Guided walks along Hendersonville’s Main Street will reveal the history of the town and interesting architectural designs each Saturday morning in July at 10:00 am.
The walks will include stops at the Historic Courthouse, Skyland Hotel, City Hall and other historic shops and structures along Main Street.
Cost is $10 per person 10 years and older. Children under 10 are free with a paid adult. Space is limited. Reservations are suggested. Gather in the “backdoor” entrance of Hendersonville City Hall, beginning at 9:30 a.m. City Hall is at the corner of Fifth Avenue East and King Street. Parking is available at the King Street entrance.
The walks will be about 90 minutes and will be held rain or shine. Stroll with tour guide Mary Jo Padgett to answer such questions as — Who donated the land where the new town would be built? What is the age of the oldest block of buildings? What was on the third floor (and in the basement) of the old City Hall? Who was the town named for, bordellos, shoot-outs, trolley lines and much more. To make reservations or for more information, phone Padgett at 828-545-3179 or email [email protected].
“Locals and visitors are invited to join me on Saturday mornings throughout July to celebrate and share the interesting history and architecture of downtown Hendersonville,” Padgett says. “I also invite groups to make arrangements for a private tour time. I believe that knowing our history enriches our lives.”
The guided walks on Main Street will be held in July and resume in November. Group tours of eight or more people can be scheduled throughout July and August, as well as November. The tours are conducted under the auspices of The Trolley Company, which conducts history, wine and apple orchard tours around Henderson County.
Padgett served on Hendersonville City Council for eight years, is a journalist and public relations consultant, co-founder and former executive director of ECO, was associate editor at The Mother Earth News magazine, and conducts programs and guided tours in Paris, France, on the American Revolution. Her parents spent their honeymoon in the Skyland Hotel on Main Street. She grew up on a farm in Rutherford County and has lived in a 100-year-old house in downtown Hendersonville for 34 years.
(Image by Mary Jo Padgett.)