the courthouse feels less like a monument to dramatic legal battles and more like a reminder of how communities build themselves over time: brick by brick, case by case and weekend by weekend. There is a dedicated courthouse parking lot just down the hill. That's a good access point to the veterans memorial in the rear of the building. [Review 494 of 2026 - 1420 in South Carolina - 25676 overall]

The trains don't come around these parts any longer, the local historian at the visit center told…read moreme not since 2001 has the sounds of clanging train cars and the distinct wining of the diesel generators from the locomotives ramping up as the trains pull up this steep grade into town. The tracks are in disrepair so it's doubtful that they're ever feel the weight of cargo being transported across this mountainous region again, if it wasn't for the efforts of a few non-profits this section of rail would all but be forgotten. There are ongoing negotiations between the railroad and the community to convert approximately 30 miles of the abandoned tracks into a useful green space including a hiking and biking trail. Standing on the tracks gives you a different perspective and almost a haunting feeling, if you listen closely you may hear a train whistle in the distant or the railroad crossing in the center of town alerting the locals of a danger that no longer exist, I notice this crossing has no gates only the flashing signal and bells I wonder how many of the town's population of 800 have ever heard the sounds coming from these old signals that still stand like a monument to what once was considered the most progressive form of transportation and was instrumental in building America...

Located in the town of Saluda, this marker points out the railroad history. The rail is no longer…read morein use so you can walk it or take the nearby trail. The marker reads, "Saluda Grade. The steepest, standard gauge, mainline railway grade in the U.S. Opened in 1878; three miles long. Crests here." Online there is more information, "Railroad builders in western North Carolina faced the task of laying track up the steepest mountain inclines in the eastern United States. At Old Fort in McDowell County, the solution involved the use of tunnels and numerous curves. At Saluda in Polk County, workers on the railroad met the challenge straight on. The rugged geography of the Green River Gorge just west of the town posed a separate challenge for highway builders in the 1920s." "The Saluda Grade is infamous for the number of runaway train accidents. When talking about Cape Hatteras and the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," seamen tell tales of mishaps, triumph, and disaster. When veteran railroaders speak of Saluda, they do so with similar hushed tones." It's a neat spot and don't miss the Saluda Depot Museum nearby. [Review 20007 overall - 3448 in North Carolina - 982 of 2023.]