Guided history walks along Hendersonville’s Main Street will be offered at 10:00 am every Saturday morning in July.
Saturday walks are on July 8, July 15, July 22, and July 29. An additional Main Street Walk will be offered on Tuesday, July 11, at 5:30 p.m. Cost is $10 per person 10 years and older. Children under 10 are free with a paid adult. Space is limited. Reservations are suggested. Participants should meet in the lobby of Hendersonville City Hall at the Police Department entrance to sign in and begin the walk. City Hall is at the corner of Fifth Avenue East and King Street in downtown Hendersonville. Parking is available in the Police Dept. parking lot.
Participants will learn about the history of the town and its interesting architectural designs — including stops at the Historic Courthouse, Skyland Hotel, City Hall, and other historic shops and structures along Main Street. 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, old trolley lines, and much more.
Groups of eight or more can make arrangements for private tours anytime for Guided Walks on Main Street or in Oakdale Cemetery.
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.
To make reservations or for more information, phone Padgett at 828-545-3179 or email [email protected]. Visit www.maryjopadgett.com and click on “Guided Walks” for a complete schedule.