Bat Cave is an unincorporated community along Highway 64, just fifteen miles outside Asheville, near Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village. Less than 4 miles away from Bat Cave is Hickory Nut Gorge, a fourteen-mile-long canyon within the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Gorge offers excellent fishing, hiking, and boating, with a number of restaurants, shops, and lodging options in surrounding towns. 

Hickory Nut Gap Farm, located in Fairview, is halfway between Bat Cave and Asheville on Highway 64. The farm has become a major supplier of grass-fed beef, pork, and chicken, in the greater Asheville area. Visitors can tour the farm or enjoy a true farm-to-table meal at the farm, with options such as salads with organic vegetables or burgers made with farm-raised beef. Visitors can also purchase steaks, sausage, bacon, and more at the farm’s local gift shop. Before Covid-19, the farm would hold weekly barn dances every Friday night with a live band.

The Bat Cave Old Cider Mill is located a few miles down the road, where travelers can sample the homemade apple cider made and sold at the Mill. The Mill gets their apples from neighboring Hendersonville, so the cider is always freshly pressed. The Mill doesn’t stop at cider however, they offer an assortment of jams, jellies, relishes, honey, and syrups, all from local shops. Stop in the gift shop for anything from a set of windchimes to vintage rings

Relax and enjoy a beer while overlooking the Rocky Broad River on the patio at Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery. The Brewery is owned by Lake Lure Locals Marc and Merri Fretwell. Their mission statement is to “establish a brewery to gather in celebration of life, family, and friendship.” Beers are brewed onsite, and the brewery offers a range of IPAs, ales, and stouts. Normally, the Brewery has live music every Friday, and trivia night each Wednesday, although Covid-19 has put a stop to these events. 

Bat Cave is an ideal location for those searching for respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Surrounded by undisturbed forests, visitors have numerous ways to reconnect with nature in and around Bat Cave. Whether you prefer to relax by taking a hike and fishing or drinking a beer with some live music, Bat Cave has it all.