Thrifty Entertainment in Western North Carolina
I’ve lived in North Carolina for most of my life. I know that there are a lot of beautiful places to see. Here are a few inexpensive places to visit in Western North Carolina.
Hendersonville:
- Take a stroll through downtown Hendersonville. There are some nice shops and antique stores. I’m sure the old soda shop is still there too. They also have a general store.
- Visit the Carl Sandburg home. I’ve been there several times and always enjoy the tour. A guided tour is only $5.
- Stop for a show at the Flat Rock Playhouse.
- Take a drive up to Jump Off Rock. The view is beautiful and admission is free.
- Historic Johnson Farm has a farm festival in April. Admission is $4-6.
- Each fall, Hendersonville has their annual North Carolina Apple Festival.
Lake Lure:
- Just 25 miles from Asheville, you’ll find Chimney Rock Park. Some of The Last of the Mohicans was filmed at the park.
- Book a beautiful boat tour.
- Visit “the beach”. lol I grew up near the coast, so I wouldn’t really consider this a beach, but that’s what they call it. It’s beautiful though.
- Go camping.
- Visit one of the locations where Dirty Dancing was filmed.
Asheville:
- While this may not be a thrifty place to visit, you’ll want to stop at the Biltmore House. It is the largest mansion in America. I hope to go there some day.
- Visit The Botanical Gardens. It’s free!
- See lots of critters at the Western North Carolina Nature Center. Prices are about $5-7.
Hickory:
- In Hickory, you can visit the Catawba Science Center.
- Hickory is one of the nation’s largest furniture distributors.
- Stop by the International Spring Fest.
- Each fall, Oktoberfest features concerts, arts and crafts, caricature artists, street vendors, a variety of food, and rides. Admission is free, but of course you must pay for the food and rides.
- Shop at art galleries, look at pottery, browse through downtown.
- Listen to live music outside each summer at Union Square.
- Visit the Hickory Museum of Art for FREE.
- Board Queens Landing (in Mooresville) for a sight-seeing dinner cruise.
- Take the kids to Buffalo Beal’s Animal Park in Maiden. You can pet and feed some of the animals.
- All of you racing fans can stop by the Hickory Motor Speedway, “Birthplace of the Nascar Stars”.
- Travel to the nearby town of Valdese for Friday Family Nights. In the parking lots of Myra’s and Wachovia Bank you’ll find oldies music playing, old cars, and people chatting. Myra’s hosts a cruise-in and raffle.
These are just a few of the many frugal entertainment options for Western North Carolina. I plan to continue my research and have more information for you soon.
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image: This beautiful picture of Chimney Rock was taken by me about 12 years ago.
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POSTED IN: entertainment, free stuff
5 opinions for Thrifty Entertainment in Western North Carolina
Sonya
May 6, 2008 at 7:56 am
Since you are on the subject of NC (I live in Raleigh myself) I thought I’d share one of my favorite frugal websites with you. When we are looking to travel locally I always check out the website http://www.visitnc.com first. I especially like the “Where to Stay” tab because it pulls up B & Bs and mom and pop motels that are a ton cheaper than any of the larger chain hotels. But they have a great search feature too and you can see what there is to do in the area whether you pick the mountains, piedmont or coast. Hope this helps you in your research.
Karen
May 6, 2008 at 11:04 am
Hi Sonya. Thanks for the website. I’ll have to check it out. My brother lives in Raleigh. When we go to Raleigh, we just spend the day with family. We never venture out to site see. What attractions are there in Raleigh? Maybe next time I can suggest that my family goes out together some where.
Sonya
May 8, 2008 at 11:54 am
There are a ton of great free things to do in Raleigh, from the free events downtown often featuring free music to visiting one of the museums. My husband and I were amazed with the History and Natural Sciences Museum because most of it was free to the general public (sometimes they bring in featured exhibits like “The Brain” which was extra). But the free area on the bottom floor offered a ton of cool things for both kids and adults to see and learn about NC native plants and animals. We live over near the Art Museum off Blue Ridge Rd and that’s another great destination for movies in the park and music as well (small fee charged, but well worth it) There are also free art installations behind the Art Museum on the greenway that could be enjoyed whether biking or walking. The Flea Market and Farmers Market are also one of my favorite ways to kill a weekend afternoon (free unless you want to buy something of course). Here’s a helpful link for more info: http://www.visitraleigh.com/visitors/things_to_do/museum
Geez, can you tell I like Raleigh a little?
Karen
May 10, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Thanks for the info Sonya!
Our Frugal Family Outing
May 20, 2008 at 9:18 pm
[…] few weeks ago, I told you about some thrifty entertainment options in Western North Carolina. We decided to take a family day trip to the Catawba Science Center. […]
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