Historic downtown Hendersonville is the town's social centre: a broad Main Street lined with 19th- and early-20th-century buildings, galleries, ice cream shops, restaurants, and benches shaded by street trees. It is polished but not sterile, and still feels like a working mountain town rather than a resort set.
Give it an hour or two, especially if you are pairing it with the Mineral and Lapidary Museum or a meal nearby. The best stretch is around the old courthouse square and North Main Street.