- [Narrator] This little town of about 14,000 people has always been a nice place to stop but more and more people are choosing to stay for longer vacations and sometimes for keeps.

- When I came here to visit, I knew that something was going to happen here.

I mean the town is beautiful, the area's amazing, it has the best climate.

It's fantastic.

- Hendersonville has grown so significantly in the pasts, I don't know, even 10 years.

We're considered Asheville's cooler little sister.

- I think that it's a small Asheville with its own kind of artistic vibe.

- [Narrator] And good food.

That's Jesse Roque's specialty.

She's the executive chef, co-owner of a main street restaurant called the Never Blue.

Along with her husband, Edson, seen here at work behind the scenes.

- The menu changes two to three times a year.

I base it on what's available seasonally and it's got my southern roots with a little bit of latino flair.

I have Filipino influences on my menu and also Cuban from where I grew up in Florida.

My husband's from Mexico so there's a lot of Mexican heritage in there.

- [Narrator] Since opening in 2008, the Never Blue has set a high bar with its creative dishes, desserts, cocktails and casual, cool ambiance.

- People here have money.

People that retire to this area have money and they expect to spend it and they expect to get what they pay for in this area.

So keeping a high quality food and you'll see with all the restaurants.

Every restaurant in this town is putting out the best product they possibly can and we're lucky enough to be in a community where we have tons of farmers.

- [Narrator] Another chef who personally connects with farmers is Nate Sargent of Seasons at Highland Lake in Flat Rock.

Nate is a lifetime local who grew up around good food.

- Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, actually.

My parents had a cafe from when I was very small and that's what started my interest in the culinary arts.

And throughout the years, I've been able to grow with those same folks and work with some of them and now purchased from them.

So the full circle of farm to table is really, I started very young.

I want to embrace what's around us, what grows so close to us and what we can do by barely touching it.

The least amount of work we can put into manipulating an item or processing it, the better.

We kind of want to slow things down and get closer to where we came from.

And the goal during service is consistency.

We want the guests to have an exceptional experience every time.

Right now, we're working with the apples.

We're doing a nice Granny Smith style apple and a fingerling potato gratin and it's pared with our filet mignon.

And the flavor that the local apple and the sweet potato have with a grilled piece of delicious meat, is one of those memories for me.

- [Narrator] On a day trip to the Hendersonville area, it's tough to choose just one or two food stops from all of the great options.

But when it comes to quality theater, it's easy.

Flat Rock Playhouse.

- Back in 1952, the state designated us as the state theater, which meant they recognized us for our excellence in production and also education.

We do 29 shows a year here at the Playhouse.

We are a professional theater, we are recognized by Actors' Equity so every one of our shows has at least 13 people who come in from New York or Chicago or L.A.

The rest is pretty much built up of locals.

And we have two venues.

This one and we also have another one downtown that we are very proud of because we like to consider ourselves Broadway mountain style.

- [Narrator] After theater, the day trip nears an end.

Finish it off at Jump Off Rock in the town of Laurel Park right next door to Hendersonville.

There's hiking and biking up here and as you can see, an excellent view of an amazing piece of North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains.

- Hendersonville and the nearby communities of Laurel Park and Flat Rock are all within 30-miles south of Asheville.

You can find out more information about all of these locations at visit hendersonvillenc.com.