When planning your escape to Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure, experience our vast history, take in our beautiful views and revel in the excitement that Lake Lure and the Blue Ridge Foothills have to offer.
Guests at Rumbling Bald have endless opportunities to explore and enjoy our surrounding area. If your plans call for a day of shopping, taking the family to a nearby attraction or attending one of our areas unique festivals, you can be sure you will find good times for everyone in your party, no matter when you choose to visit. Please explore the following pages on our site; we’ve listed many of our guest favorite places to visit and shop.
Regional Shopping
It’s all here: rustic to luxurious, mass market to bespoke, barbecue to haute cuisine. Take a day trip and see what you can discover!
Antique Tobacco Barn
Email: info@atbarn.com
There is no place quite like the Antique Tobacco Barn in Asheville, North Carolina. It’s everyone’s favorite eclectic shopping experience in Western North Carolina. It is nationally recognized as one of the premier antique malls in the Southeast, thanks in part to national publicity in Southern Living magazine, the Discovery Channel, and Budget Travel.
Asheville Mall
The Asheville Mall features Belk, Sears, Dillard’s, JCPenney, and more than 100 specialty shops such as Old Navy, Eddie Bauer, Gap, Kirkland’s, Earthbound Trading Co., Gymboree, Bath & Body Works, Yankee Candle, Build-A-Bear, Barnes & Noble and Buckle.
Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley
Black Mountain is cradled by mountains and surrounded with gorgeous views; located just 20 minutes east of Asheville and 30 minutes north of Lake Lure. The town overflows with art & craft galleries, artist studios, specialty & antique shops, bookstores and furniture stores, where you can bring a piece of the mountains back home with you. Enjoy lunch in a charming restaurant or cafe, go biking, hiking or just sit awhile.
Chimney Rock Village
Our location is unique-Chimney Rock Village is situated in the center of historical Hickory Nut Gorge, lying directly below the famous vistas of Chimney Rock Mountain, containing almost three miles of scenic Rocky Broad River, which is the prime source for the renowned pristine waters of Lake Lure. Our quaint village will welcome you with its delightful assortment of hostelries, eateries, attractions, shops, and services; the friendliness of the villagers; the permanence of the mountains; and a state park with an entrance right on Main Street.
Downtown Asheville
Asheville’s lively downtown has great architecture, interesting museums, 200 locally owned stores including 15 antique shops and 30 galleries, 50 restaurants, 10 coffee shops, and a dozen nightspots with live music or dancing. The Asheville Civic Center & Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and The Orange Peel host many major concerts and events.
Historic Downtown Hendersonville
Whether you’re here for a visit or forever, you’ll fall in love with the Historic Downtown Hendersonville. A pedestrian-friendly shopping district with more than 120 unique gift shops, inspiring art galleries, funky to formal restaurants and vibrant entertainment venues, Downtown Hendersonville is a wonderful experience you’ll enjoy no matter what your mood.
Jim’s Leather Craft
Email: jim@jimsleathercraft.com
Jim is a meticulous leather crafter located in the breath taking mountains of western North Carolina. Recalling the settlers and indigenous peoples of this region, Jim handcrafts leather to make practical yet beautiful products, inspired by this amazing landscape. Specializing in Belts, Wallets, Purses and many other small leather items. Each of Jim’s products is an individual and uniquely American work of art.
Prime Outlets of Gaffney, SC
With tons of stores to choose from, you are sure to find that perfect item that will always remind you of your trip to the Carolinas. An on-site food court is available for all the marathon shoppers.
The Lake Lure area information on our site can change often; please make sure you contact the appropriate business and stores for additional information and to verify hours or dates.
Area Events
Music, food, drinks, dancing, fireworks, and fun. Whatever you love, you will find it here.
Annual Lake Lure Olympiad
Email: lakelureolympiad@gmail.com
The Lake Lure Olympiad is an annual, charitable, sports festival held in beautiful Lake Lure, North Carolina during a weekend of serious athletic competition and fun-filled events for the entire family. The Olympiad includes sports events for all; with a golf tournament, pickleball tournament, sprint triathlon. long distance swim and much more. This annual event always starts with a beach party and cookout at Rumbling Bald Resort, along with family games on the beach, a family “fun run” and a free fireworks show. Held on the last weekend in August each year, the Olympiad has helped raise over a hundred thousand dollars for area charities since it was founded nearly 8 years ago. If you love outdoor sports, the Olympiad is the place for you!
Special lodging packages are available at Rumbling Bald on Lake Lure during this event. Call 828.694.3015 for details or email reservations@rumblingbald.com.
Annual Dirty Dancing Festival
Morse Park Meadows in Lake Lure. The daytime family dance festival is an all-day affair with live bands and dance performances, a beer and wine garden, games for all ages, a dance lessons tent, food and craft vendors, and of course the infamous Lake Lift Competition! With admission all entertainment, games and dance lessons are free, and you can come and go throughout the day with your admission wristband!
Lake Lure Arts and Crafts Festivals
Our Arts and Crafts Festivals have been a Lake Lure North Carolina tradition since the 1980’s. Held twice a year in May (Spring) and October (Autumn). Festivals features artisans and craftspeople who sell their hand-made creations.
Local Chamber’s Events Calendars
North Carolina Apple Festival – Hendersonville, NC
The North Carolina Apple Festival is held annually over Labor Day Weekend in Hendersonville, North Carolina. It has been Western North Carolina’s Premier Family Festival for over 60 years. Guests can enjoy 4 days of fun including one of the most best known Street Fairs in the Carolinas with Freshly Picked Apples, Arts & Crafts, Festival Food and FREE Entertainment at the Historic Courthouse on Hendersonville’s Beautiful Main Street. Start you day off with one of the breakfasts and then spend the rest of the day enjoying the excitement of Main Street as well as many other activities across the community. And on Labor Day, don’t forget the King Apple Parade! Please leave your pets comfortably at home, the City of Hendersonville’s ordinance prohibits animals in the event area.
The Foundation Performing Arts Center
The Foundation at at Isothermal Community College, a 61,000-sq. ft. facility, houses a Performing Arts and Conference Center and the college’s Continuing Education Center. The Frank and Mabel West Auditorium is a 1367 fixed seat proscenium, 879 on the floor level and 488 on the balcony level. Box seats are on both levels. The Conference Center contains over 7000-sq. ft. of meeting, banquet, and trade show space with catering services attached. For tickets or information, call the Box Office at 828.286.9990
Area Attractions
Mr. Vanderbilt had a summer home here. Mr. Sandburg wrote poetry here while Mrs. Sandburg raised internationally famous goats here. Mr. Wolfe found his inspiration here. What will you do here?
Wineries, Distillers and Brewhouses
- Biltmore Estate & Winery
Completed in 1895, George Vanderbilt’s 250-room French château is a real life wonder. Enjoy a self-guided visit of Biltmore House that unveils a fresh look at how people lived and worked in America’s largest home. Also, explore the acres of beautiful gardens and grounds, designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, during your visit. A self-guided visit of Biltmore House & Gardens is included in estate admission. In-depth audio tour and guided specialty tours are available for an additional cost. - Defiant Whiskey – Blue Ridge Distilling
The Defiant spirit runs through our souls. That craving for adventure and breaking away from convention. Finding truth in authenticity. Some chase a few defiant moments. Others live a lifetime in the spirit. Our crew behind the stills are salvage divers by trade, working at the edge of catastrophe at the bottom of the ocean. We run towards certain disaster and change fate with metal, fire, water and intellect. Our whisky is created by those same virtues. In diving and in whisky, greatness is not coincidence. It is cultivated, pushed, practiced and always evolving. We’re rethinking whisky by taking the best of Scottish tradition and combining it with American ingenuity. We’re starting a whisky revolution. Charting a new course on the journey. And we’re doing it the Defiant way. - Mountain Brook Vineyards
At Mountain Brook Vineyards, crafting wine is a labor of love. We take great care in nurturing our 7.5-acre vineyard, nestled in the isothermal belt foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. - Overmountain Vineyards
Nestled at the gateway of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Overmountain Vineyards is planted on 20 acres of fertile farmland in the Tryon Foothills of Polk County. You will enjoy the picturesque views as you enjoy a walk through the vineyard. - Parker-Binns Vineyard
With our background, we decided we wanted to be part of the emerging East Coast wine industry. We searched up and down the region and finally found what we felt was the perfect parcel, 35 acres in the Tryon Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Polk County, North Carolina had a rich history of growing and selling grapes in the late 1800′s. Now with the area having over 20 vineyards and 3 wineries, we knew this was the place to begin. And begin we did…clearing the trees and thickets, preparing the soil and planting over 4000 grape vines. Although we were familiar with this, we made an outstanding discovery…we’re 28 years older (ouch!) and yet another adventure begins!
Historic Places
- The Bechtler House
The original mint site of Christopher Bechtler – the man who minted America’s first one dollar gold coin and reinvented commerce in the Southeast. “The history of America’s first gold rush and the Bechtler Mint is one of the unique and distinctive experiences that can be found only in North Carolina,” said Lynn Davis Minges, assistant secretary of Tourism, Marketing, and Global Branding for North Carolina. “Visitors are looking for those authentic stories and deeper connections, so it is vital that we celebrate this history and allow visitors to take hold of it through programs and attractions like this.” The mint site is located at 342 Gilboa Church Road in Rutherfordton. - Bostic Lincoln Center
There is substantial evidence that Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born not in Kentucky, but on Puzzle Creek near Bostic, North Carolina, in Rutherford County. The mission of the Bostic Lincoln Center, a non-profit organization, is to collect, document, research and preserve the generational-lore of the area by providing audio/visual histories, exhibits and programs telling this story and other stories of our region. The Center will conduct tours of cultural and historical sites and promote the distribution of educational materials telling the story of our County. - Carl Sandburg Home
The Carl Sandburg Home is located on 264 acres in Western North Carolina. In addition to tours of the Sandburg Home, visitors can enjoy over five miles of trails, stroll through gardens and greet the descendents of Mrs. Sandburg’s dairy goat herd. A typical visit lasts 2 hours. Guests should plan for a 1-hour drive to the home from the Resort, or just a short drive from the shopping areas in Hendersonville.
Cedar Creek Stables
Cedar Creek Stables is a public trail riding facility, nestled in the beautiful mountains of Lake Lure, North Carolina. All of our trail rides have creek walks and go through the mountains. Our award winning staff and facility has your safety in mind at all times.
Chimney Rock State Park
Chimney Rock State Park is the natural fulfillment of your trip to the North Carolina mountains. Take a deep breath of refreshing mountain air, become invigorated by our hiking trails, and let your cares fade away in the cool mist of Hickory Nut Falls. This is the perfect place to reconnect with nature and spend time with family and friends. Only 20 minutes from Rumbling Bald Resort on Lake Lure, Chimney Rock offers the best of the mountains in one place – spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, a variety of special events and much more. Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is proud to be part of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.
Chimney Rock Village
Our location is unique-Chimney Rock Village is situated in the center of historical Hickory Nut Gorge, lying directly below the famous vistas of Chimney Rock Mountain, containing almost three miles of scenic Rocky Broad River, which is the prime source for the renowned pristine waters of Lake Lure. Our quaint village will welcome you with its delightful assortment of hostelries, eateries, attractions, shops, and services; the friendliess of the villagers; the permanence of the mountains; and a state park with an entrance right on Main Street. Come linger a while with us.
Grandfather Mountain
Grandfather Mountain is one of the most environmentally significant mountains in the world. Crossing the famous swinging footbridge suspends you more than a mile above sea level. Grandfather Mountain features wildlife environmental habitats, interpretive nature museum, hiking trails and picnic areas. For over 100 years Grandfather Mountain has been a wildlife sanctuary and nature preserve, with an elevation of 5,964 feet.
Area Hiking Trails
Looking for some hiking trails in the area? Well here is a great link that can help you choose.
Kidsenses – Children’s Museum
KidSenses may be your destination, but your imagination will take you away! At KidSenses Children’s InterACTIVE Museum, our exhibits and special workshops stimulate the imagination and educate the mind. Children and adults experience hands-on fun as they play, learn and create together in this exciting environment.
Lake Lure Flowering Bridge
Officially dedicated Oct. 19, 2013, the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge blooms on the historic 1925 Rocky Broad River bridge in Lake Lure, NC. When the bridge was closed to traffic in 2011, the Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge came together to create gardens on the 155 feet of the bridge and along a pathway at both ends of the three-arch span itself. With an emphasis on native plants, the Friends mission is to create a “Gateway to Somewhere Beautiful” for the enjoyment of the public.
Linville Caverns
Located at the southern gateway to western NC’s High Country region, Linville Caverns is an ideal destination for visitors of all ages. The beauty of our mountains is echoed within Humpback Mountain and visitors are invited to explore the splendor and wonders nature created “inside a mountain”.
Pearson’s Falls – Saluda, NC
This botanical preserve is comprised of 268 acres of native forest, granite, spring-fed streams and a moderate 1/4 mile trail to a 90 ft. Waterfall. There are over 200 species of rare wildflowers, and plants, mosses, lichens and trees in this glen which is classified as a deciduos climate forest. Pearson’s Falls is on private property, but the nice folks at the Tryon Garden Club allow public access.
Rumbling Bald Bouldering Climbing
Bouldering at Rumbling Bald has seen a huge increase over the past few years. Rumbling Bald offers classic lines of all grades and world class bouldering making it a mandatory part of the climbing circuit in the South. From long slab routes to overhung roof cracks, Rumbling Bald has something for everyone. With the new climber’s parking lot in place, traffic to the Bald has exploded in recent years. Please be courteous and follow the rules. Some helpful resources: http://rumblingbaldbouldering.blogspot.com
The Right Track Toy Train Museum
This museum was the brainchild of Peggy Keyes. In 2007, Peggy lost her husband, Larry, of 47 years to pancreatic cancer. Larry was a life-long toy train collector and enthusiast. To honor his memory, and raise funds for pancreatic cancer research, Peggy, along with a myriad of volunteers, set up this museum in the picturesque town of Lake Lure, in the western mountains of North Carolina. Come see trains from the early 1900s to the present. There are several tracks set up with working trains, and visitors can work the trains themselves! There is a separate train room for our youngest engineers, complete with push trains, engineer costumes and coloring pages! There is also a small gift shop where visitors can get anything from Christmas ornaments to train sets, from baby clothes to train whistles! This museum is fun for every member of the family no matter how young or young at heart!