Spring Fling 2015 - Part 2

I could tell my previous post (Part 1) was getting pretty long, with all the inserted pictures.  It covered about 10 days of our 25 day trip through the southeast USA.  However, I took more pictures during that time than I did the next two weeks.  The first week we were vacationing, so to speak, and the next two weeks we were scouting for a place to live next winter.  And all the while we were enjoying the beauty of spring blooms.  Dogwoods and azaleas can't be beat...they just don't bloom long enough!

We have been attracted to Hendersonville, NC for over 15 years now.  We've made several trips through the area during those years, but this time we wanted to drive through subdivisions and drive past places I had seen on the internet last winter.  We are open to houses or condos, or as a last resort, apartments.  We feel it makes better sense to rent for a while to know we would want to live in an area before we actually purchased a home.  Besides, our house in Michigan has not yet sold, so we aren't in a position to buy.  

Michigan House on Campground

We left Atlanta early on Sunday morning to drive the three hour stretch up to Hendersonville, with the purpose of getting there in time to attend morning worship at the Church of the Nazarene.  It rained all the way, but it was a scenic drive up through northeast Georgia...an area we had not traveled through before.  We did make it in time, attended church, then went to the Cracker Barrel for lunch.  We drove around the town for a while until it was time to check into our lodging.

On Monday we awoke to sunshine, and we were ready to go scouting!  We wanted to see some of the local attractions that we had not seen before.  Just a little south of Hendersonville is the village of Flat Rock, which is an area I had seen several places to rent or purchase.  So we started in that section, and we stopped at the village strip that had some rainbow colored little shops of interest.

My favorite store was "The Wrinkled Egg".  I love that picture of the chicken laying a wrinkled egg!  Cute...funny!!  This shop had several sections...children's toys, home deco, women's clothing...a very nice place to browse.  But my favorite area was where I made a new friend...Lola, the bunny.  Isn't she sweet????

 We then drove down the road a ways to see what Kenmure Golf Community was about.  Oh, my goodness!  We pulled into paradise!!







This picture represents the absolute best of the beauty of spring!!  This golf course community is set in the foothills of the Smokies, and there were many homes up the hillsides...some secluded, and some in clusters.  The golf course itself was simply pristine!

 We went into the Kenmure Club House, an old plantation style house, to inquire about rentals during the off season.  By the way, this is a gated community, and the course is a private course.  We found out that we can rent furnished condos there at about half the price they rent for in season.  That would include the amenities of dining at the club house, using the indoor pool, working out in their gym, and the privilege of golfing for a reduced fee.  Wow.  It seemed like a dream for us to be able to spend the winter on a golf course where we could be out swinging our clubs instead of shoveling snow out of our driveway back in Michigan!!

The Historic Courthouse sets right in the middle of Hendersonville's main street.  It's being refurbished as a museum, but it wasn't open when we were there.  Main street is several blocks of stores and restaurants in a shopper friendly setting.  On Labor Day weekend, they close off the street to traffic and bring in the bands and vendors and all the hoopla to celebrate Apple Festival.  

 

 What drew us to consider Hendersonville as a possible place to retire is the setting of the town.  It's just south of Asheville, NC about 25 miles, but it's set more on a plateau.  You can see the Smokies rising up in the distance.  Also the town is a smaller town, with a population of about 15,000.  Yet it has everything it takes to make a great community to live in:  good shopping, lots of restaurants, scenic sights, numerous churches, and a good year round climate.  It has the four seasons, but not as drastic!  It's also just a six hour drive to Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head, where we like to head when we go to the ocean.

We were enticed to have a steak at Binion's Roadhouse.  There was another vehicle that must have decided to stay awhile, since the food was so good!

We spent one night down in Flat Rock and then spent a couple of nights in the Marriott Fairfield Inn by the Asheville Airport.  Went browsing at one of our favorite furniture stores, Ashley Furniture.  Then it was time for the next leg of our journey...heading to Knoxville, TN.

Actually, this probably makes for a good breaking point in this blog post.  I thought I could do the whole 3 week trip in one post, then decided two would be better.  Now I'm thinking I should make it three.  I had more pictures than I realized.  So...I'll be back!!