Whether you’re a retiree seeking a gated mountain retreat or a family-minded professional looking for a beautiful neighborhood to set down roots, Hendersonville’s small-town charm, natural beauty, and convenient location outside Asheville, NC, is leading it to become an increasingly popular location for luxury home buyers.
Driving down Hendersonville’s Main Street can bring to mind Andy Griffith’s Mayberry with its turn-of-the-century storefronts, diagonal parking, and mom-and-pop businesses. Established in 1847, the town of 15,000 is clean, safe, walkable, and rich with restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, wineries, and art galleries.
You’ll find Hendersonville is large enough to provide countless opportunities to engage with the community and introduce kids to fond experiences you enjoyed growing up, but small enough to enjoy a lifestyle that emphasizes community and serenity, just 23 miles from downtown Asheville, NC.
In this post, we’ll dig into what makes Hendersonville special, and the gated communities, developments, and neighborhoods in the area luxury buyers are flocking to.
Champion Hills is a premier gated golfing community in the region, nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains near Hendersonville. The community's centerpiece is a highly acclaimed golf course designed by Tom Fazio, celebrated as one of his personal favorites. Residents can refine their skills and make friends with golf groups, a driving range, a putting green, and club events. The community also boasts a luxurious full-service clubhouse with both fine and casual dining options.
In addition to golf, Champion Hills is rich with other amenities, including a fully-equipped fitness and wellness center, tennis courts, and 17 miles of hiking trails. The community also hosts tennis programs and a variety of seasonal events throughout the year, including wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, and holiday celebrations.
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This new luxury condominium complex under development by Fairmont is located at The Cedars—a historic hotel in town with stunning mountain views. For those seeking a lock-and-leave option with the added convenience of being minutes from your favorite stores and restaurants, The Cedars is ideal. It offers studio to three-bedroom condos and penthouses that can be included in a house-sharing program with members of other Fairmont retreats in other cities, allowing residents to temporarily exchange condos for a change of pace. When fully completed, the retreat will also feature a central clubhouse.
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Sprout is a family-friendly, 375-acre gated community with big mountain views that blends 21st-century amenities with a conservation mindset. It encourages backyard farming, such as keeping chickens, boasts community gardens for growing fresh food, apiaries for beekeeping, and a 150-acre private nature preserve with five miles of tended trails to explore. At the same time, it provides access to fiber optic internet to stay connected. Homes in this community are built in collaboration with conscientious landscape architects and quality builders to preserve the beauty of surrounding nature while enacting responsible design, landscaping, and material use.
While technically in the Flat Rock, NC, zipcode, this gated golf community with a family-oriented culture is just six miles south of Hendersonville. It spans 1,400 acres of picturesque mountain terrain rich in history, offering a range of mountain homes and plots within a well-established neighborhood.
Kenmure Country Club's amenities cater to a wide array of interests, including a championship 18-hole golf course, an indoor heated saline pool with steam saunas, an outdoor heated pool, tennis courts, a modern fitness center, and dining options that range from formal to casual, alongside banquet facilities. The club is also a center for social engagement, hosting various groups and an active community association.
Historic Laurel Park in Hendersonville has an air of timeless elegance. The neighborhood is walkable and full of stately older homes. It also features the local landmark of Jump Off Rock—a birds-eye overlook and pleasant spot for hiking.
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This gated community is ideal for those seeking an active lifestyle. The community features an indoor pool, courts for pickleball and tennis, a clubhouse, a pavilion, and scenic overlooks—all just eight miles from Asheville Regional Airport. Summit Vista, its new enclave, boasts panoramic mountaintop views from one of the tallest peaks in Henderson County, modern style, and lock-and-go convenience.
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Perched at 3,200–3,840 feet above sea level, Grand Highlands offers an exclusive mountain living experience across 344 pristine acres. The gated community features 145 homesites, each showcasing the area's natural beauty—from wooded sanctuaries to open meadows and spectacular long-range mountain vistas.
At the heart of the community stands a new timber-frame clubhouse, complete with the Summit Pub, grand hall, dining facilities, meeting rooms, expansive verandas, and more. Residents enjoy premium amenities including a fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts, equestrian facility, vintage community barn, golf simulator, nature trails, dog park, and community gardens.
Modern conveniences include underground utilities and fiber optic internet, while conservation partnerships protect the surrounding natural wonders. Whether gathering around the fire, tending to the community garden, or exploring miles of trails, residents experience the perfect blend of luxury mountain living and natural beauty.
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The Henderson County Public School district is the second largest in Western North Carolina, offering highly-rated institutions for every grade level with a graduation rate of 92%, as well as a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1. This includes 13 elementary, four middle, and four high schools. There is also a K-12 faith-based private school, a PK-8 Catholic private school, and a Montessori school serving Hendersonville.
Local eats for every age and palate await in Hendersonville year-round. Known for its fall apple festival and orchards, it’s also home to an abundance of ice cream shops. You can follow the “Hendersonville Ice Cream Trail” to indulge your sweet tooth, whether you’re in the mood for traditional Mexican ice cream, vegan ice cream, frozen custard, or classic creamy goodness.
Adults can enjoy scenic mountain views and vintages at local wineries like Burntshirt, St. Paul Mountain, or Point Lookout Vineyards. Meanwhile, Blue Ridge Beer Garden offers a casual atmosphere with a rotating selection of craft brews with live music nearly every day, in addition to other local breweries, like Oak Lava and Budda’s.
Western North Carolina is a playground for nature lovers and the Hendersonville area is no exception. Jump Off Rock, located at the edge of town, offers a panoramic scenic overlook and three hiking trails. The Acousta Trail, a paved former railroad track opening this summer, will run from downtown Hendersonville to nearby Brevard, offering a beautiful, easy-going path for walking, jogging, and cycling. Featherstone Creek, a trout stream, runs directly through Hendersonville, much to anglers’ delight. Meanwhile, nearby DuPont State Forest, once a filming location for The Last of the Mohicans, and Pisgah National Forest offer countless opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, camping, and more.
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Learn about more small mountain towns and gated communities near Asheville, NC, that luxury buyers are calling home.