Four Years Later: A Return to Hendersonville with My Parents & Viktor

Four years later, a familiar mountain weekend looks a little different with waterfalls, cider, my parents, and Viktor along for the ride.

By SydneyOctober 24, 2026Read the story

Four years after Daniel met my parents in Hendersonville, I was back in town for another September weekend with them. This time, Daniel stayed in Raleigh to work, and our puppy, Viktor, came along.

On that first trip in September 2022, we'd come for the North Carolina Apple Festival over Labor Day weekend and filled the rest of our time with apple picking, apple cannons, barbecue, cider and wine. I'd since returned for Jordan's bachelorette weekend, but my parents hadn't been back. They had a few favorites they wanted to revisit.

My parents arrived Thursday evening, September 17, and found live music downtown while I was still home getting ready for the drive. Apparently Hendersonville was already in weekend mode.

Friday · September 18

Five Hours & One Very Excited Puppy

I left Raleigh Friday morning with Viktor and expected the drive to take around four hours. It took more than five. Traffic was rough, and by the time we arrived around 1:30 p.m., I was more than ready to be out of the car. For a weekend from Raleigh, I'd leave some room for traffic rather than counting on a four-hour trip.

Fortunately, our Airbnb was exactly what we needed. It was about three miles from downtown, but we specifically chose it because it was dog-friendly and had a fenced backyard. Being a little outside downtown was worth it for a place where we could spend time with Viktor between outings.

Viktor immediately decided the backyard was the greatest place on earth.

We spent at least an hour playing with him every day. My parents had even brought a ball from Aunt Kate, which Viktor chased and then hopped onto once he reached it.

After lunch at the Airbnb, we took Viktor for a walk along the Oklawaha Greenway before heading back into Hendersonville.

Two people playing with Viktor on the grass in a fenced backyard. — A backyard worth coming home to.

Back to Appalachian Ridge

Friday evening, we returned to Appalachian Ridge Cidery, one of the places my parents had really enjoyed on our 2022 trip. They'd already made a round of old favorites that morning: Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard, Grandad's Apples, Stone Ashe Vineyards and the cidery.

Apparently one trip to Hendersonville wasn't enough apple picking for them. They wanted more apples and more donuts.

We had planned the evening around live music at Appalachian Ridge, but the rain forecast moved the music indoors. Since we had Viktor with us, we sat outside and could still hear some of it. Bringing him along meant our music plans depended on where we could sit.

The cider was excellent, as usual. We ordered blackberry cider and Wallace Cider, the same cider that had been my favorite when we first visited in 2022. I also bought a four-pack to take home to Daniel.

The food was good, too. My dad and I split a plate of BBQ while we watched the sunset and made plans for the next morning's hike.

Viktor spent much of the evening collecting pets from anyone willing to give them to him. That became something of a theme for the weekend.

Gold and blue evening clouds above the fields outside Hendersonville. — Friday’s last light.

Saturday · September 19

Hiking DuPont's Waterfalls

Saturday morning started early. We drove to DuPont State Recreational Forest for one of the things I'd been looking forward to most: hiking.

My parents had chosen Hooker Falls, Triple Falls and High Falls. I'd been hiking in DuPont during Jordan's bachelorette trip the previous September, so I was looking forward to coming back.

We did the falls in that order and spent about three hours on the trail, covering a little more than four miles. There were no fall colors yet, despite Hendersonville's reputation as a fall destination, and the heat made it feel more like summer than fall.

The successive cascades of Triple Falls framed by sunlit green trees. — Triple Falls through the trees.

Viktor had absolutely no complaints. He met all the dogs and people he could while exploring every smell that came his way. He seemed to think the entire forest had been arranged specifically for his entertainment.

If you're planning your own hike, the forest's official visitor information has access points, trail maps and current conditions. Dogs need to stay on a leash.

The hike was beautiful and fun, but it was hot enough that everyone was ready for something cold and a place to sit down.

Viktor in a blue harness on the gravel approach to a wooden covered bridge. — A pause at the covered bridge.

Hooker Falls flowing across a broad rock ledge into a pool surrounded by green trees. — Hooker Falls in the morning light.

High Falls flowing down a steep rock face in DuPont State Recreational Forest. — One more waterfall to stop for.

Two hikers and Viktor crossing a footbridge surrounded by green forest. — Together on the trail.

Three Beers & a Market at Trailside

Our next stop was Trailside Brewing and Ecusta Market and Cafe. My mom got a matcha latte, while my dad and I settled in with some local beer. Trailside welcomes leashed dogs, too, so it was an easy stop to work into a day with Viktor.

We tried three beers from the taps:

Lazy River, a light ale
Blaze, a sour
Woolly Bugger, a brown ale

Blaze was easily my favorite, while Dad enjoyed the Lazy River. We also split fries and a black bean burger from the brewery, which was exactly what we needed after the hike.

There was also a local market happening around the brewery and along the greenway, which gave us something to wander through while we cooled down.

Three glasses of pale, brown and golden beer on an outdoor table at Trailside. — Something cold after the hike.

Viktor lying under a wooden picnic table and looking toward the camera. — A well-earned sit-down.

Pumpkin, Coffee & Frozen Custard

We stopped at Whit's Frozen Custard next. Mom chose pumpkin, and I had something coffee-flavored that was entirely too sweet for me. Still, after a hot hike, it was a welcome stop.

After that, we went back to the Airbnb and everyone rested, including Viktor.

A roadside Whit’s Frozen Custard sign beside trees and the Hendersonville shop. — A frozen-custard detour.

An Attempt at Saluda

Later that afternoon, we decided to try something different and drive over to Saluda.

I had never really explored the mountain town, and we wanted to see what it was like. We walked Main Street while my mom went into a couple of stores and my dad and I wandered around outside.

Then the clouds rolled in and the rain started just as we got back to the car.

We made a brief attempt to see more of the town from the car, but eventually decided the weather was making the decision for us and headed back to the Airbnb for the evening.

It wasn't exactly the adventurous mountain-town evening we'd imagined, but we made the most of it playing with Viktor inside.

A brick passage in Saluda with a painted mural, benches and shop displays. — A short look around Saluda.

Sunday · September 20

One More Morning in Hendersonville

Sunday morning was our last morning together. We started where we'd spent much of the weekend: in the backyard with Viktor. My parents soaked in as much puppy time as they could, and then we headed out for breakfast at Hendough Chicken & Donuts, conveniently located next to Whit's.

Breakfast brought a berry donut, a biscuit for Mom, and coffee. I tried a tiramisu latte, curious how it would compare with the one from First Chair Coffee Shop on our Beech Mountain trip. It was sweeter, but still good.

A berry-glazed ring donut in a paper tray on a red outdoor table at Hendough. — Sunday starts with a berry donut.

A biscuit and takeaway coffee on a red patio table outside Hendough. — Coffee, a biscuit, and an easy morning.

After breakfast, we took one final walk through downtown Hendersonville, which meant Viktor had to meet the bears.

We'd already seen Hendersonville's bear statues on our previous trips, but this was Viktor's first encounter with them. He was not impressed. He growled at them and backed away.

To him, the giant stationary bears scattered around downtown were deeply suspicious.

My mom and dad stood near one of the statues and encouraged him to come closer. Eventually, he decided the bears weren't going to attack him and warmed up to them, although he kept an eye on them as we walked.

Viktor standing beside a colorful bear statue while a person holds his leash downtown. — The bears required a closer look.

A purple and blue bear statue painted with stars on a downtown Hendersonville sidewalk. — Still a little suspicious.

Hendersonville has now been part of several different chapters for us: Daniel meeting my parents, Jordan's bachelorette weekend, and now this trip with my parents and Viktor.

This visit worked because we had a few familiar favorites to build around: cider at Appalachian Ridge, a morning of waterfalls, and a house where we wanted to spend time between outings. The fenced backyard earned its place on the wish list, and having somewhere comfortable to go back to helped when Saluda got rained out.

For another weekend from Raleigh, I'd leave room for the drive and keep that same balance of getting out and settling back in.

The town may have been familiar, but this weekend was entirely its own.

Filed under

Hendersonville Weekend Getaways Hiking Dog Friendly Travel