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The North Carolina Apple Festival has been a family-friendly tradition for 80 years. And it’s in the pretty mountain areas west of Charlotte, in Hendersonville just minutes from Asheville, NC.
While the Main Street location sounds like Anytown USA, it’s no ordinary festival…
And what makes this festival stand out is the Street Fair Parade. And the theme? Apples! 🍎 But not just any apples… North Carolina apples. Even though fall is prime apple season, apples are available year-round.
And if you pay attention to what’s available, you see that certain varieties show up earlier and some show up later in the season… from Gala to Honeycrisp and Empire in mid-August to Red and Golden Delicious, and Fiji (my fave) in mid-Sept. You can see the NC list schedule.
And in case you haven’t heard, North Carolina because of the moderate, warm climate serves as a farmers market for many restaurants up north. The soil is perfect for agriculture and apple trees.
And the contests stay on theme with apple window decorating and apple recipes… are you ready for apple pie yet? 🥧
The King Apple Parade is on Labor Day (rain or shine). So you can count on this event every year… same day, same place. 📆
And from the North Carolina Apple Festival, you can head to the highest mountain peak in the Appalachian Mountains, Mount Mitchell ⛰️ just a few hours away. And to split up your days from festival to mountains, you can stay in between in the mountains at a modern warehouse boutique hotel with brick accent walls. Check out this one. Labor Day is the perfect time to enjoy the last summer days in the mountains with apples. 😊
And if that’s too far west for you, and you prefer to stay along the accessible I-495 area as you’re transitioning into fal, you can do some outdoor shopping… and here’s a Raleigh, NC outdoor shopping area cheat sheet guide.
